Dear families,
I hope you’ve had a great week. You can watch my video update, or continue reading my email.
All-in learning
We are looking forward to welcoming students back for all-in learning on Monday! Our entire staff has been preparing over the past few weeks for this transition, and we are grateful for everything they are doing for our students and families.
We’re also grateful for the members of the Medical Advisory Team who took the time to tour all of our schools this week. They observed our current safety protocols and learned about all of the adjustments planned for all-in. They also gave us valuable feedback about some adjustments to make - and our schools were quick to make those changes in preparation for Monday.
As we move to all-in learning, our school nurses have shared these important reminders for families:
Masks: Your student should come to school each day with a clean face mask to wear and one or two backups, in case their mask becomes soiled. Please note we are no longer allowing gaiters, based on the recommendation from our Medical Advisory Team.
Daily symptom checks: Please continue to conduct a daily symptom check at home for any symptoms related to COVID-19 — fever of 100.4ºF or higher, chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore threat, new or worsened nasal congestion, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea. If your student is experiencing any of these symptoms, please keep them home, and you may call your school nurse for advice
Please see the links below for additional resources on all-in learning and an update on quarantine guidance from Franklin County Public Health.
Family webinar on all-in learning: You can watch a recording of the February 22 webinar on our YouTube channel.
Updated quarantine guidance: As we anticipated, we received updated guidance late this week from Franklin County Public Health. This guidance clarifies which type of in-school exposures would allow students to continue to attend class during a quarantine period. We will continue to update families on any additional guidance updates from Franklin County Public Health.
All-in Learning FAQ on our website: We have received many questions about quarantine guidance and physical distancing, and you can see our FAQ for updated answers to those questions.
Board of Education meeting - March 9
The Board of Education will return to meeting in person next month on Tuesday, March 9 at 6 p.m. in the Hastings Middle School auditorium. If you plan on attending the meeting in person, please conduct a symptom check before you arrive, wear a mask during the meeting, and follow the physical distancing markers in the auditorium.
Black History Month
I want to continue our celebrations for Black History Month with another piece of our local history. As you know, Upper Arlington has long valued the service of our residents to our country, and our new Veterans Plaza at Mallway Park shows our community’s appreciation. Included in the new plaza is a plaque honoring the service of Pleasant Litchford’s sons - Abraham, Frederick and Blake.
As the Civil War began, African-American men were not allowed to join Ohio military regiments. In 1863, Ohio’s governor changed that. It’s believed that Pleasant Litchford’s sons then joined Ohio’s newly formed 127th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, a unit for Black service members. They were among more than 5,000 African-Americans from Ohio who served in the Union military during the Civil War.
Upcoming events
Black History Month discussion series with Upper Arlington Schools and the City of Upper Arlington, Part 2: “New Growth” — 10:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, February 27: Click here to register for the virtual panel discussion about the story of Pleasant Litchford, the connection to the greater community of Central Ohio and the community’s plans to steward the story into the future.
Well-being webinar with best-selling author and educator Rosalind Wiseman — 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 2 (middle school and high school): Click here to register for the webinar, “Supporting Your Children’s Well-Being During a Year of Transitions,” presented by Upper Arlington Schools and the Upper Arlington Education Foundation.
Have a great weekend, and as always, go Bears!
Sincerely,
Paul Imhoff, Ed.D.
Superintendent, Upper Arlington Schools