I am so excited that we have made it to the first week of the second quarter! My family likes to hike, and I...
...keep comparing this year to a long trek up a mountainside; in the middle of a tough climb you often find yourself staring at the trail or path ahead for long periods of time as you put one foot in front of another, then you look up surprised at the progress you've made in seeing how far you've come! We are now at that point when we look forward up the mountain and see that we may still have a ways to go, but when we look back we can marvel at what we have already conquered! It's moments like this that give me a second wind and I take off again with renewed energy (okay, also maybe after a granola bar or two...).
You have probably heard by now that Mesa County has moved into the "Protect Your Neighbor" stage, which is the stage that allows local health authorities the most freedom in making decisions about procedures and protocols. As of right now, we are not changing much about how the school is operating except for some protocols surrounding when students and staff should stay home and for how long. If you have had a sick child within the last week, you may have received an updated flow chart for deciding when to bring your child back to school after feeling ill. I have attached the same updated flow chart to this email. This updated flow chart is less restrictive than before, but still points out instances when it is recommended to have your child tested or remain quarantined for a specific period of time (the flow chart was developed and approved by the local health department).
We are so appreciative of the families who have made the symptom screener a morning routine for your child(ren) each morning before 7:00 am! Remember that we distribute lists of screened students to teachers at 7:00, so students screened after 7:00 am have to be re-screened because they are not on teacher lists. We are still happy to help those families who had technical difficulties by screening their children on campus. Be aware that our temperature guns will begin to take longer to register in the colder weather outside, so the more people we have in the screener line, the longer that will take as the weather starts to turn.
Last, I want to thank each and every one of our community for sticking with us as we continue our "climb." I am certainly feeling fatigue in dealing with the pandemic and health restrictions, as I am sure are all of you, but I know that we are resilient and adaptable and that one day we will be through this. Let's fix our eyes on that mountaintop!
Best,
Andrew Collins
