A year unique in many ways….

Planning for 2020-21 school year

The school year 2020-21 will be different in many ways as we simultaneously conduct in-school and online classes for our students based on preferences. Elementary programs are distance learning only, and pre-primary gives parents the preference to choose. Our planning and mode of delivery will continue to be governed by the guidelines from the Center for Disease Control, King County Health, The Governor’s Safe Start to Safe Return program, and other such agencies. We will remain flexible to these plans as we expect many ongoing developments resulting from COVID-19 throughout the year. Necessary adjustments will be made in the way we deliver instructions and services for our students and family.

Current Learning Situation

Cedar Crest Academy is currently offering a 100% Distant Learning program for the Elementary as per the recommendation and guidance of the Department of Health’s Decision Tree. This was decided prior to the start of school due to the COVID-19 activity level within King County, with more than 75 cases per 100,000 residents with a 14-day period.

Preparing for a Blended Learning Approach

As of September 9, the COVID-19 activity level within King County was 65 cases per 100,000 residents within a 14-day period, falling within the moderate-risk level. If these numbers hold for three weeks, elementary programs within King County may move towards a Blended Learning approach. Cedar Crest is hoping to move towards a Blended Learning approach sometime between October 12 and November 2, and, again, will depend on whether King County sustains a moderate to low risk COVID-19 activity level.

To prepare for this, we are asking families to choose either these two options:

Blended Learning Approach with 50% in-person and 50% remote learning
100% Distant Learning

Cedar Crest Academy will continue to try its best to accommodate each family’s individual preferences and needs. Below, please find a brief description of each model, to help you make an informed decision for your family.

What Would Cedar Crest’s Blended Learning Approach Look Like?

Although the health and safety of our students and staff remain our utmost concern, the goal of our Blended Learning model is to create opportunities for in-person learning whenever possible. To do this, Cedar Crest has decided on a weekly model, with 50% in-person learning and 50% remote learning. This would include the following:

group students in a rotating cohort, with half of the students in each class working on campus one week and working remotely the following week. This rotating schedule, with half the students in class at a time, will meet the physical distancing requirements and will limit the exposure of students and staff. (Grade bands with 5 or fewer students choosing the Blended Learning approach may have the opportunity to attend in-person learning each week, rather than rotating between in-person and remote.)
increase arrival and pick up times, from 8:00 to 8:30 and 3:15 to 3:45, respectively. End of day pick up times may be staggered depending on our numbers and our demand for After Care. Because of the extended drop off time, our Before Care program will be paused until Phase 4.
students will be assigned to one of two entrances to enter and exit the building. Keypads will be inactive, to limit cross-contamination.
prior to exiting the car each morning, students will complete health screenings including temperature checks and answering COVID-19 related health questions. Any child with a temperature greater than 99.5 degrees will be asked to return home.
all children and staff will be required to wear masks throughout the day and must wash their hands upon entry. Increased handwashing throughout the day is required and we will follow the Department of Health’s guidelines. Hand sanitization stations will be placed throughout the building.
students will practice physical distancing. While in the classroom, desks will be positioned six feet seat-to-seat. Students will physically distance while lining up and walking through hallways. Students will have individual supplies.
classrooms will have increased technology, which may include cameras, microphones, and additional laptops to aid in simultaneous in-person and remote learning. Camera angles will be shifted to maximize remote learning during in-person instruction.
cross-mixing of children will be limited, and recess and lunch playtimes will occur outside, rain or shine. Children will have access to both the upper and lower level play areas. Monkey bars and hand railings will be sanitized in between groups. Each group will have its own set of balls and will be assigned a specific area on the playground.
when possible, teachers will rotate classrooms rather than students, including Specialists. In-person PE will take place outside rain or shine. On remote weeks, PE and Technology will share a recorded lesson and task list to complete.
Houses will pause to reduce the cross-mixing of students until Phase 4 and Clubs will be suspended temporarily.
the majority of one-on-one meetings and small group activities will take place during in-person weeks.
snacks and lunches will continue to be prepared on-site; however, children will eat in their classrooms rather than in the MPR.
all areas on campus, especially high-contact surfaces, will be deep cleaned mid-day and at the end of each day. Cleaning supplies will be available in each classroom.

What Would Cedar Crest’s 100% Distant Learning Approach Look Like?

Cedar Crest’s Distant Learning approach would look very similar to today’s model, with a few slight modifications. Families choosing this option must understand their child would be receiving live-in person instruction given to those students attending in class rather than direct instruction in front of the computer. As such, camera angles may shift to maximize remote learning. Teachers would be tending to both in-person students and remote students to the best of their ability and patience and flexibility are expected. Remote students will be expected to remain on task while the teacher is tending to those students in the classroom and vice versa. Due to live in-person constraints, for PE and Technology, 100% Distant Learning students would receive recorded lessons and/or a task list rather than live lessons. Like the Blended Learning approach, Houses will be paused until Phase 4 and Clubs will be suspended temporarily.

Cedar Crest’s Community Responsibility in Limiting COVID-19 Transmission

To ensure the health and safety of all remains at the forefront, we ask that we responsibly work as a community to help limit the transmission of COVID-19. A few things to consider:

Air Flow at Bellwood – Cedar Crest tested the air quality at each campus and our Bellewood location has 23 separate HVAC units, with each classroom having its own. In addition, Bellewood has an economizer dampener that lets fresh air in as needed, currently allowing 25% of fresh air to flow through the building, which is of a high standard.

How We Plan to Stay Healthy – The risk of COVID-19 spreading in schools depends on the ability to quickly identify and respond to suspected and confirmed cases and the level of community transmission. Staff and parents MUST remain vigilant for symptoms and communicate with the school if, and when, they are sick.

Reducing Transmission – To reduce transmission, we are asking all students and staff to stay home if they have been in contact with anyone who has a fever, cough, or other symptoms identified by the CDC as consistent with COVID-19. If a child falls ill during the school day, the child will be removed from class and will be isolated away from other children. Parents or an emergency contact will be expected to pick the child up immediately. The child may return to school:

at least three days (72 hours) passed since recovery. This is defined as a resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g. couching, shortness of breath.)
at least seven days have passed since symptoms first appeared

Direct Exposure to COVID-19 – If a student or staff member has been directly exposed to COVID-19, they will be asked to self-quarantine for 14 days to limit additional exposure, even if they test negative. In addition, Cedar Crest Academy will immediately contact the Department of Health and will follow their recommendations and guidelines which may include closing and quarantining a single class or the entire school. If a class or the school is closed and must quarantine, Cedar Crest will immediately transition to its 100% Distant Learning model.