Don’t forget that Monday, November 2 is a No School Day so we can have Professional Development meetings for our teachers.  I recommend using that time to do something to recharge. We know you have been putting in long and sustained efforts to meet the demands of your current situations, and we sometimes need a break so we can start fresh again. 

 

Halloween is coming, and I continue to encourage creative ways to celebrate the occasion while still following the guidelines from the Health Department. We need to do our part to keep the community safe. The Health Department tells us that the main sources for transmission of COVID have been at private parties where people have gotten together without following protocols. 

 

A few questions came in last week in the form.  One question was about waivers. They noted that one other local school got a waiver to bring small, stable cohorts of TK-2 students to their campus, and this is true.  We have not applied for that waiver at this time. Some of the schools who have already been approved for the waiver are in the Pasadena Public Health Department jurisdiction.  We are under the jurisdiction of Los Angeles County. Our first step was to submit our application for high-needs students to be brought back to campus, which is approved with a scheduled visit.

The Health Department is scheduled to visit our campus in early November to check our protocols and systems. The process is not quick, but it will be as safe as possible. We are in direct contact with the County Health Department and are following their guidance. The best scenario would be for the case rates to drop in our county so no waiver would be needed.   

 

Another question was about when we might be in the next tier of the state’s reopening plan. Today, at the LA County meeting for schools, they told us that it would likely be four or five weeks since people are not following the guidance and are getting together which is causing spread. 

 

The final question was about travel restrictions for the holidays. I always refer back to the health officials for guidance of travel restrictions. When we are able to be on campus, we will be asking people to self-quarantine for 14 days following any international travel or travel to areas where there is a very high case rate as determined by the CDC. 

 

Thanks for asking these questions. Please feel free to submit additional questions using this form. I will try to answer as many as possible each week in this email. 

 

 

See the creative costumes posted in Vidigami this week by Clairbourn students and parents and enjoy a virtual Halloween parade! If you haven't posted a photo yet, you can add it to this album at any time.

 

Allison Knight Morrissey, Class of 1998 - Afterschool Youth Program Director