Community Update July 27, 2020

Dear MCH Families,

After the announcement from several King County district schools last week to begin the school year online, we wanted to share a few of our current strategies and plans for re-entry at the beginning of the new school year in September. While we are not quite ready to unveil all of our plans right now, including more information on School at Home 3.0 (as we are still incorporating incoming information), we do anticipate being ready to share more in the next couple of weeks.

You may recall from the MCH Town Hall meetings that MCH would be implementing a Staging Model that would allow us the ability to turn the dial incrementally regarding access to the campus, our ability to offer childcare, and the implementation of a School at Home program depending on community transmission and public health concerns as the Pandemic ebbs and flows. This summer we’ve been working on actively developing what our plans look like from Stage 0 through Stage 4.

Current Fall PlansAt this point in time, MCH plans to open the school year in either Stage 1 or Stage 2, depending on local community transmission rates and other catalysts that will impact our decisions. The catalysts that would guide our movement between Stages 1 and 2 are still being refined and are not finalized.
Below you will find a written summary of what Stage 1 and 2 programming would look like for your child's programming experience.

Staging Descriptions

Stage 1: MCH implements School at Home programming, which would include the following:
Lead teachers would deliver the Montessori program instruction remotely through School at Home 3.0

Lower School families (Infant/Toddler/Early Childhood) can choose from either:
School at Home Instruction remotely 

OR

Childcare on campus at reduced hours (available for all students)

Upper School families (Lower Elementary/Upper Elementary/Middle School) would receive:
* School at Home 3.0 instruction remotely 
* Students enrolled in a Before and/or After care schedule can have supervised childcare at reduced hours supervised by MCH Staff on campus in a mixed age cohort classroom with School at Home 3.0 support


Stage 2: MCH re-enters the campus with:
• Montessori on campus instruction 
• Reduced classroom density 
• Cohort classroom models 
• Reduced operational hours to 7:30-5:00 
• School at Home options for Upper School 
• School at Home options for Lower School tentatively being explored as an option based on demand and staffing availability 
• Various health and safety mitigation strategies such as: 

Mask wearing culture strongly encouraged at the Lower School levels and required at the Upper School levels 

6 Foot physical distancing strategies in place where possible, depending on development 

Hand washing and hygiene education and culture 

Increased classroom disinfecting 

Daily health screening 

Strict illness exclusion policies and procedures

Click here to see a visual flow chart of Stage 1 and 2


Ask from families
After you digest the information presented above, we are asking that ALL families participate in a very brief 1-minute questionnaire for each child enrolled at MCH. This is not a commitment and will only be used to help us plan appropriately for staffing and programming next year.
• For Stage 1, please let us know if you want your child on campus for childcare or would rather participate in School at Home 3.0 in your own home during Stage 1.

• For Stage 2, please let us know if you would choose School at Home 3.0 in your own home or in class Montessori instruction on campus.

Upper School Survey Questionnaire 
Lower School Survey Questionnaire

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this communication and participate in our brief survey. We are looking forward to sharing more about our plans with you in the near future. Please don’t hesitate to ask any clarifying questions.

Be Well & Stay Safe,
​
Jennifer McConnell 
Head of School