ACS Communicates Return to Learn Plan to Families

The year 2020 has presented everyone with a unique journey! Annunciation Catholic School teachers and staff are excited and ready to continue their partnership with ACS families. 

ACS administrators and Task Force have been working collaboratively to create a rigorous and safe re-entry plan in order to proceed with the journey of high quality, Catholic education that feeds students spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually.  

ACS will have students in their buildings for the 2020-2021 school year with significant health and safety measures in place.  As we balance health and safety measures, we will be using both on-site learning (all students in the building) and the option of online/virtual learning. 

ACS plans to begin with an orientation week bringing very small groups into each classroom to teach students the new norms of social distnacing and safe practices.  Then they will have a week to practice online and onsite learning with partial groups on campus. This will provide all members of the community to ease back in to school, evaluate, and fine-tune any new procedures as needed.  The ACS Task force will continue to meet and advise as they year continues.   

ACS remains steadfast in our commitment to a Christ-centered environment to better serve God and community. A virtual Town Hall Meeting was scheduled to answer questions regarding the the ACS Re-Entry Plan, which can be read below:
 

Annunciation Catholic School Re-Entry Plan for 20/21 

Annunciation Catholic School plans to re-open on August 17, 2020.  Please see the addendum regarding the first two weeks of school. The final decision on re-opening in person will be determined by the Archbishop. Remote learning is always an option. We realize that our school policies must be flexible and nimble in responding to new information and our strategies can be revised and adapted depending on the level of viral transmission in the school and community.  

Facilities 

• All buildings will be cleaned and disinfected during the day and nightly. 

• All air and water systems have been checked for proper operation 

• Additional hand sanitizing stations will be installed outside of every room. 

• Foam soap and paper towels will be added in every bathroom. Hot air dryers will be disabled. 

• All water fountains have water bottle capabilities and that feature will remain on. 

Health Issues 

• All employees must stay home if sick. 

• All employees and students must stay home if they have been in contact with someone who has contracted COVID -19 and follow New Mexico Department of Health directives. 

• ACS will follow the guidance of the New Mexico Department of Health in the event that a student or staff member contracts COVID -19 

 Protocols 

• All teachers will take their temperatures in the morning and record it. Staff will be at all the entrances of the school and take student temperatures upon arrival.   

• Masks: While masks are only one element of our many health & safety measures (which will include distancing, screening, cleaning/disinfecting, and limiting exposure among others), we realize their importance in preventing transmission and their prominence in conversations at a community, state and national level. Masks will be required for students, teachers, and staff while in our buildings with allowances for mask breaks (outside) throughout the day. 

• Student desks will be set six feet apart where possible. For classrooms with tables, physical barriers will be used. 

• Students will remain in the same “pod” throughout the day. That includes recess and lunch. Pods will never be mixed throughout the day. Pod sizes will vary depending on the number of students in each class.  

• Non-staff adults will not be allowed on campus.  

• Parents/ Guardians picking up a child must wear a mask. Please call the office and let them know what time you will be picking your child up. Upon arrival buzz the office and your child will be brought to you.   

• If parents are delivering items for their child – We ask that they please buzz the office, someone will meet them and deliver the item to your child. 

• Assemblies, field trips, school-wide parent meetings and other group meetings will not be allowed in person.  Virtual meetings will be set up as needed. 

• Every student will have their own supplies in their backpacks. No student will have a locker. Classroom manipulatives will be placed in baggies or boxes with each student’s name. 

• A newly constructed room, attached to the main office, will serve as the sick room. It has its own door and a phone. Students will contact parents from that phone and remain there until they are picked up by a parent/guardian. 

• For the 20/21 school year, ACS has hired an additional maintenance person. Cleaning high touch areas, bathrooms, lunch room tables and sanitizing the playground will be part of the daily responsibilities.  

• Students will be educated and reminded of sound hygiene practices. 

• Families will have designated drop-off and pick-up points.  Specific arrival and dismissal procedures will be finalized and published to the families in August. 

Social Distancing/Learning Space 

• We will utilize additional parish buildings and classroom space at Grant Chapel. This will allow for smaller pod size for each grade. 

• Teachers will remain six feet from students and other faculty members. 

• Music class will be held outside if students are singing and will maintain a six-foot distance from each other. This year music classes will be percussion, movement-based, and music theory.  

• Physical Education class will be held outside with students maintaining six-foot distance, weather permitting. If PE is indoors, students will do activities that allow them to be apart. Students will not change into PE clothes this year.  Uniform shorts may be worn during 1st and 4th quarters. 

Before/After Care 

Due to the mixing of groups that occur in before and after care, ACS will not offer either until at least the end of Sept. and we have a better idea of the spread of COVID-19. 

Online/ Virtual Learning 

• Families who are not ready to return to on-site learning at the beginning of the school year (or if their comfort level or other health factors change with their family throughout the year), may elect to participate in a full online/virtual learning option for their child(ren). Families need internet access at home to successfully participate in online learning.  

• Families may elect to return to on-site instruction at any time. 

• When feasible, families will give the school prior notice that they will be changing their learning option (remote or on-site). 

• Students that are absent may continue their daily learning by using online/ virtual protocols.  

• The expectations for online students are to check in daily and fulfill assignments and assessments as required by teachers for each core class. 

• Each student will be provided with an e-mail address and login to access Clever and the Microsoft suite.  We will use Teams to stream lessons, collaborate, and turn in assignments.  Students in Jr. K-3rd Grades will also use Seesaw. 

• Core classes will be streamed and assignments will be posted at the beginning of the week on Microsoft Teams/ Seesaw.  

• Teachers will set norms for their classes and share with families. 

• Remote students will follow their pod’s on-site schedule for core classes as feasible.  

• Enrichment classes will be streamed when possible and there will be weekly activities posted.  

Catholic Identity and Community

Regardless of which learning model (on-site vs. online/virtual) your family chooses, our school remains steadfast in our commitment to learning with a higher purpose.  We will accomplish this by providing a high-quality Catholic education with an emphasis on personal connection between families and schools.  

• Families can expect that Catholic beliefs, traditions and teaching will continue to be the cornerstones of daily instruction. 

• Mass will be celebrated on Tuesdays with one class in the church and the rest watching live in their homerooms or at home.   

• Teachers will have daily communication/interaction with students.  Core classes (including Religion/Theology) and prayer opportunities will be conducted daily, and service opportunities will be offered.