RCMS PTA: Meeting Update and COVID-19 Resources

IN THIS NEWSLETTER

• DISTANCE LEARNING MESSAGE FROM VA PTA

• APRIL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

• COVID-19 RESOURCES
• SUPPORTING THE PTA

DISTANCE LEARNING MESSAGE FROM VA PTA

"On Friday, FCPS announced its distance learning plan and you should expect to see the first of a series of weekly learning packets in the mail this week. Please keep in mind that 16,000 classroom teachers and support staff are turning on a dime to reconnect with and instruct 189,000 students using formats that cannot replace the in-person classroom experience. Parents should review the Distance Learning Plan and remain in touch with classroom teachers and principals as we move forward. Please keep in mind that many teachers also have school-age children at home, and may themselves need to care for loved ones as the Coronavirus continues to spread."

VA PTA asks that we all proceed with as much understanding towards the staff as possible. The complete Distance Learning information can be found here.

APRIL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

Dear RCMS parents and staff,

Local PTA organizations have been permitted to carry out regular PTA membership meetings via video or audio conference calls. We plan to have a RCMS PTA meeting scheduled for April and will announce the time in our upcoming newsletter.

In the meantime, we hope you stay safe and be well.

–RCMS PTA Board

COVID-19 RESOURCES

We hope to provide you with links that will help you stay informed, be productive, (maybe) smile, and stay safe. 

This is by no means an exhaustive list. If you have resources you would like to share with us or would like to comment on the links, please feel free to post to our FaceBook page.

Global, National, and Local COVID-19 pages:

• World Health Organization (WHO)
• Center for Disease Control (CDC)
• National Institute of Health (NIH)
• Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center
• COVID Tracking Project provides the most comprehensive testing data from 50 US states, the District of Columbia, and 5 other US territories

• Fairfax County Emergency Information, the official Fairfax County Government Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery blog with daily county level COVID-19 updates

• Fairfax County Government
• Inova
• Fairfax County Public School
• Fairfax County Public Library (Note: FCPL will continue to provide WiFi access during the library’s normal operating hours, accessible in the branch parking lots.)
• VAPTA

For Your Home:

• Environmental Protection Agency's list of products that meet EPA’s criteria for use against SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes the disease COVID-19
• WebMD's article on how long SARS-CoV-2 can live on different types of surfaces
• Consumer Report's guide on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19 while doing laundry
• Institute for Food Safety at Cornell University has a page on food safety recommendations and frequently asked questions
• Serious Eats' Coronavirus Cooking Guide (includes food safety, handling, and recipes)

To Pass Time:

• America's Test Kitchen is offering free access to a collection of 50 of their recipes and their ATK Kids website
• FCPS Continuity of Learning Resources
• FCPL lists top 10 ways to use FCPL at home
• WETA's "Stuck at Home Survival Guide" for families and educators
• Smithsonian's online events and distance learning pages

Something Fun:

• Wash Your Lyrics generates hand washing infographics based on your favorite song lyrics, so we can wash our hands to songs other than "Happy Birthday"
• Baby Shark is back with a "Wash Your Hands" edition (YouTube link)

• 10 orchestras and choirs making sure the show goes on while social distancing (from Art Critique)

• There are many animal cams that are still active at zoos around the country. One example of this is the live cams at the San Diego Zoo.

SUPPORTING THE PTA

• Join us
• Help with our fundraising efforts
• Volunteer, by contacting RCMSPTA.pres@gmail.com for more information

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