2020 Blog

December 2020 Updates:

We would like to provide our families with an updated diagram regard protocols for direct contacts. The CDC has recently updated their quarantine guidelines for direct contacts and we would like all families to use the below chart when navigating whether or not they or their child has had direct contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19.

We know the constant information and the changes can be overwhelming, so if you ever have a question regarding your situation, please do not hesitate to reach out to Kori Mackall or Janet Maness.

Any family with direct contacts or with in-household Covid-19 positive cases must report this information to Janet Maness and Kori Mackall so that we can give guidance and complete any contact tracing if needed. You may call the main office at 336-883-0992 or email jmaness@thepiedmontschool.com and kmackall@thepiedmontschool.com.

November 2020 Updates:

With Thanksgiving approaching, we have updated our Health & Safety Protocols based on the most current information being given to us from the Guilford County Health Department, NCDHHS and the CDC.

You can see our updated flow chart for monitoring and new protocols here:

Regarding Thanksgiving Break & Holiday Travel

With the Thanksgiving holiday coming up we know many of you will be finalizing your holiday plans for this unique year. We would like to encourage all of our families to continue their commitment to helping keep our Panther community safe and healthy by practicing safe measures over the holidays. The CDC has released some guidance regarding safety measures you can take over the holidays such as keeping gatherings small, outdoors, or limiting the number of interactions you have with those outside of your household.

If you must travel, the CDC also has some great guidelines on safety measures to be taken while traveling.To view CDC recommendations and guidelines for Thanksgiving click here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays.html

From NCDHHS:

Celebrating-Thanksgiving-Safely-Flyer.pdf

TPS & JYA Covid-19 Screening Form:

Each of our families will be required to complete the TPS & JYA Covid-19 Screening Form prior to their child's return to campus on November 30th. This form will be emailed to families on Sunday, November 29th.

We recommend staying home anytime any of the below scenarios are true (including after Thanksgiving travel or gatherings):

there is a pending Covid test of anyone in your household
there is a confirmed Covid test in your house or of a close contact
anyone in your household has symptoms

October 2020 Updates:

As we return from Fall Intercession we would like to take this opportunity to encourage our TPS & JYA families to review the Health and Safety Protocols found in the Re-Entry Plans. Flu season (and fall allergies) is approaching and we are seeing upticks of Covid-19 in the Triad area. With this in mind, now more than ever we need our families to remain committed to the Health & Safety Protocols we have put in place for our school community.

Please continue encouraging your student to keep physical distance, wash their hands frequently, wear their mask properly, and stay home when feeling unwell.

In the Re-Entry Plans below you can find more details on our protocols and what to do if your child is feeling unwell or if your household has direct contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19.

We want to take this opportunity to really thank all of our families for their commitment to these protocols so far. We have done very well thus far and we know this is the result of a unified team effort between our families and our school. THANK YOU.

If you have any questions regarding Health & Safety Protocols please contact Janet Maness jmaness@thepiedmontschool.com or Kori Mackall kmackall@thepiedmontschool.com

JYARe-EntryOctober2020.pdf

TPSReEntryPlanUPDATED.pdf

7/23/20: Important Updates to the Re-Entry Plan for TPS & JYA

Good Morning Panther Families,

We hope you are all doing well and staying safe and healthy during this time. We also hope you are all finding ways to enjoy your summer break.

With August approaching quickly, we have some updates to the TPS & JYA Re-Entry Plan that we need to share with you. We would like to thank all of our families for their continued support as we have navigated through these challenges. It has been heartwarming to receive the words of support and encouragement and we hope you all know that we are proud to have each of you in our Panther Family.

When we put together our initial Re-Entry Plan, we knew we would need to leave room for adjustments and changes as the weeks went on. Attached you will find a detailed updated Re-Entry Plan document with several changes. Over the last few weeks we have constantly been reassessing the current health situation in our area based on information, guidance and conversations with local health officials, state recommendations, CDC guidelines, and our accrediting institutions. We have also had many conversations with our families and faculty during this time. During these conversations, we began to reassess our Re-Entry Plan and felt the need to make some important changes.

For the health and safety of our students and faculty, we have decided to have our JYA students (9th-12th) begin the 2020-2021 school year in a hybrid remote learning model.We have created a virtual/hybrid model that is geared toward keeping our JYA students, faculty, and their families as safe as possible while allowing students the opportunity to be on campus to meet face to face with teachers during office hours/tutoring sessions each week (they will sign up for times/sessions needed).

We know this is a major change to the initial Re-Entry plan and that some of our JYA families may be disappointed. However, since the beginning of this health crisis in March, our number one goal has always been to keep the health and safety of our students and faculty in mind. We feel based on recommendations we have received, that it is the safest for our high school students to begin the year in this way. We plan for JYA to follow this hybrid remote learning option through the first trimester with a tentative campus return date of Monday, October 19th.

With our JYA students in this model, we are still planning for our K-8th grade students to return to in-person instruction on campus as in the previous Re-Entry Plan. We will also require all students and faculty on campus to wear face coverings. We are working on scheduling changes, but these changes will allow for us to make our TPS classes even smaller and allow us space to spread students out even more. Our Primary class will stay together all day in a more self-contained model.

While these new changes most directly impact our JYA families, we would like all families to please read the Updated Re-Entry Plan so you know the impact of these changes to our campus. The Re-Entry Plan also includes important back to school information about Orientations, After School Care, Lunch Ordering, and updating enrollment/re-enrollment forms.

We know this is a lot of information and we thank you for your patience and support during this time. Should you have any questions regarding the current changes, please reach out to TPS Administration.

The health and wellness of our school community is of utmost importance to us and we feel confident these changes will only help us to better ensure a happy, healthy, and thriving Panther community.

With Panther Pride,

TPS Administration

7/10/20: TPS & JYA Re-Entry Plan

Good afternoon Panther families,

We hope you are all enjoying your summer, getting some quality time in with your family, and staying healthy. As we near the last half of summer break, we wanted to communicate some of what to expect for the start of the 2020-2021 school year. Linked below you will find the TPS & JYA Re-Entry Plan for 2020-2021. This plan will give our families and students an idea of what changes to expect on campus this fall.

We have been busily preparing our campus for a safe return for our Panthers and faculty this August. The Admin team has been in close communication with NCAIS/SAIS (our accrediting institutions) and the CDC/NCDHHS/County Health Department regarding safety measures to take in order to plan for an on-campus instruction start to our school year. While we know things can change at any given moment, as of right now we are planning for in-person instruction to start on Wednesday, August 12th for all of our Panthers. With this start, there will be changes and safety measures in place, which you can read about in the Re-Entry Plan linked below. In this document, you will find a color-coded opening phase graph. At this time, we plan to open in either the yellow or green phase, which we will communicate more definitively prior to the start of the school year as we continue to monitor changes and guidance from health officials. However, both yellow and green phases are on-campus instruction options.

The health and safety of our Panther community is the top priority for us and therefore we have updated many of our protocols to be sure we keep our Panthers and faculty safe on campus. Our building has already undergone deep sanitation cleaning of all classrooms, commons areas, bathrooms, and floors. Our wonderful facilities manager, Mr. Tisdale, has taken care of us by ordering and stocking up on CDC and EPA recommended cleaning agents and solutions that are proven to sanitize and protect our building as best as possible so that we can maintain these efforts throughout the school year. In this document you will also find new protocols for our sick policy and protocols should there be a confirmed COVID case on campus (all of which were taken from advice from NCDHHS, CDC, and the Guilford County Health Department). As a part of these new protocols, we have created a designated Wellness Room in our building where sick students can be isolated until parents are able to pick them up should they become ill on campus. You will notice signage around campus with CDC reminders for distancing, frequent hand washing, and other important reminders for staying healthy. Students will notice physical distancing markers in our hallways for a visual reminder to maintain physical distance where possible. We have learned through this COVID-19 pandemic to remain flexible, fluid, and ready to make necessary changes at a given moment. We are thankful each day for the overwhelming support we received from our families last spring and we are so thrilled to have so many families returning with us this fall (including many new families!).

We feel confident with the measures in place we will be able to provide a safe return to campus for our students. We are thankful for our small campus and small size as it has made many of these recommendations feasible. Please know that this plan is a baseline and changes may need to be made based on updated information or guidance. Any changes will be communicated as soon as they are made. We ask that you please keep a close eye on your email in the coming weeks as we will be sending information regarding updates to our campus return and also regarding orientations (which will likely look different than previous years). We have been thrilled to have a small group of students participating in our Summer Enrichment program on campus this week with a successful start with all of the above measures in place. It has been heartwarming to see students on campus again!

Should you have any questions, please reach out to Mr. Tim Montgomery or Mrs. Kori Mackall and we will answer to the best of our ability based on the information we have. Mrs. Janet Maness is also available Monday-Thursdays 8 am-12 pm in the front office to answer questions.

To view, please click here: 2020-2021 Re-Entry Plan

6/11/20: Important Message From Tim Montgomery, Head of School

6/1/20: Summer Office Hours:

The Piedmont School office will be open Monday-Thursday 8am-1pm beginning 6/1/20 until 7/24/20. Our office will be closed on Fridays this summer. Our office will also be closed 7/27/20-7/31/20 as we prepare and take extra sanitization precautions prior to the start of our school year.

5/11/20: End of Year Schedule

3/30/20: Virtual Meeting Schedules for TPS & JYA:

TPS Zoom/Google Hangouts/Facetime Schedule:

Here is a breakdown of the weekly tele-meeting schedule for TPS students.

Mr. Wallace Primary: Mondays - Facetime Conferences

Mrs. Saenz Literacy- Tuesdays/Thurs

9:00 1st/2nd period

11:00 5th/6th/7th/8th

FaceTime Fridays —just like office hours; optional one-on-one time

Mrs. Palmer Literacy- Tuesdays/Thursdays

Lower School: 10:00

Upper School: 1:00

Mrs. Barbee Literacy- Thursdays

Lower School: 11:00

Upper School: 12:30

Ms. Rohl Literacy- Thursdays

Lower School: 10:00

Upper School: 1:00

Ms. Bovender Social Studies- Tuesdays/Thursdays

Upper School: 9:00

Lower School: 1:00

Mr. Petty, Ms. Pugh, and Mrs. Williams (Math and Science)-Mondays and Wednesdays

9:00- 6th period- 3rd-grade group

9:30-8th period- 5th grade

10:00-7th-period 4th grade

10:30-2nd-period 8th grade

11:00-3rd-period 7/8th grade group

11:30- 4th-period 6th-grade group

Assignment Schedule for Specials:

Coach M- PE

Assigns Wednesdays-due the following Wednesday

Mr. Prevatte- Art/Drama/Music

Assignment due on Fridays

JYA Zoom Meeting Schedule:

JYA families will receive a newsletter on Mondays detailing assignment information for each class along with due dates and other general information. JYA families, the bulk of your information will be in these newsletters, so please keep an eye out for them on Mondays.

Mrs. Kennedy- English- Mondays

9 am- Of Mice and Men Group (periods 2,3,5)

1030am- Creative Writing Group (periods 1, 4)

12 pm- LLS (period 7)

Ms. Genung Latin- Tuesdays
830am- 1st period

930am- 2nd period

Ms. Fullerton Science- Wednesdays

9am- Freshmen Academy and Physical Science

10am- Biology

11am- Astronomy

Mr. Plummer History- Thursdays-

1-3 pm- Office Hours

Mrs. Binkley Math- Thursdays-

10 am- Algebra 1

11 am- Pre Calculus

12pm- Geometry

Mrs. Binkley Math- Fridays

10 am- Math Topics (4th and 5th periods)

12 pm- Gregory S.

3/25/20: A Message From Mr. Montgomery

Also, be sure to check out Mrs. Linn's Counseling Corner Website, full of great resources for parents and students!

https://sites.google.com/thepiedmontschool.com/mrslinnscounselors-corner

3/23/20: Virtual Spirit Week!

3/19/20: Strategies & Tips for Parents of ADHD/LD Learnings

3/18/20: To Our Panther Families on Distance Learning Launch Day

Dear Panther Families,

As you know, today is the day we are officially launching distance learning. Before you continue any further reading this email I want you to stop, close your eyes, and take a big deep breath... take one more if you need to and repeat after me..."it is going to be ok. We will get through this".

Thank you to all of the families who came by yesterday to pick up student materials. I think what made our day the most was that so many of our Panthers were in the car excited to wave at us and flash big smiles. It made the day of all of our faculty.

We really want each and every one of you to know that we are in this together. We know how overwhelming this is for so many. We know how many of our parents are still working or remote working and balancing just how to make this all happen. We know many of you are balancing having more than one child at home, who attend different schools, and that you're having to dissect and organize different distance learning plans. Many of us here are in the exact same position trying to figure out how to balance work/remote work and our families (several with young children distance learning also). The navigating of these unique and difficult circumstances are completely overwhelming and we absolutely understand.

With that said, we know this is going to take some time to navigate. We know this will be easier for some families than others. We are aware there may be times that nothing can be accomplished due to logistics and other times a lot can get done. It is all ok. We want you to make it work as best as you can and to remember that we are here for you. Our students do best with consistency and repetition so we recommend taking some time to figure out what the best schedule for you looks like. Find a quiet place in your home to set up "school". Find the times of day that work best for your child to consistently complete school work. Some days are going to be harder than others, many of them will be these initial days. Know that it is ok to struggle with this new set up. Remember that while many of these online pieces are new to you, they are not new to your child. Lexia, IXL, RazKids, etc are all used every day/consistently here at TPS and JYA students have used Google Classroom all year. Your children are amazing and we think they will amaze many of you with just how well they get through this. We received a great suggestion for sharing strategies that we use here at TPS & JYA that may be helpful for parents, we are getting together a list and will send that out to help guide you as well.

We appreciate so many of the kind and heartwarming messages we received from many of you in the last few days. As you can imagine, this has been quite an obstacle for our faculty and administration to tackle as well, so your words of encouragement have meant the world to us. We truly have the best school community around! While we were ahead of the curve in starting our preparations, it is still unchartered waters for many of us. We appreciate your continuous support as we continue to navigate the coming weeks.
We will be in constant communication and if you need anything at all, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. The Administrative team along with Dir. of Technology, Mr. Davis will be on campus the next two weeks M-F from 8:00 am-11:00 am if you need to give us a call.
Remember, this too shall pass (even if it is not as soon as we all would like) and we are better together.

As always, we are #ProudToBeTPSPanthers

With Panther Pride,

Kori Mackall

Director of Communications & Development

The Piedmont School & John Yowell Academy

3/17/20: Student material pick-up schedule for Tuesday, March 17th.

If your TPS (K-8th) student does not have access to technology at home, please email Kori Mackall kmackall@thepiedmontschool.com and we will make accommodations. If you are unable to pick up student materials during these times, please give us a call and we will make arrangements.