Announcements

Dear Families,

Governor Cuomo recently released guidance on the New York Cluster Initiative to aggressively respond to micro-clusters (outbreaks of new cases with a limited and definable geographic region.) Each county is assigned a tiered location and each tier has individualized metrics to enter a yellow, orange or red zone. A yellow zone is a precautionary measure to assist in mitigating wider outbreaks of COVID-19. Each zone has implications for in-person and remote learning.

To be designated as a yellow zone:

*Warren County’s seven-day infection rate must be 3.5% or higher for 10 consecutive days;

Currently Warren County’s current seven-day infection rate is 1.2%.

*Warren County’s seven-day average of new positives must be 10 or more.

Warren County’s average is currently 4.3.

New York State Department of Health has determined that schools open to in-person instruction in Yellow Zones are required to test 20% of in-person students, faculty and staff over a two-week period in order to remain open for in-person instruction. It continues to be our goal to be open to in-person instruction. Here’s what you need to know:

1. Abraham Wing is actively working with Warren County DOH on developing a plan to conduct our own COVID-19 testing on site under Warren County Public Health’s laboratory certification. Our school nurse will be administering the rapid tests and county health officials will provide the tests, technical support, training and assistance.

2. We will not test your child without your consent. Please read through the consent form and submit it by Wednesday, December 3, 2020.

3. The test itself is non-invasive, simple, and quick. Although a nasal swab is used for this test, it is a shallow swabbing, done very quickly. It is not the PCR test that has been uncomfortable for many to endure. Please watch the video posted on the school website and social media accounts demonstrating a nasal swab.

4. We will test 20% of our in-person population.

5. Testing is not mandatory, and nobody will be excluded from school if they choose not to be tested. However, please consider that if we do not have consent to test a unique 20% of students and staff while in a Yellow Zone, we will need to shift to fully remote learning.

6. The District will randomly sample from throughout the list of those who have consented to testing.

7. Students and staff chosen for testing will be retrieved from classes at their testing time and be brought to the nurse’s office. They will be given the test and immediately returned to their class. We will make this a very quick process so as to minimize time out of class. Due to the daily screening, everyone in person is presumed to be negative. Taking the test doesn’t change that and participants continue to be presumed negative. If a positive test result occurs, the student will be asked to report to the nurse’s office and the procedure for isolating in the nurse’s office and contacting the family for physician follow up will be followed.

8. We’re hoping for your consent! Mrs. Vogel has sent out the link to complete the consent form. The link can also be found on our website www.abewing.org. Similar to the weekly screening form, you will have to consent for each of your children separately.

Questions? Please contact the district at 518-792-3231 or by email at bgeorge@abewing.org.

Thank you in advance for watching the video and considering participation. We’re hopeful that everyone joins in this effort but respect your decisions with regard to your child’s health.

Best wishes for continued good health and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Parent Consent Form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScC3hx6AKENqppF2va-jbszi5xTuiYHHMziamwBeFiSpZqGmQ/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0&gxids=7757

Please click the link below to view a short video:

COVID Video

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Dear Parents and Guardians,

On Thursday, October 1, 2020 the New York State Department of Health released a new Pre-K to grade 12 COVID-19 toolkit. This toolkit provides parents with a flowchart to use when making the decision to send your child to school for in person instruction. The flowchart also provides parents/guardians with information as to what will be required in order for your child to return to school after an absence. The toolkit was sent home with students on Friday and has been posted on our school website.

If your child is out of school for any reason it is important that you call our school nurse, Sandi Braymer at 518-793-7419 to inform her as to why your child was not in school. Mrs. Braymer will then discuss with you what will be required in order for your child to return to in person instruction. Please do not send your child back to school until you have communicated with Mrs. Braymer and she confirms they may return. If you have any questions please feel free to contact myself or Mrs. Braymer.

Thank you so much for supporting our effort in returning to in person instruction!

Sincerely,

Brian George

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September 30, 2020

Dear Parents / Guardians:

The school year is off to a great start. Thank you so much for supporting our effort in returning to in person instruction. As the school districts across New York State have reopened for the 2020-2021 school year, the guidelines for the continued daily operation of the district continue to be reviewed, modified, and updated. Specifically, the Department of Health has issued revised protocols related to how a confirmed COVID positive case is addressed in the district.

In the event of a confirmed positive case of a student or employee in our district, Warren County Public Health will work in coordination with our school to complete a thorough investigation and provide appropriate recommendations to keep our school community safe. Please note, a temporary closure of the at risk classrooms or the entire school, may be prudent depending on the situation, to provide time to ensure adequate time for the investigation, identification of contacts, notification of families, cleaning, and disinfection of the affected areas. The results of this investigation will determine the extent of possible exposure and provide the district with recommendations for further quarantine or reopening the district.

In the event that a classroom or the entire building is quarantined, we established a remote learning procedure to ensure continuity of learning for our students. More information about learning during a quarantine would be shared in the event there is a confirmed case.

While we hope that the district will continue to remain COVID free, we want to make sure that we inform every one of the various scenarios that we may encounter during the year. Please note that a determination of closure may be made with very little advanced notice, very similar to the traditional “Snow Day”, and we are encouraging families to develop plans to ensure available childcare in the event that the district is closed. We appreciate your continued support of the district. If you have any questions regarding this information, I would encourage you to please contact the district at 518-792-3231.

Sincerely,

Brian George

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Virtual Learning Presentation

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Please click here to view a video from our Faculty and Staff.

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