JUNE 2020 VOL. 1
COVENANT TOGETHER A GUIDE FOR THE 2020-21 SCHOOL YEAR AT COVENANT CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL
RE-OPENING COVENANT WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOU? HOW WILL WE MEET REQUIREMENTS?
03 Message from the Principal & CEO 04 School Calendar 05 Prior to Coming to School 06 In-School Medical Safety Protocols 08 Procedure for Symptomatic.... 10 Daily Rhythm 12 Academic Programming 13 Extracurricular Activities 14 Other Programming
MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL & CEO DR. ANDY GOODWIN, PRINCIPAL & CEO
Dear Covenant Family, Thank you for your kind patience and fervent prayer as we finalized our plans for reopening. Our much anticipated reopening is just around the corner. We are so looking forward to both welcoming back our students and celebrating our recent graduates at the end of July. Our primary focus is to reopen and remain fully open for the fall semester. We intend to follow our previously published calendar and deliver on our full academic programming. We are also pursuing our regularly scheduled Athletics and Fine Arts programming. In order to achieve and maintain these goals, we are taking care to follow certain necessary adjustments. As you know, Covenant’s reopening plan is the result
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of nearly three months of research, planning, and consultation with local and national experts in medicine, academics, facilities management, spiritual formation, and mental healthcare. We have gathered and processed many of the data about our own facility relative to the current situation. Those data are fairly static. We are also constantly digesting data regarding COVID-19 itself, which are not as static and are developing as health officials continue to publish new research. Please remember that our goal is to achieve and maintain a full return to our presential programming. Within this document, you will find the steps Covenant is taking according to the areaexpert advice mentioned above.
Thank you for taking the time to read through each section. Regardless of any adjustments we may need to make, temporary as they may be, you can count on our commitment to providing an excellent, Christ-centered education, equipping your students for a life of scholarship, leadership, and service. For the Kingdom, Andy Goodwin, Ed.D. Principal and CEO
WE ARE SO LOOKING FORWARD TO BOTH WELCOMING BACK OUR STUDENTS AND CELEBRATING OUR RECENT GRADUATES AT THE END OF JULY.
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SCHOOL CALENDAR 2020-2021
REGULAR CALENDAR
DAILY START & END TIMES
THE SCHOOL DAY
As you will see in the schedule section, the main change to our daily routine is a later start time. This school year classes will begin at 8:30 a.m. Most days our end time will be 3:30 with an early dismissal still taking place on Wednesdays at 3:00. Research continues to point to a later start time as much better for student performance and brain activity. We also believe this time adjustment will help many of our families with younger siblings, and allow more time for the travel of students from the 7+ different counties in which they live.
We will be following our previously published calendar for the 2020-2021 school year. It is likely that some events will be modified, while others may be cancelled should appropriate modifications be unfeasible. SEE BELOW.
JULY 30
SEPTEMBER 11-12 OCTOBER 1
OCTOBER 2
GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS
FALL CONCERT
VIRTUAL GRANDPARENTS DAY
NOVEMBER 5
DECEMBER 11
JANUARY 4-15
FEBRUARY 18-20
COVENANT CELEBRATES
CHRISTMAS CONCERT
J-TERM
THE SECRET GARDEN MUSICAL
MARCH 12
APRIL 30
MAY 14
MAY 29
CHAMBER & TREBLE SENIOR SHOWCASE
GONE SERVIN'
FINE ARTS FESTIVAL
COMMENCEMENT
WARRIOR FALL SPORTS BEGIN IN AUGUST
WARRIOR WINTER SPORTS BEGIN IN NOVEMBER
WARRIOR SPRING SPORTS BEGIN IN MARCH
2020-2021
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PRIOR COMING TO SCHOOL WHAT IS MY RESPONSBILITY?
DAILY AT-HOME HEALTH ASSESSMENT School personnel will not be checking students’ temperatures as they enter the building each morning. However, we are asking both parents and students to take a daily assessment of the students’ state of health prior to leaving for school. Please follow the CDC guidelines to know whether your student(s) should come to school based on particular symptoms.
PERSONAL BELONGINGS Faculty and staff will not be sharing personal or classroom materials throughout the day. We will monitor and encourage students to do the same.
ORIENTATION Each student/family will receive training on our new protocols. Materials will be sent home the week before school begins to review as a family. This will be reinforced with student-specific training materials and content at our New Student Orientation and on the first day of school.
Our faculty, staff, and support personnel, such as coaches, will follow the same daily protocols as described above prior to entering our building and grounds.
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IN-SCHOOL MEDICAL SAFETY PROTOCOLS MASKS Until the recommendation is lifted, all staff, faculty, and students will be required to wear masks in any situation in which physical distancing cannot be achieved. Covenant will provide one mask to each student, faculty, and staff. Those masks are washable and reusable. Students, faculty, and staff may use other types of masks, as long as they appropriately cover the mouth and nose. Our classrooms and lunchroom (Commons) will be set up for physical distancing while students are seated. In most cases, that will allow for masks to be down or removed during those times. However, our teachers are very interactive with their students and often have activities that require movement around the classroom. In those cases, it may be necessary for students and teachers to wear their masks during class. Please keep in mind that both of these measures are to help Covenant operate with the most effective, relational teaching and normal movement during the school day.
MASKS UP Entering and exiting building Passing periods Interaction in classrooms Any time physical distancing cannot be achieved
MASKS DOWN Seated in classrooms Seated at lunch Physical exertion Any time physical distancing can be achieved
HANDWASHING Greatly encouraged for students and faculty; we will disinfect hands throughout the day. Teachers will be supplied with individual bottles of disinfectant for students to spray hands upon entering the classroom. The disinfectant we use schoolwide is safer and more effective than over-the-counter, alcoholbased sanitizer.
VISITORS No visitors will be permitted into our building during the school day. We will make arrangements to meet vendors (i.e., Schoolhouse Fare, facilities maintenance) outside our building. In the case of essential services needed for our building, programs, and product, we will require a screening to get into the building that includes taking temperatures and wearing masks prior to entry, as well as visiting a handwashing station upon entry. Essential services include a few selected college representatives who would be allowed to visit with our students with additional restrictions and procedures applied.
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IN-SCHOOL MEDICAL SAFETY PROTOCOLS (CONTINUED)
CLASSROOM LAYOUTS
ASSIGNED SEATING
SANITATION OF SURFACES
We have measured our classrooms’ square footage and capacity and have determined that our classrooms can accommodate our student body and still keep physical distancing principles throughout. Our already small class sizes made this an area that we did not have to modify significantly.
We will have seating charts in all classrooms and in any allschool gatherings. This allows for more accurate tracing in the case of a positive test.
The disinfection of surfaces will be performed daily in classrooms over all touchpoints, as well as largescale cleaning over the longer breaks of our calendar, when the school is completely empty using safe products that kill and protect against any virus, especially COVID-19.
DRINKING FOUNTAINS
RESTROOMS
LOCKER ROOMS
These will be disabled; however, water bottle filling stations will be operational. We are planning to add another water bottle station in our hallways. We expect each student to bring his/her own water bottle to drink from throughout the day.
Restrooms will have signage that shows how many occupants should be in the restroom. Masks and physical distancing rules will apply.
Lockers will only be used for inseason athletes. Gym and PE classes will be expected to use their personal lockers for their gym clothes. For changing purposes, PE classes will change in a way consistent with our protective protocols either using masks while changing or distancing themselves in waves of students.
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PROCEDURE FOR SYMPTOMATIC OF COVID-19 & OTHER ILLNESSES QUARANTINE WAITING AREA We will have a dedicated room (not the clinic) for those students who fall ill during the school day in order to mitigate contagion. Symptomatic students will remain in that dedicated room until picked up by a parent or guardian.
TESTING OF ASYMPTOMATIC PERSON(S) WITHIN TRACEABLE AREA(S) Students who do not demonstrate symptoms related to COVID-19 but have been traceably in the vicinity of a symptomatic student for longer than 15 minutes without a mask while in school will be recommended to get tested for COVID19. Students who test positive for the virus but are asymptomatic will need to remain home until they have been symptom-free for at least 72 hours and at least 10 days after positive results.Â
TESTING OF SYMPTOMATIC PERSON(S) Students who demonstrate symptoms related to COVID-19 either at home or in school will be required to get tested for COVID-19 immediately following the appearance of those symptoms. Students who test positive for the virus will need to remain home until they have been symptomfree for at least 72 hours and at least 10 days after positive results.
ONLINE LEARNING The school will provide distance learning options during this time for students who become sick and need to stay home until no longer exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms for 72 hours and at least 10 days after positive results.
SEE CDC GRAPHIC ON NEXT PAGE.
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PROCEDURE FOR SYMPTOMATIC OF COVID-19 & OTHER ILLNESSES
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DAILY RHYTHM PART 1
PICKUP & DROPOFF The school building will now open up at 6:30 a.m. Your student may be dropped off beginning at that time. The school building will remain open until 5:00 p.m. unless there is an event happening at the school. No PM supervision is provided for your student. All classrooms are locked after 4:00 unless being used by a teacher. All students will be brought to the Commons until they are picked up. All rules of masks and physical distancing will continue to apply until students leave our campus.
ENTERING THE BUILDING See rules on masks or physical distancing. Use of masks will be the primary focus. No screening or temperature taking will occur.
SCHEDULE
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DAILY RHYTHM PART 2
HOMEROOM
SRT
The new schedule will require students to remain in their classrooms during an extended break on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. These will be referred to as Homerooms where either SRT or Assembly will be conducted in small groups.
On Tuesday and Thursday of each week, students will receive an SRT within their Homeroom. During this time, various activities may take place, but the time is meant to be used for studying. This time could be used cooperatively with friends or spending some time with their teacher asking questions. Masks and physical distancing rules will still apply.
PASSING PERIODS Masks will be worn at all times during passing periods to ensure safety of our entire community. Our teachers will monitor the hallways from the entrances to their rooms.
LUNCHES
ASSEMBLIES
Our lunchtime has been divided into 2 different sessions. This was a change we planned on implementing before COVID-19 to reduce headcount and create space for a growing school. With fewer students to accommodate during the lunch period, there will be only two locations where students can eat lunch: in the Commons or outside. The new outside eating area will be located out the doors of the gym/choir hallway. This is for added safety and tracking methods. Two teachers will be assigned to this location at all times. Our Commons area is laid out in a way that will distance students and limit the number of students sitting at one table. This will allow for physical distancing as well as better cleanliness in our Commons area.
To begin the year, we will stream our assemblies into the homeroom classes each Friday. Occasionally, we may have an all-school assembly in the gymnasium. Masks will be worn as we travel to the gym, and assigned seating and physical distancing rules will be applied.
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ACADEMIC PROGRAMMING FULL ACADEMIC OFFERINGS
NUMBER OF STUDENTS PER CLASS
VIEW THE COURSE CATALOG
PHYSICAL DISTANCING
We are offering a full slate of courses for the upcoming academic year. In fact, we are expanding our offerings by adding Dual Credit English W131 and L202 through Indiana University’s Advance College Project for seniors as well as Computer Science Essentials, which is open to all grades. See the course catalog for details.
As mentioned previously, we will maintain physical distancing standards in classrooms so that students may unmask during their learning time. The newly designed library space will be utilized for larger classes throughout the day.
PLANS FOR STUDENTS WHO BECOME ILL
J-TERM
All classrooms will be outfitted for streaming in order to accommodate at-risk or ill students. Please contact donniefishburn@covenantchristian.org or bethherr@covenantchristian.org if you feel your student should be considered at-risk.
We are planning to offer a full array of specialized JTerm classes and internship opportunities. Trips will be canceled for JTerm 2021 only. Trips for JTerm 2022 will be announced in March of 2021.
SPECIALIZED CLASSES & INTERNSHIPS
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EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES Any extracurricular program will be evaluated based upon its specific needs. Directors of each program will provide informative materials as to their specific accommodations and expectations for all their participants.
ATHLETICS Our protocols for athletic participation and competitions are dictated primarily by the IHSAA guidelines listed in the link provided. Specifically, we will be following their guidance regarding the progression of full contact sports and spectator capacity. IHSAA LINK IHSAA Reopening Guidance (same as IN-CLASS)
→
FINE ARTS Physical distancing and careful selection of the pieces being practiced will be the primary focus for our Fine Arts programs. More specifics provided to those directly involved.
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OTHER PROGRAMMING VOLUNTEER WORK STUDY PROGRAM
VWS FOR 2020-21 Due to not being able to have visitors in the building, our VWS program is suspended for the 2020-2021 school year. In anticipation of this decision, all of our award letters already sent home represent your full aid offer with no expectation of volunteer hours added on. To those that have banked hours from previous years, we will continue to honor and maintain the records of the hours you have accumulated for whenever the program resumes.
JULY 30 GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES
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OPENING DATES FALL 2020
JULY 29
JULY 30
JULY 30
NEW STUDENT DAY
FIRST STUDENT DAY
GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES (ALUMNI)
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