What will the 2020-2021 school year look like for Spanish With Sarah?
We will update this page as more information becomes available. We are also working on a handbook and will email and post that to all families the first week of August.
We will need to follow health and safety guidelines set forth by the state of WA for all public and private schools.
We are working on a plan for staggered arrival and dismissal times to help with the flow of traffic. The current plan of thought is (subject to change):
Drop Off Times by grade levels:
8:30-8:40 – 2nd-4th Grade Families
8:40-8:50 – Kindergarten – 1st Grade Families
8:45 ( or 12:30) – Preschool families will enter through the back door of the school, maintaining 6’ social distance from other families.
Parents will drive up to the yellow area, cars will be met by either Ms. Marilu or Maestra Sarah, with parents remaining in their cars. We will ask to see your written temperature check from home or we will do a temperature check on your child, help them to exit the car, and escort them inside.
We will be able to help two cars at a time, please be sure to pull into the nearest spot. Children, at this time, are required to wear masks and have it on before the car doors are opened for temperature checks.
Students will wash their hands upon entering the school each day.
Preschool families will escort your children to and from their class via the back entrance, closest to the preschool room. We will ask anyone on school property to wear a mask to properly cover their nose and mouth.
Pick-up Procedures and Times
We will have students lined up, hands washed, and ready to escort them to your car.
Alternating pick-up times:
3:00-3:15 – 2nd-4th Grade families
3:15- Preschool Families will enter the back door of the school for pick up (please maintain 6’ distance from other families)
3:15-3:25 – Kindergarten – 1st Grade Families
The current plan is to have in-person classes (we already have smaller class sizes)! We have also acquired a larger room upstairs for our oldest class (with it’s own bathroom). This will help reduce the number of students in the downstairs hallway and bathrooms.
We are currently planning to:
Have in-person classes.
Ask parents to drop their children off outside so we may escort them to their classes. (This will reduce the number of people in our hallway as well as reduce the points of contact in the school.)
Ask preschool families to enter and exit through the back door (the door closest to the preschool room).
Ask students to stay home when they are sick.
Wear a mask while at school. (Following recommended guidelines.)
Arrange classrooms for maximum student distance of 6′, including alternative seating options.
Conduct classes outside, when possible.
Record and/or broadcast lessons so sick children can join from home.
Take temperatures regularly (following the guidelines that have yet to be sent out).
Have extra and frequent cleaning methods in place.
Have all individual, non-shared, supplies.
Have specialist teachers come to classes so that students will not be moving to different rooms on Wednesdays.
Split the students during lunch and recess so we have half as many kiddos eating or playing at one time.
Have teachers bring their class outside for dismissal.
Have students bring their own snacks so we are not handling their food.
Limit field trips until we have been advised to lift this restriction.
Divide preschool classes in half to separate students during table activities and rug/calendar activities.
State guidelines state that music and some PE activities may not be safe and will need to be offered in a different way. We are awaiting further guidance while making plans to use larger spaces or have these student activities outside.
We will have Google Classroom and other virtual sites set up so that students will be familiar with them in the event students are ill and can join class remotely or watch a recording of lessons when they are feeling better.
Last year we really didn’t miss a beat and our teachers immediately began recording lessons and hosting live lessons every single day for the classes. Like every classroom in the country, we will need to be prepared to move to a short-term distance-learning model should someone in the class test positive. Unlike last year, distance learning should be for limited periods of time only.
We are ready to accept returns of materials to SWS. Marilu orSarah will be at the school all week from 9:00-3:00. Please choose a day and time that works best for you to drop your items off. (If you will be out of town we can make arrangements for another day.)
We do NOT need the following items to be returned:
consumable supplies and supply boxes
workbooks
binders
paper packets
We DO need the following items to be returned:
plastic cubbies
text books
History books
Books – (not little readers)
chromebooks AND chargers (unless you want to continue to borrow them for the summer)
We are excited to celebrate the end of the school year with our students. We know the normal end of the Performance and Field Day can’t occur under the current circumstances. In light of that, we would like to share how we will celebrate our students’ accomplishments from this year and wish them a wonderful, safe summer.
On June 17, we are inviting all students and parents to a drive-thru celebration at Spanish With Sarah where students will be cheered and celebrated by staff. All preschool-5th grade students and parents are invited from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM. In order for us to facilitate this, we need to follow specific guidelines and expectations laid out by the State of Washington:
Parents are encouraged to decorate their cars to celebrate their students!
Students and family members will NOT be able to get out of their vehicles.
Vehicles with students and immediate family members will enter the parking lot from 23rd street (closest to the big trees) and follow the loop, pause to greet teachers, and exit out 23rd street (closest to the house).
Staff will be stationed in front of the playground fence to wave and celebrate students.
Staff will have signs acknowledging students and will decorate the fence and their cars.
Each vehicle will stop at the designated TEACHER area: award appropriate certificates, give end-of-the year items, and take an optional photograph. Students will NOT be able to get out of their cars.
Please do not pull ahead of the vehicle in front of you but rather follow through the procession.
Anyone who did not have their yearbook mailed to their home will be able to pick this up during the parade.
We know this is not the way we had all planned to celebrate the successful completion of the school year, and we appreciate your understanding as we do our best to celebrate.
PLEASE take a look at the MAP to help make things run smoothly!
If you are a parent or guardian of minor children also struggling with child rearing, I want to personally invite you to our virtual town hall, featuring notable child psychologist Dr. Allison Briscoe-Smith of the Wright Institute. The lively town hall discussion will be moderated by Sara Ellis Conant, co-founder and CEO of A-Plan Coaching. Dr. Briscoe-Smith will address your tough parenting questions and provide you with practical coping strategies to help you and your family promote resiliency during these uncertain times.
This was recommended as a resource with tips on how parents should talk to their kids about COVID-19, and gives some good advice like the importance of creating and maintaining routines.
(Tip: the intro is a big long. You can skip ahead to get to the good stuff!)
