• Friday, July 3, 2020

Reopening CAIS - Weekly Update

Reopening CAIS

Underlying Philosophy | Risk Management & Planning | Learning & Teaching

 

ECD (Preschool - 1st Grade) On Campus Schedule

As Britta Pells and I shared in a number of Zoom town hall style meetings, the Guiding Principles in our Reopening CAIS planning document state that “children belong in school, with their health and safety being the top priority”, and “we will prioritize on-campus time for our youngest learners.” Additionally, on the Learning and Teaching page of Reopening CAIS we state that “in the Early Childhood Division (preschool-grade 1), our goal is to provide on-campus, in person learning five days per week, provided that local government and public health guidance allow it.”
 
In our Zoom town hall meetings, we explained that this means we are committed to making necessary staffing and facilities adjustments to serve smaller cohorts of children. The underlying reason for this is, we understand, that our youngest learners are the ones for whom distance learning is the most challenging, and in order to serve their needs, we need to have them on campus as much as possible. Questions we have been receiving from Early Childhood Division parents—and in particular preschool—suggest that our communication needs to be clearer and more explicit.
 
I also want to acknowledge that the survey asking about staggered scheduling caused a fair amount of confusion among ECD parents, as it seemed to contradict our pledge to have ECD children on campus full time. This was an all-school survey, and I should have anticipated the problems it would create among our ECD families. It is our goal to communicate as much as we know, as soon as we know it, and as clearly as we can. We will redouble our efforts to reduce or eliminate any ambiguity around decisions and plans. We have updated the language on the Learning and Teaching page of Reopening CAIS. We reiterate that our planning around reopening CAIS campuses prioritizes on-campus learning for preschool through first grade students five days a week with necessary staffing and facilities adjustments.

Census of After School Needs

A related issue is after school care. We are aware that for some CAIS families, after school care is essential in order for parents to work outside the home. We are making it a high priority to address this issue and to get information to you as soon as we have a viable plan that mitigates health and safety risks. Yesterday (Thursday) you were sent a questionnaire on after school care needs. I urge everyone to complete this short (i.e., 4 question) questionnaire so that we can consider options for providing after school care to the families for whom it is essential. Thank you.

If you haven’t already completed it, please access the questionnaire here. 

Awaiting Public Health Guidance for Schools

We still await guidance from the San Francisco Department of Public Health and anticipate that we will make adjustments to Reopening CAIS once we receive and review specifics that will come from SFDPH.

Questions? Contact Pandemic Response Coordinator Adam Ross

If you have questions about particular aspects of Reopening CAIS and our plans for the coming school year but aren’t sure which administrator to reach out to for answers, please know the Pandemic Response Coordinator Adam Ross is at the ready and available by email at a_ross@cais.org. 

Distancing—An Illustration of How We Can All Make a Difference

Distancing VideoI have frequently reiterated the belief that our success at mitigating the risk of transmission will depend on all CAIS community members following recommended practices such as distancing, hygiene, and face covering, both in and out of school. I want to share with you a short (30 seconds) but impactful video that illustrates the power that we all have to interrupt the transmission of COVID-19, helping ourselves, our community, and those beyond our community. I hope you will watch it and share it with your children, family members , loved-ones, colleagues and friends.

Best,

Jeff

In This Issue

  • Chinese American International School

    www.cais.org

    Early Childhood Division (Preschool) | Alice A. Carnes Center
    42/52 Waller Street 
    415-655-9362

    Early Childhood Division (K-1)
    and Lower School (2-5)
    150 Oak Street 
    415-865-6000 

    Middle School (6-8)
    888 Turk Street 
    415-349-7201 

    San Francisco, CA 94102

PUBLIC NOTICE FROM THE BAY AREA AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT DISTRICT

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) has received a permit for the operation of an emergency standby diesel generator located at 30 Otis Street. As this is within 1,000 feet of the 150 Oak Street campus, California state law requires that the parents or guardians of students enrolled at this location be sent a Public Notice (available as a PDF here), which includes a description of the permit filing, preliminary evaluation, and details on the public comment period.