Opening In-Person for Hybrid Model

September 17, 2020

Dear Cypress Village Families Attending Hybrid Model:

As you know, the Governor’s order has been lifted and we will begin in-person instruction on Thursday, September 24th. We are very excited to welcome our students to campus. Please understand that every effort will be made to keep our students safe and to follow the social distancing guidelines designed for schools.

With that in mind, school on campus will look very different from past years.  Students assigned to their classroom Cohort A will attend school in person on Mondays and Thursdays and those assigned to their classroom Cohort B will attend school in person on Tuesdays and Fridays. Students in the hybrid model in all grades will begin school on their assigned days at 9:00 A.M. and be dismissed at 1:00 P.M. On days your child does not have in person on campus instruction, please refer to the weekly schedule provided to you by his/her teacher. 

To the extent feasible while your child is attending in-person on campus instruction, Cypress Village will follow these recommendations and best practices during the Covid pandemic:

Arrival and Dismissal

• Students must wear a mask on campus unless there is a medically allowed exemption.

• When arriving at school, students should go directly to their classroom and enter through the outside classroom door. Parents may walk their child to the door, drop off at the sidewalk in our parking lots or near the school at the designated locations, or allow their child to walk. Students in grades 3rd-6th may also ride their bike to and from school. 

• Parents should limit their time on campus during arrival and dismissal. When on campus, parents must wear a mask, may not enter the school building unless it is in the office for an appointment,  and must practice social distancing 

• At dismissal time, students will be dismissed from school through their outside classroom door. 

• Because class is still in session for our students enrolled in the traditional model when our hybrid students arrive and are dismissed, we ask that parents do not wait or congregate near classrooms, but instead remain off campus until right before class begins and until 5 minutes before hybrid students are dismissed. If parents choose to wait outside the classroom doors to pick up their child at dismissal, they may only do so within the 5 minute timeframe. Parents may also arrange with their child to meet them at a designated location off campus, or allow their child to walk home. Students in grades 3rd-6th may also ride their bike to and from school. 

• Students and parents may not congregate, play, or hang out on campus before class begins or after students are dismissed. Everyone is expected to leave campus immediately following dismissal.  

• There are no crossing guards during hybrid arrival and dismissal.

School Day Operation

• Students will remain with their classroom cohort throughout the day.

• Desks will be spread out to allow for social distancing to the extent possible.

• Students will have their own desk in their classroom. Students will not share desks.

• Desk shields will be provided for each student’s desk.

• When students must travel from one part of campus to another, social distancing guidelines will be followed.

• Frequent hand washing and disinfecting will occur throughout the day.

• Cypress Village will limit sharing of supplies between students to the extent possible and encourage students to take home personal items for cleaning daily.

• Students are encouraged to bring refillable water bottles. Drinking fountains will be closed.

• In order to reduce contact with others, parent volunteers will not be utilized this year.

• Students who have already checked out Chromebooks from IUSD will bring the device to and from school each day they are on campus (unless they no longer need it at home). Students who have not checked out a Chromebook will have a dedicated device available in their classroom for them. 

 Break and Lunch

• Students in the hybrid model will have a 10 minute snack and stretch break. Snacks may be brought from home. On some days, students may step outside for a few minutes to be taken on a guided walk, run, or quick physical activity. 

• No snack or breakfast will be available from the cafeteria. 

• Lunch from the cafeteria will be available to hybrid students upon dismissal.

  • Nutrition Services staff will have grab and go lunches available in front of the MPR at 1:00PM. 

  • Lunches will be distributed on a walkup basis and only the student may line up for lunch pick up. Social Distancing procedures will be followed. Lunches will not be distributed to parents. 

  • Students will use hand sanitizer prior to receiving their meal(s).

  • Nutrition Services staff will be required to wear face coverings, plastic gloves, and disposable aprons.

  • A limited selection of entrees will be available.

  • Student’s accounts will be charged accordingly.

  • Please note: Early morning meals will be available from 7 – 8 a.m. for all IUSD students. Locations for morning meals: Culverdale Elementary, Jeffrey Trail Middle School, and Woodbridge High School. Families will be asked for their student’s first and last name or student ID to enter in the point of sale system.  Cash or check payments will be accepted to be deposited to students accounts.  Providing change is not possible at this time.

  • If you would like to apply for your child to receive free or reduced price lunch, please click here. Many families qualify for free and reduced lunch, so please do not hesitate to apply.

 Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting

• Custodial staff has been trained in COVID-19 cleaning and disinfecting procedures.

• Cleaning protocols are in place for Cypress Village to deep clean, sanitize and disinfect.

• Scheduled cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces (e.g., playground equipment, door handles, sink handles, drinking fountains, light switches, bathroom surfaces, tables, student desks, chairs) within the school and on school buses will occur at least daily or between use as much as possible. 

• Playground equipment will be regularly inspected and cleaned for student use.

• The cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting products used meet EPA disinfection criteria. Staff members using cleaning products have been trained on proper use.

Additionally, around any elementary school, there are a few challenges present.  Of greatest concern is the automobile traffic around the school and the related congestion at arrival and dismissal times. For this reason, in collaboration with the Irvine Police Department and the City of Irvine, very specific procedures have been created and exist for dropping students off, picking them up, and parking. Your cooperation and flexibility is requested with these established guidelines. As a reminder, the loading and unloading zones are for dropping off and picking up students. At no time should a driver leave his or her car unattended and parked in the loading zones. The Irvine Police will be patrolling this area and violators will be cited. In addition, in order to increase the number of access points to the school and promote social distancing, we have opened both parking lots for student drop-off/pick-up.

Once again, I want to assure you that the staff and I are committed to providing each student with a safe and orderly learning environment and a rigorous, challenging, and developmentally appropriate curriculum during this unique and unusual school year. We are honored to have the opportunity to work with your child and very excited to teach them in person. As always, should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me at 936-8900 or email me at JenniferLambert@iusd.org.

S.T.O.R.M. ON!

Jennifer Lambert

Principal