All students will have their own desk or table, rug and supplies. Students will be separated by a physical distance of at least 6 feet.  Each class will be its own small cohort that will not have contact with other cohorts while at school.  Masks will be required for all staff and students while in the building and outdoors at all times. 

All classrooms have windows or skylights that open for outside air ventilation.  All windows/skylights have been fitted with screens.  New Merv 13 filters  have been installed throughout the building’s HVAC system and Reme Halo units have been added in the  classrooms.   Austin air purification units are also available for use as needed.

We will be using our outdoor spaces as much as possible.  All classes will be going outside for recess daily by cohort.  We have some tents that we will be using for some classes to be held outdoors. Climbers, balls, jump ropes and all other play equipment will not be able to be used.  All students will be required to wear masks and physical distance while outside.  Teachers will make every effort to offer students mask breaks when possible outdoors.

Not necessarily.  The Village School looks at the whole child.  We make every effort to place each student in a class and with a teacher that we feel will be the best fit and will offer the most successful experience for your child.

Yes, every effort has been made to put siblings in the same class if they are in the same program level. (Primary/Kindergarten, LE, UE,MS) This will help ensure fewer points of contact for each Village School family.

This year, ALL levels will be phasing in to get students acclimated to our new environment and protocols.  Primary classes will begin the year September 14th, with youngest students and shorter days, adding new students each day until classes are complete on September 16th.  UE and MS classes will begin Wednesday, Sept 9th with half days through the 11th and begin full days on September 14th.  LE will begin on Thursday, September 10 with half days through the 11th and begin full days on September 14th.

Arrival and dismissal will be staggered.  In the morning, we will begin with our oldest students and end with our youngest. Middle school students will begin arriving at 8:10.  Each family will receive a specific drop off window (siblings may be dropped off together).  In the afternoon, full day primary and kindergarten students will be dismissed at 2:20.  All other classes will dismiss at 2:30.  Students will remain in their classrooms until they are called down to be dismissed.  When picking up primary and kindergarten students, please park your call and walk to the assigned door.  Please remember to wear your mask and keep proper physical distance.  Parents picking up older students should remain in their cars in the pick up lane.  If you have a primary/kindergarten child as well as an older sibling, please follow the pick up instructions for your younger child first and then pull your car around to enter the pick up lane for your older child. Please keep your mask and your child’s mask on until you are in the car.

Virtual learning will look different on each level. We will be providing all of our students (Primary - MS ) with tablets or chromebooks. All programs will include both synchronous and asynchronous programming, individual and small group lessons and scheduled 1-1 meeting times. This year all of our special subject areas will be virtual in Phase 2. Teachers have also created “at home kits” for our remote students.

The Village School will make every effort to accommodate families that would like to switch to all virtual learning during the school year.  The sooner you are able to let us know, the smoother the transition will be.  Due to space and staffing restrictions, at this time, any student that has chosen all-virtual learning will not be able to opt into in-person learning until we are able to open in stage 3 of our re-entry plan.

While we have made every effort to make our school as safe as possible, we should all be prepared for the eventuality of all virtual instruction at some point during this school year.   If there is a confirmed or suspected Covid case in our school or if the state directs schools to close in person learning because of local infection rates or executive order, The Village School will be prepared to shift to all virtual learning as seamlessly as possible. Please prepare contingency plans for childcare and in home learning spaces in case of this scenario. 

If other area schools close, we will look at the reasons why.  Some schools will close if they cannot get proper safety equipment or cannot maintain proper distancing.  Others may close to readjust teaching plans.  These reasons do not apply to us, as we have ensured that we are able to meet the safety requirements for re-opening. 

All students and staff are required to wear masks at all times this year.  Masks should be a minimum of 2 layers and have no valves.  Bandanas, gaiters and face shields are not acceptable. Teachers will model and demonstrate the proper way to wear a mask and will allow for controlled mask breaks each day when it is safe to do so. Please practice mask wearing with your child before school begins. Please make sure your child has an extra mask with them each day. The Village School will have disposable masks available on an as needed basis.

Each program level has been assigned to a specific bathroom.  Primary and Kindergarten classes have bathrooms within their classrooms. Older students will be able to use their designated bathroom one at a time and will be instructed to wash their hands after using the bathroom.

Some program levels will be using lockers in a controlled way, allowing students to visit their lockers one at a time at the teacher’s discretion (lockers will not be allowed to be personalized or decorated this year).  Other program levels have made other arrangements for the storing of students coats, backpacks and other items. Please refer to your Program Level Information for details. Please remember that students should bring only essential items to school this year. 

One of the advantages of a Montessori education, is that the method is based on learning from one every day environment.  Many Montessori lessons can be taught with items you already have in your house.  For more specialized materials, The Village School has made up “to go kits” for students learning virtually to use. These kits vary depending on program level.  Your child’s teacher will let you know if you need to access one of these kits. One of the most important ways you can help your child be successful with their Montessori learning at home is to set up a prepared environment.  

Simply put, indoor dining at restaurants with strangers coming and going does not allow for a controlled environment with limited cross contamination.  At The Village School, all students will eat lunch in the classroom with their own cohort.  Since eating requires masks to be removed, desks are all facing the same direction and 6 feet apart.  Tri-fold partitions are on order as an extra precaution.  These are backordered and are scheduled to arrive by the end of September.  Reusable lunch boxes and water bottles are permitted.  Please remember your child is eating at the same desk they will be working at the rest of the day.  Please pack simple, healthy and easy to manage food appropriate for their age. 

Each program level has put additional safety protocols in place around lunch.  Please refer to your Program Level Information packets for details.

This year, we are starting off in phase 2 of our re-entry plan which means that all specialists will be teaching their classes virtually.  Some of these classes will happen during the time when in-person learning is happening (Monday-Thursday) while other lessons that cannot safely happen in the school building (singing, aerobic P.E. lessons, involved art projects) will happen during Virtual Fridays. These classes will be live as well as recorded.

The Village School does not recommend learning pods at this time. As a community, we are counting on every family to help us control the amount of contacts each person in our community has.  Learning pods that mix different families may introduce new points of contact to the school as a whole.  Before planning a learning pod or other gathering, please consider if your children will be able to maintain proper physical distancing, wear masks, follow hand washing protocols.  Will they remain outdoors?  Remember that the choices you make can affect the entire Village School community.

Our community has always been engaged and generous with their time and talents and we look forward to many community building events each year.  This year events will look much different than in years past.  We will be strictly limiting the amount of  visitors in the school building this year, but we will still need your help in a variety of ways! . We are also planning some fun and informative virtual events to help keep our community strong and connected.  Please feel free to reach out to your room parent or PA board members to see how you can be involved!  Finally, While we will miss seeing you in the building, please do not come to school without a scheduled appointment. We are happy to meet with you virtually or chat with you over the phone.

Yes, whether your child is registered for in-person or virtual learning at The Village School, you still need to fill out all health forms.  The state requires each school to maintain these records for all registered students.  You may find and submit your forms by logging on to your Parent Portal (found in the upper right hand corner of the school website).  If you have problems logging on to your parent portal, please contact Tina Black in our technology department. 

For health related questions or concerns, please contact one of our school nurses in our health office by phone or email.   All general information regarding Covid-related messages will be sent from the school office.

If a child is suspected of Covid symptoms and is sent home, all families of students in that class will be notified by the health office immediately and that class may be sent home to continue their education virtually until further notice.  If there is a Covid-positive case in the school, that entire class will be asked to quarantine for 14 days.  Siblings of the positive student will be asked to quarantine as well, however the sibling’s classes will be allowed to continue in person learning.

If you or another member of your household has traveled and need to quarantine, your child may still attend in-person learning at The Village School provided the child has not traveled themselves and the person who traveled is not experiencing any symptoms of Covid-19.

The Village School is fortunate to have large classrooms allowing us to meet physical distancing requirements.  Our classroom cohorts range from 10 -15 students.

Flu vaccines are required by law for any student up to 59 months old by December 31. We encourage all families to consider getting vaccinated for flu this year.

If your child was out sick due to a non-covid illness, they may return to in-person learning once they have been both fever and symptom free without the use of medications for at least 24 hours.  When in doubt, it is best to stay home until you are sure your child is fully recovered.  Students home sick or recovering are always be able to log into our virtual learning program if they are up to it.

This year it is essential that parents read all communication that goes out from the school.  Please follow all directions and respect all rules which are put in place to ensure the safety of your children and our staff.  Please be patient through changes, glitches, and redesigns as we learn how to best accommodate our students in their learning.