JCA Reopening 2020-2021
Greetings JCA Family,
Thank you for your patience, understanding, and commitment during the fourth quarter of the 2019-2020 school year. I am grateful that our students had the opportunity to finish their curriculum through the platform we had available through the end of the year. Your support will be vital to a successful reopening this August.
**While the well-being of our students, staff, and families is of utmost importance, we cannot guarantee no one will get sick. Every risk cannot be mitigated. We will continually work to do all we can within reason to ensure everyone’s safety.**
We understand that you are making a choice to put your child in Jacksonville Christian Academy. If there are any questions or concerns about this next school year that is not covered in the information we are sending, please feel free to call and let us help you.
We do believe the covid-19 virus is real. However, we also understand that life cannot just stop for an undefined amount of time. The education and safety of our families are very important to all of us. We will conduct our school year with caution and respect for our current situation. We believe that is an important mindset to have and to teach to our children in light of our times.
We will be asking your help in explaining to your child that there will be some things that will be different this year. We understand the beginning of school will be an adjustment period for teachers, students, and parents.
We are beginning school instruction in the classroom this year. Our teachers are training on Google classroom in the event the school has to “pivot” to online learning for a short or extended period of time. We will use the Abeka videos for those that have to miss classroom instruction while school is still on campus.
It is imperative that we all work together for the sake of our children, our families’ overall health, and education this year. We must work to be smart and protect each other during this school year. We want JCA to remain open for the sake of our children, therefore we need everyone to self-monitor for fever or respiratory complications before bringing your child to school each day. Children need to be free of symptoms without medication to come to school. We will have a more lenient policy in regards to illness absence this year. We will also be providing the opportunity to continue instruction at home for illness or covid-19 related absences. Lessons will be available and assignments will be expected to be completed on time.
Our response plan
1. If we have a confirmed Covid-19 case in the school family, we will inform everyone that there has been a positive case with someone associated with the school. We will continue to have in-class instruction with the understanding that if any more cases arise at the same time, a portion or the entire academy may need to pivot to online learning for a short period of time.
2. If we find we have multiple cases, we may close classroom instruction for a period of up to 14 days. During that time we will move to online classes.
3. If we have informed the school of a case and are not closing the campus at that time, families will have the option to switch to online video classes for up to 14 days if they feel the need. Families taking this option must realize that watching the video lessons and working the assignments on time is a must in order to keep their student on track with the class while they are out. Pick-up and drop-off of the assignments will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays by 4:00pm if this occurs. Teachers will not be as available to answer questions or work directly with those students while in-class instruction is still occurring. They will be able to help fill in gaps once the child has returned to in-class instruction. Attending scheduled helps classes will be greatly encouraged if this situation arises. Teachers may even require helps class if they believe it would be necessary for that student’s success. Helps classes last from 3:30pm to 4:00pm on the day the teacher assigns for their helps class. (This will be similar to our procedures for students staying home due to running fever or showing respiratory symptoms.)
The following is a list of guidelines and procedures that will be implemented for the 20-21 school year.
1. Masks
a. We are encouraging the use of facemasks. However, students will not be required to wear a facemask.
b. Parents are required to provide the facemask for their child.
c. In certain cases a disposable facemask may be provided for a student in the event that symptoms of illness begin to show up during the school day. The disposable mask will need to be discarded and not worn again to school after that day.
d. Disposable masks from home must be thrown away and not to be worn after the day it was worn to school.
e. Cloth masks should be washed and clean before each days use.
f. Teachers will not wear masks while at the board instructing students for the lessons.
g. Teachers will wear masks or face shields while interacting with individual students at either the student’s or teacher’s desks.
2. Illness
a. No student or student siblings should be brought to school if anyone in the family is running a fever at or above 100.4 F or is showing signs of respiratory illness.
b. If a student shows signs of fever (at or above 100.4 F) or respiratory illness after arriving at school, the parent will be notified and must come pick up their child. Students may be asked to wear a facemask until their parents arrive while they wait in the office. If they have a fever, they must be fever free without medication for 48 hours before returning to school. If they are showing respiratory symptoms, we may require a doctor’s note before returning to school
c. We understand that many of our students and even staff suffer from seasonal allergies. If these symptoms mimic Covid-19 in certain ways, we will ask for a doctor’s note explaining the severity of the student’s excessive allergy symptoms. We may ask this just as a precaution for the safety of everyone in our current situation.
d. Families with multiple students in the school are being asked to keep siblings at home if anyone is showing symptoms of respiratory illness or fever at or above 100.4 F.
e. It is important that you contact the school office if your child will be out for any illness so we can monitor the school health as a whole.
f. If your child will miss on site instruction, we ask that you contact the office so we can make plans to assign the online lessons they will miss from their in-class instruction.
g. If your child is suffering from complications due to their illness that prevents them from viewing the lessons and completing the assigned homework, please let the teacher know so they can allow the appropriate time for assignments to be turned in.
3. Building Access
a. Building access will still be limited during the school day this year.
b. At this time we are not activating parent’s key fobs.
c. The $10 key fob fee will be credited on your bill.
d. All access to the school will need to be through the JCA office or JCP office.
4. Morning Care (6:00am – 7:45am)
a. All K-5 through 12th students entering school before 7:45am must enter through the front door of the Academy. Morning care workers will be checking temperatures as students arrive.
b. If you have a preschool student that has to be dropped off in the preschool building, please drop them off and sign them into the preschool. Bring your academy student through the front doors of the Academy and into the front lobby where they will have their temperature checked.
5. Car Line (7:45am – 8:00am)
a. Car line will run at the normal time beginning at 7:45am in the parking lot behind the Church building. Teachers/staff will be taking temperature as students arrive in car line. We will adjust the arrival window if deemed necessary.
b. All students (including 7th – 12th grades) will need to go through car line if arriving from 7:45am – 8:00am until further notice.
c. We will ask that parents drop off their child in the drop-off line before coming in to do any business in the office during morning car line.
6. After 8:00am
a. Please do not make a habit of dropping off your child late. Students should be at school BEFORE 8:00am every day.
b. We understand the odd special circumstance. However, due to the disruption caused by tardiness, habitual tardiness will require a meeting with the principal.
c. If a student arrives after 8:00am, they must enter through the school office for screening.
7. Afternoon pick-up line (3:15pm – 3:30pm)
a. Afternoon pick-up line will run similar to previous years with some possible exceptions to be determined on spacing.
b. Early pick-up needs to be on a very limited basis and will continue to be handled through the JCA office.
8. Lunch
a. We will be adding tables to our gym to increase the seating capacity during our lunch times with the intent to provide more space between individuals while eating.
b. We will still be serving hot lunches on plates prepared by our kitchen staff.
c. Students may still bring their lunch to school. There will be absolutely no sharing of lunches this year.
d. Lunch tables are always cleaned with a sanitizer before and after use.
9. After care
a. After care (3:30pm-6:00pm) and homework room (3:30pm-4:30pm) will still be provided.
b. After care pick-up will be through the Preschool main doors.
10. Water bottles
a. We will not allow the normal daily use of our water fountain during school at this time.
b. Every student needs to bring a water bottle to be used during the school day.
c. We will have refilling stations available so water bottles may be refilled during the day as needed.
d. Water bottles will need to be taken home each night, washed, and returned to school the next day.
11. Open House: We will conduct open house slightly different this year. Please read the following guidelines.
1. We will still conduct open house on Thursday (A through N) and Friday (M through Z) nights
beginning at 7:00pm each night.
2. We ask that all families wear masks for this meeting.
3. We will conduct the normal health screening with temperature checks and screening
questions as each family enters the Church auditorium.
4. Two of our male teachers will be guiding everyone to their seats. This will allow us to
properly space everyone out for the main meeting. Some may be asked to sit in the balcony.
5. When we are dismissed to the classrooms, we ask that only one parent be in the class with their student.
6. For some of our larger classes, we may ask the class to split into two groups, with one waiting in the gym until the first group finishes in the classroom.
7. The normal papers that you stay and fill out during open house will be provided in a packet and we ask they all be filled out and returned on the first day of school.
8. There will also be a waiver for this school year that parents need to sign for each student attending JCA this year.
Thank you again for your commitment to the success of this school year. We look forward to seeing everyone during Open House nights. If there are any questions please call the school office. We also ask that any payments be taken care of before the nights of Open House, if at all possible.
Sincerely,
Chris Files
JCA Principal
