An IB World School

Return to School Information

English & Spanish pdfs linked in announcement.

We are so excited to have all of our students back to school, Monday through Friday, beginning Tuesday January 19th. (We start on a Tuesday since Monday, the 18th is a holiday). I wanted to make sure that you have a few updates for our return. Since the email is so long, I’ve tried to bold the most important parts for you to skim.

Breakfast and lunch will continue to be free to all families through the end of the school year. Your child is also free to bring their own lunch. There will be a hot lunch option and a cold lunch option each day and lunch will be delivered to and eaten in classrooms. Breakfast will be served starting at 8:35. Students will walk through the cafeteria to get their breakfast and then head to their outside classroom door just as they had been doing in phase 3. Classroom doors will be open at 8:40 for students to come in to eat breakfast. The final bell will ring at 8:50 and that is when class will begin. If your student arrives after 8:50, they will need to go to the front door to get a pass to go to class. Drop off will be in the parking lot only. Please do not drop off on Bennett road. Please do not drop off prior to 8:35. If your child is eligible for busing in phase 4, you will be receiving communication from transportation by January 15.

We will be following all of the safety protocols that we were following in Phase 3. The difference will be that the spacing between students will be reduced to 3-6 feet which is approved by the Health Department. This will vary depending on space in the room as well as number of students in the class. Masks will still be required. Please continue to check your child for any symptoms prior to bringing them to school. Please see the following link for how to know when you should keep your child home. Oct. update How Sick is Too Sick.pdf . We will be sending students home with any symptoms. While we love having parent volunteers, we will still be limiting people in the building to PSD staff and students. We also will be asking that you do not walk your students to their classes or go to their classes to be picked up in the afternoon. Dismissal will be at 3:28. Bus riders, walkers and bike riders will be dismissed to leave and students who get picked up will be in the east parking lot. If you would like to avoid the pick up line, you can park and arrange a meeting place for your child off school grounds. They will be considered a “walker” for dismissal purposes. We will no longer be using the number card method due to the number of students. Please arrive promptly and your student will come to your vehicle. They will be waiting behind the fence at pick up and will be kept with their grade level.

We will be using enhanced contact tracing. Classrooms will be kept together as a “cohort" and not mixed with other classes. If a student has a positive COVID test, the entire class will automatically be quarantined for 10 days. If the school ends up with a 1% positivity rate schoolwide, I will have a conversation with the health department and district administration to determine if the school should quarantine as a whole. You will be notified if your child must quarantine as soon as we know. We will have a “day off” if your child is quarantined for them to collect their school materials and laptops. All school materials (books, laptops and chargers) will be brought back and kept at school in phase 4. Classes at the same grade level will be able to play together, outside, with masks, for 10 minutes or less at recess so that they will not be considered a contact if someone from another class has a positive COVID test.

Again, we look forward to being back together as a Bennett community. Besides academics, safety, health and communication will be our top priorities as we return back to in person learning. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you!

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PSD does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, veteran status, age or disability in access or admission to, or treatment or employment in, its programs or activities. A lack of English speaking skills will not be a barrier to admission or participation.