For the girls, masks are required when they can't be spaced out, so I'm not entirely sure how much classroom time will be masked vs. not. They're putting shields back up in the lunchrooms and some classes too. Even with some unmasked, distanced classroom time, this policy is 1,000 times better than the "Eh, totally optional, removing all precautions" policy they put out earlier this summer.
Beau's son's school is still completely mask optional, but we all agree that he needs to be wearing his mask. Fingers crossed he doesn't get teased for it, since he hasn't seen these kids in person since March 2020 and I imagine he'll be in the minority. I told beau we should use these masking policies as ammo to try and get his ex to let his son switch to the same school as the girls. No luck.
The girls will bus to the club after school this year, with swim team as part of that time. Beau's son will just come home after school as a car rider. The bus and the club will mean a lot more exposure, but we signed up when I thought things were better so it is what it is at this point.
One thing I'm stressing about is that we put the girls back in separate classes this year and we're adding another elementary school to our mix. Last year I put them in the same class in case we had to go remote, quarantine, etc. At the end of the school year I felt good about separating them again for this year. Now I feel like I might have screwed myself. Remote learning and quarantines feel more and more likely as we head into fall and all these spikes. Beau's son's school also had a ton more quarantine cases last year compared to the girls' school. So I hope we don't get screwed with family quarantine issues if his school is a mess again this year, especially since they have no mask requirements at all.
Post by librarychica on Aug 13, 2021 8:51:37 GMT -5
Started this week, public and in-person.
Masks are required by the district though I am in Florida so there is the option to opt-out with a note. In our county, the largest district in the area and one of the largest in the country, only 4% of the parents opted out. The wealthier county to the north and the rural county to the west have patchier compliance.
Martial arts 3 times a week and they’re picked up by the program. Super easy, masked and small and right by my house. Otherwise H and I pick them up and drop them off. We may return to bussing later in the year.
All lunches and breakfasts are free this year because of some federal money. I am encouraging hot lunch because they’re honestly quite decent and it gives the kids one less thing to carry. DD1 will likely nip over to the cafeteria for breakfast no. 2 on her way to class after morning running club once it starts if past years patterns hold.
They have so many things to carry! My 4th grader has a binder she takes back and forth, a laptop and its accessories, a giant water bottle and sun hat for PE cause Florida in august, whatever library books she’s somehow accumulated in the first few days, and her martial arts clothing. Add in a lunchbox and she looks like a pack mule!
librarychica, OMG the stuff they have to carry is crazy! We've got chromebooks, backpacks, swim team stuff, lunches, violas on lesson days, and if it's a day they change houses, whatever random crap they decide to cart back and forth. It's ridiculous.
In person, hybrid, or e-learning? In person (hooray!)
Masks required or optional? Masks required per the Governor. I'm in Illinois. Yay!
Any other questions that I forgot? ?
Aftercare? After school clubs? I signed up for 2 days aftercare, but the kids don't want to go, so I need to talk to DH about this. He is still working from home and could potentially be aftercare?
Bussing, walking or car riders? Bussed
Hot lunches? It looks like free grab and go lunches again. Last year, they were terrible like mostly snacks (yogurt, carrots, and maybe 1 Turkey sandwich every 2 weeks). I'm hoping there are more meal options, but if not then the kids will pack their own lunches.
We start back on Wednesday. In person, public. Masks are required, including outdoors. No parents allowed on campus, even as volunteers. Our state is doing free breakfasts and lunches. We’ll still pack lunch, but my guess is both kids will do second breakfast since it’s all junk food and juice.
When do you start? 9/1. Kids go for two 1/2 days, then have Friday and Monday off, back full time on 9/7
Public or private? Private - it’s our 4th year there
In person, hybrid, or e-learning? In person - no hybrid option. E-learning only if an entire class gets quarantined.
Masks required or optional? Required for anyone unvaccinated. 7th and 8th grade that have been vaccinated don’t have to wear them.
Any other questions that I forgot?
Aftercare? After school clubs? If I get the job I applied for, they may need to go to aftercare here and there. DD1 has weekly therapy, piano, field hockey, boxing, and tutoring for private school entrance exam. DD2 will have club soccer, rec soccer, therapy, piano. It’s going to be busy…
Bussing, walking or car riders? I drive them. No bus option. It’s about 20-25 mins away
Hot lunches? We have to order lunches monthly, and Friday pizza is ordered for the whole year. So I did DD1’s lunch and pizza. She buys 1-2x a week. DD2 hates all the hot lunches so I pack for her every day. The nut-free aspect of the school makes it challenging for my peanut-butter-loving, wow-and-sun-butter-hating kids, but we figure it out.
We started this week in person public. Masks are mandatory. Her first club meeting was this morning at 7:30. Lunches are free which is weird, but saves me a ton of money. When Ds was in school he was about 8 a day with power break and lunch.
She is already in a funk. She feels like she lost a lot of burgeoning friendships with the pretty much year of virtual and hybrid, and she is right. She is a bit shy, so it is hard on her to make friends.
Masks required or optional? Right now optional, but I’m delivering a letter w signatures from 17 medical professionals at our school this evening to our headmaster. So I’m hoping we follow other private schools that have changed to mandatory this week. Note our area now has zero pediatric ICU beds available for a population of over 30 million people. So that’s something.
Post by supertrooper1 on Aug 13, 2021 11:13:57 GMT -5
We start September 1, public school, in person, full time, masks required.
I'm pretty sure I'm going to have DS ride the bus this year. The times work out with my work schedule and then I won't have to pay for before or after care.
I let DS look at the hot lunch menu and decide if he wants hot lunch or not. He'll probably get a milk every day.
Started 8/2 for DD and DH reported back 7/22 for teachers.
Public for both.
Only in person was offered by the public schools this year. I have not heard of any of our private schools offering hybrid or virtual options either.
Masks are optional and both wear masks.
DHs district finally made a contact tracing plan and released it today. It actually states that students in masks don’t have to be contact traced. The students for his district returned in July. DDs district isn’t making students who have proof of vaccine quarantine if they are contact traced. I just keep thinking that is not how any of this works.
We have managed to get it so DD can be a car rider and not be on the bus.
Hot lunch and breakfast is full menu and currently free. Masks can be off in the lunchroom. Students are assigned seats.
My kids went back this week. We are in Indiana, and this school year so far looks exactly like precovid. Other than the mandate that they have to wear masks on the bus, it is business as usual. It's very surreal.
My kids went back this week. We are in Indiana, and this school year so far looks exactly like precovid. Other than the mandate that they have to wear masks on the bus, it is business as usual. It's very surreal.
Also in Indiana and I am in awe of what feels like most precautions have gone away compared to last year.
When do you start? 08/25 for DD and DS1, 09/07 for DS2 (preschool)
Public or private? Public
In person, hybrid, or e-learning? In person
Masks required or optional? Masks are required on the bus, but not in school (although they are strongly recommended). My kids will be wearing their masks.
Any other questions that I forgot?
Aftercare? After school clubs? None
Bussing, walking or car riders? We are putting DD and DS1 back on the bus this year.
Hot lunches? Lunches are free for any student due to a federal grant. DD doesn't eat much at lunch due to her ADHD meds, so she packs a light lunch. We'll pack a lunch for DS1.
Post by mustardseed2007 on Aug 13, 2021 13:00:07 GMT -5
When do you start? Thursday 8/19
Public or private? Private
In person, hybrid, or e-learning? In person. No virtual is available except for a noninteractive live stream for kids who have a medical note or are quarantined.
Masks required or optional? Required indoors/optional outside
Any other questions that I forgot? Meals will be outside unless it’s not possible due to weather. Desks will be 3 feet apart.
Aftercare? After school clubs? Our school is offering it and we’ll look at the selections. We signed DS up for a theatre production before it all got bad. I’m nervous about that one BC it’s with kids from different schools.
Bussing, walking or car riders? Car riders.
Hot lunches? Yes, we have those. I’ll buy what they like.
"Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind.”
Post by sandandsea on Aug 13, 2021 17:21:32 GMT -5
We start next week. Public. Masks required all the time. Still doing stable cohorts 24/7 and jo playing with other classes which sucks for Ds as they are keeping the same classes as last year and none of his friends are in his class. CA provides breakfast and lunch but the boys will probably want home lunches. We drop them off in the morning as bus service is like $500 a semester.
My kids start this Tuesday 8/17, Public in person, masks required indoors but not outdoors.
My kids have always bought their lunches but now they are free - yay!
We don’t have buses for elementary schools in our district, so they walk - we’re only 12 houses from the school so they’d walk regardless. Both kids will do aftercare on site - the district outsourced it this year to a company called Right at School and I’m hoping there’s a quality improvement since it’s more expensive (but I was also fine with the old district-run aftercare).
We just got teacher assignments today so there was a flurry of texts to figure out who got who. DD (4th) is assigned to a 4/5 combo with a teacher who just graduated college in 2020 (!). It’s hard for teachers to get jobs in our district (DS1’s amazing long term sub from last year still hasn’t gotten a contract), so I’m hoping this means she’s really awesome.
My 12 year old is in public with a mask mandate. My 6 year old is in private, but I may switch her to public if there is no mask mandate. We moved over the summer and now live in a neighborhood that filters into the primary building that eventually feeds into my elementary. We originally kept her private to avoid switching schools two years on a row. She’s super excited about the private school and her Daisy troop. I’m waiting to see how open house looks on Sunday. I’ve called and sent e-mails to the archdiocese asking for masks to be required.
Hot lunches are free at public, but my oldest prefers packed lunches. The private school caters it in, so it’s not free.
My oldest will do cross country right after school. She will also start her 8th year of swim team after Labor Day. My youngest will be bussed to my school most days. She has Daisys two Mondays a month after school. She is doing gymnastics once a week and may do swim team or pre-team.
Masks required or optional? Required, thank goodness!!
Any other questions that I forgot?
Aftercare? After school clubs? DD2 will go to after school care. We want to send DD1 to something bat least a few days a week. She could ride the bus home and let herself in if H is not home. H WFH and is usually be around. However, I'd like her to have something more structured be at least a couple days a week.
Bussing, walking or car riders? Usually bus
Hot lunches? Yep! Our district pays for them for all kids.
Apparently I’m negative because I commented on the moms group that a muffin is not lunch.
They are eating in the classroom and the rumor is they don’t want hot lunch in there because of carpet and also apparently they need warming trays. Our vendor don’t provide them and want the school to pay for them.
I don’t understand how the vendor can pocket all the money from the USDA for free lunch though and provide a muffin. Someone explain that to me? School lunches have regulations but maybe all of that is paused?
waverly, A muffin isn't lunch unless there is a whole lot of other things to go with it.
I'm worried that since the district is offering free breakfast and lunch to the entire district this year that they aren't going to allow you to bring your own lunch in. DD doesn't like the school lunches at all. I've tried getting her to eat them in the past since our school had free lunch but it was a no go. Even bake potato lunch turned out to be a disaster. She didn't like that her potato was cold.
waverly, somehow our district gets away with poptarts as the only breakfast option most days. The "standards" that they're supposedly meeting are not great.
waverly, somehow our district gets away with poptarts as the only breakfast option most days. The "standards" that they're supposedly meeting are not great.
My district is doing pop tarts as lunch. It’s so bad.
Wow, I would not be happy waverly! Our district usually has a backup yogurt and granola or sunbutter and jelly sandwich option, but the main meal options are like "pasta bolognese with grass fed organic beef" or "shredded chicken taco with tortilla chips." People still complain here, which I think is more ridiculous, but you have a legitimate complaint.