Dear Hopewell Valley Families:
This morning we were informed of a staff member at the Stony Brook School who tested positive COVID. The last time this individual was in school was Wednesday, November 4, 2020. There is no evidence to suggest the individual was infectious at any point while they were in the building and the was closed during the long weekend.
We are being overly cautious with this notification in an effort to make sure everyone is aware of the status of cases in our school community. The district will continue to take precautions to prevent the introduction and spread of viruses and other germs and is cleaning frequently-touched surfaces daily.
Given the current increase in cases in New Jersey, please help protect all of us by monitoring your family members for symptoms and following the guidelines below:
Stay home when you are sick;
Wash your hands often with soap for at least 20 seconds;
Cover coughs and sneezes and properly disposing of tissues;
Practice social distancing (staying at least 6 feet apart) at all times - including bus stops and playgrounds;
Wear a mask while on school property - including playgrounds after school;
Limit close contact with people who are sick and not sharing food, drinks and utensils; and
Continue to monitor your health for symptoms.
We appreciate your support and cooperation. You can assist us by remaining vigilant but sensible in your approach to dealing with this health concern.
Sincerely,
Thomas A. Smith, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
he/his/him
thomassmith@hvrsd.org
Below are some resources that might be helpful.
RESOURCES with updated links
a. NJDOH COVID-19 Information for Communities and the General Public: https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/covid2019_community.shtml
b. Get the Facts about Coronavirus: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
c. Symptoms of COVID-19: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html
d. Testing: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/testing/index.html
e. How to Protect Yourself: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html
f. What to Do if You Are Sick: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/index.html
Our Tech Department has identified and resolved the outage. Service is coming online now.
HVRSD is experiencing widespread internet and phone outages. We are working to resolve this asap. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
CONTACT TRACING COMPLETED
The Department of Health has informed us that contact tracing for the CHS COVID case has been completed. Close contacts (defined as contact within six feet for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more in 24 hours) have been contacted are quarantined. Close contacts are occurring outside of school; please support our efforts to contain the virus by encouraging your children to social distance, avoid large gatherings, and wear a mask whenever they are with non-family members. Following our district protocols, we have completed our deep cleaning process and HVCHS is ready to open for students and staff on Monday, November 9, 2020.
I would like to acknowledge the Hopewell Township and Montgomery Township Departments of Health for their guidance and support during this most recent issue.
As a reminder, please continue to adhere to the following guidelines:
Parents of all in-person students MUST complete the daily symptom form in OnCourse or on the HVRSD app. We will continue to temperature screen students each morning.
Failure to complete the daily screening will result in exclusion from school.
If your child has any COVID symptoms, do not send him/her to school.
If your child exhibits COVID symptoms while at school, he/she will be excluded for 10 days, unless cleared by a physician.
Practice social distancing (staying at least 6 feet apart) at all times - including bus stops and playgrounds;
Wear a mask while on school property - including playgrounds after school;
If your child has COVID symptoms, please contact your doctor and school nurse*.
If your family is quarantining due to possible exposure, please inform your school nurse*. *All information is confidential.
Positive COVID-19 Notification at CHS
This evening we notified CHS families and staff of a confirmed COVID case. Based on our initial discussions with the Department of Health, we believe this case is limited to CHS and due to the timing of the symptoms and the initial contact tracing, no closure is warranted. If this changes, we will let you know as soon as possible. As a precautionary measure, we will complete our deep cleaning protocols prior to anyone returning to the building on Monday morning.
We need your assistance during this public health emergency to keep us all safe. Please adhere to the following guidelines:
Parents of all in-person students MUST complete the daily symptom form in OnCourse or on the HVRSD app. We will continue to temperature screen students each morning.
Failure to complete the daily screening will result in exclusion from school.
If your child has any COVID symptoms, do not send him/her to school.
If your child exhibits COVID symptoms while at school, he/she will be excluded for 10 days, unless cleared by a physician.
If your child has COVID symptoms, please contact your doctor and school nurse*.
If your family is quarantining due to possible exposure, please inform your school nurse*. *All information is confidential.
HVRSD Notification Protocols
Notification of a confirmed or suspected case in your child’s school:
Email sent immediately from the building principal to all families in that school notifying them of a confirmed or suspected case. Personal information of the suspected or confirmed case is private and will not be shared.
Email sent from the District with school closure information, if warranted, based on the Department of Health’s initial investigation.
Possible exposure notification:
If your child has been identified as having been in contact with a confirmed or suspected case, you will be contacted by the Department of Health. Please note, as per the new CDC guidelines for close contact, contact tracing has changed and may take additional time to complete. Exposure is now defined as within 6 feet for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more in 24 hours.
If you are identified as a contact through the Department of Health tracing process, you will be contacted directly by the Department of Health with further details.
We appreciate your assistance to keep our schools safe.
Sincerely,
Thomas A. Smith, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
he/his/him
thomassmith@hvrsd.org
RESOURCES with updated links
a. NJDOH COVID-19 Information for Communities and the General Public: https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/covid2019_community.shtml
b. Get the Facts about Coronavirus: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
c. Symptoms of COVID-19: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html
d. Testing: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/testing/index.html
e. How to Protect Yourself: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html
f. What to Do if You Are Sick: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/index.html
The HVRSD weekly FOCUS available here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ve8-PLXc-ZPvdNZrYCip3pCpXJYqPy01tNhlzg7yYKs/edit?usp=sharing
This evening we notified CHS families and staff of a confirmed COVID case. Following our District protocols, Central High School will transition to Full Remote Learning for all students on Monday and Tuesday, October 26 and 27. No students or staff will be allowed in the building until CHS is reopened, hopefully on Wednesday, October 28, 2020. The return to school date will be confirmed when contact tracing is completed. ALL OTHER HVRSD SCHOOLS WILL REMAIN OPEN.
We need your assistance during this public health emergency to keep us all safe. Please adhere to the following guidelines:
Parents of all in-person students MUST complete the daily symptom form in OnCourse or on the HVRSD app. We will continue to temperature screen students each morning.
Failure to complete the daily screening will result in exclusion from school.
If your child has any COVID symptoms, do not send him/her to school.
If your child exhibits COVID symptoms while at school, he/she will be excluded for 10 days, unless cleared by a physician.
Practice social distancing (staying at least 6 feet apart) at all times - including bus stops and playgrounds;
Wear a mask while on school property - including playgrounds after school;
If your child has COVID symptoms, please contact your doctor and school nurse*.
If your family is quarantining due to possible exposure, please inform your school nurse*. *All information is confidential.
HVRSD Notification Protocols
Notification of a confirmed or suspected case in your child’s school:
Email sent immediately from the building principal to all families in that school notifying them of a confirmed or suspected case. Personal information of the suspected or confirmed case is private and will not be shared.
Email sent from the District with school closure information based on the Department of Health’s initial investigation.
Possible exposure notification:
If your child has been identified as having been in contact with a confirmed or suspected case, you will be contacted by the Department of Health.
Please note, as per the new CDC guidelines for close contact, contact tracing has changed and may take additional time to complete. Exposure is now defined as within 6 feet for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more in 24 hours.
If you are identified as a contact through the Department of Health tracing process, you will be contacted directly by the Department of Health with further details.
We appreciate your assistance to keep our schools safe.
The HVRSD weekly FOCUS is back! Find it here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1i3nxOYOHy3ogbYryUuVHAwdkMolzR6GsU49H139Rank/edit?usp=sharing
We have completed just over twenty instructional days of the 2020-21 school year. During this time, our students and staff have demonstrated an unparalleled resilience and their herculean efforts have allowed us to accomplish a successful return to in-person and fully remote learning. Although we have faced many challenges over the past six months, I have seen our amazing educators transform the way they deliver instruction. These changes will likely have a lasting impact on education for generations to come. I would also like to acknowledge our students who have done an exceptional job adjusting to all of the new protocols and procedures. I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished collectively and I am excited to see what more we will achieve in the future.
As we plan for our phased-in return to full in-person instruction, we would like to provide parents, staff, and students the opportunity to reflect on our first 20 days and provide input for our next steps. To this end, we invite you to participate in a district-wide survey which may be accessed here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HVRSDCHECKIN
Return to school decisions will ultimately be based on consultation with and guidance from: The State of New Jersey, The Department of Education, the local Department of Health, the school physician and legal counsel, the Board of Education, and student, staff and parent feedback.
Your feedback is important as we prepare for our next steps.
Sincerely,
Thomas A. Smith
Superintendent of Schools
he/his/him
thomassmith@hvrsd.org
Please note the following about the survey:
This survey will close on October 16, 2020 at 5:00 pm.
Survey results will be posted on the district website.
Information in this survey will be shared publicly. Inappropriate and/or personally identifiable responses will be removed.
All responses are anonymous.
If you have more than one child in the district, feel free to complete a survey for each child.
Questions were adapted from a variety of sources.
The HVRSD weekly FOCUS is back! Find it here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C96AF0-he0aMcrQ_gCKsXI10Fnvlie3TvVA2AR7-Q30/edit?usp=sharing
The Hopewell Valley Regional School District is aware of widespread internet outages impacting the Hopewell Valley. Please complete this survey if you are unable to access the internet with a district device. We recognize not everyone will be able to access this form due to the outage; however, we are hoping that individuals can access this form via their phone or other means to get an idea of how many students may need accommodations.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdTipsFUxOd71mrfDwLasQ-a0pEa1fuTcRQz0fPWpxqeUC_8w/viewform?usp=sf_link
We are aware of widespread internet outages throughout Hopewell Valley. The outages seem to be primarily impacting FIOS/Verizon systems. We will continue to monitor the situation and alert staff to be aware of potential issues that may impact our students.
Watch Our Kindergarten Intro Night Here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hby_te2SA8-hiiW_Eb8YQ-x5hgIDG-5t/view?usp=sharing
Watch the 2020 HVCHS Commencement here: https://youtu.be/ex1vjXT-DPY
Return to School survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HVRSD2020