September 11, 2020
Dear Families,
Please join me as we remember the loss of our fellow Americans on Patriot Day, and continue to channel our American spirit during our current crisis. Being a Patriot today means taking care of ourselves and others. Thank you for taking care of our One Rocket Nation!
As we announced earlier this week, we are a go for our inaugural In-building instruction mode starting this Monday, September 14, continuing through Friday, September 25. If you are enrolled in eLearning for the first nine weeks of this semester, please continue logging in daily to Zoom.
Take some time this weekend to gather the family and review this information to ensure everyone has a safe and stress-free day on Monday!
DAILY STUDENT HEALTH CHECK
As mandated by the state of Ohio, our school district is required to report COVID-19 cases. We must ask each of our families to perform a Daily Student Health Check with their student and then fill out a short form. Parents must fill out the form daily, whether your student is In-building or eLearning mode. We will start contacting families if the Daily Student Health Check has not been completed by 7:30am.
We have streamlined the reporting process, so only one parent per household should be receiving text reminders. Families with two residential parents/shared custody will receive two alerts. If you would rather be proactive and fill out the Daily Student Health Check before your Remind text alert, you can do so between 12:01 and 7 a.m. each morning. If we do not have a Daily Student Health Check for your student, they will not be allowed in school. Please help us and make this a daily part of your morning routine. Please bookmark this link to make this process easy on your family: http://bit.ly/BayHealthCheck
You can view our district COVID-19 reporting information, as well as city and county cases, on our COVID-19 Dashboard on the Rocket Relaunch site.
STUDENT DAILY SCHEDULE TIMES
During COVID-19, our student daily schedules are different. We’ve been following this shortened day during eLearning, but many of our parents have asked us to share these again. Here are the student schedules by building during COVID-19:
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Normandy, grades K-2, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
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Westerly, grades 3-4, 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
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Bay Middle, grades 5-8, 7:35 a.m.-1:20 p.m.
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Bay High, grades 9-12, 7:50 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
SLOW LAUNCH START
Just a friendly reminder that during this inaugural week of In-building, we will be honoring our Slow Launch Start, with no more than half our students in any building at one time Monday through Thursday next week, September 14-17. Then all students will come together on Friday, September 18. Students will all be together the week of September 21. Your building principal has shared with you what two days your student is In-building next week. Please call your building if you have not received this information or still have questions.
CLASSROOMS
To increase fresh air circulation within each of our classrooms, windows will be open. Please have your student dress appropriately -- think layers -- so they are comfortable. This will be protocol throughout the year.
SCHOOL AND COVID-19: RINGS OF EXPOSURE
This video, adapted from Lorain County Public Health, is a simple, yet informative way to explain COVID-19 reporting and “rings of exposure” for those who may come in contact with persons suspected/confirmed of having the virus.
LUNCH
Our Grab and Go lunch program has been very popular and successful...thank you for ordering! For next week, please order early or have your student bring their lunch to school. For those who are in eLearning mode, you can still have your lunch delivered. Menus and order forms are on our Rocket Relaunch site and also on our district website.
BUS ROUTES
Please visit the Bus Route Stops page of our website and review this information with your student. Please be patient with our wonderful drivers as they navigate the routes the first week of In-building; drivers may need to make adjustments. Please have your child at the bus stop five minutes before pick-up time. If you have any questions, our Transportation Department can be reached at 440-617-7540. Remember: masks are required on the bus.
Note: If you opted out of district transportation, you will need to help your student get to school.
SAFETY
Each of our building leadership teams has produced an informative safety video to help you and your student understand the changes and protocols in place to keep everyone safe while we are In-building mode. Please click on the video links below and contact your building principal if you have any questions regarding these plans.
Bay High School Safety Video
Middle School Safety Video
Westerly School Safety Video
Normandy School Safety Video
WOLF ROAD CONSTRUCTION REMINDER
Construction is taking place across from Bay Middle School through approximately September 23. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) is capping off an orphan gas well.
During construction, Wolf Road will be closed from Cahoon Road to just east of the Bay Middle School exit. The Wolf Road entrance and exit for Bay Middle School will both remain open. Vehicles entering and exiting Bay Middle School will only be able to enter from the West and exit heading West. The Bay Middle School exit onto Cahoon Road will not be affected. Allow a few extra minutes to arrive at your destination.
TRAFFIC REMINDERS AND CROSSING GUARDS
Many of our families have offered to provide transportation for their students when we are In-building mode to help with social distancing. That means there will be more walkers and bikers traveling to and from school each day. Please be mindful of this increase in pedestrian and cyclist traffic when driving through Bay Village. In-building mode also means school zone speed limits and not turning right on red at certain intersections. Please be alert.
Police Chief Leasure has let the district know that school crossing guards are in short supply. Until further notice, there will not be a crossing guard at these two intersections: Dover/Wolf and Ashton/Bassett. A new guard has been hired for the intersection of Saddler/Wolf, but until that person is in place, this intersection will also be without a guard. Crossing guard applications are still being accepted for this school year. Please call BVPD's non-emergency number at 440-871-1234 if interested, and ask for Lt. Holliday. Remember to drive safely!
BUILDING PHONE NUMBERS
Bay High School--440-617-7400
Bay Middle School--440-617-7600
Westerly Elementary School--440-617-7550
Normandy Elementary School--440-617-7350
I thank you in advance for preparing your students for next week. We will be making our next two-week chunk decision for In-building or eLearning mode no later than Thursday, September 24.
Have a wonderful weekend, make good choices and I look forward to seeing some of you in your buildings next week!
Sincerely,
Superintendent Jodie Hausmann