COVID-19 UPDATE
January 22, 2021 Update
Dear Parents –
We are constantly monitoring when students are absent and tracking any sickness that we have on campus. Yesterday, our 11th grade class was instructed to flip to remote learning beginning today through the end of next week due to 35% of the 11th grade testing positive for COVID-19. We have been monitoring the rest of our student body and faculty since this decision was made.
We know that our campus is small and we share a lot of the same space. Our Beaches Chapel family is also made up of a lot of lower and upper school siblings. Due to the fact that the cases of COVID spread so quickly in 11th grade and we have 25% of our K-12 grade out of school today for symptoms, exposure, or family members testing positive, we have decided to flip the entire school to remote learning January 25-29. This will give our students and teachers nine days to stay home and monitor symptoms.
All students will be coming home with their books today. The upper school students need to log in to their canvas account next week for assignments from their teachers. They will correspond with them through their school outlook email. If they need assistance with either of those, please have them contact Ms. Dikter at audreydikter@beacheshchapel.com. Lower school students will be sent home with assignments and books. Lower school parents will correspond with your child’s teacher by email. If your child is not at school today and needs to pick up textbooks from Beaches Chapel, please email gracelambert@beacheschapel.com. If you need to contact someone at school, please email only.
It is very important for you to monitor your child’s health over the next week. In order for them to return to school on Monday, February 1, they need to be symptom free. We appreciate you partnering with us to keep our faculty and students healthy. We are also aware that this may be difficult for some of you, but please continue to pray for good health and protection for all of our Beaches Chapel families.
BCS Administration
​
2020-2021 BCS Back to School Guide
July 29 Update
​
Parents,
It is hard to believe that we are getting ready to start a new school year! We know this summer has been a time of anxiety for many of you as you consider what to do for your children for the coming school year. We appreciate that you took the time to complete the recent survey regarding instructional options. Administration has worked tirelessly to hear all your thoughts and concerns and address the needs of our families. Out of 133 responses, 39.85% expressed interest in a remote learning option for the first quarter. 49.62% were not interested in a remote option, and 9.02% were unsure.
Most of you have expressed interest in having your child return to in-person schooling with direct instruction from teachers in an academic setting. We will be providing your children with that direct instruction in our standard setting while taking extra precautions for the safety of all.
At the bottom of this email, you will find our Back-to-School COVID 19 Plan. Please make sure you take time to read the plan in its entirety. Below you will find reminders about our policy on mask usage:
-
We will be requiring all students to bring a mask to school each day as part of their school supplies. The mask must be either solid black, white, gray, or navy or be a disposable mask.
-
We will not be requiring that all students and staff wear masks on a daily basis. Instead, at this time, we will be leaving this decision up to individual families. If you feel strongly that your child should wear a mask to protect himself/herself from exposure to COVID 19, please discuss this with your child and make your desires for your family known to your child. We completely understand that some of our families have members at higher risk than others and fully support you in your decision if you feel your child should be wearing a mask while at school.
-
We are asking that all children have a mask ready to use in case there are instances we feel children will not be able to adequately social distance. For instance, if a teacher would like to utilize group work, lab work, etc. then a child should have a mask ready for use.
As stated before, we will begin our ‘normal’ school year with orientation on Monday, August 10th.
We are ALSO offering the option of remote instruction for the first quarter (August 10th to October 6th) of the 2020-2021 school year to those who feel that is the best option for their family at this time.
Please understand that we completely support you in your decision if you choose the remote instruction option for your children for the first quarter of school. BCS will continue to provide your children with a rigorous curriculum/instruction and access to phenomenal instructors. These difficult times not only mean adjustments for you, but for your teachers as well. Teachers will be asked to teach on site as well as facilitate your child’s learning at home. Remote learning is simply not the same as in-person direct instruction. Our teachers cannot be with your child at home, and therefore instruction will certainly be different. Should you choose this option, you will need to partner with us in helping your child complete assignments and learn new concepts.
There is no online platform that is the same as being in the classroom. We will be providing your children with the curriculum and ask teachers to be in communication (via phone calls, zoom meetings, video lessons, etc.) with your children weekly. Teachers will be providing you with the plans they are using in the classroom so your children can pace themselves with their in-class peers. Teachers will be available to answer questions, explain concepts when necessary, and provide guidance, but we will not be providing a virtual classroom from 8am - 3pm daily.
Your child will still be required to complete all assignments and turn them in when they are due. Unlike the spring remote instruction, this may mean dropping off all completed work and picking up new assignments at the school office each week. Your children’s teachers will provide further details at Orientation.
At this time, we are planning to only offer remote instruction for the first quarter. We will reevaluate this option towards the end of the first quarter based on CDC guidelines and the FL Health Department recommendations.
We will be staggering our start time and beginning remote instruction the week of August 17th. We ask that you still attend orientation on August 10th from 10:30 - 11:00 am. This will allow you to meet your childrens’ teachers, pick up the curriculum, and get set up for the coming school year. We ask that you are patient as we figure out this second form of instruction. We planned to be back, fully, on campus for the start of the school year and are trying to continuously adapt to the ever changing demands of this COVID 19 pandemic.
We have also attached an updated school calendar and want to bring your attention to four dates that have changed. August 21st, September 18th, October 9th, and October 23rd are now ‘Noon Release Days’ so that our staff may have the afternoon to train on our new learning management system, Canvas, and work on the demands of teaching both in the classroom and remotely.
Below, you will find a link to a form for you to fill out completely by 11:59 a.m. Tuesday, August 4th. if you are choosing the remote option.
For now, the dates you need to place on your calendar are:
*Monday, August 10th (10:30 - 11:00 am): Orientation for Remote Learners
*Week of August 17th: You will be notified of MAP Testing to occur ON SITE at BCS for your child. We are asking that you make it a priority to have your child attend this testing so that we may get a baseline of your child’s academic needs in order to plan the most appropriate instruction.
*Also Week of August 17th: Your child’s remote instruction will begin.
Click this link to view our BCS Back-to-School COVID 19 Plan:
In order to CHOOSE remote schooling for your children, you will need to fill out the following form. Please fill out one form PER CHILD. If this form is not filled out for your child, we will assume he/she is returning to campus for the first quarter. https://form.jotform.com/202105909809153
BCS Administration
​
​
​
​
July 13 Update
​
We wanted to update all families on new developments in our plan to reopen school for the 2020-2021 school year.
We have full plans to follow our school calendar and hold orientation on August 10th, followed by the first day of school on August 11th.
Just as every other school is saying, our plans are 'fluid'. We are moving towards creating the most 'normal' school environment for your children. We are working around the clock to consult experts, assess risk, and adjust things at BCS so that your children will be receiving the highest quality direct instruction and stay safe and healthy at the same time. We are sure that you have seen recent reports that MANY entities strongly support children being in school 5 days a week...not only for the strongest educational purposes but for the well being and health of the ENTIRE child. The American Academy of Pediatrics "strongly advocates that all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school. The importance of in-person learning is well-documented, and there is already evidence of the negative impacts on children because of school closures in the spring of 2020."
Recent meetings, constant research, and consultation with both the Florida League of Christian Schools and our legal partners have led us to adapt the following plan for use of masks at this time.
-
We will be requiring all students to bring a mask to school each day as part of their school supplies. The mask must be either solid black, white, gray, or navy or be a disposable mask.
-
We will not be requiring that all students and staff wear masks on a daily basis. Instead, at this time, we will be leaving this decision up to individual families. If you feel strongly that your child should wear a mask to protect himself/herself from exposure to COVID 19, please discuss this with your child and make your desires for your family known to your child. We completely understand that some of our families have members at higher risk than others and fully support you in your decision if you feel your child should be wearing a mask while at school.
-
We are asking that all children have a mask ready to use in case there are instances we feel children will not be able to adequately social distance. For instance, if a teacher would like to utilize group work, lab work, etc. then a child should have a mask ready for use.
The use of masks will NOT be our only measure in mitigating the risk of COVID 19 exposure. Once complete, we will share with you our plans for minimizing the spread of the virus during the school year. We appreciate your patience as we work on making changes to our procedures in order to keep our staff and students safe and actively learning in the best possible environment.
We would also like to thank those who have reached out to communicate with us and truly appreciate those who have offered to pray for our administrative team and teachers as we work to address all needs. This is a challenge we never anticipated facing but are confident that God is working and will use all things to His purposes!
We are so excited to share the great plans we have for BCS. We will be releasing information this week on our new staff members. God has truly brought some AMAZING people to Beaches Chapel School as you will soon see!
During this time of anxiety and frustration, please know that we are praying for each and every one of you and humbly ask that you do the same for us.
John 16:33 “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
BCS Administration
​
​
July 7 Update
We are sure many of you have heard of the various district and private schools’ announcements regarding their plans for the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year. We would like to let you know that we are actively planning for the return to school in August and will do our very best to keep open lines of communication with all of you.
Please know that we are planning for a full return to campus, beginning with student orientation on Monday, August 10th. The first day of school, as noted on our school calendar, will be on Tuesday, August 11th. At this time, due to our smaller class size, we are planning on operating as normal with several guidelines in place regarding how we will handle any cases of Covid 19 on campus. Once we have completed the protocol, we will include it in our Parent Student Handbook and go over all guidelines with you.
Despite the uncertainty that dealing with Covid 19 brings, we are very excited about plans for our future. We have purchased Canvas for K-12, a learning management software, that will allow us to provide information to our parents and students while also working towards streamlining remote learning when necessary. We have several new staff members that we will be ‘introducing’ you to in the very near future. We feel very blessed that God has led such great new additions to Beaches Chapel, in both new faculty and new students!
Although the future is uncertain, we feel like Beaches Chapel School is stronger than ever.
BCS Administration
​
​