Dear Children’s School families,
It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to the 2020-21 school year! We are so excited to see the students! We opened our doors this past Monday to our PreK students and our students that attend our Adelphi Street Campus. Our main site will open for all K-5 students on Tuesday, September 29, 2020. If your family opted on Hybrid Learning, then Group A (K-5 main campus) will begin on September 29th and Group B will begin on October 1st. The new school hours for all students across NYC are 8:30am – 2:00pm.
Group A’s first Monday is October 19, 2020; second Monday is November 2, 2020
Group B’s first Monday is October 5, 2020; second Monday is October 26, 2020
Arrival and Dismissal:
Arrival for all walkers at both the Main site and the 6:1:1 site will take place at beginning 8:30am for all students. Please do not arrive early as it is difficult to social distance around the building. All bus students will be met by staff members who will greet the students as they arrive. Staff will escort students to the gymnasium to wait to be escorted to their respective classrooms.
If you walk your child to school, drop off will be in various locations, indicated below. Please wait outside with your child until a staff member arrives and never leave your child unaccompanied as we will be doing temperature checks during this time. It is important to make certain that you and your child/ren are practicing social distancing during arrival and dismissal. You will find signage that informs you of where to stand for morning line up and students will return to the same place for afternoon dismissal. Please follow the signage details as well as the following instruction of support staff.
6:1:1 students arriving with parents will wait at the Carlton Street entrance no earlier than 8:30am. Staff will greet parents at the doors and escort students to the classrooms. At the 6:1:1 site, students are escorted to and from any transition at all times.
During this time, parents will not be permitted to enter the school building.
Arrival: PreK students will arrive at the doors on Denton Place closest to Carroll Street. Teachers will greet families outside and instruct students and parents with next steps. During the first few days of school, ONE parent will be permitted to accompany their child/ren to the classroom in the morning only. Dismissal: PreK students will be dismissed from the same doors as they arrive. Dismissal will begin at 1:50pm. Please wait at the doors for the teaching staff to arrive. Once a member of the staff has identified you, your child will be escorted to you. Parents will not enter the building.
Arrival: Kindergarten students will be greeted by the staff at the doors on Denton Place closest to 1st street. Teachers will greet families outside and instruct students and parents with next steps. Parents will not be permitted into the school building. Dismissal: Kindergarten students will be dismissed from the same doors as they arrive. Dismissal will begin at 1:50pm and each class will stagger dismissal starting at 1:50 and ending at 2:00. Teachers in each classroom will provide you with further instructions. Please stand away from the doors to allow children to travel to their dismissal area with physical distancing being a priority at all times.
Arrival: 1st Grade students will be greeted by the staff at the doors closest to the school yard on Whitwell Place. Students will line up along the wall and wait until a staff member arrives. Students will be escorted to their classrooms by a staff member. Dismissal: 1st Grade students will be dismissed from the same doors (Whitwell Place) as entry. Dismissal will be staggered and begin at 1:50pm. Please wait for your child in the same area as the morning arrival being mindful of physical distance requirements.
Arrival: 2nd Grade students will line up along the school yard gate (on the outside of the gate) with the line going towards 1st street. Students and parents will wait here until a staff member arrives. Dismissal: 2nd Grade students will line up along the school yard gate with a teacher beginning at 1:50pm. Teachers will stagger dismissal and send further instructions. Please stand away from the gate to allow students the space they need.
Arrival: 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students will arrive and go to their respective area in the school yard. Please look for signage to direct you to the correct waiting area. Students will be expected to line up and remain 6 feet apart at all times. Please remain with your child until a member of the staff arrives. Dismissal: for grades 3-5 will be in the same place as arrival. Please make sure to arrive at the school no later than 1:50.
Things to keep in mind:
- It is important to be patient during arrival and dismissal. It will take us extra time to get students in and out while following the physical distance guidelines and all other safety procedures.
- Be on time for arrival and dismissal! School begins at 8:30am and ends at 2:00pm. It is important to be on time because teachers are required to hold office hours for parents beginning at 2:00pm.
- Parents are asked to make certain that physical distancing requirements are practiced during all arrival and dismissal procedures.
- Due to the procedures in place during this time, students must be on time as doors will close at 8:45pm. Late arriving students will wait outside until a staff member arrives. Please call the main office and let them know that you are arriving late.
- Main entrance doors: Please do not enter the main doors. Call the main office and wait outside. The main office number is 718-624-5271. At our 6:1:1 site, please call the main office at 718-858-6291.
Health Screener
Due to the pandemic, all teachers, staff, and students are required to complete the NYC Health Screener form daily. Parents are required to complete the form for their child/ren to ensure that they do not have COVID-19 signs/symptoms, and/or a fever of 100 degrees or higher.
You MUST do this daily prior to arriving at the school. If this is not done, you will need to complete it on paper and then have the child’s temperature taken. Please wait away from the student line up if you have not done your screening.
Go to Healthscreening.schools.nyc
- Sign in as a guest
- Facility you are visiting: is The Children’s School
- Floor: please indicate your child’s class
If you respond yes to any of the questions on this screener, please DO NOT come to the school.
Students who fail the health screening should contact their school to notify the school of their absence and to discuss how to remain engaged in remote learning.
For students who travel via school bus: Families must complete the screening, including checking their child’s temperature, prior to boarding a school bus to make certain that their child is well enough to ride on the bus and attend school. Bus personnel will not be conducting screenings of children prior to boarding the bus. School site designated staff will be checking for completion of student health screening at entry. Students who lack the screening clearance will need to be supported in completing this screening process at the school, particularly young children.
Masks and Social Distancing
All students, teachers and staff are required to wear a face mask while at school. Please send your child in with a mask, daily. We ask that you discuss the importance of wearing a mask with your child/ren. We will also be practicing social distancing while in school. Your child’s teacher and building staff will discuss what social distancing will look like in the classroom and in school. It is expected that our students will follow these procedures and we ask you to partner with us in this endeavor. Having conversations with your child/ren prior to the start of school will help us greatly!
OPT
If you have any questions regarding your child/ren bus route or bus number call 718-392-8855. You are also able to access all bus information on your NYC MYSCHOOLS account. For information regarding this account, please contact Parent Coordinator, Yvette Agas-Bautz.
Breakfast and Lunch service
Breakfast and lunch will both be a grab and go service. If your child wishes to have breakfast or lunch, this will be available daily and there is no need to order ahead of time.
Students will eat all meals in their respective classroom. Children will not travel to the cafeteria to eat any meals.
After-school program
At present time, there is NO afterschool program.
Visitors
The safety and security of our students and staff is a priority. Due to the pandemic we are looking to limit all visitors to the school building. If you need to come to the school please be sure to contact the main office before visiting by calling 718 624 5271 for the Carroll Street site and 718 858 6291 for our Adelphi Street site.
All meetings will be held virtually as teachers will not be permitted to have parent meetings in the school.
PPE
All classrooms are fully stocked with adult and student masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes and where necessary, gowns and N95 masks. All students are required to arrive at school wearing a mask. If the need arises during the school day where a child requires a change of mask, that will be available.
Wall mounted thermometers are mounted at the main entrance and the school bus entrance.
Students and staff will be provided with a take home thermometer to assist with the completion of the daily health screening.
Wall mounted hand sanitizer dispensers have been mounted outside of every classroom to ensure that students and staff sanitize prior to entering the classroom.
Cleaning and Sanitizing Protocols
We know that cleaning and sanitizing protocols are of utmost importance to staff, students, and families. Custodian engineers are key contributors in ensuring that our students and school communities remain healthy and safe. Custodian engineer Mike Lanzi and his team have been directed to be diligent in ensuring that all bathrooms are always sufficiently stocked with soap and paper towels. Additionally, Mike and his team will ensure that all handwashing sinks are in a state of good repair.
To minimize the potential transmission of the COVID-19 virus, the custodian engineer has been directed to implement the following cleaning and disinfecting protocols in the buildings:
- Nightly disinfecting of all exposed surfaces in all occupied spaces in their assigned buildings.
- Disinfecting of these areas must take place daily, utilizing electrostatic backpack sprayers with the approved disinfectant.
- All non-porous, frequently contacted surfaces such as desk/table tops, drinking fountains, faucet handles, door hardware, push plates, light switches, and handrails are to be wiped down and disinfected throughout the day utilizing an anti-viral disinfectant and cleaning product following the respective cleaning product’s labels.
- Special attention is to be paid to horizontal surfaces in the building’s common areas, classrooms, and bathrooms.
Instructional Lunch Cleaning Protocols
School staff are encouraged to make frequent use of either disinfectant wipes or spray bottles with disinfectant throughout the day, including after breakfast and lunch. Disinfectant wipes will be provided by custodians to staff for use for all classrooms at any time.
We know that we are about to embark upon a school year like no other. Thank you for all that you do to support our school. Please know that we are here to support you and your child/ren in every way. Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns. Please feel free to contact us with any compliments and good thoughts 🙂
Sincerely,
Rosa Amato
Principal, The Children’s school