Raintree Christian Academy - Faith, Family, Discipline, Excellence - Announcements

COVID-19 Memo

Dear Raintree parents and students, We are excited to announce our reopening plans for the 2020-2021 school year! The first day of class will be Monday, August 31, 2020, starting promptly at 9:00 am till 3:20 pm. Our doors will open at 8:45 am to allow adequate time for students to enter the building. We have taken the necessary measures to ensure compliance with both the CDC and Florida Department of Education. A mandatory parent Zoom meeting/orientation will be held on August 27th and available for viewing until August 28th. During this video conference, we will address all concerns regarding our school year. An overview of what our school year will look like includes: • Masks- Will be worn arriving and dismissing from school. Masks will be required in common areas and areas in which social distancing is not possible. While students are inside the classrooms, masks WILL NOT be required, as our desks are spaced at the required 6-foot distance. You may absolutely request your child wear his/her mask the entire day and we will respect that request. ALL teachers will wear either a mask or clear face shield the entire day. Face shields will be worn by teachers during instructional time to allow students to follow directions easier. • Temperature and Illness- To ensure all our students are as safe as possible, we ask that you monitor your child’s temperature and be aware of flu-like symptoms such as cough, fever, aches, and loss of taste. We will take student temperatures upon arrival at school each day. Any student with a temperature of 99.5 degrees or higher will be required to stay home. If fever reducing medication is given before school and a child is sent to school intentionally, that is grounds for immediate expulsion. Your child may return when he/she is fever free for a full 24 hours and has not developed ANY flu-like symptoms. If a student develops any flu-like symptoms, he/she will be required to stay home for 14 days or provide a negative COVID test to return. This protocol is required for all students and RCA staff. • Absences – In order to comply with attendance requirements, we have implemented camera systems within our classrooms. Students are required to stay home if they exhibit any COVID symptoms. They will have the opportunity to “attend class virtually.” The camera system is only available to students with COVID symptoms. This will be discussed in greater detail during our ZOOM orientation. • What happens if the Governor closes school? – We understand the difficulty virtual learning posed on our families last school year and do not want to repeat that. We are proud of all our families and staff for rising to that unique challenge. However, we have a better plan in place for this school year. It will be a tiered system. First, if teachers are still allowed in the classroom minus students, they will continue to teach the normal school day while our students learn virtually from their homes. All interaction will transpire as if the students were inside the classrooms. In the event teachers are not allowed on our RCA school property, we will transition to a core subject only format and all academics will be “taught” through interactive online curriculum. Students will need to complete certain lessons by the end of each week, opposed to submitting work via email daily. This online curriculum will be introduced and practiced with our students during their Friday technology class. This will ensure students can make a comfortable transition in the event it is required. • Positive COVID test within your family – You must immediately notify RCA of anyone in your home that tests positive for COVID. We will be required to contact the Department of Health and they will access the exposure risk to our students and staff. Please be aware we may be required to close our classroom for up to 14 days depending on the Department of Health requirements. This is an unprecedented time and we ask for your understanding as the requirements seem to change on this very fluid situation almost daily. RCA will continue to provide updates as we receive them. We are so excited to see you all in the fall and look forward to an amazing RCA school year. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions. Additional information will be provided in greater detail during our orientation. God Bless and Stay Safe, Ms. Marilyn, Ms. Tonia, and all the RCA Staff Thursday, July 23, 2020