Good Morning HVCS Families,
First of all, thank you for your continued support during the process of reopening the school for our students this fall. We are continuing to work hard to make it a priority to have students in the classrooms at HVCS. Our teachers have been thinking about ways to adjust their previous classroom procedures to appropriately meet the expectations and protocols for keeping students safe. While keeping students safe, we also want them to enjoy as much normalcy as possible, including socializing, cooperating, and working together as a class.
During this time of preparation, we have been building with anticipation to welcome students back one week from today – Tuesday, September 1st. The building and grounds maintenance team continues to make the final touches and have been doing a wonderful job working tirelessly to provide a safe and comfortable building for teachers and students to arrive and thrive.
We are all keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus and the great plan that He has for this school. We strive to follow Him more closely each day, and walk the path that He has so graciously laid out for our lives. Our teachers are ready to encourage students in mind, body, and spirit.
There will be many new day-to-day procedures in the classroom, all of which will be implemented with patience, grace, and faith.
Below, there are a number of items that we would like to address as we continue to quickly approach the school year.
Student Screening at Home
For the foreseeable future, we are asking that all families take the time to fill out a Daily Medical Screening – Web Form under the FACTS family portal. This form will require families to check all four boxes for each student every day that they are attending school at HVCS.
If you were not able to check any of the boxes, please keep your child home from school. Call the school as soon as possible to let us know the reason your child won’t be attending. Call your healthcare provider right away. If you don’t have one or cannot be seen, go to www.mi.gov/coronavirustest or call 2-1-1 to find a location to have your child tested for Covid-19.
FACTS Login
Your FACTS login will allow you to have access to our Learning Management System (LMS), which will be used in case we return to Phase 3 of the Michigan Safe Start Plan. The Learning Management System is a means that allows teachers to communicate with families regarding discussions, assignments, quizzes/tests, and other educational materials. Teachers will begin working with students during the first weeks of school to become familiar with the FACTS LMS system. You can use your same FACTS Student Information System (SIS) password, previously known as Renweb.
To login to FACTS Student Information System, go to www.factsmgt.com.
To login to FACTS Learning Management System, go to lms.renweb.com.
If you need a password or a password reset, please email msmith@hvcatholicschool.org or btepen@hvcatholicschool.org.
The school code is: hvcs
Drop Off Procedure
Drop off procedure will be similar to the past. There will be 6 cars allowed to drop off at one time in the drive up lane. Once you pull up to one of the 6 orange cones, please have your students exit out of the passenger side of the vehicle (toward the sidewalk). Once all students exit their vehicles, those first 6 cars may exit the parking lot, and the next 6 will pull forward. This will continue until all students have been dropped off. Our hope is to start drop-off right at 7:50 AM, with students directly entering the building once dropped off.
Students will enter through three different entrances this year. See attached diagram.
K-2 – Enter through MAIN office doors.
3-5 – Enter through Pre-K playground doors (south entrance)
6-8 – Enter through 6-8 hallway entrance (west entrance).
At each entrance, there will be a staff member to take student temperatures as they enter the building.
If you choose to park in the parking lot rather than use the drop off lane, you must walk your students to the cross walk, where a staff member will escort students across the crosswalk and students will then enter through their appropriate entrances.
Kindergarten Drop Off – First Week Only
Please park and walk your Kindergarten student across the crosswalk to the main entrance of the building. Mrs. Fenton will meet you and your Kindergarten student out under the front entrance overhang.
Pre-K Drop Off – Daily Until Further Notice
Please park and walk your Pre-K student across the crosswalk to the main entrance of the building. Miss Taylor will meet you and your Pre-K student out under the front entrance overhang.
Pick-Up Procedure
Your family will be provided a name placard on the first day of school at pickup time. Please use this to put on the dashboard of your vehicle during pickup.
The pick-up loading zone will work in a similar fashion as the drop off. The first 6 cars that enter the parking lot and are first in line at each of the cones will have their family’s name called to the school office, which will then be announced to the entire building. Students will exit out their grade level doors and head directly to their family vehicle. We will then have the next 6 cars in the lane called in to the school office to have students “on deck” for the loading zone as they prepare to load into their vehicles.
If you choose to park when picking up your children, you may walk to the crosswalk area to pick up your child. When you arrive, a staff member will call your name to the office for a building wide announcement. Your child will be crossed by the staff member.
First Day Procedure
We ask that you please take “First Day of School” pictures at home this year before heading to the school. Although we love the tradition of having everyone taking pictures at the school and dropping students off directly to their classrooms, at this time, we must stay within the guidelines and follow our plan to limit the amount of external entrance into the building, other than staff and students.
Sanitation Supplies
We have ordered and received a product called BIOESUE, which is a product that was recommended by the Diocese of Lansing. This is a botanical disinfectant solution, which is a safe disinfectant product for both hard and soft surfaces that allows for ease of killing viruses, bacteria, mold, and fungi. We will still take any and all donations of Clorox disinfectant wipes if you are able to find them as you do your school shopping.
Uniform Orders
If you are in need of ordering uniforms, please visit our school’s supplier website at flynnohara.com. In the meantime, we will be flexible with our uniform policy to include any plain light blue or white polo shirt with the appropriate bottoms.
Masks & Lanyards
A reminder that it is a good idea for students to have several masks to be used on a rotational basis, as masks are required to be washed after each daily use. Please have your child practice wearing a mask several times throughout the day if you have not already done so.
We have ordered and received over 2,000 single use adult/child face masks for days that your child forgets their mask. These will also be backup for use at the teacher’s discretion for those students who may feel that their mask has become unusable throughout the day.
All students will be provided with a lanyard to hold their mask when they are not required to wear it. This will help with students keeping track of their mask throughout the day. Lanyards will be kept at the student’s individual desk at the end of each school day.
School Shopping
As you continue to shop for school supplies leading up to the first day, please just do the best you can to purchase the required materials for each grade level. We understand that there may be a shortage in some areas, and we just ask that you do what you can to help with supplying these materials.
After Care
After care will be available by contract only this year. Daily drop in service will not be available. Please let us know immediately if you are interested in regular usage.