New Parent Orientation

Protecting the health and safety of the Virginia Chance School community during the COVID-19 pandemic is of the highest priority. The following strategies and procedures have been put in place to ensure our health and safety while we are learning and growing together on campus. These specific measures to be followed at school will be all the more effective if families follow COVID-19 safety practices at home and in the community. Just as we are partners in the education and development of your children, we are partners together in reducing the risks of COVID-19 in our community.

 

We have implemented the following policies and procedures to minimize the spread of COVID-19 while we are together on campus. We will monitor best practices and CDC guidance throughout the year and update as appropriate.

 

Most importantly, if you, your child, or a member of your household have had a known exposure to a person who has tested or is believed to be positive for COVID-19 in the past two weeks, please contact your physician or the public health department to receive clearance before returning to the VCS campus. Clearance should be submitted to [email protected]

 

All people (students, faculty, staff, or visitors) coming onto the VCS campus will participate in a two-part health assessment. For students arriving in the morning carpool, this will take place before they exit their cars; for all others, it will take place at the building’s external doors before they enter.

 

Admission to campus will be permitted only when both components of the health assessment return in alignment with the CDC/state guidelines and expert medical advice.

 

During the health assessment, if one sibling has a fever of 100.4°F or higher, all siblings in the family must remain off-campus until the sibling with fever has received a non–COVID-19 diagnosis. Once such a diagnosis has been made, the other sibling(s) may return to campus; the sibling with fever may return after meeting the protocol outlined in the Non-COVID Illness section below.

 

Additionally, students will have their temperatures checked again midday, being conscious to ensure such a check does not take place immediately after a period of strenuous activity that might result in artificially high readings.

 

Underpinning our chances of success for all of our efforts to return and stay in school is our ability to minimize the spread of COVID-19 through our community. To do so, we will need to adopt more strict illness protocols than we have in the past.

 

Firstly, anyone—student, faculty, staff, or visitor— who is exhibiting any of the following COVID-19 symptoms at home needs to stay off of the VCS campus: temperature of ≥100.4°F, new and uncontrolled cough, vomiting, diarrhea, new rash, or new loss of sense of taste or smell. The school needs to be notified of the illness-related absence by emailing [email protected]

 

If a student presents with new illness symptoms during the course of the day once already at school, the teacher will contact the administration. If the student has any of the above symptoms of COVID-19, the student will be transported to the designated sick room. We have converted the storage building under the pedway for this purpose. The building is climate-controlled, is separate from the air circulation of the rest of the school, allows for easy drive-up access for pick-up from the sick-room, and will be a welcoming space for the student to rest while waiting to be picked up.

 

The student and the sick room helper will remain in the sick room until the child’s parent/guardian picks them up, which must take place within one hour of receiving the call that the child is exhibiting potential symptoms of COVID-19.

 

 

Beyond the listed symptoms of a potential COVID-19 infection listed previously (temperature of ≥100.4°F, cough, vomiting, diarrhea, new rash, or new loss of sense of taste or smell), students need to stay home if experiencing any of the following symptoms in the prior 24 hours:

 

The school needs to be notified of the illness-related absence by emailing [email protected]

 

Students who have been ill with symptoms other than those indicated for COVID-19 may return to school either:

 

Children will be sent home from school when they show evidence of illness or if it has been less than 24 hours since symptoms appeared. Children’s parents/guardians must pick them up within one hour of receiving the call that the child is ill.

 

 

Injury
In the event that your child is injured during school activities and requires basic care:

1. Minor scratches or injuries are attended to by the teacher or office.
2. The parent is notified.  
3. The teacher fills out an accident report, signed by the school personnel present and by the Head of School.

In the event that your child is injured during school activities & requires emergency medical care: 

School personnel will take steps including but not limited to:

1. Attempt to contact a parent or guardian.
2. Attempt to contact a parent or guardian through any of the persons listed on the emergency information provided to the school by the parent or guardian. You must list at least two adults, (other than parent/guardians) who can be contacted in case of an emergency. Please add these contacts to your child's BigSIS profile.

Allergic Reaction
In the event that your child has an allergic reaction and requires medication:

School personnel follows this process:

1. Staff will immediately administer the epi-pen
2. 911 will be called
3. Attempt to contact a parent

Medicine and allergy treatment procedures:
It is the responsibility of the parent(s) to:

1. Notify the school of a child’s allergies, diet restrictions & required medication. Keep this information current with the office.
2.  Fill out Permission to Give Medication Form (in the resource section of parent website) if your child must take medicine at school, with complete and explicit instructions. The form is also available in the school office.
3. Bring medication to the office in original containers to be administered at school.  This is passed adult hand to adult hand; children may not drop the medication off at the office. Please do not send any medication to your child’s classroom via lunchbox, school bag, or backpack.
4. Provide current prescribed epi-pens/auvi-qs to the school office.  Enough epi-pens must be on hand to have one in the office, one in the child’s classroom, & one with Extended Program, if your child attends.

 

 

LogIn to your BigSis Account in the Parents tab under Children to access and update your child's health information as it may change throughout the school year. and we'll want to stay as up-to-date as you. 

 

Virginia Chance School implements a security system that keeps all entry doors locked, alarmed, and under video surveillance before, during, and after school. For entry, parents and visitors must buzz at the door to identify themselves and state a reason for their visit. They will be met at the door to pass a COVID-19 health assessment before obtaining permission to enter the School. Unknown visitors and solicitors must have an appointment with school personnel that is verified by the office.

The gate at the rear of the main building is used to ensure the safety of students while classes are in session.

 

To ensure that emergency vehicles and responders have quick, easy access to our school in case of an emergency, the driveway and front door entrance are to remain open. Please use the designated parking spots when you need to come into the School. Please park in:

 

Children are released only to parents and designated drivers from the list provided to the office by the parents. When a child is not at school during school hours, parents are required to provide information to the office.

 

To be as prepared for emergencies as possible, these safety measures are also in place.

 

All firearms and weapons are prohibited on the Virginia Chance School campus. Concealed weapons permits are not valid on school grounds. The School has a zero-tolerance policy with regard to adults and children bringing weapons to school.

 

Because parental involvement is encouraged at Virginia Chance School and the safety and the well-being of our community is paramount, the School requires criminal background checks in accordance with state regulations. Each parent and any adult associated with the family who will be working directly with children or who have access to students is required to submit a Youth Leader Form and a Child Abuse/Neglect form.

 

 

Car Seats:

The Kentucky Child Restraint Law states that any driver of a motor vehicle when transporting a child of forty (40) inches in height or less in a motor vehicle operated on the roadways, streets, and highways of this state, shall have the child properly secured in a child car seat/restraint system of a type meeting federal motor vehicle safety standards. Children who are under seven years of age and between 40 and 50 inches tall must be in booster seats. We are not allowed to let a child under these height levels leave our property without a proper car seat or booster.

As a Green and Healthy School, we strive to inspire environmental sustainability and stewardship. One way we practice this is through our waste management program. 

Did you know that recycling plastic is not the first step to environmental sustainability? In efforts to help our planet,  we are finding new ways to reduce and reuse.

Water Bottles

Your child will bring their own reusable water bottle to school each day. During the day they will use it during snack, lunch, and outdoor learning and playtime. It will be sent home each day to be washed. Check out these companies below for environmentally friendly options.

• Reduce
• Klean Kanteen

Lunches 

The school will not have extra plastic utensils, paper plates, and paper bowls available in the classrooms, so please check out these environmentally friendly lunch containers and utensil options to reduce plastic usage. 

• YumBox
• Silverware Set
• Bees Wrap
• Interlocking Set

Did you know? Plastic baggies, forks, and spoons may not be recycled in a normal recycling plant.

 

Snack 

Please pack your child a healthy and nutritious snack each day in their lunchbox. Below you may find ideas from our Green Team on how to pack in a way to reduce plastic waste.

• Gogurt is considered more of a dessert than a healthy snack choice and creates a lot of plastic waste. Try Chobani
• Sending in the appropriate portions helps to reduce food waste. 
• Buy cheeses as one large block that may be cut instead of individually wrapped. 
• Applesauce is not a fresh fruit and uses packaging. 

 

Other things to remember when packing lunch and snack 

• Nutritious
• Ready to eat (cut block of cheese into cubes, fresh apples into slices, carrots cut into strips)
• Fruit (at least 2 days) and vegetables (at least 3 days)
• No nuts or nut products (please read labels carefully)
• Since all food will be kept individually, students may bring nut products unless a severe allergy in the class makes airborne particles a risk. Any such restrictions should be communicated to families prior to the start of school

Snack supports a healthy diet and follows state licensing regulations. Snack shall include two of the following: 

• Dairy (cheese, yogurt, or cream cheese)
• Bread/Grains (whole grain breads, cereals, crackers, pretzels)
• Fresh fruit/vegetables (apples, bananas, oranges, melon, cucumber, carrots, celery)
• Protein (hummus, deli meat slices, yogurt)

• • The school has faucets so reusable water bottles may be refilled. Preschool and Elementary are offered organic milk to drink with snacks and lunch.

 

Click the links below to learn more: 

National Geographic, Planet or Plastic?

NPR, Where Will Your Plastic Trash Go Now That China Doesn't Want It?

Louisville Public Works: Recyclable Materials

 

Please send your child to school in clothes that are simple and durable for active work and outside play, weather appropriate, and may get dirty. Children are to wear closed-toe shoes, such as tennis shoes or active shoes (e.g., Keens), to allow for safe and natural movement during play, movement, and PE classes. Rain boots to be left at school are a required supply. Rain boots stay at school for outdoor learning, and children will wear a pair of regular shoes during the rest of the school day. Appropriate clothes for the weather as the seasons change: mittens, hats, liners for rainboot or a snow boot option and coats—all labeled with their name. Snowsuits are a good option for winter and can remain at school.

 

Preschool: It is helpful for preschoolers to be in clothing that is easy for diaper changing and toilet training (especially pants with elastic waists), which encourage greater independence. Overalls can be more restrictive to independence, but we know, they are super cute! We also encourage rain-suits/rain-pants for rainy outdoor play.

 

Elementary: All students must keep a supply of six clean masks in a bag kept in their backpacks for situations when the masks they wear from home in the morning are sweaty or otherwise wet or soiled and need to be replaced. Should an extra mask be used, just like when the back-up clothes have been used in the past, the dirty mask(s) will be bagged and sent home, and the clean mask reserve will need to be replenished for the following day. A separate pouch (a plastic or wet bag) needs to be left in each student’s backpack as a place to collect wet or soiled masks each day.

 

Please label all clothing and personal belongings with your child’s/family’s name. Due to current state regulations, there will not be a lost and found bin in the office. We will return found clothing that is labeled. We, unfortunately, must immediately dispose of unlabeled clothing promptly, and we will continue to do so through donation as we previously did twice a year.

 

 

 

Due to health and safety protocols, all treasures need to stay at home this year. Please do not allow your child to bring items from home. The only exception to this may be a small comfort item for young children to use to self-soothe. This item may be used by the child when needed and otherwise kept in his/her school bag and sent back home each day. Please discuss this need with your child's teachers at opening conferences. 

All Chance parents are automatically members of the Parent Association, which has many functions, from fundraising to family outreach. Volunteer activities may range from serving as chair of a committee to assisting with environmental and outside projects. The Parent Association is a great way to meet new friends and feel a part of the Chance community while supporting the school’s mission, programs, and activities. There are many fun ways to get involved.

Consider your talents and interests and volunteer and sign up here: https://www.chanceschool.org/apps/form/Volunteer

• Get involved by joining a committee or being a room parent.
• Learn about and support your child’s learning in the classroom.
• Engage in the Chance community through leadership opportunities.
• Volunteer for activities and events.

 

Fundraising:

Virginia Chance School holds two major fundraising events each year: Our Challenge for Chance Annual Fund and the Virginia Chance School Auction. The additional revenue provides for the balance of operating expenses, enhances current programs, contributes to the socioeconomic diversity of the school and strengthens the organization for the future.

• Challenge for Chance: October - December 31st
• Virginia Chance School Auction – TBD

Other Opportunities:

• Buy Virginia Chance School Spirit Wear through our online store: See E-News
• Virginia Chance School and your Kroger card – link us!
• Sign up for Amazon Smile!
• Download our School Calendar for all School Events and Activities.