From the NBS Board of Trustees:
The North Branch School Board is very pleased to announce that school will open on Monday October 5 with our in-person hybrid plan. The Board’s decision to open was informed by the dedicated work of our advisory committee on campus reopening, which studied in detail the metrics from Thomas Jefferson Health District, thoughtfully evaluating both the data and the wider circumstances surrounding it. The Board is immensely grateful to our advisory committee: Smith, teachers Karen and Katrien, parent Molly McElwee-Malloy, and Board member Becky Lindsay.
The Board would also like to thank the staff and teachers for their careful planning and organizing of school classrooms/grounds, and for the hours of time they have spent developing creative teaching plans to provide your children with an NBS education both in person and virtually.
Tomorrow parents will receive letters from teachers with detailed scheduling information, and a social agreement.
Looking forward, the Board’s advisory committee will evaluate the metrics again after our first four weeks, and in late October the Board will announce plans for November. Metrics permitting, we expect at that time to offer three options: a regular schedule with full groups coming for their full days, a hybrid schedule similar to the plan we will be using in October, or virtual only. If metrics permit us to do that, families may move between the options based on their individual circumstances. For any in-person schooling, we expect to remain outdoors for much of the day.
We have all been waiting eagerly for this moment, and we are excited about moving forward in our ongoing effort to create some sense of normality for our children in these strange and difficult times.