Dear HCA Families,
We hope that you have had a restful and restorative summer!
At Heritage, we believe that education, especially Christian education, serves as an important partnership with parents. Our commitment to academic excellence founded on a solid Christian worldview within a nurturing environment is more important now than ever. As we head into our 51st year as a school, we are looking forward to welcoming your children back to our halls, ministering to them as they grow in their commitment to Jesus Christ, and serving alongside you as parents.
With that being said, we have some very important updates on what returning to school will look like this fall.
First Day of School
Our first day will be the traditional half-day to kick off the school year.
Monday, August 17, 2020
8:15 am – 11:45 am Elementary Students
8:00 am – 12:00 pm Secondary Students
Following the first day of school, we will resume full day in-person education for all students, except for our Pre-K students, who only attend half days.
Our doors will open slightly earlier than normal, at 7:40 am, to give students a chance to get to class in a physically distanced manner. Population flow monitors will be in place to help students with this task.
HEALTH & SAFETY PROTOCOLS
All of Heritage’s Health & Safety Guidelines for Fall 2020 have been implemented in accordance with Larimer County and we are in compliance with all Larimer County safety protocols.
Heritage is grateful for the guidance, direction, and clarity that Larimer County has provided to our school for this unprecedented upcoming school year. We appreciate all of your patience with this process as we just received approval of these guidelines yesterday. It would have been our hope to get this to you sooner and are extremely thankful for all of your graciousness. All of the information that follows in this email comes from in-depth discussions between the county and our administration.
We will apply the appropriate physical distancing protocols for all areas asked by Larimer County. These protocols vary by grade level and context (i.e. students sitting in their desks in the classroom may only be four feet apart whereas in the halls they will be six feet apart).
Mask Requirements
- Masks are not required for students in our Pre-K - 5th grades.
- Elementary students who feel comfortable wearing a mask in the classroom are encouraged to do so.
- Larimer County recognizes that masks for younger students may be a hindrance to their educational development.
- 6th - 12th graders will be required to wear masks upon entering the building and throughout the day. The only time masks will be removed for our secondary students will be during lunch, mask breaks, and outdoor activities. All 6th - 12th graders will be required to bring their own masks to school on a daily basis. Although the school will be able to supply masks if needed, we ask that parents send an additional mask with each of their secondary students.
- According to the Colorado Department of Health, students in 6th - 12th grade should wear masks, unless the student has a health or educational reason for not wearing a mask. This decision is made solely by the parents of each child. Please notify Mr. Cuckler at mcuckler@heritagechristian.info if you are choosing for health or educational reasons to not have your 6th - 12th grader wear a mask.
Faculty & Staff
- Face coverings will be worn by staff and teachers at all times, except when removal is allowed by Larimer County for instructional periods.
- We have put into place significant safety and health protocols to protect our team.
- There will be consistent and specific health training for all faculty and staff.
Hand Washing & Building Sanitization
- Students will be consistently hand washing and sanitizing throughout the day.
- All contact surfaces such as doorknobs and counters will be disinfected frequently.
- Building decontamination will take place multiple times throughout the day.
Daily Temperature Checks & Symptomatic individuals
- There will be daily temperature checks for all students that are faculty administered.
- If a student has a temperature of 100.4 or above or displays even mild symptoms, a parent will be required to take their student home.
- Prior to that student reentering they must have a medical professional verify the student is COVID-free, and they can return to school once their symptoms have resolved.
What happens if someone in our community is exposed?
Contact tracing will be utilized, and any population that has been exposed will be required to seek medical care and verify that they are not contagious. As a school, we are positioned to provide remote learning for individual classes or larger groups in the case of any of our populations needing to go through a period of quarantine. We are continuing to work with Larimer County to make sure that our school population remains safe and healthy throughout the year.
How will student movement be limited?
HCA will be practicing classroom cohorts, which means our student populations will remain in the same group with the same teachers throughout the day. Students’ interaction will be limited to those in their cohort (i.e. 4th grade students will stay with their class throughout the day, 10th grade will stay with their class at all times even at lunch and outside).
What about back to school events?
Based on conversations with Larimer County, our normal opening events will look different. Our annual fall barbecue will be postponed. As an alternative, we will be having a virtual meeting with the admin where the admin will be available to cast a vision for the school year and answer any questions. The virtual admin meeting is scheduled on Thursday, August 13 at 4:00 pm. You will receive a link to join this meeting next week.
Next week, we will be announcing alternatives to our annual Open House and Back to School Nights. We are structuring ways for you to meet with your teachers ahead of school starting in a way that is safe for our teachers and protects our community as a whole.
Finally, we want to thank you for partnering with us to educate your child. We are praying continually for this upcoming school year. We recognize that this is a fluid situation and that it presents a variety of challenges, both practically and emotionally. We will make every effort to capture the most important details and share them with you in a timely fashion. As you process this email and the start of school, we anticipate it will generate even more thoughts. Please contact me with any questions or concerns you may have by replying to this email, sending me an email at mcuckler@heritagechristian.info, or calling the office at 970-494-1022.
"Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you." - 2 Thessalonians 3:16
In His Grip,
Mike Cuckler
HCA Head Administrator
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