FAQs

My child is transitioning to a new program in the fall; how will that work?

• Teachers understand the nuance that the transition to a new program will have this year. They are prepared to address the possible additional social-emotional needs of the children, both in-person and remotely.
• Over the summer, different programs will reach out in a variety of ways to connect with you and your child, whether that is a virtual home visit or a phone call. Teachers are reaching out to transitioning students through postcards, virtual meetings, and socially distanced meetings.
• Like all school years, we start slowly teaching things to scaffold successful experiences throughout the year.like: arrival procedures, For our On-Campus and Hybrid learners, this will begin with things like arrival procedures. For our Remote students, it will include how to access email, how to work with google classroom, and how to set up a productive learning space at home.
• Early Childhood (including Kindergarten) and Toddler class lists will be available by July 30th. In August, we'll host

How will drop-off work?

• We will continue to prioritize the emotional well being of our students and are thinking carefully about the beginning of school separation period. We anticipate having limited access to the building for families/caregivers during our fall phase-in period, prioritizing our outdoor spaces for drop-off of our youngest students, and extending phase-in as needed to encourage a gentle, joyful re-entry.
• To reduce exposure, Early Childhood, Elementary, and Middle School families may not enter the buildings until further notice. Though discouraged at this time, one toddler parent may enter if needed and must wear a mask. Phase-in schedules for our youngest will be adjusted to support students and families navigating this new routine. Drop-off will occur outdoors, with multiple entrances available for arrival and dismissal. Arrival time will be staggered by family. Carpool will be available for Early Childhood through Elementary programs.    
• Details on dismissal will be available in August.

How will we deal with material usage and shared materials?

• Each homeroom will minimize sharing materials by labeling supplies and/or shelves for individual children. Each classroom will also have its own supplies from specialists for their cohorts to use (i.e. gym equipment, art supplies, etc.)
• We follow all labels on our EPA-registered disinfectants to ensure safe and effective use for materials in the classroom requiring disinfection.
• We will put books and Learning Library materials in “quarantine,” then thoroughly clean them before they are ready to be shared again.

What are cohorts? What are pods?

• In a regular school year, Chiaravalle is organized by mixed-age homerooms. We refer to these groupings, which span 2 or 3 years in all programs except Toddler, as “classrooms,” “homerooms” or “cohorts.” A thoughtful student placement process creates classrooms that are optimally balanced in various aspects: age, gender, and learning style.
• Pods are smaller subgroups of a classroom cohort that allow Chiaravalle to safely reduce the number of students in any one peer group.

How will pods be determined?

Early Childhood

• EC2 and Kinder (4-5 year olds) students who are returning to the Early Childhood program will stay with their teacher from the previous year to form a pod of 15-16 students. Kindergartners and some EC2s who are new to Chiaravalle in 2020-2021 will be placed into these pods as well.
• EC1 and EC2 (3 and 4 year olds) students who are new to Chiaravalle’s Early Childhood program--including both Toddler graduates and brand new students--will join one of two new pods with their peers. These pods will be created with a balance in learning style and temperament in mind. These students will be taught by a trained EC head teacher and an Assistant. EC1 students who have a sibling in an Early Childhood classroom will be placed with their sibling upon parent request.

Lower Elementary

• Lower Elementary homerooms will begin the year separated into two pods of 12-13 students and one co-teacher until we determine we can safely bring the larger cohort together. Student placement will balance in various aspects: age, gender, and learning style.

Middle School

• Middle School will be divided into 3 pods of approximately 15 students each. These pods, as well as the four teachers, will be reconfigured as often we are able to safely do so allowing students to interact with each other and all the Middle School teachers. As health conditions allow, we will be able to rotate pod configurations and bring Middle School pods together into larger open areas.  

 

 

If I choose Elementary/Middle School Remote Learning for the fall, will my tuition be discounted?

• No. Tuition will be the same as our on-campus program for Elementary and Middle School families opting for an all-remote program.

If we are mandated to move to Remote Learning or quarantined, will my tuition be discounted?

• During Remote Learning, K-8 tuition remains the same. The cost of After School will be credited to a family's FACTS account.
• During periods of remote learning, whether state mandated or due to individual or class quarantine, Toddler, EC1, and EC2 families will pay only the AM program fees during all remote learning days for the 2020-2021 school year. Full-day families will receive a prorated tuition credit applied to any remote learning days at the end of each month, and full credit for days missed will be given for After School programs when learning at home.

Can I choose Remote Learning instead of on-campus learning?

Chiaravalle is prepared to offer a Remote Learning program for Elementary and Middle School students through January. Tuition will be the same as our on-campus program. Remote instruction schedule, staffing, and activities would be adapted to meet program level, group and/or individual needs. The robustness of this option will be dependent upon the number of students enrolled.

All Elementary and Middle School families who choose an all Remote Learning Program, will be making a commitment for that option until January. After winter break, students previously enrolled in remote instruction could return to campus or continue remote learning. We will revisit options for spring remote programs in November. If an all remote program is right for your family, contact Tiffany Jorgensen (tjorgensen@chiaravalle.org) by July 15th.

While we are not providing a dedicated remote learning option for Toddler and Early Childhood due to the needs of this age group, we are prepared to offer a supplemental remote Parent/Child class for each age group. Contact Tiffany Jorgensen (tjorgensen@chiaravalle.org) by July 15th if you are interested.

 

Our wellness committee of health care professionals are creating a positive and practical program of COVID education.

Our goal is to empower students to take care of their own health and be mindful of the collective health of our community without triggering a constant fight-or-flight response.

Can a teacher hug/hold a student?

As always, teachers are able to demonstrate warmth and comfort children.

How will my child’s social-emotional and mental health be taken into consideration?

Chiaravalle has always prioritized the social-emotional aspect of learning, and we are planning a variety of ways to address and support students’ mental and social-emotional needs, including:

• normalizing PPE (i.e. How to sew your own mask)
• providing additional support to teachers on the mental health needs of students at this time via the school psychologist and online webinars
• We understand children’s unique needs and circumstances, and we will daily work on creating safe, nurturing environments for children to learn and grow.

 

 

What if I withdraw from the school after July 15?

Chiaravalle has extened the school's withdrawal deadline due to the coronavirus pandemic. Here is the amended policy:

Any parent wishing to withdraw a child from any of Chiaravalle’s programs during the academic year must submit a written statement to that effect. Contact the Admission Office.

• Families who submit withdrawals by JULY 15, 2020 (extended deadline for the coronavirus pandemic) will be relieved of tuition payments.
• Families who submit withdrawals after JULY 15, 2020 will be responsible for the entire tuition balance until an appropriate replacement is enrolled and the program reaches capacity. Families will not receive the deposit back. If a withdrawal is submitted after March 1, 2021, Chiaravalle will not be obliged to seek a replacement so close to the end of the school year and the family will be responsible for the entire tuition balance.
• If a child withdraws from Chiaravalle at any time at the School’s request, the family will be released from obligation to make future scheduled payments.
• If a student withdraws and moves residence 25 miles or more from Chiaravalle, the family will be released from the obligation to make future scheduled payments. The family must provide proof of the student's new address.