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Dear Clermont Families,
I hope you are safe and warm on this 5th snow day! FCPS is currently working on plans for virtual snow days should we have any more weather-related school closings this year. Once I have that guidance, I will share it with the community.
I want to reassure you that Clermont ES and FCPS are committed to keeping our school open and providing for our students during this COVID surge. SB1303 requires us to maintain in-person learning unless advised by the local health department to consider an alternative option.
A division-wide school support plan is being implemented to ensure continuity of instruction and school operations. Here is how we will work to meet the needs of our students during the next few weeks:
Classes will be covered, but at times may not be supported by your child’s direct classroom or specialist teachers. Our priority is to cover classes by staff with instructional backgrounds or who meet eligibility requirements to serve as a substitute for individual classes. However, there may be circumstances when this may not be possible and in extreme situations classes may have to be divided up or combined and moved to a larger space. At Clermont, we would exhaust all other coverage options before combining classes or moving them to other spaces.
Our staff will upload classroom materials as practicable to Schoology for student access, but please be mindful that this may not always be feasible during the next few weeks. Some classroom materials used by teachers are not easily transferrable to the virtual setting. We will also continue to do our best to support students who are required to isolate or quarantine through our StreamIN/CheckIN model. However, there may be circumstances where this is not possible during this surge period.
Even in these uncertain times and with all the challenges we are facing, we are able to continue to provide a safe learning and work environment. FCPS has multiple layers of protection we will continue to deploy to mitigate COVID-19 transmission in schools to include universal masking, enhanced cleaning and disinfecting, physical distancing to the greatest extent possible, and requiring that students and staff stay home when sick.
You can read more about the FCPS plan for the next three weeks on the website.
How You Can Help:
- Keep your children home when sick.
- Make use of our diagnostic testing if your child has symptoms.
- Remind your child to wear their masks properly, wash their hands regularly, and use hand sanitizer.
- Students must wear a face-covering appropriately while on the school bus.
- We ask that you consider getting your children vaccinated. Vaccination helps reduce the severity of illness and remains the best tool for ending the pandemic. On Monday, the FDA expanded booster eligibility to 12-15 year-olds and shortened the time needed before receiving a booster shot from at least six months after completion of the initial series to at least five months, for everyone 12 and older. If you need a vaccination or booster, the Fairfax County Health Department website is a great source of information about clinics and other vaccination opportunities. We ask you to help Fairfax County reach its targets for vaccinated residents that will protect us all - staff, students, families, and visitors to our schools.
- Consider becoming a substitute or a classroom monitor.
We must all temporarily adjust our expectations about schooling based on the staffing challenges over the next three weeks. Changes, adjustments, and on-the-spot decisions will be needed. I ask that you be patient with us during this challenging time. Please know that while things will not be perfect, we are all doing our best.
Our number one goal is to have all students safely learning in their classrooms at Clermont. We are all in this together as a community and it will take all of us to keep our classrooms open.
Thank you for your support and partnership as we navigate this surge with our focus on student safety and education.
This community has always given us unwavering support and I am so very grateful for that! I miss our students and am excited to see them return safely, weather permitting, on Monday morning. Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Ms. Salata, Principal
Parents, if you do not have internet service at home, you may request a MiFi device for your student. The MiFi will allow your child to connect the FCPS laptop to the internet for learning. The MiFi is filtered to block harmful or inappropriate websites. If you do not have internet access in your home, you may request a MiFi by contacting Samantha Sapp SDSapp@fcps.edu.
Our classroom lessons during December were focused on the following topics:
Kindergarten- Recognizing comfortable and uncomfortable feelings. Learning skills for handling uncomfortable feelings.
1st grade- Learning to make decisions using the problem solving steps.
2nd grade- Practicing conflict resolution using Kelso’s Choices- Part 2
3rd grade-. Learning about the facets of identity.
4th grade- Respecting differences and building empathy. This is the first lesson in the FCPS 4th grade harassment lesson series
5th grade- Understanding boundaries and perspectives. This is the first lesson in the FCPS 5th grade harassment lesson series
6th grade- Middle School Transition Lesson- Part 1. Learning about the schedule and academic and elective courses available in middle school.
January 17: Martin Luther King Jr. Day - No School
January 20: Spirit Day - Twin Day (Match w/a friend!)
January 20: Two Hour Early Release - Dismissal at 1:50 pm
January 21: Teacher Workday - No School
January 24: Teacher Workday - No School
February 21: Presidents Day - No School
March 3: Two Hour Early Release - Dismissal at 1:50 pm
March 4: Teacher Workday - No School
March 31: Spirit Day - Dress Like Someone Famous!
March 31: Two Hour Early Release - Dismissal at 1:50 pm
April 1: Teacher Workday - No School
April 4-8: Spring Break - No School
May 30: Memorial Day - No School
June 3: Decades Day - (Dress like any decade, past or future!)
June 10: Last Day of School/Two Hour Early Release - Dismissal at 1:50 pm
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