In Person vs Remote Survey
Kreiva Community,
As many of you are now aware, yesterday Governor Sununu announced an executive order directing all New Hampshire schools to open 5 days a week “In Person” by April 19. We have yet to see the details of the order or guidance relating to it, so we are in a holding pattern until we see the details.
We look forward to the day that our students are back in the building 5 days a week but we want to ensure that our return is done in the safest and least disruptive way for our students and staff. The Governors announcement appears to be in conflict with concerns and guidance expressed at the federal level and the Centers for Disease Control with states loosening up safety protocols and returning to normal before mass vaccinations have hit a critical threshold to protect our communities. In that regard, we have some challenges to work through to ensure we can open safely and in a way that is minimally disruptive to our students by April 19. We are not alone in this as schools across the state are expressing the same concerns. Specific to Kreiva, we are in the process of determining:
Health - Revised protocols to accommodate the substantial increase of students in the building - Solutions for staff who will not have had their 2nd Covid shot until later in the month of April after April 19 when considering there is a 2 week timeline post vaccination until optimal protection(1st week of May) - Potential impact of rising community transmission rates with regard to Covid and its now more dangerous variants
Facilities - Building capacity to maintain social distancing of 3ft minimum in classrooms, common areas as well as busing. - Reconfiguring classrooms to accommodate the increase of student bodies - Movement of furniture back to 3rd floor classrooms - How to utilize alternate spaces(Gym, Auditorium etc) for additional classroom space. - Staffing those spaces
Transportation - Impact on transportation schedules - Pick up/drop off points
Student Schedules - Cohorts vs No Cohorts (both safety and logistical challenges) - Impacts on scheduling and the build out time required to reconstruct schedules for our entire student body
Parent Safety Concerns and Preferences with - A student population that will be largely unvaccinated - Classrooms holding up to 20 students for the school day - Potential elimination of Cohorts
Determining the number of our students who wish to remain in *“All Remote” or in “Hybrid” status for remainder of the year. - Our operational capacity to continue to provide and prepare for remote/in person instruction simultaneously without the one day a week without students. - Reorientation and integration of students who have not had interaction across cohorts during the school day - Re-establishing norms and routines - Supports for students making the adjustment
Testing and Assessments Impacts - NWEA Assessment - State Testing - End of Year activities - Exhibition Night, Graduation, etc.
I am sure this list will grow over the next few days but needless to say there are a lot of variables that will go into reopening 5 days a week. We are focused on that task and will share with the Kreiva community our plans as they become available. In the meantime, parents are a critical part of our preparation efforts. Below is a survey designed to gather feedback to help guide our decision making in the coming days. Please take the time (2 minutes) to complete these surveys as soon as possible. Thank you in advance for all of your patience and efforts throughout this process.
***CHECK YOUR EMAIL FOR SURVEY LINK
Sincerely,
Tal Bayer, Head of School