Dear CSA Community,
Soon we will be celebrating the 4th of July with our families, and before we know it, it will be time to be back in school. To keep you informed as that day approaches, the Monday Message will have a lot of information about the safe opening of school at CSA. Please be sure to read the Monday Message and, if you happen to miss it, there are always archived copies on the website.
Colorado SKIES is working closely with Tender Care, LLC, our nurse consultant, with Tri-County Health, with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Education (CDPHE), with the Colorado Department of Education, and with the Colorado League of Charter Schools (of which CSA is a member). All of these entities/agencies provide us with updated information as we continue to formulate and revise our plans for our school start on August 17. In addition, we receive guidance from the Cherry Creek School District about their plans, allowing us to understand how we can provide for our families who have students in other schools.
CSA is putting safety protocols in place that meet the current requirements of CDE, CDPHE, and Tri-County Health. As the requirements change, so will our protocols.
Pick-Up and Drop-Off
CSA will have specific times for pick-up and drop-off according to cohort groups as required. This allows for proper social distancing and ensures we are providing a safe environment for all learners and staff. As the first day of school approaches, this will be completely outlined and in a Back-to-School packet, and it will reflect our plans based on any recent changes.
Masks/Face Shields
We request that all CSA learners come to school with a clean mask available for use as needed. Face shields will be provided for all staff and learners as well. Project-based learning requires that learners work in teams and, at times, in close proximity. Just as learners wear safety goggles in science class, our learners will wear face shields when doing close team collaboration.
Hand Washing
Once we move into the new building, there will be hand-washing stations set up in each grade-level classroom area for easy access. Time will be built into the day so learners can wash their hands frequently. Hand sanitizer will also be provided throughout the building.
Disinfecting
Each classroom will be equipped with hospital-grade disinfecting machines so any class materials, tables, chairs, manipulatives, etc. can easily be disinfected between learner cohort groups. In addition, a larger, hospital-grade disinfecting machine will be used by the custodial crew to disinfect the entire facility many times a day.
Staggered Lunch/Recess
In preparing for a full building at 375, the schedule for the 2020-21 school year has three lunch periods. The cafeteria/all-purpose room (The Village) can accommodate 125 learners, necessitating three lunch periods. This suits the requirements from the agencies perfectly!
Classroom Space
Only having 225-250 learners in a building made for 375 means that we will have ample space to accommodate all of our learners and ensure their health and safety.
Classroom Supplies/Learning Supplies
Learners will need to have their own learning supplies as there cannot be any shared pencils, pens, etc.
There may be some things that we will have to do differently than we ever have before, but if it keeps all learners and staff healthy, then we can go about the business of learning.
With our new building still on schedule to open sometime during the week of September 7, we will start school online for the first three weeks. Then, we will all transition to school in our new building! School will be five days per week, both during the first three weeks of school and once we move into our new building. We were very successful in making a smooth transition to online learning when COVID-19 put us all at home, and we will do even better as we start the upcoming school year.
Online Learning v. Project-Based Learning
Because of the collaborative nature of project-based learning, which is the foundation of Colorado SKIES Academy, if a family wants their child to remain home after we have moved into the new building, the child will not be able to be enrolled at CSA. If you want your child to have online learning, you will have to unenroll from CSA and enroll in the online school offered by CCSD (Cherry Creek School District). The decision to remain completely online must be made on or before July 13, and families must contact CCSD.
Please mark your calendars for August 17!
We have reserved the hangar at Exploration of Flight and will have a scheduled time by grade level for you to check in for school. Specifically:
- Meet all your facilitators! (Maintaining social distancing, of course.)
- Check out your Chromebook for the year.
- Pick up your class schedule, both online and in-person.
- Support in signing up on PowerSchool as a parent/guardian.
The CSA community is tremendously supportive, and with your help, I know that we can meet learners’ needs and exceed your expectations. I am anxious to be able to be around learners and staff once again, to see their excitement for learning, and to serve them in that quest.
Warm regards,
Suzanne Acheson
School Director
REMINDER: If you want to enroll, please complete the open enrollment here. If you have any questions, please email Bri Jones or call 720-400-7612. Join our Tuesday Virtual Tour to learn more about the school by signing up on the CSA website. CSA may just open the doors to an amazing opportunity for learning perfect for your son or daughter! If you don’t believe me, check out our Facebook page!
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