Hello, dear Parents!

I miss everyone and the merriment of our hustle and bustle in the usual school day! I look forward to posting pictures on this blog again!  This afternoon, please look in your inboxes for an email about back-to-school plans. James and I are doing our best to anticipate the endgame of this crisis and the return to normal (normal-ish, anyway!).

One of our parents sent me a link to this helpful information from the CDC.

I hope you all are doing well and staying healthy and safe!

I realized that I did not share licensing new screening requirements for drop-off.  If your child has a chronic cough due to allergies, please bring a doctor’s note to school explaining their allergies and its presentation.

I wanted to thank you all for your help with the new morning drop-off procedure. The transition has been very smooth!

HHSC Child Care Licensing (CCL) urges all current providers to immediately implement the following guidance, which is consistent with the new requirements:

• Before allowing entry into the operation, screen all of the individuals listed above, including taking the temperature of each person upon arrival at the operation each day, and deny entry to any person who meets any of the following criteria:

1. A temperature of 100.4°F or above;
2. Signs or symptoms of a respiratory infection, such as a cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, and low-grade fever;
3. In the previous 14 days has had contact with someone with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19; is under investigation for COVID-19; or is ill with a respiratory illness; or
4. In the previous 14 days has travelled internationally to countries with widespread, sustained community transmission. For updated information on affected countries, visit: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/travelers/index.html.

• Require pick up and drop off of children outside of the operation, unless you determine that there is a legitimate need for the parent to enter an operation.
• Ensure that each child is provided individual meals and snacks. Do not serve family style meals

Hello, dear Parents and Teachers,

Today, I was able to make contact with someone from DSHS and talk about our school’s situation. I don’t know the results of our student’s COVID-19 test yet, but one of the following two things will happen:

1. The test is negative. The school will reopen on Thursday and we will initiate the guidelines sent to us by licensing. Children will be screened for a temperature at drop-off. I will meet all children at the front door and ask another teacher to escort them to their classroom or to the playground. Parents will not be allowed on the campus. For pick up, parents can stand at the small black gate. A teacher will escort their child to them. I know this might be a cumbersome and strange change; I really appreciate your help with this! Children with any sort of cough are required to stay at home.

or

2. The test is positive. Ms. Joanna, Ms. TaQueria, and Ms. Jerical’s classrooms will restart on Thursday. The same drop-off and pick-up procedure will apply. Ms. Gabi’s classroom and its teachers will be excluded from care (I imagine this includes siblings, but I will clarify with DSHS tomorrow when I call them). I will provide the affected parents with the DSHS phone number so you can schedule a COVID-19 test for your child. Your child will need to be quarantined at home for 14 days.

Things are changing so quickly in this situation. This was the plan I was given today. Tomorrow may be different. I appreciate your patience, flexibility, and tremendous amount of understanding in this situation. I want to let you know I have reported our school’s situation to both the health department and our licensing representative. I hope to update you on the results of the child’s test as soon as I can tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Rachel

I wanted to thank you, Parents, for your very prompt response this morning in light of an uncertain circumstance.

If you did not receive my email through SmartCare, please email jamescubas@marimontmontessoripreschool.net. You will need to be added to the list for school openings and potential closures.

At this time, one of the children at our school has been tested for coronavirus and asked to quarantine at home. The child was sent home on Friday afternoon with a fever. The child is currently healthy and the results of the test are unknown until later this week.

We hope to hear about the results of the child’s coronavirus test by Wednesday. I will email you as soon as possible with our plan of action depending on the outcome. If the child has a negative test, we will reopen on Thursday. If the child has a positive test, the school will close for two weeks. I will stay in contact with you about any changes or updates.

For further information about the virus, please visit http://www.austintexas.gov/COVID19. I also found this website helpful: http://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/schools-faq.html

Please email me if you have any questions at all.

Is your child missing their gray Marimont sweatshirt? I may have it in the office; the inside tag is cut and missing a a small, rectangular piece of the label’s white fabric.

Here are a few more pictures from our adventures in the garden yesterday and lesson time today!

Marimont stays open through the district spring break ☺

I will try to catch more friends gardening this morning with their classrooms!

I apologize, but I just found the aprons they were supposed to be given after their last class in December. Please let me know if Ms. Amanda did not give your child their green cooking apron and I will send it home with them today!

Please let me know if you have any questions about the new procedure to halt the spread of this bug. I hope we can return to using our cups and our water fountain very soon!

We had a fire truck and fire safety visit planned for the end of this month and the beginning of next month, but our fire fighter friends visited a little early! The children had an amazing time exploring the fire truck (I didn’t get any pictures of this, but I know the teachers did) and learning about how to be safe in a fire.

They were all assigned to ask you where a safe meeting spot would be should a fire occur. They were also able to see what a fire fighter looks like and sounds like in their full gear. The fire fighters reminded the children to stay low in a fire and to come towards a fire fighter, and not to hide, should they see one in an emergency.

A huge “Thank you” to our Pflugerville Fire Fighters!