Dear MCDS Families,
We continue to closely monitor the latest information about the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), including regular updates from the Marin Department of Health and Human Services (Marin HHS) and the Marin County Office of Education (MCOE). We are also aware of new cases of community transmitted COVID-19 in San Francisco, and are actively working to be as prepared as possible in light of what is a rapidly evolving situation.
Our priority is to maintain the health and safety of our school community. We are currently refining plans that would be put into place to continue student learning, should we have to close school temporarily as a result of a case of COVID-19 in our community. We want to share our plans with you now so that you know what to expect in the event a closure occurs. For more information, we have established a school webpage with links to travel warnings and other tips from the CDC, WHO, local public health organizations, and resources on how to support children.
If We Have to Close School
A school closure would occur, if determined by Marin HHS in consultation with MCOE, and may require that school be closed for up to 14 days or more, depending on the timing of the exposure. We will notify families of a school closure via AlertMCDS, our school-wide emergency notification system.
During a school closure, all school events, such as field trips, athletics (including away games), performances, community education speakers, etc. will be canceled and rescheduled if possible.
All campus facilities will go through a deep cleaning, and all employees, students, and families must remain off campus until school is reopened.
Continuity of Learning
Our teachers and staff will ensure educational continuity for students during a possible school closure through technology tools, online resources, unplugged learning exercises, and regular communication to students and their families. To that end, teachers will:
If you do not have access to the Internet at home, or your 1st-5th grader does not have a device at home to use for distance learning, you can make arrangements for your child to bring home their school device. To initiate that process, contact the MCDS Tech Department (techhelp@mcds.org).
While our teachers are very creative and resourceful, they will not be able to replicate all classroom experiences such as group discussions, collaborative projects, science labs, etc. Teachers will not provide a volume of work that keeps students busy for the number of hours they are in school; however, they will create high-quality assignments to maintain continuity of learning. Teachers also will not expect students to have access to printers or scanners, and therefore work will not necessarily be assessed or graded until students return to school.
Even though a school closure will create challenges, our teachers have been working in their grade teams and academic departments to ensure thoughtful and relevant distance-learning activities for students. We are lucky to have capable, confident, and committed faculty at MCDS, who will keep our students engaged and connected should a closure occur.
Health and Hygiene Reminders
Teachers and staff continue to remind students to wash their hands frequently during the day or to use hand sanitizer if handwashing is not possible. We have added additional hand sanitizer stands around campus.
Our facilities staff continues to thoroughly clean classrooms and other spaces each evening, wiping down desktops and frequently-touched objects like doorknobs.
Please help us by keeping children at home if they are sick or have flu-like symptoms. We require at least 24 hours fever-free without medications before a child can return to school.
Travel -- Overnight Trips and Spring Break
At this time, based on the current recommendations from Marin HHS, we have not proactively canceled overnight trips that are scheduled to go, but we are continually monitoring and evaluating our plans. If we do cancel any upcoming trips, the school will communicate with you as soon as possible.
Further, we are requesting that families keep us informed by contacting our school nurse Karen Bond (kbond@mcds.org), if they will be traveling outside the U.S. over spring break by completing this International Travel Form. This also applies to our faculty and staff.
Following recommendations from the CDC, any student or faculty/staff member who travels to a country designated by the CDC as a "Warning Level 3" area will be subject upon their return to a 14-day period of self-isolation away from school.
Presently, China, South Korea, Italy and Iran are designated Level 3. If your family will be traveling to an "Alert–Level 2" country (check CDC's website for updates), we are suggesting that you seriously consider your plans in the event that country is elevated to Level 3 status at a later time.
Most importantly, please contact your health provider if you think you have been exposed to the novel Coronavirus.
We're all hoping that our community stays healthy and Coronavirus free, and we are prepared should we have to close temporarily.
Thank you for your support and partnership,
marin country day school 5221 Paradise Drive • Corte Madera CA • 94925 To unsubscribe from future emails, click here. |