Good afternoon, Families!
I hope you are having a wonderful break, finding moments of joy and spending time with family. This season has created more moments to be grateful and reflect on our bravery and strength. To keep our Team & Family safe as we return from winter break, I am sending you this email today because there is some essential information you need to know and action you need to take given the recent spikes in COVID cases due to the Omicron variant.
Next week’s schedule is changing.
- Thursday, January 6, Little KIPPsters will return to school in person. We are pushing back the return date of our Little KIPPsters by one day to allow for the completion of PCR testing for staff and students while still allowing needed time for teacher professional learning. School times and schedules will be as usual starting Thursday.
- Tuesday and Wednesday, January 4-5, we strongly encourage all Little KIPPsters and their families to take advantage of our free drive-through COVID PCR testing available on each campus. Please note that there will not be testing onsite at KIPP Courage or at Spring Branch ISD. Little and Big KIPPsters can test at any other KIPP campus. Additionally, KIPP Mosaic Academy testing will be available at KIPP Mosaic Primary.
Please CLICK HERE to complete the test registration before January 2, if possible, to sign up for a free COVID test at the KIPP campus closest to your home. You can come in for testing even if you don’t register, but it will save time if you register beforehand. Please note that a photo of a valid ID is needed to complete registration; however, this does not need to be a state-issued driver’s license.
If your KIPPsters or someone in your household has tested positive for COVID, is symptomatic, or has been exposed to COVID in the last 7 days…
Please CLICK HERE and DO NOT send your child to school if your child falls into one of the following categories:
- TESTED POSITIVE on or after December 23.
- CLOSE CONTACT to someone who has tested positive for COVID on or after December 23.
- SYMPTOMATIC. This includes but is not limited to:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
- Difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste
- New loss of smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion
- Runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
Please note that the most common symptoms of the Omicron variant include runny noses, sore or scratchy throats, congestion, and fatigue – many of the same symptoms of a cold.
The Mask Mandate is still in place.
Please make sure your child has a medical-grade face mask on at all times indoors (except when eating or drinking); we also recommend wearing masks outdoors. If your child has only a cloth mask, please have them double up on their mask. In addition to required masking, we are continuing to enforce all of our health and safety procedures as well, including the Safety Six:
- Face masks are required at all times indoors (except when eating or drinking) and recommended outdoors
- Social distance whenever possible
- Practice hand hygiene by washing and sanitizing frequently
- Clean and disinfect surfaces and shared spaces frequently
- If your child is symptomatic, a close contact, or COVID positive, please immediately contact your school administrative office.
- If your child is feeling sick, please KEEP THEM HOME
To help reduce the number of people on campus, visitors are only allowed on campus by appointment until Monday, January 17.
Please watch for another email from me on Sunday, January 2 with additional important updates.
Thank you for joining me in doing our best to keep our KIPPsters safe. I am so excited about what we’ve already accomplished this school year – from academic recovery to a focus on ensuring our KIPPsters are attending school daily to recognizing our talent to a commitment to keep our Team and Family safe and so much more. Let’s make this second half of the year even brighter for our KIPPsters.
Have a safe and wonderful New Year, Team & Family!
One song,
Sehba
