Westside Waldorf first grade students returned to the classroom.
Four private schools — Seven Arrows, Calvary Christian, Corpus Christi and Westside Waldorf — have all received transitional kindergarten (TK) through second grade waivers from L.A. County to reopen under strict guidelines.
CALVARY CHRISTIAN:
“Calvary Christian School is thrilled to be able to continue to increase the number of students returning to campus for in-person instruction,” said Head of School Vince Downey. “Through the recent approval of our waiver, our first and second grade students will be back on campus four days a week, joining our preschool, TK and kindergarten students who have been on campus daily since September.
“We already see the benefits to these young students for whom remote learning can be especially challenging and are thankful to serve our families in this way,” Downey continued. “In addition, we are excited to also be able to bring back the older students, up through eighth grade, per LADPH guidelines, for at least one day of in-person instruction/assessments per week.
“This new schedule will roll out slowly over the next few weeks,” Downey said, noting that Calvary continues to adhere to all LADPH campus health and safety protocols.
CORPUS CHRISTI:
Corpus Christi Principal Suzanne Stewart Duffy in a letter to school families noted that the TK-second grade waiver application had been approved. “We therefore look forward to welcoming our Second Grade back on campus on Monday, November 16. The students will attend school from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.”
“In addition to allowing TK-2nd to learn on-site, receipt of the waiver allows us to move toward bringing back on campus, in cohorts of 12 students maximum (cohorts means classes that do not mingle with classes of the same grade and have the same teacher), 25 percent of the remaining student body in our third through eighth grades. I will keep you updated on the timeline to do so, as this waiver provides for us the ability to have our Third and Fourth Grade students return to site-based learning too. We will stagger the on-campus return of Third and Fourth Grade, starting after we return from Thanksgiving Break.”
WESTSIDE WALDORF:
“Westside Waldorf School’s Early Childhood students (ages 2.6 – 6) have been attending at both of our campuses since early September and we are now pleased to be amongst the first to receive LA County’s waiver for reopening to in-person learning for our Grade 1 and 2 students,” the school’s leadership council wrote in a November 10 email.
“We started this week with a couple of in-person days and will be moving gradually to a five-day schedule,” the Council said. “Waldorf Education is a uniquely integrative and developmental mind-heart-body approach to learning, supporting healthy academics with movement, the arts, and experiential learning throughout the entire program.
“WWS is thrilled that it’s youngest students will be able to come back to campus and fully experience our rich curriculum with the dimension and social benefits that come with an in-person school experience and truly highlight our living curriculum,” the Council said. WWS still has openings for in-person enrollment 3, 4, or 5 half or full days per week for early childhood students ages 2.6 to 6 years old. Call Admissions Director Sumaiya Yusuf with inquiries (310-454-7064).
On October 27, the L.A. Department of Public Health released the following message: “All schools may have up to 25 percent of full student capacity on campus at one time, to provide in-person specialized support and services to students of high need, with the exception of schools that have received a waiver to reopen for all students in grades TK – 2. Schools that have received a TK – 2nd grade waiver may bring back up to 25 percent of total students in grades 3 and above on campus at one time to provide specialized support and services protocals.
School officials from Calvary, Corpus, Seven Arrows and Waldorf have told CTN that their schools are following safety measures and protocols required by L.A. County for in-person learning.