About The Advance. (Vidalia, Ga.) 2003-current | View Entire Issue (July 28, 2021)
(Eift Aiiuancg The ADVANCE, July 28, 2021 /Page 3A BTS continued from page 1A pages. Information on school dress codes, supply lists, and open houses are also posted on these sites and can be found inside today’s edition of The Ad vance. All schools resume classes August 6, with the exception of Montgom ery County, which starts school August 3. Toombs County Schools Toombs County Schools will be ‘TOO percent face-to-face” in struction this term, said Superintendent Barry Waller. “We want to have as normal a school year as possible and we are ex cited about getting back to school and attacking those gaps,” he said of the inter ruptions in academic prog ress caused by COVID-19. A “Comprehensive Learning Loss Plan” has been developed to ad dress learning loss, social/ emotional needs and eq uitable access to technol ogy within the Toombs County School System. As part of this project, each individual school within the District has developed a guide to address its own, unique issues. Specifically, the plan offers social-emo tional learning curricula that will be implemented to address student needs as a result of COVID-19. At the District and school level a plan for implemen tation and monitoring of programs and support per sonnel has also been devel oped. The system is now us ing SchoolMessenger as its new text messaging service. The service takes the place of the REMIND system that many of the teachers used in the past and enables instructors to connect with parents through one service. The service will be used to ad vise parents of announce ments, school closings, and emergencies and can be transmitted in the form of text messages, emails, or even phone calls. All schools within the District have scheduled open houses for Thurs day, August 5. The times are as follows: Lyons Pri mary, 8:30-10:30 a.m.; Lyons Upper Elementary, 10 a.m.-noon; Toombs County Elementary, 10 a.m.-noon; Toombs Mid dle, 2-4 p.m.; and Toombs County High School, 12:20-2:30 p.m. Vidalia City Schools The Vidalia City Schools are returning to in-person learning on Au gust 6. Mitigation to ad dress the educational is sues caused by COVID-19 interruptions began with summer classes but will continue within each school throughout the term as needed. VCS will continue to monitor health concerns and decisions will be made locally at the system level. As mandated by the De partment of Public Health, schools are required to contact trace COVID-19 cases and enforce quar antines/isolation of staff and students as needed, according to the System website. COVID-19 transmis sion prevention strategies remain a priority. Schools will continue to use physi cal distancing when pos sible and encourage proper hygiene practice, such as washing hands regularly and using hand sanitizer. Students and staff should self-monitor daily for CO- VID-19 symptoms. Build ings will be cleaned and sanitized daily or as often as needed to prevent con tamination or virus trans mission. Masks will be option al. Masks are recommend ed for non-vaccinated staff, students and visitors but they are not required. Visitors are welcome in the buildings and masks are optional for visitors in the school system. All student meals will be served in the cafeteria unless there is a school activity that lends itself to having meals in another lo cation. Effective August 6, all students at Vidalia City Schools will receive free breakfast and lunch meals for the school year. The cost of the meals is covered through the U.S. Depart ment of Agriculture. For more information, contact E. Denise Parson at the School Nutrition Services Office at 912-537-9738, Ext. 1. Prior to open houses, information will be shared on the school websites about open house activi ties and first day escorts to classrooms. Open houses within the system are scheduled as follows: J.D. Dickerson Pre-K Orientation is sched uled August 4, 5:30-6:30 p.m., open house for kin dergarten and first grade is scheduled August 5, 9-11 a.m.; Sally D. Meadows Elementary School open house is scheduled August 5, 11 a.m.-l p.m. (report to grade level hallways for homeroom teacher lists); J. R. Trippe Middle School, open house for grades 6-8, Tuesday, August 3,5-7 p.m. (report to gym first to pick up schedule); Vidalia High School, dual enrollment meeting August 4, VHS theater, 2 p.m., open house August 5, grades 10-12 re port to advisor for sched ules, grade 9 report to the theater at 6 p.m. Supply lists are online and teach ers will provide specifics at the open houses. Wheeler County Schools When Wheeler Coun ty students return to cam pus next week, they will begin the last term of class es at the old middle/high and elementary school buildings. In Fall 2022, the doors to the new, compre hensive Wheeler County School will be opened to grades pre-K through 12. For students, school per sonnel, and the communi ty, one of the most exciting aspects of the new school year will be following the progress on constructing the new facility. Getting back on track after the health pandemic is a focus, but administra tors emphasize that CO- VID-19 is still regarded as a threat to the community and precautions will be taken as the new school year begins. At middle and high school open houses, Wheeler County Health Department staff will be on hand to administer Pfiz er vaccine to students ages 12 and above with the con sent of their parents. The System welcomes those who wish to wear masks brought from home, but masks are not manda tory. As with other Sys tems, COVID-19 protocol established last year will be continued but with some modifications for those who have been vaccinated. Modifications to the dress code have been made and are posted online, in cluding some recent, addi tional guidance prompted by inquiries from parents. Open houses will be held at the elementary and middle/high schools on August 4, 3-6 p.m. Vidalia Heritage Academy At Vidalia Heritage Academy, open house for “Mother’s Morning Out” and K-2 classes will be held on August 5, 8:30-10:30 a.m. Open house for K-3 classes will be held August 5, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., and open house for K-4 classes will be held August 5, 12:30-3 p.m. Additionally, VHA gives grades kindergarten through 8th grade students and parents a choice be tween the days and times of open house: one op tion is for a morning open house from 8 until 10, or an afternoon open house from 3:30 until 5:30.This breakdown of times and days may be found on the school’s Facebook page and website. High school students and their parents will have an opportunity to meet with administration and guidance counselors July 29-30. Freshmen and sophomores are welcome both days, 10 a.m.-l p.m., while juniors and seniors may attend either day, 1-4 p.m. As for COVID-19 protocols, VHA adminis tration has reviewed the school’s plan from last year and decided to loosen re strictions. The school will be in-seat attendance only as the administration has adopted a plan dedicated to keeping staff and stu dents safe. Parents will still not be permitted to eat on campus with their student, but the school water foun tains will be available for students to drink from. Also, students are not per mitted to touch or share school supplies or lockers. The school’s policy does not mandate masks but states that staff and stu dents who consider them selves as being “at risk” may wear a mask if they wish. The biggest change in the school’s protocol is the newly implemented plan regarding those exposed to COVID-19. Exposed students and staff may be exempt from the previ ous 14-day quarantine and may return to school if they comply to tempera ture checks at both the be ginning of the school day and lunch, wear a mask at all times, and have no symptoms of the illness. Robert Toombs Christian Academy Robert Toombs Chris tian Academy has sched uled its student orientation for all grades on August 5, 2-6 p.m. RTCA is also closely monitoring the number of COVID-19 cases in the area. Currently, the school has minimal restrictions and is continuing to lift them; yet, if the need aris es, the administration may quickly shift the protocols and procedures. RTCA is currently only offering in-seat instruction and has not had any fami lies request special accom modations; nevertheless, the school’s administration will accommodate individ uals on a case-by-case basis depending on each indi vidual’s needs. The school administration is also will ing to help make appoint ments for vaccinations at a local health clinic for any employee, student, or fam ily member who wishes to receive a vaccination. Montgomery County Schools Montgomery County Schools will hold open houses at each of its cam puses on August 2 as fol lows: the elementary school, 1:30- 6 p.m.; the middle/high school, 3-6 p.m., and the new Eagle Academy, 1:30-6 p.m. Classes resume August 3. Montgomery County Please see BTS page 11A
