HES School House News
September 23, 2021
Upcoming Events
Wednesday, October 6 Fall International Walk to School Day
Monday, October 11 Student Holiday (Indigenous Peoples Day)
Wednesday, October 13 Fall Picture Day
Friday, October 15 PTA Monster’s Ball
FCPS students being paused, quarantined, or isolated due to COVID-19 will soon have a way to stay connected with their classes until they return to in-person learning.
StreamIN/CheckIN provides meaningful instructional support for students who are paused, quarantined, or isolated due to COVID-19. Participating in StreamIN/CheckIN offers these students the opportunity to stay engaged with their classes so when they return, they haven’t missed a beat.
Learn more about StreamIN/CheckIN on our website.
Fall International Walk to School, October 6
What better way to enjoy the beautiful fall weather, than by walking with friends. Our Fall International Walk to School day will take place on Wednesday, October 6. We will meet at 7:50 a.m. in Hayfield Park and then walk to school. Everyone is welcome to join us. Everyone who participates should wear a mask.
If it should rain, this event will be cancelled.
Back to School Night
This year’s Back to School Night will be asynchronous. This will allow parents to access all of the information at their convenience. Teachers are currently preparing videos to share about themselves and slide presentations to review classroom routines/expectations. All of this information will be posted on our school website on September 30. We will send a reminder by email directing you to the correct location. We look forward to sharing this information with you!
How Pausing, Quarantining, and Isolating Keeps Our Schools Safe
Since the beginning of August 2021, the majority of COVID-19 cases have been acquired through community spread, OUTSIDE of school buildings.
FCPS’ layered prevention strategies are working to stop the spread of COVID-19 in our schools. Pausing, quarantining, and isolating are tools we use to keep schools safe when a positive COVID-19 case is reported. Understanding the difference between the three scenarios can help families - and staff - be prepared.
Pause
A pause to in-person instruction is a short-term safety measure used by FCPS and the Fairfax County Health Department (FCHD) to allow time to investigate and determine the safest way to address a positive case within our school community. The pause will be initiated by the FCHD for anyone who interacted with an individual who reported a positive COVID-19 case.
- A pause typically lasts between 24-48 hours while FCHD verifies vaccination status and completes contact tracing.
- Vaccination status may reduce the time spent in a pause, but must be verified every time an individual is put on a pause.
- The FCHD does not accept a negative COVID-19 test to release an individual from the pause.
- You will be contacted by the FCHD with a date they can return to school or work.
- This flowchart best explains what happens when there is a pause.
Close Contact
A close contact is any person, regardless of vaccination status, who is within 6 feet of a COVID-19 positive individual for equal to or greater than 15 minutes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) K-12 Exception indicates that students will not be identified as close contacts if they are at least 3 feet apart and are consistently wearing masks in the classroom setting. Adults are not included in this exception.
Quarantine
When a student is identified as a close contact, there are two things that may occur as a result:
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Not fully vaccinated students who are identified as a close contact with someone with COVID-19 must remain home for 14 days after their last exposure. FCPS will notify a student of their return date.
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Fully vaccinated students must remain home until your vaccination status is verified. Upon verification of vaccination status by the FCHD, and if the student/staff is asymptomatic, they may return to in-person learning and activities once notified by FCPS of their return date.
Isolation
Isolation is the response when someone tests positive for COVID-19. Students who have been diagnosed with COVID-19, may not return until:
- It has been at least ten (10) days since the student first had symptoms AND
- The student must be fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication AND
- The student’s symptoms are getting better
FCPS is committed to providing students with opportunities to remain engaged in learning when they are in a pause, quarantine, or isolation period. This chart outlines the ways students receive instruction and materials.
Outbreak
It is important to note that more than one case reported by a student, staff, or visitor to a particular school or building does not always mean there is an outbreak. An outbreak is defined as two or more laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases with onset within a 14-day period who are epidemiology linked (a case in which the person has been exposed to a confirmed case in a way that a known transmission can occur), do not share a household, and were not identified as close contacts of each other in a setting outside of school during the health department investigation.
FCPS’ goal is to keep students learning in-person all year. We are doing our part by implementing layered prevention strategies and working with FCHD to address positive cases and potential exposures. Every FCPS student and family can do their part by wearing masks, getting vaccinated when they are eligible, practicing healthy hygiene, and staying home when sick.
To learn more about COVID-19 case notifications, watch this video and the SEPTA Q&A session.
COVID-19 Case Notification Update
Many families are finding it stressful and overwhelming to receive a new COVID notification email every time there is a positive case in their child’s school. We have updated our process to provide families some relief.
Once a week, either on Friday or the last day of school for the week, school leadership will share an update if there were any reported COVID-19 positive cases in the school that week. The FCPS COVID-19 Health Metrics webpage will still be updated daily for families who wish to know about cases in real time.
Daily Health Screening Questionnaire
It is important that you screen your children each morning for any COVID-like symptoms and keep them home if they have any symptoms. This is the most important way you can help as a parent.
Parents, caregivers, or guardians are strongly encouraged to monitor their children for symptoms of infectious illness every day through a home-based symptom screening, and students who are sick should not come to school. Please consider the questions in the Health Screening Questionnaire each morning before sending your child to school. If you answer “YES” to any of the questions, please keep your child home.
Keep your child home if you suspect your child may have come in contact with someone who has COVID.
If you keep your child home and he or she feels better the next day, then no documentation from a medical provider is needed to return.
If your child comes to school and presents with COVID-like symptoms, he or she will be placed in the Care Room and will be sent home. Your child must then be seen by a medical provider in order to return to school.
Please be overly cautious and keep your child home if you are awaiting COVID test results.
You can find more information about COVID prevention strategies as well as the process for handling cases or suspected cases at the following links:
Health and Safety Guidance Webpage
Flowchart outlining process for students identified as a close contact
FCPS COVID Dashboard
Temporary Dismissal Change-What is Needed
Parents/guardians MUST complete the online Temporary Dismissal Change form when a child’s normal dismissal will change for the day. A child will be sent home using his or her usual manner of transportation unless this pass is completed online. Parents are highly encouraged to schedule play-date and sleepover exchanges of children outside of school hours. Please be mindful that during the busy school day, we do not have the human resources to support verifying the volume of requests that are made on a day-to-day basis.
Advanced Academics
If you would like to learn more about Advanced Academics at Hayfield, along with information about the screening process, please join us for:
An Overview of Advanced Academics Services and Screening Information Session!
Thursday, September 23rd 6PM
This session will be split into 2 parts, each followed by a Q&A:
- 6:00 PM: General information about AAP Levels of Service
- 6:20 PM: Level IV Screening Information
Follow this link to register (same link for both parts of the meeting): https://myfcpsk12.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIsde2urTgjGtO4wCW0KSU2m2FUhpMi03Cu
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Regards,
Andrea Trumbull, M.Ed.
Advanced Academics Resource Teacher
Mask Updates
Parents please send an extra mask in your student’s backpack. We are finding that the masks need replacing especially after lunch and recess. We have a limited number of masks here at the school and sending an extra one or two with your child will help tremendously.
Student Monitors
FCPS is seeking individuals to serve as student monitors!
Enjoy working with students? FCPS is seeking individuals to serve as student monitors. Student monitors provide supervision support in the classroom, lunchroom, and outside. If you would like more information about the position, please review the job description and apply online.. Please feel free to share information about this opportunity with anyone else you think may be interested.
Description: Provides supervision of students throughout the school day to include, but not limited to, the classroom, hallways, lunch, recess, specials and at arrival/dismissal; helps maintain order and discipline and assists in managing the behavior of students; operates technology; performs administrative and non-instructional duties; ensures all layered prevention/safety protocols and procedures are implemented and followed; works with individual and small groups of students.
Qualifications: Any combination of education and experience equivalent to graduation from high school. Must be comfortable managing student behaviors in large and small groups, ensuring all layered prevention/safety protocols and procedures are implemented and followed; and has general familiarity/skills with basic office technology in support of teachers, students, and the classroom.
PTA News & Events
Join the PTA! Next Meeting Tuesday, October 12, 7:00 p.m.
We invite all parents, guardians, and teachers to join the PTA, and encourage all to join us at our first monthly PTA meeting on Tuesday, October 12th at 7:00 p.m. in the Hayfield ES Cafeteria. Become a member of the PTA here: https://hayfieldespta.ptboard.com/
Volunteers Needed
The school year has started and we need your help! Please consider signing up here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf_fRPuG7fgnjKXM7p_slRSGvJP-w-5PuYUXN1UheaME6RZSg/viewform
Please note that each teacher will receive a list of individuals who are interested in volunteering as a room parent by mid September.
Questions??? Feel free to reach out to: Julie Doyle (mumsyof2girls@gmail.com)
Hayfield Helpful Links
Click on a link for information
Hayfield Elementary School website
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