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UPDATED VERSION SEPTEMBER 8, 2020
MT. BETHEL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY Be Love(d). Belong. Become. PLANS FOR THE 2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR
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Dear MBCA Family, What an amazing start to the school year! After watching other schools in the metro Atlanta area have to close within a few days due to COVID-19 spread, we are so thankful to still be on campus after the first four weeks. That would not be the case if it weren't for you, our families, who have taken extra precautions and acted out of an abundance of caution as it relates to the health and safety of our community, so THANK YOU! As of September 8, we have had 0 positive cases of COVID-19 identified on campus. We have had family members of students or faculty test positive, but thanks to your diligence and the improved access to testing in our area, none of the students or faculty have tested positive. As was our directive, those with a known positive case in the home must keep all close contacts at home for the quarantine period, and everyone has been very good and very honest about doing just that - and that is keeping us all safe. We have had students with other typical viruses or infections like strep throat, stomach flu, or runny nose/sore throat, and all of those cases have seen the doctor for confirmation and/or been COVID tested before returning to campus. Our daily healthcare screening app is definitely helping to guide people as to when students should stay home, and we thank you for your honesty and diligence in completing that every day before the start of school. Our Healthcare Task Force meets weekly to discuss a variety of topics related to the health and safety of our community. As a result, we will continue with the health and safety protocols we started the year with for at least the next few weeks. While the cases in the counties have gone down a bit in recent weeks, Labor Day weekend travel/gatherings has many concerned we will see a rise in cases for up to 10-14 days afterward. This concern is the primary reason we moved Fall Break until early December; we want to reduce the chance of bringing the virus to campus from other places. If you choose to travel that week, it is with the understanding that we will be moving forward academically, and your child(ren) will receive make-up work when they return to school. They will have the appropriate number of days to complete that work, as determined by each division and in addition to their classwork for that week, and need to schedule any missed assessments with their teachers. This is an active school week for us, as we need to be on course to finish the semester in early December. In accordance with any CDC guidelines regarding travel, we will ask families to quarantine and enter the ALP for 14 days if that is what is recommended at that time. On August 31, Governor Kemp extended his order to limit the gathering size to 50 until October 10th, so we will continue to eat lunch in our classrooms on the main campus and in shifts on the north campus through the month of October. It is our hope and prayer we can safely return to the cafeteria in November! Nobody is more hopeful than we are that we will be able to wear masks less, have parents on campus, and have families at our sporting events - trust me! For the time being, however, it is only prudent to continue down the path we're on since we have seen negative results in neighboring schools who were less cautious. Being on campus with healthy students and teachers is our number one priority! I will send another update in a few weeks and appreciate everyone's patience as we navigate these previously uncharted waters.
Lisa Kelly Assistant Head of School & Lower School Principal
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P School-Wide Safety Policies We are using a variety of sources to help us determine our current course of action, including, but not limited to: Centers for Disease Control Georgia and Cobb Department of Health American Academy of Pediatrics PPISN School Nurse Association National Association of Independent Schools Georgia Independent School Association Georgia Department of Education Southern Association of Independent Schools Georgia High School Association In light of these guidelines, we are continuing with the following, mandatory health and safety protocols: Parents/guardians need to be available to pick up a student who comes down with a fever during the day. To that end, please ensure you add any/all phone numbers to the emergency medical forms. Ensure there are other people on the contact form in case you are not able to be reached. Parents/guardians should take extra precautions to limit travel and exposure to large group gatherings where possible, in order to reduce the risk of bringing the virus to campus. Parents/guardians, in accordance with the latest safety recommendations, are not allowed in the buildings while students are on campus. The exterior doors on both campuses will be locked in order to ensure campus safety, and our interior doors will be kept open to reduce the number of touches to those doors. Please read the division-specific pages for how this may affect your family. Parents/guardians need to ensure each student has a refillable water bottle to bring to school every day, as drinking fountains will not be accessible. Students are welcome to keep an extra disposable bottle in their backpack. Parents/guardians are not be allowed to drop off items for students during the school day, so please take this opportunity to work with your children on building personal responsibility and good habits! Students and faculty wear face coverings in the classroom at this time. Parents/guardians need to ensure each student has at least three face coverings: one to wear, one to have as a backup in the backpack, and at least one to be cleaned at home. Please familiarize yourself with the cleaning process required for the type of face covering you choose.
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Parents/guardians must complete the healthcare screening app for each student before arriving to school every day. Students need to stay home if they exhibit any of the symptoms on the list. It is imperative that families take this responsibility seriously for the health and safety of your children and our faculty and staff! For the safety of our students and faculty: Both campuses are thoroughly cleaned every night. Additionally, the facilities crew provides each classroom with a bottle of appropriate cleaner to wipe down commonlytouched surfaces during the school day. Both campuses have an isolation room for students who come down with a fever or exhibit other symptoms of COVID-19, so students who come for routine prescription medication are not unnecessarily exposed. If a student exhibits a fever of 100.4 or higher that is attributed to an illness other than COVID-19, a doctor's note must accompany the return to school. Doctor's notes need to be submitted to the clinic on Main Campus or the front desk on North Campus prior to the student attending class. For questions regarding this, please email the nurses at nurse@mtbethelchristian.org. When feasible, classroom windows are opened to allow fresh air into the classrooms. If you have your child tested for COVID-19, please email a copy of the results, even if negative, to our nursing staff at nurse@mtbethelchristian.org, especially if they were sent home from school with one or more COVID-19 symptoms. We will alert the class (in LS) and/or grade level (in MS/US) if there is a confirmed positive case from that class or grade and offer the option to parents to transition the children to the Adaptive Learning Plan out of an abundance of caution. We will also offer the option to remain in class on campus. Any faculty member who exhibits any of the symptoms of COVID-19, tests positive for COVID-19, or lives with someone who exhibits symptoms or is confirmed positive for COVID-19 will follow the same protocols. Depending on when a positive diagnosis is received, and in order to maintain the safety of the students and adults, it may be necessary to take further measures, like closing a classroom or grade level. Each situation will be unique, and a family may transfer to the Adaptive Learning Plan at any time. If a substitute is needed, he/she will be required to wear a mask while in class, regardless of how long that rule is enforced for the entire campus.
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Athletics and School Clubs We are actively practicing and competing in our fall sports of volleyball and cross country at both the Middle and Upper School level, albeit with some modifications! While we appreciate it's not quite the same experience, we are grateful our athletes have the opportunity to compete with some added safety precautions. We currently have limited attendance policies for our indoor events, and those who attend must wear face coverings and sit socially distanced from other families. Our coaches are wearing face coverings, as are the athletes who are not on the court during the game. GHSA has outlined additional cleaning protocols that happen before, during, and after the games to help protect the athletes. We have the ability to livestream our indoor athletic competitions, and you can get a recap of game highlights at http://mbcaathletics.org! MS and US clubs that meet after school on campus are adhering to the classroom guidelines and are able to meet. Clubs that meet off campus are evaluating various socially distanced appropriate activities. Students in the ALP may not participate in athletics but may be able to participate in clubs, depending on the policies of the organization. Students interested in MS or US clubs should contact the club advisor to see if virtual participation is possible. For the remainder of the first quarter, we will not be providing additional after school classes for our LS students, as we are still limiting visitors on campus. We will reevaluate for next quarter and hope to be able to offer those classes soon! Our ASP program is available; please visit your Family ID site to complete your enrollment form.
Main Campus Dismissal If you need to pick up your student early, it must be done prior to 2:15 pm. You will call the front desk at (770) 971-0245 and let the receptionist know your name, the name of the students(s) you are picking up, and the reason you need to check out early. She will then call the classroom(s) to have the student(s) sent down, and the student(s) Due to the independent nature of blended learning, students interested in blended learning must be a good candidate for this model. Candidacy is shown by a history of academic excellence, strong executive functioning skills, and a commitment from parents to be more active in their child's ay to day classroom experience and expectations.
will be directed to exit the front of the building to your awaiting car. If you do not call before 2:15 pm, you will need to pick up your student during regular dismissal, so as not to interfere with the LS carpool line.
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Administration Flexibility and transparency are of the utmost importance, and we want to encourage you to contact our administrative team if you have any questions or concerns about how we are serving your family. MBCA is here, not only to provide a sense of continuity of learning for your child(ren), but also to provide a strong and safe community for your entire family.
Lisa Kelly Assistant Head of School & Lower School Principal Contact with questions or feedback about activities, curriculum, and events pertaining to the LS or the return to campus plan.
Keith Castello Interim Head of School Contact with questions or feedback about overall school policy.
Chip Barber Director of Operations Contact with questions or feedback about tuition assistance, financial planning, FACTS system, or payment schedules.
Bob Montague Upper School Principal Contact with questions or feedback about activities, curriculum, and events pertaining to the US.
Chelsea Shaver Middle School Principal Contact with questions or feedback about activities, curriculum, and events pertaining to the MS.
Alison Stephens Director of Development & Communication Contact with questions or feedback regarding the Annual Fund and any school communications.
Meridith Burba Director of Admission Contact with questions about enrolling your child(ren) or referring other families to MBCA.
Due to the independent nature of blended learning, students interested in blended learning must be a good candidate for this model. Candidacy is shown by a history of academic excellence, strong executive functioning skills, and a commitment from parents to be more active in their child's ay to day classroom experience and expectations.
Clinic nurses, Christine Laird, R.N. and Susan Birley, R.N., are available to take questions via email at nurse@mtbethelchristian.org.
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