Dear families,
It’s been a great week in our schools as we have welcomed back our school-based students for in-person learning and reconnected with our Online Academy students remotely.
Enhanced hybrid learning schedule
As a reminder, school-based students will have their first “enhanced distance learning” Wednesday next week on January 13 as we move forward with our new enhanced hybrid learning schedule. You can access the updated hybrid learning schedule to see your student’s upcoming in-person, remote learning and enhanced distance learning days. This document is simply a planning guide for families for what the hybrid schedule might look like at any point during the second semester.
COVID-19/Medical Advisory Team update
As students return to school, we are staying vigilant about health and safety precautions - mask wearing, physical distancing and frequent handwashing. We are committed to doing everything we can to ensure our schools are as safe as possible for all of our students and staff.
Families in many of our schools have seen several case notifications this week, and we are continuing to closely track COVID-19 cases among students and staff. We are also continuing to monitor local health data and to meet regularly with the experts on our Medical Advisory Team. They have been immensely helpful in interpreting all of the available data and reviewing new and emerging information about this virus to ensure that we are able to provide the best quality of education possible and operate our schools safely for our students and our staff.
At the Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, January 12, Dr. Naeem Ali will share an update from the Medical Advisory Team. He’ll walk through the latest guidance and information for our schools, and from the district perspective, we will share the latest information from Franklin County Public Health and the Ohio Department of Health for the vaccination of school employees.
As a reminder, if your student has a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19, please notify COVID Nurse Coordinator Gina Rancitelli, RN, BSN, LSN - at [email protected] or 614-487-5035. This allows us to provide a continuity of education for your student and to track the resulting 90 day period of presumed immunity when a student wouldn’t have to quarantine due to an exposure.
Well-being Webinar with Dr. Emily King
We were thrilled to welcome Dr. Emily King, a nationally recognized child, adolescent and family psychologist, for a well-being webinar earlier this week. Dr. King came to us virtually from North Carolina to share her expertise, insight and personal experience as a parent of school-age children for how to support the social and emotional well-being of children and families during the pandemic. You can view a full recording of the webinar here.
As we enter the second half of this school year, please, please do not hesitate to reach out to a school counselor, principal or teacher if your student is struggling. We are here to help and support each and every one of our students.
Additional updates and reminders
Quarantine care packages for UAHS students: As a part of a capstone project, a UAHS senior has created quarantine care packages for any high school student who is either in quarantine or struggling with feelings of isolation during remote learning. Due to the contents in the care package, they are offered only to high school students. To receive a care package, please complete this form. If you would like to request a care package for more than one UAHS student in your household, please submit one form for each student.
COVID-19 data dashboard: You can view this week’s update to our district dashboard here.
Have a wonderful weekend, and as always, go Bears!
Sincerely,
Paul Imhoff, Ed.D.
Superintendent, Upper Arlington Schools