CORONAVIRUS UPDATES

Good Afternoon Santo Niño Families,

As I have mentioned in recent communication with you, the caring staff at Santo Niño and I have become very concerned about the rapid rise in COVID 19 cases in our Santa Fe community and in our state.  Due to the rise in community spread and considering the likelihood of both large and small family and friend gatherings among our own Santo Niño community in the next few weeks, we believe the responsible course of action is to resume fully on-line learning for a short period of time.  To that end, we will close our building to students following Thanksgiving Break 11/20/2020 and resume in person learning on January 11, 2021. Online starts on 11/30/2020

Here is some information that may help you understand our rationale for this action. 

• While we have not had cases of COVID 19 that have originated at our school or among our staff or students, several of our families and some of our teaching staff have needed to quarantine out of precaution due to illness or possible exposure to the virus. This causes us great concern for the health of our community.  It also makes supervision of students difficult while still keeping adequate social distance in the classrooms.

• About ½ of our families indicated that they would be attending or hosting a gathering during the holiday season.  This means those students would need to quarantine for fourteen days before returning and we really have no way to enforce compliance.

• Several of our staff members will see elderly relatives and wish to quarantine prior to seeing them.  

Our expectation is that this move to on-line learning will be limited to this short period of time.  All of our teaching staff much prefer to have students in their classrooms, however all of us recognize the awesome responsibility to keep our community safe, including our own families.

I am making this call now so that you can have some time to make necessary arrangements.  Here are some things to know.

• I am attaching a survey for you to let me know what technology resources you may need in order to take advantage of on-line learning.

• Teachers will prepare a list of items that your student will need to take home and we will schedule times on 11/18 and 11/19  for you to come to the school to pick up these items (books, chromebooks, notebooks, etc.) Please see the schedule below.

• We are setting up an IT Help Service Ticket on our website to streamline your requests for technology assistance.  This system will be our clearinghouse for technology requests so that we can respond quickly. Please see the link below.

• We are setting up a Santo Niño Health Office Clearing House Email for your health questions during the time the building is closed.  If you need advice on any COVID related question you may email Nurse Robert at: nurse@santoninoregional.org. 

• Free lunches will continue to be available.  You will be able to order them on Sycamore and pick them up daily, if you choose.  The procedure for ordering can be found below.

We know this is inconvenient but we cannot ignore the risk and our commitment has to be to the health and safety of our Santo Niño family.  Thank you for your undying support of our school and your care for our whole community.  

God Bless You and Your Angels!

Robin Chavez

Good Afternoon Santo Nino Families,

Here is the promised update on our contingency plans.  As I mentioned yesterday, while the churches are going to remote only Masses, our schools are still allowed by the Archbishop to remain open.  This is very good news, however, we know that realistically, we may need to go back to fully remote learning for a period of time.  

I spoke with our rector, Father John today and he is supportive of whatever measures we need to take as a school to serve our families and to keep our entire community healthy.  I also met with our teachers this afternoon, via ZOOM and they are all committed to continuing to teach our students both in the building and on-line for as long as it is prudent to do so.  So here is the contingency part.

If we need to return to fully on-line learning for a short (or longer) time, the teachers will have the choice to teach from their classrooms or from their homes of a combination of the two.  Our office will remain open with limited hours and staff to minimize contact.  All of our teachers are currently offering an on-line plan for some students in their classes, so that on-line plan will be adapted for returning all students to on-line learning.

Again, this will only take place if we are required by the Archbishop or Governor's office to close; or if we as a school community experience an outbreak within our school.  As of now we are open and everyone is learning and healthy.

Community Choice Model
In this model the teacher provides instruction in the classroom each day to a cohort of students who have chosen the In-person Option. Students who have chosen the On-Line Option remote into the class using Google Meet and ZOOM. The learning platform for all learners in the class will be Google Classroom for grades 1-6. For PreK and Kinder the platform will be Class DoJo.

Fully On-Line Model
In the event that, at any point in the school year there is a mandate to close the building we will implement a fully on-line model of instruction. Once the order to close is rescinded we will resume our Community Choice Model. The benefit of a small school is that we can move swiftly from one model to the other. The learning platform for the on-line model will be Google Classroom for grades 1-6 and Classroom DoJo for Kinder and PreK. (see reopening plan newsletter)

• Classrooms Cleaned and Sanitized
• All air and water system checked for proper operation
• Purchase of PPE and health monitoring equipment
• Purchase of cleaning equipment and supplies
• Students Screened for temperature and symptoms prior to admittance into the building
• Isolation room provided for students who become ill during school hours
• Nurse on campus to facilitate ongoing screenings as necessary

• COVID-19 in the community: When there are larger numbers of people who have the coronavirus in the community, the risk of being exposed to someone with COVID-19 increases with any social interaction, including at school. 
• Risk of COVID-19 at school: What is your school doing to help keep people healthy? Ask about symptom screening, handwashing, face coverings, social distancing and learning in cohorts or pods. Look for clear and frequent communication.
• Your child's risk of COVID-19: If your child has a medical condition, talk with your doctor to see if they are at higher risk of severe COVID-19. In-person school may be the prefrred option for children with some medical problems when proper COVID-19 prevention precautions are taken. Families who choose in-person school should talk with the school about their child's medical condition. 
• Family's risk of COVID-19: If you live with someone who is older or who has a medical condition, you may think about risk of in-person school differently. The risk of a child bringing COVID-19 home may be serious for other people at home even if it is low risk for your child. 
• Challenges with remote school: Remote school affects each child and family differently. Some children have educational, developmental, or mental health needs that are difficult to meet with remote schooling. Some families are not able to stay home with their child or access the technology they need to help children with remote learning. 

• Children develop important social connections with teachers and classmates.
• Being out of school can be harmful for children’s mental health, particularly during COVID-19 social distancing and isolation.
• Many children receive learning support like physical therapy, speech therapy and mental health services at school and are not able to get this help at home.
• Schools provide meals and physical activity that children may not have at home.
• In-person school is important for racial and social equity.
• Remote learning leaves children behind if their families don’t have access to technology, resources and supervision for learning at home.

As new information comes to light and the situation changes, families can revisit this conversation with their pediatrician and continue ongoing dialogue throughout the school year.

These medical conditions may put children at increased risk for severe COVID-19:

• Obesity
• Chronic lung disease (including uncontrolled asthma)
• Heart disease
• Neurologic conditions
• Diabetes (especially type 2)
• Cancer treatment
• Weakened immune system from a medical condition or medication
• Organ transplant
• Bone marrow transplant
• Metabolic and genetic conditions
• Liver disease
• Sickle cell disease

When assessing your child's risk, consider the severity of your child's underlying condition, if they have multiple conditions that increase risk, and how suppressed their immune system is. Your child’s pediatrician can help guide you.

How can we keep kids and teacher safe from the coronavirus and other infections while they are at school?

By combining several of the following strategies, we can decrease the risk of COVID-19 in schools:

• Hand hygiene: Frequent handwashing (with soap and water or hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol) decreases the spread of infections at home and at school.
• Distancing: Staying 6 feet away from other people decreases the spread of COVID-19. However, this is not always possible. When you cannot stay 6 feet apart, 4 feet is better than 3 feet, and 3 feet is better than 2 feet. People should have as much space around them for as much of the day as possible.
• Face coverings: Wearing a cloth face covering or mask helps block the spread of infectious particles from the nose and mouth. Some children may not be able to wear a mask: those under age 2 and any child who has serious trouble breathing or a neurologic or developmental condition that means they can’t a face covering without help. Most children with asthma and other chronic lung conditions – and adults – can wear a mask safely.
• Vaccination: Staying up to date on routine vaccines including the influenza (flu) vaccine protects children from serious infections. Many of the diseases that vaccines prevent have similar symptoms to COVID-19 and can lead to missing school and even severe illness.
• Checking symptoms and staying home if sick: Checking for symptoms and keeping people at home when they have symptoms lowers the chance of bringing COVID-19 into school (and communities). Anyone who is a contact of someone with confirmed or probable COVID-19 should also stay home, including children, until that contact is fully recovered. To keep schools healthy, families and staff must report any sick symptoms, even mild symptoms like a runny nose or sore throat.
• Pods or cohorts: These are groups of children and teachers that stay together at school while minimizing their interactions with other groups. Sticking with these groups lowers the risk of spreading COVID-19. This is because children have contact with fewer people who might be sick. If someone has COVID-19 in a school with strict pods or cohorts, only the people in that group would be exposed and public health officials can help monitor any potential exposure while keeping others safe.

Many children who have COVID-19 have mild symptoms, and some have barely any symptoms at all. People can develop symptoms 2 to 14 days after exposure (5 days on average) to COVID-19.

• “Confirmed COVID-19” is when a person has a new positive COVID-19 PCR test from a nose or throat swab.
• “Probable COVID-19” is when a person has symptoms of COVID-19 and has been in contact with someone with COVID-19 but has not had a positive COVID-19 PCR test.

If a child has symptoms of COVID-19 and a negative COVID-19 test, families should talk with their doctor about what is making the child sick and when they can return to school.

How can i prepare my child for the changes at school this year?

The first step is to look at the school guidelines to best understand what the year will look like. Once you understand your child’s specific situation, start talking about what the school days will look like. Explain in age-appropriate terms what your child can expect – this includes everything from checking for symptoms of illness at home every morning, to getting to school (riding the bus, carpooling, walking, etc.), to lunchtime expectations (likely in the classroom instead of the cafeteria), and finally to what happens when they get home. Practice with your child if it will help them feel more comfortable.

Discuss your child’s important role in helping to slow the spread of the coronavirus among their friends and teachers by washing their hands and wearing a mask.

What should kids being to school every day?
Just like planning for lunch, parents should help their kids bring what they need to stay safe and healthy. During the pandemic, kids should bring the following items to school:

• A clean face covering (and a spare, if they have one)
• Hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol content