Dear Wornick Families,
We have two updates to share with you regarding the status of our outdoor tents as it relates to the return of Middle School students, as well as the new guidelines outlined by the state to continue to offer on-campus instruction. Please read this email carefully as it contains important information about new testing requirements.
New Outdoor Tents and Return to On-Campus Learning for Middle School
As we shared early on Tuesday morning, the majority of our outdoor tents slated for Middle School use were irreparably damaged. Anticipating a possible continued need for outdoor classrooms in the fall, we came to a decision to invest in sturdier tents for our campus. On Wednesday, we sourced more weather-resistant tents and made a very significant investment beyond our initial budget to ensure on-campus safety and learning for the foreseeable future. These heavy duty tents are another significant cost that our school is undertaking to provide on campus learning to our students. The combined cost of sourcing, delivery and installation is expected to be between $40,000-$50,000. Our school will need to raise funds to meet this additional cost. If you feel moved to give towards this expense, we will have a "fund a need" opportunity during our virtual gala on March 7th towards this cause. We thank you in advance for your generosity.
We expedited the shipping of our tents to arrive as soon as possible and they are scheduled to be here on Thursday, January 28. With rain in the forecast next week, we cannot find a way to bring Middle School on campus next week without the use of the tents. The tents will take 3-4 days to assemble and secure. We have arranged for contractors to begin work the moment the tents arrive. We anticipate Middle School students' return to campus will occur on Monday, February 1 or Tuesday, February 2. We are committed to providing an update when the tents arrive on our campus and we will then decide on a firm date for our return to on campus learning in middle school.
In compliance with our testing program, all Middle School Students must produce a negative COVID-19 test dated between January 19th and January 29th, in order to return to on-campus learning. Please email results to info@wornickjds.org by Sunday, January 31.
Positive Case of an Off-Campus Learner
We wanted to share that there was a positive case of one of our off-campus learners. The student has been asymptomatic. As this student was not on campus, there was no contact with anyone on our campus. The family will complete their quarantine outside of school. We thank this family for their transparent partnership and we are keeping them in our thoughts.
New State Safe Schools for All Requirements by the State of California
On Thursday, January 14, the state of California issued a new 52-page document that updates requirements for on-campus instruction. The issuance requires additional changes to our Health and Safety protocols. The previous "waiver" under which we were covered through the county is no longer valid and we need to submit new applications due by February 1st to the state. We do not anticipate these changes to interrupt our daily learning program. At the same time, we are seeking clarity on the framework and may have to adjust on-campus protocols to adhere to the new requirements. Please note: the San Mateo County Office of Education shared that there are currently no plans to require schools that are currently open to close or to do a blanket closure.
There is one change that our Health and Safety Committee has already processed and decided to pursue. The new guidance recommends an increase in testing frequency while San Mateo County remains in the purple tier. Starting February 1, all students are required to produce two negative tests per month in their assigned cohorts. Please note that this does not change the current testing cadence for Middle School students, but doubles the cadence for TK-5th grades.
The new student testing schedule with increased cadence is as follows:
Testing Weeks
Week of January 25 - Group 3 & 4
Week of February 1 - Group 1 & 2*
Week of February 8 - Group 3 & 4
Week of February 15 - Group 1 & 2
Week of February 22 - Group 3 & 4
Week of March 1 - Group 1 & 2
Week of March 8 - Group 3 & 4
*Group 2 was originally scheduled for January 25. In an effort to align with Middle School's schedule, the testing for Group 2 for the Lower School was moved to the week of February 1. If you scheduled your Group 2 student's test the week of January 25, we will accept this for the week of February 1.
Our team is exploring ways to make testing easier to access for all students. We understand that testing results are taking longer and companies like Virus Geeks are doing their best to accommodate people as fast as they can. We will continue to update you if additional testing resources should become available.
In partnership and health,
Adam Eilath