WELCOME!
2021-2022
Health and Safety Amendment
Updated 1/6/22
Dear Scripps Montessori Families,
We want to thank everyone for all of the efforts you made over the holiday to keep safe and to test prior to returning to school. It is because of you that we were able to open and stay open all week. We know how important high quality schooling and childcare is to our families. Our ultimate goal is to remain open. To do this, we are being advised by the County to take additional precautions.
Precaution #1: COVID PCR Testing
Tomorrow, (January 7, 2021) we will be sending home athome COVID-19 PCR tests for every child currently enrolled at SMS. The purpose of these tests is to identify the extent to which we have any positive, asymptomatic cases in our community. These are nasal swab tests that
can be completed at home by a parent.
• Please register with lab-fast.com before completing the test.
• Please follow the directions and complete the test Monday morning (January 10, 2021) prior to coming to school.
• Please write you child’s first and last name on the Ziploc bag and place the vial back in the Ziploc.
• Please return the sample at the time of drop off.
• All tests will be sent to the lab Monday morning for analysis.
• Results will come back by the end of the week.
If your child did not return to school this week but is ready to return on January 10, 2021, you may complete a test Monday morning at drop off.
Precaution #2: Managing Positive Cases and Close Contacts
The County has asked us to articulate a clear policy for how we will prevent and respond to outbreaks within classroom communities. Since we opened in 2020, our main methods of preventing outbreaks has been keeping the children in socially distanced pods, implementing social distancing practices in the classroom, and wearing masks. In the event that we identify positive cases in our community, we will need to identify and quarantine close contacts. How would we define a ‘close contact’ at Scripps Montessori School? The answer to his question depends on what program the children are in.
Elementary: In Elementary, the children sit and work at their individual desks or on mat in small groups on the floor. It is relatively easy for us to identify which children have been in close-contact. If your child was working in a small group with a child who has tested positive for COVID, they will be considered a close contact and must isolate for a minimum of five days, be symptom free, and provide proof of a negative Antigen test.
In the event that the classroom has multiple identified positive cases, all children will need to quarantine for a minimum of five days. After five days, if children are fully vaccinated and we have available staff and they submit a negative antigen test, we can reopen the classroom. Unvaccinated or immune-compromised children will need to remain in quarantine for a minimum of ten days. Zoom instruction will remain available for the mandatory class-quarantine period.
Primary: In the Primary and Toddler classrooms, the children are encouraged to work at their own tables or mat and we strive to maintain social distancing. However, younger children have a greater degree of movement in the classroom.
If a child test positive for COVID, we will do our best to work with teachers to determine who is a close contact. However, if we cannot determine who was a close contact, we will need to quarantine the classroom for a minimum of ten days. Primary Classrooms will go to on-line instruction (via Zoom). Toddler classrooms will remain closed until the end of the quarantine period.
The ultimate goal of these guidelines is to keep the total amount of virus circulating in our community, and the risk of exposure, low. We will use these decision trees to help us determine if classrooms can remain open and when children who have been exposed to the virus can return to school.
Precaution #3: Travel is Discouraged
We have another long weekend coming up where families traditionally travel. However, the County is strongly discouraging ‘travel’. The risks of exposure from travel need to be determined on a case by case basis (i.e. because of how we travel or where we travel). If you plan to travel, please contact the office to discuss isolation and quarantine requirements prior to returning to school. Some families, for example those traveling by plane, will need quarantine for a minimum of seven days, complete a PCR
test on day 5, and submit a negative result before returning to school.
Again, our goal has and always will be to remain open, offering in-person instruction and care for our families. We are hopeful these precautions will help ensure the safety for all children and staff.
Thank you for your support,
Ms. Ciara
On behalf of the administration and the teachers of Scripps Montessori School, we would like to welcome you to visit our school. We look forward to getting to know each family and guiding your child toward reaching his/her potential as well as developing a lifelong love of learning.
This is accomplished by allowing the children to explore through freedom and self-discipline. The children of SMS will develop at their own time, not a preconceived idea of the same. With this freedom, the love of learning goes hand in hand.