1/14/22
Dear Families,
As you have likely seen in the media, our region is experiencing a COVID-19 surge with the fast-spreading omicron variant. Our priorities are to keep our school community safe and also to keep students in school for in-person instruction as much as possible. Please take a few minutes to watch a video that I am sharing with you on our school’s YouTube Channel.
IMPORTANTLY, we are asking families of ALL students to register their students for the Test to Stay program. We need to be prepared next week and in the weeks ahead for the likelihood of multiple class closures due to COVID cases in school. In order for students to be able to return to the school building after an exposure, they will need to do antigen testing, as long as we have enough supplies available.
Students can only be given the antigen tests at school if a parent or guardian has completed the following TWO Test to Stay Consent forms. If you have not done so already, please take a few minutes to complete these forms for each of your students. The antigen tests are free for students.
1) Register with the Simple Report system, which enables the Village School to manage all the testing and reporting for our students and staff.
2) Complete the Vermont Agency of Education (AOE) Consent form.
Please note that families of Pre-K students do not need to complete these two forms for their preschoolers. The Pre-K is participating in a different test program called “Tests for Tots.”
Based on the Vermont Department of Health’s new COVID-19 guidance (adopted from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) our school has updated our COVID-19 guidelines. The current guidelines are being sent home with students today and are posted on our website at this link.
In addition, if your student is not feeling well or has any symptoms, your student should stay home from school and it is recommended that you contact School Nurse Kaitlyn Hewson (khewson@vsnb.org or 802-442-5955) or your child’s health care provider.
If you have questions about our new guidelines or the Test to Stay program, please reach out to Kim Krall, the Village School’s part-time COVID-19 specialist. Kim joined our team this week. Some of you may know her as a current and past parent, but she is also a highly qualified Emergency Department Physicians Assistant. Kim will assist us in coordinating our COVID response in the weeks and months ahead, and she will also assist with onsite testing. If you have COVID-related questions, you can reach out to Kim at COVID@vsnb.org.
As a reminder, school will be closed on Monday, January 17, for the observance of Martin Luther King Day. We will send a separate announcement to the 5th and 6th grades about their plan for returning to the classroom.
Wishing you warmth and good health for the long weekend ahead.
Kind regards,
Tim
