Goddard

Middle

School

Dear Goddard Parents,

I hope this finds you and your family healthy.  It is with mixed emotion for our staff and I’m sure for your family, that we are currently planning to restart by kicking off the 2020-21 school-year in a blended model for learning.  This fall’s blend of in-person and remote learning will be one that is consistent, robust, and engaging for our students. Our teachers will receive training through the new online LPS Educator Academies, which will help them implement best practices and provide consistency for students across the school.  We have been working hard to make the necessary adjustments with our physical environment to ensure the safest learning experience possible for our students this year.  We are literally rethinking and changing everything we do to meet the guidelines to get our kids back in school.  This communication should include everything you need to know to start planning for our blended model Restart.  I apologize in advance for the length of this email and I appreciate you taking the time to read it in its entirety.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Colorado Department of Education, and Governor's Office released the draft health guidance for keeping our kids safe as schools reopen this fall. The guidance is organized by COVID-19 incidence levels and provides specific recommendations on the levels; Stay at Home, Safer at Home, and Protect our Neighbors. This guidance is designed to help local public health agencies and school districts ensure the safest learning environment possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Read the guidance on the Reopening Schools: Health Guidance by COVID-19 Phase.  The guidance document is available here: Reopening Schools.  You may also find the Reopening Schools Questions and Answers information helpful.

 

Health and Safety

We have a variety of requirements and protocols to support student and staff health.  While these may take some time and require some adjustments on the part of families, students and staff, strictly following them will help us maintain in-person learning.  Thank you in advance for your partnership in keeping students who are sick at home, so we can support the health and safety of our entire school.  

•  We ask for your support in not sending your student to school if they are not feeling well, have a fever, or have been around someone with symptoms of COVID-19.   

• Once at school, all students will participate in a health screening which will include a temperature check of students demonstrating symptoms.

• As always, please adhere to the How Sick is Too Sick guidance when determining if your child should come to school.

• All staff and students in K-12 will be required to wear masks with breaks throughout the day.  Health officials have stated that mask-wearing protects teachers and other adults in the building as much as it protects the students.  

• Parents - please ensure your student has a mask every day.  If their mask is left at home, we will have one to give your student.  Here is a district resource that you may find helpful:  Face coverings - Do’s and Don’ts 

• If your student may need an exemption to mask wearing due to a medical condition, please submit the Request for Exemption for Wearing a Mask.

• All students and parents who are on school grounds must be wearing masks.

• Our students will practice hand hygiene throughout the day.   Building these hand hygiene routines will support our health and build good habits.

• We will have sanitizing stations at each entrance and the cafeteria.

• Specific guidance about positive COVID cases, contact tracing, and quarantining will be in place.  We are working with Tri-County to finalize this.

 

Teaching and Learning 

We will do everything within our power to meet the academic, social-emotional and safety of our students throughout this year regardless if we are in-person or distance learning. 

• Please see our attached schedule.

• Students will be in four different classes on the days they are scheduled to be at school; ELO, 2 Core Classes and 1 Elective Class. This will help reduce the number class transitions and the number of student groups an individual student may be interacting with throughout the day. Classes are blocked – 2 hour core classes and a 90 minute elective. 

•  In an effort to reduce the number class transitions, limit the size of classes and the number of student groups an individual student may be interacting with throughout the day, we will be grouping our students by last name (this keeps families on the same schedule) and following an A Day/B Day Block schedule.  

  • “A” Days will ONLY be students with the last names A-K.  

  • “B” Days will ONLY be students with the last names L-Z.   

  • “A” Days will be Monday and Thursday

  • “B” Days will be Tuesday and Friday

  • Wednesdays will be remote learning days at home for all students.

• Classes on in-person learning days will average below 15 students per class.

• Students will follow the same schedule regardless if we are in this blending learning model or if we go to a full distance learning model at any time during the school year. 

• Student support services including Literacy Support, GT Services, English Language Development and Special Education Services and Mental Health Services and Support will be in place to meet student needs to the best of our ability.  

• In an effort to limit student contacts, there are no field trips, assemblies or large gatherings for the first semester. 

• Students will be utilizing Google Classroom as a support for learning during the instructional day.  Our teachers will be using Google Classroom to support learning whether we are in person learning or if we move to a distance learning platform at any time during the school year.  

• We want to support families in using Google Classroom at home, so please be looking for our upcoming Family Academies for using this great tool to support your student(s). 

School Environment and Building Access

• Student movement around the school throughout the day is planned and organized to maintain physical distancing and minimize transitions as much as possible

  • 6th Grade Students ONLY will enter/exit from the South Playground.

  • 7th Grade Students ONLY will enter/exit through the Northeast Athletic Entrance.

  • 8th Grade Students ONLY will enter/exit in the Northwest Corner of the main level.

• Fewer students will be allowed in hallways, restrooms, cafeterias, food serving lines and on playgrounds at the same time.

• A necessary change to our school is that only students and staff will be able to enter the building.  Unfortunately, we cannot allow parents or visitors in the building, as we need to make every effort to keep our students and staff healthy.  There will be more information in our school communications about how parents can stay connected.

• Classrooms, instructional areas and the cafeteria are being set up to maximize space and provide social distancing to the greatest extent possible.

• Classrooms are being cleared of non-essential furniture and items to maximize space for students.

• Drinking fountains are shut off.  We are asking that students  bring their own water bottle to school.  There are two water bottle fillers in our school – Main Office hallway and Athletic Entrance corridor.

• Students are not being assigned lockers this year.  We ask that they use backpacks and only bring the essential materials for the classes that they are attending that day..

• Signage on walls and stickers on floors will help students maintain physical distancing in the hallways and common areas. 

• Meetings involving parents will be held virtually through Zoom or Google Hangouts. 

• School Accountability Committee and PTO meetings will be held virtually.

• As students and staff return to school, all areas inside schools will be cleaned and sanitized (following the protocols of local health officials) as frequently as possible.  

• Our ventilation system has been serviced and will be frequently checked to make sure our indoor spaces are properly ventilated.

Structure of our Day

• Our staff will be very visible and available to help our students learn all of the details of the structure of the day.  The structure of our day has been designed to support current health and safety precautions for students and staff.  

• Physical distancing is expected in the cafeteria during breakfast and lunch.

• Students will eat lunch with assigned student groups to help limit exposure.  Hand hygiene will be required prior to students eating lunch. 

• LPS Nutrition Services will be utilizing a new system where families can make online payments for students' meals.  We are no longer using MySchoolBucks so families are not able to make payments with their old accounts.   Please use this link, https://family.titank12.com, to begin the process of making a new account.  Simply click on "Sign Up Today!" to begin the process.  Families will be able to check what their student has purchased for the day, put limits to their account and much more. Additionally, families will be able to fill out their Free and Reduced meal application at this link.  If you have questions or need assistance, please call the Nutrition Services department at 303-347-3355.

 

Transportation

• Current guidance from health officials limits ridership to maintain appropriate physical distancing.

• Buses will be cleaned after each route, before a new group of students is transported, in accordance with the guidance from health officials.

• We expect students to practice physical distancing at bus stops.  We are asking parents to help us in this effort.

• A limited number of students will be able to ride the bus due to physical distancing requirements

  • It will be necessary for significantly more parents to transport their students to and from school.  6th and 8th grade parent drop-offs will be up top in the new  parent drop-off loop.  7th grade parent drop-off will be in the lower lot on Berry since 7th graders are using the Athletic Entrance.  If you have students in multiple grades, use your best judgement.  Please be patient, as we anticipate more parent traffic than usual.

  • Students whose families qualify for free/reduced lunch will have priority for bus transportation.

  • Students who require special transportation per their individual Education Program (IEP) will be provided transportation with health measures in place.

• If your student is a bus rider, please review the information from Transportation and talk to your student about what is expected on the bus: Bus Transportation Expectations.

• These plans are to keep students safe and physically distanced as much as possible when they arrive and enter the school, and when they leave at the end of the day

Athletics and Activities

• In an effort to promote physical distancing and reduce additional student groupings, middle school athletics and after school clubs/activities are postponed until the second semester of the school year.  We will revisit the possibility of offering athletics/activities during the second semester in early December.  

• We will still be providing opportunities for student organizations, such as student council, during the school day or virtually to the greatest extent possible.

 

School to Home Communication

• Our school website will be updating Restart information on a regular basis to provide you with the most current information on the start of the school year.

• You can also find helpful information regarding the return to school on the district website Restart LPS 20-21.  

• Prior to the start of school, there will be more communication to clarify what to expect with construction on campus, the details for the first day of school, as well as, information about our virtual Back to School Night.  

Information continues to change daily.  We will do our best to stay out in front of the changing information and let you know what we know and what adjustments may need to happen so you can plan accordingly.  We will also continue to push out smaller chunks of communication to prepare you and our students for our restart.  Our staff is amazing and working hard to ensure the safest opening possible of blended learning.  Reopening with all of these new guidelines will not be perfect, however we will continue to work together with your family to support our kids and their learning the best we possibly can.

 

Thank you for your support, grace and flexibility as we tackle the challenges ahead of us. 

 

With Gratitude,  Bryan  

 

Bryan Breuer, Principal  

bbreuer[at]lps.k12.co[dot]us