Quail Call

February 10

Dear Families-Read on for the News

Quails Eye View

Dear PPCS Families --

We are writing to share important news with you. Monday night, the PPCS Board voted to make in-person instruction available to all students in grades K - 8 beginning on March 11. Like the Moscow School District, we will offer four-days per week of in-school learning with a fully remote option for those who are not able, or do not choose to return at this time.

Thank you for your participation in the recent family survey. Your feedback provided the PPCS Board valuable data on your preferences and concerns. We feel strongly that a return to in-person instruction for the final third of the year will be best for students’ emotional wellbeing and learning - and we know that it can be accomplished safely with your help!

Please read on for more information about how we made this decision and the logistical details.

Factors that influenced this decision

We made this decision based on several key inputs:

Community & School System Covid data: We are encouraged by declining Covid case numbers in our community and - especially - by the data showing that Covid spread in schools is vanishingly low when consistent masking and other safety measures are followed. Our regional public health department and medical community have advocated a return to in-person school.

Teacher Input: Teachers had the opportunity to become fully vaccinated much sooner than anticipated. By March 5, PPCS teachers who received the vaccine will have achieved immunity. Our staff has expressed strong support for returning to the classroom, based on their assessment of students’ needs.

Family Input: Our recent survey of PPCS families showed clear support for a four-day/week in-person model. We heard from nearly all families and learned that 81% of our families are “willing” or “very willing” to participate in this model.

Things you might be wondering:

The operational details of this decision are still being hammered out by the teachers and Ms. Branen, but here are some early responses to likely questions:

When and how will we make this transition?

PPCS plans to return to in-person school on Thursday, March 11, right before spring break. Returning two days before the break allows us to test our systems. If we identify issues, we will have the week of spring break to correct them.

Teachers need additional planning time to prepare classrooms and lessons for this shift. We will carve out this time by repurposing some Wednesday meet-up times and adding teacher planning days on March 8 and 9. Our final day of school for students will be extended to June 8, in alignment with the Moscow School District. We will provide more details about these changes in future communications.

If our family stays remote, what will learning look like?

We are committed to providing high-quality support for our remote students. Remote students will participate in class via zoom, using a parallel model that has been successfully tested in our 2nd and 3rd grade classrooms. Wednesdays will be a day of remote learning for all students, and a chance for teachers to provide additional support to remote-only students. We will send out a survey shortly where you can indicate if your child will be fully remote or in-person.

What types of safety measures will the school enforce?

Our school will continue to require the following safety measures:

Consistent and proper mask use by all members of our community
Hand washing and sanitation
Families will be asked to keep children home if they have been exposed to Covid or display any symptoms of the virus.
Individual plastic dividers will be placed in between students at tables where social distancing is not feasible.
Staggering lunch and dismissal times to minimize close contacts.
Nightly cleaning, which includes sanitizing surfaces and high touch points.

What happens if there is a COVID case or exposure at our school?

We will follow the guidance of our public health department if a Covid case is confirmed in our school. In such cases, it might be necessary for a classroom or multiple classes to return to remote learning for a period of quarantine.

How can our family help PPCS’s return to the classroom be successful?

We appreciate how careful and candid you have been throughout this year. Our ability to return to the classroom and remain in-person without significant interruption will depend on continued diligence from our families.

We kindly ask that you:

Continue to wear masks when in public and practice excellent hand washing
Follow guidelines for social distancing and gatherings
Alert the school if your family has traveled out of this region or has been exposed to someone who has tested positive for Covid
Keep your student(s) home if they display any symptoms of the virus, including fever, sore throat, coughing, and congestion. See the CDC website for a full list of symptoms: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html

We are grateful for your continued support and flexibility as our school has worked to meet the needs of students, families, and teachers. Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns - and to let us know how we can best support your family.

Best wishes,

Jeneille Branen, PPCS Executive Director

Jessica Bearman, PPCS Board Chair

Intent to return forms

Intent to return forms have been sent out in your email. Please fill out the form by February 26. If you have not completed it, click on the button below.

Intent to Return Form

Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day is coming up and you might be wondering how PPCS celebrates it. Our school chooses to celebrate learning and does not take the time out of the day to celebrate holidays. However, teachers may celebrate their CREW through appreciations or other team building activities that day. If you have any questions please contact the office.

No School February 15 - President's Day

Polar Walk February 23 & 25

More information coming soon.

Parent Meet Up - Zoom

Are you interested in joining the Peaceful Parenting Group? We will be meeting on the first Thursday of the month from 6:30-7:30 pm. Email catherine.hogue@gmai.com and/or erinemiko@gmail.com to be added to the group and receive meeting/Zoom information.