Dear Beech Tree Families,

Thank you for joining us Thursday evening for our PTA & Principal Information Night. I have tried to share a written response within this message to the questions asked regarding health and safety for the 2021-2022 school year. Megan Laboy, PTA President, and I, will soon be sharing with you a calendar of planned events for this school year. While some events are planned by school staff and some events are planned by our PTA, at Beech Tree, we provide joint support for all of them. I hope that if you are new to our #BeechTreeFamily, you will soon feel that sense of partnership.

Tomorrow, our staff return to school for our Beech Tree Kick Off, which is a full day of community building and professional development. Tuesday, they will be setting up their learning environments and planning for instruction. Wednesday is our county-wide professional development day. Staff have over thirty hours of professional development and training to complete at the start of each school year to meet national, state, and local requirements. Thursday is another school-based day of professional development.

We will host our Open House on Friday, August 20^th from 9:30am to 11:00am in person. This will be an opportunity provided to ALL parents’ to walk their child to their classroom, drop off school supplies, meet the teacher, and reassure students that they will be able to walk to class on their own on the First Day of School on Monday, August 23^rd.

As I shared, Thursday, evening, I was trying to find a way to be able to allow parents of Kindergarten and 1^st graders to walk their children to class on the First Day of School, but I was struggling with the pros and cons of doing so, especially during this time of COVID.

I’d like to share why I decided NOT to allow visitors into the building on August 23^rd. Parental rights are important to me, as a parent myself. My responsibility to your rights is actually why I chose NOT to allow parents to walk their children to class on the First Day of School. Elementary age students have not yet been given the opportunity to receive a COVID vaccine. I am responsible for doing all I can to keep your children safe when they are at Beech Tree. On Friday, August 20^th, during our Open House, parents are able to choose whether or not they want to have their child be in the building when there are multiple visitors in the school. On Monday, August 23^rd, if I were to allow visitors into the building, I would be taking away parental rights to limit their child’s exposure to crowds. I cannot, in good conscience, take that right away from you. As we hold in-person events in the evenings and weekends, parents will continue to have the right to choose whether or not they wish to have their child participate. I hope you understand why this is my final decision for the First Day of School procedures on Monday, August 23^rd.

Here are reminders for upcoming events:

Friday, August 20^th, 9:30am to 11:00am = Beech Tree Open House

*All our students and families are invited to come meet their teachers and bring their school supplies, which can be found on our website at: https://beechtreees.fcps.edu/academics/supply-lists

Thursday, August 26^th, 6:30pm = Title I Parent Information Night

            *The private link for this virtual event will be sent on the 26th

If you have not already done so, please be sure you are signed up to receive “News You Choose” so that you will receive all future Principal Newsletters from me, as well as from any others you wish to receive. This message is being shared through eNotify, however I am required to send newsletters through “News You Choose” and not eNotify. Sign up for “News You Choose” using this link, please:

https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/VAEDUFCPS/subscriber/new

As we welcome our teachers back this month and plan for instruction, it is important to note that we use a variety of digital resources to support instruction. Please complete the following consent form so our teachers may continue to provide engaging instruction in a variety of ways:

https://beechtreees.fcps.edu/adopteddigitalresources

RESPONSES to Health & Safety Questions from Thursday evening’s PTA & Principal Info Night:

Visitors in the Building

Beech Tree visitors may enter by appointment only, with limited access to the building. All must have an ID, such a driver’s license or passport, and will be asked to respond to a Health Screening Questionnaire. Parents may drop off and pick up materials, as needed, by ringing the doorbell and communicating with office staff. Office staff will then bring the materials to you at the door or receive the materials from you at the door.

Water Fountain Use

Students should bring their own water bottle for use during the day. School staff will supervise the refilling of  water bottles, as necessary. Water fountains should not be used as usual. Water fountains can be used to refill water bottles when practical, but students and staff should not drink directly from any water fountains or faucets, which could contribute to illness transmission; individual water bottles should be used instead. 

Lunch Time

• Students will be required to wear masks in the cafeteria when not actively eating and drinking.
• They will need to wear their masks while going through the serving line. 
• Students will put their mask back on when they finish their meal. 
• Cafeteria spaces will be regularly and thoroughly cleaned with a sanitizing solution. 
• It is recommended that students wash their hands with soap and water or use hand sanitizer before and after eating.
• FCPS Food Nutrition Services works closely with the Fairfax County Health Department to ensure proper food safety and sanitation. 
• The U.S. Department of Agriculture extended the offering of no-cost breakfast and lunch to all students through school year 2021-2022.  Visit the FNS website. 

CDC Requirements for Playground Areas

• Face masks are not required on the playground
• Handwashing and Hand Sanitizing
• Students are to wash hands before going to playground areas and immediately following with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol is to be made easily accessible in playground areas for students and staff. 
  
  Daily Health Screening

• The CDC recommends that parents, caregivers or guardians, should be strongly encouraged to monitor their children for symptoms of infectious illness every day through home-based symptom screening and students who are sick should not attend in-person instruction.
• Parents/guardians are required to complete the daily health screening questionnaire prior to sending the student to school each morning.  The required screening must be completed for all school-aged children in the household.  In order to reduce the spread of communicable disease to student and staff, it is critical that parents/guardians accurately complete this screening daily and keep their student home from school when exhibiting any symptoms. The daily health screening questionnaire will be completed on an honor basis and will not be required to be submitted to the school.
• A daily health screening questionnaire is available in the following languages: English, Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Spanish, Urdu, and Vietnamese.
• Parents/guardians will receive frequent reminders from FCPS via multiple modes of communication, reminding them to complete their daily health screening questionnaire and to keep sick students at home. These communications will be developed in collaboration with the Office of Communications and Community Relations (OCCR), Office of Professional Learning and Family Engagement (OPLFE) and Language Services.
• All staff and visitors must complete the daily health screening questionnaire prior to arriving on campus. The daily health screening questionnaire will be completed on an honor basis and will not be required to be submitted to the school. 
• Any student, staff or visitor demonstrating symptoms of illness should stay home to help “Stop the Spread” of COVID-19.
  
  Care Rooms

• The predetermined care room is a designated location and must be separate from the health room. It may be necessary for schools to identify a second care room due to the requirement for physical distancing and room capacity.
• A designated staff member must be assigned to supervise students while in the predetermined care room should the need arise. The staff member will be provided with a gown or lab coat, gloves, and a face shield as appropriate. Staff will need to be available at various times throughout the day to supervise any student exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 while awaiting pick up by the parent or guardian.
  
  *At Beech Tree, the designated Care Rooms, so as not to impact student instruction, are the principal’s conference room and the principal’s office. The designated staff, so as not to impact student instruction, are the assistant principal, Maureen Lopez, and the principal, Karim Daugherty.
  
  Student Return to School After Illness

• In order to return to school, the parent/guardian must provide to the school, a completed SICK STUDENT NOTIFICATION and RETURN to SCHOOL FORM. 
  • This form will be completed by the child’s healthcare provider and returned to the school.
  • This form is to be filed in the student’s cumulative folder.
  • Copies of FCHD clearance letters (SARA alert forms) provided by the FCHD or a healthcare provider note will also be accepted. These documents should be stapled to the Return to School Form and filed in the student’s cumulative folder.
  • The Sick Student Notification and Return to School Form is available in English, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Spanish, Urdu and Vietnamese.*FCPS will no longer require the SICK STUDENT NOTIFICATION and RETURN to SCHOOL FORM for students who are called in absent with COVID-like symptoms/illness.

Students who have been diagnosed with COVID-19, may not return until:

• It has been at least ten (10) days since my child first had symptoms AND
• My child has had no fever off anti-fever medicines (ex: Tylenol, Ibuprofen) for 24 hours AND
• My child’s symptoms are getting better

*If someone in the household has been diagnosed with COVID-19, or the student is exposed, the student must remain home for 14 days after their last exposure to the household member. 

Protocols for Potential Temporary COVID-19 Closure

• VA public schools required under SB 1303 to provide five days a week of in-person instruction.
• FCPS is committed to continuity of learning during the 2021-22 school year and the school division is using layered prevention strategies to do everything possible to ensure our schools remain safe, healthy and open. Our plan is to remain open using these strategies unless directed otherwise by health officials or Executive Order.
• FCPS has plans in place to ensure continuity of learning in the event health authorities or an Executive Order require a temporary closure to protect the health of students, staff, and the community.

INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS

Threshold to Initiate Closure: If student is directed by healthcare provider or FCHD to quarantine or isolate, or FCPS is directed by FCHD to pause that student’s in-person learning as a matter of public health, but school and class remain open. 

Support: Asynchronous assignments

INDIVIDUAL TEACHERS

Threshold to Initiate Closure: If teacher is directed by health provider or FCHD to quarantine or isolate, or FCPS is directed by FCHD to pause teacher’s in-person teaching, but the teacher’s school and class remain open for students.

Support: Schools will secure a substitute/alternate coverage.

CLASS

Threshold to Initiate Closure: FCPS is directed by FCHD to temporarily close the class as a matter of public health. 

Support: All students/staff in the impacted class will transition to virtual learning for that class (period for secondary students) until the class can reopen. Students would access asynchronous assignments.

SCHOOL

Threshold to Initiate Closure: FCPS is directed by FCHD to temporarily close the entire class as a matter of public health.

Support: All students and staff at the school will transition to virtual learning.

DIVISION

Threshold to Initiate Closure: FCPS is directed by FCHD or VDH, or Executive Order to temporarily close the division as a matter of public health. 

Support: All students and staff  will transition to virtual learning until in-person instruction can resume.

HVAC System

FCPS designs and operates many different types of equipment to maintain an acceptable indoor air temperature and indoor air quality in buildings.

- FCPS operates 220 facilities every day of the year

- At 27 million square feet of covered space, FCPS is larger than 4 Pentagons

- There are nearly 37,000 pieces of HVAC equipment in FCPS

- Including over 5,000 different types and models of HVAC equipment

- There are more than 45,000 active air filters in FCPS

- Including nearly 800 different sizes and types

- Air filters are changed every 90 days

- FCPS replaces over 180,000 filters each year

All HVAC systems are maintained and operated efficiently and effectively using the latest procedures and technology. FCPS performs scheduled preventive maintenance to all HVAC systems. OFM uses a maintenance management system that documents HVAC maintenance requests and actions.

Portable air filters (based on HEPA or UV technology) have been considered and purchased. I purchased county approved, portable air filters for the two classrooms that do not have windows and the division purchased them for our two CARE rooms which Ms. Lopez and I have to monitor when we have students exhibiting COVID symptoms, since those students may not remain in the clinic.

As always, I thank you for your trust. Let me know if you ever have any questions or concerns. I look forward to seeing you soon!

Karim Daugherty

Principal

Beech Tree ES

703-531-2600

https://twitter.com/BeechTreeElem 

https://beechtreees.fcps.edu/ 

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” – Colin Powell