Welcome Steele families to the 2021-2022 school year!
I know there will be a lot of information coming your way in the next few weeks, I remember when I first enrolled our daughter at Steele, some 13 years ago, wondering what I just signed myself up for. I promise it seems like a lot at first, but once your kids start and we all get back into the joy of preschool it really is not. And it is ALL worth it! I obviously work for Steele now and everyday, every year, it is still always 100% worth it.
I wanted to touch on a few points for next year, mainly in terms of Covid-19. Steele was fortunate to be so safe and healthy last year. It was a testament to our close community. We leaned so much last year, and feel ready for it this year. Many of the pieces we put in place last year will remain the same. We rearranged inside to create opportunities for social distancing when possible in our classes. We will keep this set up again for this school year.
We have always washed hands when starting our school day, coming in from outside play, using the restroom, but we also added another hand washing routine after kids eat snack. This helped when masks were off, and hands near (lets be honest it’s preschool-IN mouths). This will remain for this school year as well.
Last year we asked parents to do a symptom check at the school. This year we will ask that this check be done at home before class starts each day. We will give you this information at our back to school meeting.
Our outdoor pick up and drop off routine will also remain the same. This allows for space between each family. We will discuss these procedures at our meeting next week as well.
We also know more about Covid-19 so we will continue to utilize outside playtime whenever possible. We used the playground as an extension of the classroom last year. We are also thankful that this year we won’t need to require snack to be prepackaged. Of course we continue to be nut free school.
We will require masks for all classes this year, for both adults and children. At this time masks are not mandated while playing outside but parents and students can always make the choice to wear them.
The city of Denver has issued a mandate stating that staff and volunteers in schools will need to show proof of vaccinations. As a preschool in Denver, we are required to follow this mandate. I am including a link to the mandate with this email. We will be reaching out with how we will collect this information for those who will be aiding in the classroom with us this year.
In addition to City of Denver mandates, we follow guidance set by our licensing agency, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), the CDC, as well as look to DPS and Jeffco schools when it comes to setting policy for Steele.
I know this can be a sensitive topic and welcome your thoughts and concerns should you have any. We look forward to seeing you next week.
Kind Regards,
Vanessa Sweeney
vanessagsweeney@gmail.com