Questions and answers regarding In Person Instruction

What happens if there is a suspected case of COVID-19 in a student/staff member? 
Siblings and family members of students or staff members who are dismissed from school with symptoms of COVID 19 must be tested. If receive a positive COVID-19 test, they will be asked to remain at home until a negative COVID-19 test is received and they have a written clearance from their Primary Healthcare Provider (PHP) to return to school.

What happens if there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 in a student/staff member? 
Re-admittance to the school, following a confirmed case of COVID-19 or any required self-quarantine, will be done following the most recent CDC recommendations and guidance and upon physician notification of ability to return.

What happens if there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 in a student/staff’s immediate family?

Siblings and family members of students or staff members who are dismissed with suspected illness and receive a positive COVID-19 test will be asked to remain at home until a negative COVID-19 test is received and they have a written clearance from their Primary Healthcare Provider (PHP) to return to school.

If students are required to quarantine at home, will there be any instruction provided to them?

Continuation of instruction and coursework for any student who must be absent from school due to COVID-19 related illness or quarantine, the student will switch to our distance learning program until they are medically cleared to return to school.

Who else needs to quarantine if there is a suspected and/or confirmed case of COVID-19 in a student/staff member?
St. Ambrose Catholic School contacts the Fairfax County Health Department to report a suspected and/or confirmed case of COVID-19. The local health officials determine who else in the school setting will need to quarantine.

Will the families be notified if there is a suspected and/or confirmed case of COVID-19 at St. Ambrose Catholic School?
Yes, families will be notified if there is a confirmed and/or suspected case of COVID-19 at the school. The grade level will be indicated. Due to HIPPA Laws, we will not be able to identify the student or staff member by name.

Will the school close for a period of time to allow for quarantine of the general school population?
There may be circumstances that arise where the school building will need to close for a period of time to allow for the proper quarantine of contacts within the school and to provide for any extra cleaning needed. If this occurs, all students will go to the distance learning model until it was deemed safe for the in-person students to return to school.

When will students be required to wear masks? 
Students in grades k-8, faculty, and staff will always be required to wear masks during the school day.  They will be allowed to take them off during lunch time.  Please provide a container for your child’s mask to be placed in while eating. All containers must be labeled with your child’s name in permanent maker. Our faculty will be using face shields in addition to the masks.

Will face shields be allowed in place of masks? 
Face shields are allowed in place of masks for those students that not comfortable wearing a mask.

Will there be any special cleaning procedures in place? 

Saint Ambrose Catholic School purchased UVC lighting technology for use in the School.  We intend to use two different UVC methods to protect our students.  (1) Airstream measures are designed to address the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems and treat the air prior to its arrival in the classroom or Library spaces.  (2) To protect the other areas of the School we have purchased a Mobile UVC RIDS system that can be moved from classroom to classroom.   HVAC units are self-contained and can run 24 hours a day in our most vulnerable areas of the Pre-School and Kindergarten.  To our knowledge only 12 public school districts in the country used this technology because of costs. The general process will be as follows:

EPA approved cleaning products, St. Ambrose Catholic School will regularly clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces.

Will students wear their regular uniforms?
Yes, all students whether in person or at home distance learning will be required to wear their school uniform. Parents are encouraged to have a couple sets of uniforms to be able to wash the students’ uniforms each night. We will be holding a used uniform sale before school begins.

Will parents still volunteer for recess duty?
Not at this time. Each homeroom teacher will be taking their students out to recess during the school day.

Will masks be required when students go outside for recess?
No, masks will not be required outside because students will have the ability to maintain their physical distance. Masks, however, may need to be transported to recess with each student for when social distancing cannot be maintained.

Where will students eat their lunch?
Students will eat lunch in their classrooms.

Will school lunch be available for purchase?

No, school lunch will not be available for purchase.  Students are required to bring lunch daily.

Will students still be allowed to bring in snacks?
Students will be expected to bring their own lunch/snacks daily. The students’ classroom teachers will provide more details as to when they will eat snack during the school day.

Will students have access to a drinking fountain?  Drinking fountains will be closed. Students are encouraged to bring water bottles from home.  All water bottles brought from home must be clearly labeled with the student’s first and last name.

What plans are in place for distance e-learning, if it is needed? 
If, at any point during the school year Governor Northam announces a return to Phase I or Phase II, or our school needs to close the school building for a general quarantine, St. Ambrose Catholic School students will return to all remote learning for classes. Students will have required attendance and structured schedule will be provided to parents.  Our school day will continue to be from 8-3.

PHASE I, the school and campus will be closed with only essential personnel working onsite. Teleworking will be required for all other personnel.

PHASE II, the school may be closed for instruction, and the school will be open to personnel with strict social distancing measures in place.

PHASE III, this is the school’s current plan with  5 day in person instruction.

BEYOND PHASE III, St. Ambrose Catholic  School will return to a “new normal” with all students onsite together for instructional and extracurricular operations, in consultation with the state governance, public health officials and the Diocese of Arlington. Some restrictions may still be in place at such a time. The practices and policies of the remainder of this plan are intended to serve as a plan for Phases I, II and III and do not necessarily apply beyond Phase III. Additional guidance will be forthcoming from the Commonwealth of Virginia as the circumstances evolve.

Our school plan will be finalized in the coming weeks.

Online Distance Learning

Will the online distance learning look the same as in the spring?
No, there are many changes to the distance learning plan:

• Students will have a regular schedule from 8:00 am – 3:00 pm
• Teachers will upload their daily lesson plans into Schoology
• They will wear their regular school uniform or PE uniform if it is PE day for their class
• Teachers will use google meets to connect daily with their students for real time

instruction: this will be done through regularly scheduled meetings throughout the school day

• Schoology will be the main portal to receive written work and turn in work to the students’ teachers; teachers will try to answer questions at the google meetings after their instruction of the class during the school day
• Teachers will also be available right after school for further questions from the distance learning students
• Tests will be taken in real time and turned in at the end of the class period to Schoology.
• Parents will be able to conference with teachers on a regular basis via email or phone
• Parents are encouraged to set up a special area for learning that is not in the student’s bedroom
• Each teacher will provide a “social time” via google meets each week for students at school and students at home to interact with one another
• It is encouraged to have your child watch Mass via live stream on the morning their class goes to Mass