Message from the Superintendent: Phase II: Full Days of School.
1 April 2021
Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s):
Despite the challenges presented this school year, our students and staff continue to prove that with creativity and collaboration, so much is possible. Our TBD, CDW, and Old Tappan community continue to work together to move ourselves forward. With the help of individuals in our community and with the diligence of our faculty and staff, our school employees will be vaccinated by the end of April. With this progress, coupled with the expansion of vaccinations for community elders and adults, we are prepared to shift to Phase II: Full Days of our Re-Opening Plan, beginning Monday, 3 May 2021.
SCHOOL HOURS – Full Day:
Our arrival times and procedures will remain exactly the same.
School dismissal procedures will remain exactly the same, too, as we will continue to stagger dismissal. TBD will stagger dismissal from 2:40 PM to 2:55 PM. The exact grade-level dismissal times will be listed in TBD’s Weekly Wrap-Ups. CDW will stagger dismissal from 2:55 PM to 3:00 PM.
The additional time in our school day will allow for increased in-person instruction in academic areas, lunch/recess periods, and greater exposure to the valuable social experiences that occur during class periods and the overall school day. With the increased time in school, we will be allowing for increased mask breaks, too!
For families of virtual e-learning students ONLY:
- Please read this e-Learner May-June 2021 document for details of how virtual e-learning will change once we move to Phase II: Full Days.
- Then, complete and submit the connected form by Friday, 9 April 2021, to let us know your decision regarding the learning platform for your child(ren) – remaining with virtual e-learning or moving to in-person instruction – for the last two months of school.
**If your child is already an in-person learner, there is nothing for you to do. We are assuming your child will remain as an in-person learner.**
LUNCH:
Lunch will be part of the school day. We will be running separate lunch periods to accommodate each of the grade levels, with mandatory hand cleaning before and after lunch periods.
- TBD: The primary grades (PK, Kindergarten, Grade 1, and Grade 2) will be eating lunch in their classrooms. Grades 3 and 4 will be eating lunch outside, when feasible, or in separate lunchrooms, separated by cohorts. When inside, students will use table shields and will be provided face shields. At the conclusion of their mealtimes, students must wear their masks again.
Snack time will remain in the students’ days; however, the time it takes place may be adjusted depending on each grade level’s lunch period.
- CDW: Each grade level will eat at a different time and in separate lunchrooms. Cohorts will eat at staggered times. We will eat outside, when feasible, or inside using table shields. We will provide face shields, as well. At the conclusion of their mealtimes, students must wear their masks again.
Because the lunch periods will be more staggered than in a typical year and because our staff will be spread across so many locations, deliveries will not be accepted and lunches should not be dropped off. You must send your child to school with lunch each morning.
Families will not be contacted to bring lunch during the day. We will have safe snacks to give to students who need something to eat.
Once we establish all of our lunch routines, then we hope to be able to re-introduce drop-offs and deliveries again in the fall. We appreciate your anticipated cooperation with this!
RECESS:
Recess will take place at each grade level. Recess will be organized by grade levels and cohorts. Children will play outside, whenever feasible. Students will clean their hands after the recess periods. Grade levels and cohorts will have their own bins with outdoor recess equipment.
NEXT STEPS and REMINDERS:
1. As always, your help allows us to continue in-person learning. We continue to encourage you to follow all health and safety protocols shared by our school nurses.
2. If your child is a full-time virtual e-learner, please read the linked document above and submit your response on the connected form above by Friday, 9 April 2021.
3. If your child is an in-person learner, we look forward to enjoying full days with him/her again, beginning Monday, 3 May 2021!
4. As a reminder, because we did not use any emergency closure days this year, our last day of school will be Monday, 21 June. The last two days of school, Friday, 18 June, and Monday, 21 June, will be 12:30 dismissal days. Here is an adjusted 2020-2021 calendar for your reference. Ms. Boyce and I will include date reminders, along with year-end activity plans, in our Weekly Wrap-Ups.
Thank you for your continued cooperation this school year. Our accomplishments are a credit to you, as parents/guardians, to our students, to our talented and dedicated faculty and staff, and to our supportive Board of Education members. This year continues to be a testament to the notion that each individual assumes a critical role in the functioning of the whole.
Respectfully,
Danielle M. Da Giau, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools/Acting Principal, CDW
Old Tappan Public School District