Annual Student Information Update 2021-2022

Dear Bulldog Families and Students,

A new school year is upon us! I am excited to move forward and continue towards the path of pre-COVID normalcy. We are back to full-time in person instruction for Simpson students. The Simpson office officially opens on Monday, August 23rd. Our first day of school will be on Wednesday, September 1st. School will start at 8:20 and end at 2:40. 

It would be helpful for students to be dropped off as close to the bell as possible. The gym will open for students and serve breakfast at 8:00. Classroom doors will open at 8:10. Busses will arrive prior to students being released, so the bus pick-up lane can be utilized by parents in the afternoon after all busses have left Simpson. Once the annual updates are complete, your child’s teacher will be reaching out to introduce themselves and provide information about their classroom. 

We will continue to follow the guidance from the DOH to ensure a safe, in-person 21/22 school year. This does mean we will be starting the fall with donning masks while we are indoors. For the latest DOH Guidance, click here. Please know this guidance is ever-changing. To save you some time, here are some highlights:

Prevention Measures

We will continue to provide full time in-person education for all students with the following required mitigation measures: universal face coverings/masks, physical distancing, hand washing and respiratory etiquette, cleaning and disinfecting, staying home when sick and seeking evaluation, testing as indicated, contact tracing in combination with quarantine and isolation, responding to cases of COVID-19, and meeting the reporting requirements to public health.

Masks/Face Coverings

• Indoor

  • All staff, students, and visitors must continue to wear face coverings/masks regardless of vaccination status. 

  • Staff who are verified to be fully vaccinated may be indoors without masks when students are not present or expected to be present. 

• Outdoor

  • Face coverings are not required outdoors. Masks are strongly recommended for unvaccinated individuals when outdoors in crowded spaces or when in close contact with people from outside their household for a sustained period of time, as the risk of COVID-19 infection increases with the duration and closeness of contact between individuals. Schools should support students and staff who choose to wear a mask or face covering outdoors.

• Transportation

  • Passengers and drivers are required to wear masks/face coverings while on the school bus. 

Physical Distancing

• To the degree possible, we will make every effort to maintain physical distancing of at least 3 feet.

Health Screenings/Attestation

• Screenings/attestations are not required at this time.

Students will also be excited to hear that we will no longer have playground designations for grade-level recess. They will have full access to all of the playground and equipment every recess! Classroom doors will open at 8:10 and students can continue to use multiple entrances to the school as we did last year. As always, we will have plenty of smiling staff members inside and outside the school providing guidance to ensure students have the support they need to navigate their first days of school.

If families have hesitance for in-person instruction, Simpson Elementary will continue to offer the distance-learning MODEL program. Please reach out if you wish to enroll your child in the MODEL program. 

I have a deep appreciation for this community. The pride and support families show for Monte schools are unrivaled. It has made all the difference in navigating a batch of tricky school years. We will do everything in our power to offer a safe and fun learning environment for our students. 

Best regards, 

Chris Cady