Countryside Montessori Charter School Reopening Plan Update

From the Countryside Montessori Charter School:

June 30, 2020

Dear CMCS families,

We hope that you continue to be safe and healthy during this ever-changing time.

As promised, we wanted to provide an update on our School Reopening Plan. Since our last communication, we have been seeking out more guidance and information from the district and state, as well as our school nurse and Florida Department of Health.

We have also been reviewing parent feedback and questions related to school reopening. Thank you to all that filled out the Preliminary Feedback Survey and have reached out with questions. Again, your voice is important.

Lastly, we have met with teachers and staff to brainstorm solutions to the challenges of reopening school in this current situation.

Based on all of this research and review, as well as district information, we have compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions regarding our Reopening Plan. We hope that you find this information helpful; we will be updating as needed.

As you may have heard, Pasco County Schools has extended their deadline for choosing among their back-to-school options to Wednesday, July 8, 2020. Again, please note that the Pasco County Schools plan is NOT our plan. If your child will remain a CMCS student for the 2020-2021 school year, you do not need to fill out the district's form regarding back-to-school options.

As we shared in our prior communication, CMCS would like to offer two options upon return to school in the fall:

• Traditional Brick & Mortar School at CMCS or
• Distance Learning with CMCS (CMCS Online)

We will definitely be offering a traditional brick and mortar option with enhanced health and safety protocols. We are still awaiting final approval from the state so that we can offer a Distance Learning (virtual) option at CMCS. We should have a definite answer by next week, and are hopeful that a virtual option will be available to us. Once we receive this guidance, we will be able to fully develop our plan.

There are an enormous amount of factors to consider and circumstances are changing daily. Please know that the health and safety of our students, staff, and families is our top priority. Should you have any questions, please email us at info@cmcsmontessori.com.

We are dealing with a thousand “what if" scenarios that are not easy to answer. Please know that we are still working on many details. We are gathering data and continue to value input. There are still unanswered questions, but our goal is to make decisions and have recommended procedures and directions to share with the you as we move into July. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this time.

Sincerely,

Michael Picone
Principal

This press release was produced by the Countryside Montessori Charter School. The views expressed here are the author’s own.