Dear Families,       

We hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy. We appreciate your ongoing flexibility and resilience.

The revised CDC guidelines and DOE regulations for practicing 6 feet of social distancing in the classroom has been revised to 3 feet.  Students will still be required to practice 6 feet of social distancing while eating. All students must always wear their masks except while eating.    

We are happy to announce that we are able to accommodate students who have requested to return to school for Blended Learning. All students who have requested to return to school can do so the week of April 26^th. Students in Group A and C can return Monday, April 26 and Group B students can return Thursday, April 29^th.

Below you will find important information to ensure a smooth transition and strong, supportive educational experience for your child. We thank you for entrusting your children in our care and are excited about the opportunity to begin in-person instruction.     

What do I need to do to return to my school building?  

In order for your child (in Grades 1 and higher) to return to in-person learning, you must submit the consent form for in-school COVID-19 testing by the first day your child returns to their school building. Testing will happen weekly for a random selection of staff and students in your child’s school. Given the ongoing fight against a citywide resurgence of COVID-19, this mandatory weekly testing for COVID-19 is a crucial part of our plan to keep all schools safe. Any student in Grade 1 or higher returning to school buildings must submit a consent form for COVID-19 testing in school by their first day back.  

• Pre-K, and Kindergarten students are excluded from random testing.   
• The test is quick, safe, and easy. A video showing the testing process is available atnyc.gov/covidtesting.

What happens if my child does not attend school for their In-Person days?  

We expect your child to be present in the building during their scheduled In-Person days. If an In-Person student does not attend school during their first week of scheduled In-Person classes, we will reach out to you to confirm if you still want your In-Person seat. While we will maintain flexibility for families who have legitimate reasons for not being able to attend In-Person, we cannot continue to hold spots for students who are not attending because teachers, resources, and classrooms would not be used to their full capacity. If your child does not attend consistently and without a legitimate reason, we will move your child into fully remote learning.    

We know that you opted to have your child attend school five days a week for In-Person instruction because you are eager to have your child in the building, which we are excited about as well.  We understand that circumstances may change and if you would now prefer to keep your child fully remote, please resubmit the learning preference survey and contact our school at 718-822-5345.

On their designated in-person days, they will learn in the building and on their remote days, they will be expected to log-in at 8:30am for remote learning. The school day is from 8:30-2:00pm for Gr. K-5 and 8:45-2:15pm for PreK. Schedules specific to each classroom are displayed in the Google Classroom. 

We are now a Model 5B school and our 2-week cycle looks like the sample below.

For in-person learning, we will need to continue to adhere to all safety guidelines. Because of social distancing, please do not send students to school early or arrive late to pick them up from school. Each day, students who are attending in the school building, will have a daily health screening and temperature check at arrival. In addition, we have random Covid-19 testing on a weekly schedule. If you have not yet filled out consent, please be sure to go on our website and fill out the form online.

For the health and safety of all our families, please keep your child at home if they:

• Been knowingly in close or proximate contact in the past 14 days with anyone who has tested positive through a diagnostic test for COVID-19 or who has symptoms of COVID-19.
• Tested positive through a diagnostic test for COVID-19 in the past 14 days. Notify school so we can initiate testing and tracing protocols.
• Experienced any symptoms of COVID-19 in the past 14 days including a temperature of 100.0F or higher
• Traveled internationally or from a state with widespread community transmission of COVID-19 as per the New York State Travel Advisory in the past 14 days.

Our plan will continue to evolve, and updates will be shared with families and posted on our website throughout the school year. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to the school to set up a phone conference or virtual meeting. Visitors will be limited in the building and will also need to adhere to all new safety procedures. If you have any questions or concerns, please email admin@ps36x.org

We thank you for your continued partnership, support, and understanding as we continue on this journey together.

Sincerely,

Elvira Maresca

Principal