As we enter our Winter break we hope your Christmas and New Year are Happy and Healthy. We are hopeful that the distribution of the COVID Vaccine goes smoothly and quickly so that we can begin to move to a normal school year in this next quarter. While we are happy about the vaccine, we believe that educators and school staff will not likely have access to the vaccine until late January or Early February. If that is the case, I would guess that a substantial event such as mass vaccinations will have an impact on our daily schedules, but time will tell. In the meantime please continue to social distance, wash your hands and wear your mask so that we can continue in-person learning as much as possible.
As for the return to school following our winter break. We are planning to begin the school year on January 4, 2021 fully remote and will begin in-person learning on January 7, 2021. This is very similar to our return after Thanksgiving break and allows us to have a better grasp on staff and student COVID cases and quarantine issues. We anticipate that everyone will be healthy and happy at that time and we should be able to maintain a consistent time period of in-person learning.
Parents between now and the beginning of the school term please be thinking about your choices for return to learn models. We will continue to offer four day in person, A/B schedule and fully remote options and will anticipate that students will continue with their model choice as of the final day of the semester. If you plan to change your students learning model, for example, from full remote to in-person or in-person to fully remote please notify your building principal. We will give parents until January 15, 2021 to make a final determination of their students learning model for the 3rd quarter and then will offer the chance to change once again prior to the fourth quarter of the school year. We would appreciate knowing, as soon as possible, if your student who was full remote on the final day of the first semester plans on in-person learning beginning January 4th. .
Upon returning after the break, meals will continue to be free to all students and on January 4, 5 and 6th anyone can pick-up those meals at the school of their choice, delivery service will not be instituted unless we are forced into an extended period of remote learning.
In summary, PORTA Schools will begin the new semester in Full Remote for January 4, 5th and 6th and In-person learning will begin on January 7th, 2021. If we see a surge in COVID cases we will notify our families of any changes to our return plan early in the week of January 4th. Meals will be available for pickup on those full remote days. If your child is currently fully remote, as of the last day of the semester, and plans on attending in person after the break please be sure to inform your principal. Additionally, the district will allow families to make a final choice of learning model no later than January 15, 2021 for the 3rd quarter of this school year.
We hope you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year Holiday.
As for the return to school following our winter break. We are planning to begin the school year on January 4, 2021 fully remote and will begin in-person learning on January 7, 2021. This is very similar to our return after Thanksgiving break and allows us to have a better grasp on staff and student COVID cases and quarantine issues. We anticipate that everyone will be healthy and happy at that time and we should be able to maintain a consistent time period of in-person learning.
Parents between now and the beginning of the school term please be thinking about your choices for return to learn models. We will continue to offer four day in person, A/B schedule and fully remote options and will anticipate that students will continue with their model choice as of the final day of the semester. If you plan to change your students learning model, for example, from full remote to in-person or in-person to fully remote please notify your building principal. We will give parents until January 15, 2021 to make a final determination of their students learning model for the 3rd quarter and then will offer the chance to change once again prior to the fourth quarter of the school year. We would appreciate knowing, as soon as possible, if your student who was full remote on the final day of the first semester plans on in-person learning beginning January 4th. .
Upon returning after the break, meals will continue to be free to all students and on January 4, 5 and 6th anyone can pick-up those meals at the school of their choice, delivery service will not be instituted unless we are forced into an extended period of remote learning.
In summary, PORTA Schools will begin the new semester in Full Remote for January 4, 5th and 6th and In-person learning will begin on January 7th, 2021. If we see a surge in COVID cases we will notify our families of any changes to our return plan early in the week of January 4th. Meals will be available for pickup on those full remote days. If your child is currently fully remote, as of the last day of the semester, and plans on attending in person after the break please be sure to inform your principal. Additionally, the district will allow families to make a final choice of learning model no later than January 15, 2021 for the 3rd quarter of this school year.
We hope you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year Holiday.