Dear families,
I hope you’ve had a great week, and that you’re looking forward to the long weekend. You can see my video update here, and please keep reading below for additional updates.
COVID-19 vaccination clinic for students 16 and older
Now that the COVID-19 vaccine is open to Ohioans as young as 16, we are working with Nationwide Children’s Hospital to coordinate a vaccination clinic for students at Upper Arlington High School. This will be open to any of our students who are 16 or older, whether they are currently in the school-based pathway or the Online Academy.
The details will be finalized in the coming days. At this point Children’s has shared that they will be able to accommodate about 400 students at our site, but they are working to acquire more doses for our students. The first doses will be given during the school day on April 15, and the second doses will be three weeks later on May 6. Parent permission will be required, but parents do not need to be with their students. High school families will be receiving more information on a first-come, first-served sign-up process by the middle of next week.
Of course, families are also welcome to schedule a vaccination appointment for their student through public health or a local pharmacy. Please provide the date(s) of your student’s vaccination to UAHS School Nurse Laurie Long ([email protected]) or COVID Nurse Coordinator Gina Rancitelli ([email protected]) so they can add it to your student’s health record.
Well-being surveys for students
You may have seen in my email last week that we will be engaging our students in two anonymous well-being surveys this spring, and I want to share more details this week. These surveys align with our strategic priority of well-being - and are even more important given the challenges of the past year.
Panorama survey (grades 3-12): We are excited to pilot a social-emotional well-being survey called Panorama this year. In April, students in grades 3 through 12 will be taking this survey - which measures things like growth mindset, sense of belonging, and other skills and mindsets that students need to thrive. For middle school and high school students, the survey will also include questions about diversity, equity and inclusion - which is an important part of our well-being priority. We hope to expand that in the future for grades 3 through 5. Overall, the Panorama survey will give us a more complete picture of the student experience in our schools. Please look for more information to come before we administer this survey later this month.
OHYES! Survey (grades 7-12): Coming up in May we will again engage students in grades 7 through 12 in the biannual OHYes! survey. This goes beyond the Panorama survey by measuring the health and risk behaviors and environmental factors that impact our students’ health and safety.
Both of these surveys are voluntary and anonymous. These surveys will provide valuable insight so that we can ensure we’re supporting the well-being of each and every student.
Alumni walk-through of current UAHS - Sunday, April 18
I’m pleased to share that the Upper Arlington Alumni Association will be hosting a walk-through of our current high school building on Sunday, April 18 from noon to 3 p.m. for alumni and any community members. This is an opportunity to walk down memory lane and even leave your “mark” on a student-run art project on that day. Look for more details at bearalums.com next week.
The current building will be decommissioned at the end of the school year as we prepare for the next phase of the construction process on the site. And we look forward to welcoming students to the new Upper Arlington High School as we start the 2021-2022 school year in August!
Reminder: Online learning survey for 2021-2022
As we plan for next school year, we would like to gauge how many families may be interested in an entirely online learning option for 2021-2022. Please complete this survey if you think you may want online learning as an option for your student this fall. The survey will close on April 9.
Reminder: COVID-19 rapid at-home test kits
Free rapid test kits are available for pick-up only from our school health offices for any family who wishes to test their child at home due to symptoms or quarantine. To receive a free rapid COVID-19 test kit, you may complete this waiver and contact your school nurse to coordinate pick-up. You can reach out to the school nurse or COVID Nurse Coordinator Gina Rancitelli RN, BSN, LSN, at [email protected] or 614-487-5035 with your student’s test results and questions about the kits.
Have a great weekend, and as always, go Bears!
Sincerely,
Paul Imhoff, Ed.D.
Superintendent, Upper Arlington Schools