Myra S. Barnes Intermediate School 24 Home

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Dear I.S. 24 Families, A letter was sent for all families to read late yesterday from NYC School's Chancellor Richard Carranza...

Please be read the attached letter regarding a confirmed case of Coronavirus (COVID-19) at I.S. 24. We want to be and remain fully transparent with our school community so we are sharing this information at this time.

Here are some reminders from the CDC to prevent germs from spreading.

Dear I.S. 24 School Community of Students, Families and Staff, I felt it was necessary to communicate with you at this time. Much has happened locally and nationally and many of us are left confused, stunned and needing answers. Today some information was released to school's and I want to try and assist with your concerns regarding Coronavirus and schools. To keep the information short and digestible I will share many notes in bullet format. Some things you should be aware of are as follows; +Please do not follow the rumors or social media inaccuracies. Facts will be shared in real time through the Mayor's Office and Department of Education which will then be made public by our school through the following tools; website: www.barnes24.org instagram: 24prideofgk facebook: I.S. 24 Myra S. Barnes Pupilpath Message Phoneblast Messages +Our school will never answer a question regarding if someone (student or staff) is ill. That is private and is protected under the law. Please do not call the school and flood the phone lines as they are needed for official business, emergencies, etc. Our school will never deny or confirm any information unless its confirmed and approved to be released so please do not become challenging with whoever assists you over the phone. This is all new to everyone. +We are preparing for the end of the third marking period on March 27th. Many parents are concerned about grades, attendance, schoolwork, etc. Much of that information will be shared here and in communication next week as well. For as long as school is open Teachers will be delivering instruction and students are expected in school. If a parent chooses to keep their child home its a parent/family decision. We are here and learning is still taking place. +If a parent decides to keep a student home for these reasons below the student is absent from school but it can be excused. An absence is the physical presence of a student not taking place. If you have heard of a "Code 14" for an excused absence it can only be used for the reasons below. Students are staying home with flu-like symptoms of respiratory illness that may indicate COVID-19, such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath. Students have returned from COVID-19 affected areas and are self-quarantined. Students are absent due to exposure from COVID-19 and possess a doctor’s note (although the note is not required to use Reason Code 14). Families/caregivers choose to keep students home in an effort to reduce their child’s or family member's risk to COVID-19 exposure. +Attendance of students with excused absences from March 12-April 3 will not be harmed if a student is a candidate for Arista and attendance is less than satisfactory. +The school is being cleaned as usual everyday but a specific cleaning schedule by order of the DoE is allowing for surface cleaning two times a week by the Custodian. +Teachers and Staff will begin working on creating assignments and tasks in the event students are not attending school in the coming days as we get direction from the NYC DoE. As a reminder, I am here with you and for you. I am a member of this school community in more ways than one and I am living this with you. Please remember to breathe, follow all CDC and and local health directives and live your life as best you can with the information you have. We will get through this...I promise. Sincerely, Lenny Santamaria Principal

Dear I.S. 24 Families and School Community, The attached is a letter I am sharing with all of you from the Chancellor. Please read it carefully. I expect to have more to share with you in the next one-two days so please keep checking Pupilpath and catch messages on instagram and facebook. Further information is always being released on the following site as well using the link: https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/health-and-wellness/coronavirus-update Regards, Lenny Santamaria Principal

Dear I.S. 24 Families, We hope you, our students, and the rest of your family are well. By now you have heard our Mayor and Schools Chancellor announced on Sunday the City will move towards a new Remote Learning Model for all school days until Spring Recess. Students will not report to school buildings for instruction during this time. School buildings are scheduled to reopen to students following Spring Recess on Monday, April 20, 2020. Not every school will be doing everything alike so please be aware that no schools are exactly alike. Please expect us to provide more information in a few days to you and your student(s) regarding what to expect. This is new for everyone and we are adjusting with you. Our Staff, Teachers and all Support Staff will be preparing in a few days and will hope to have some guidance. We are with you in this new reality and uncertainty. Sincerely, Lenny Santamaria Principal

Dear I.S. 24 School Community, Recent events have forced the DoE to not maintain formal Parent-Teacher Conferences in person this week in Middle Schools throughout NYC out of an abundance of caution. However, Teachers and Support Staff will be sharing information and calling parents and communicating between the hours of 4:30pm-7:30pm on Thursday and 12:00pm-2:00pm on Friday of this week. Parents are asked to not come to the school for meetings as Teachers/Staff will be communicating from locations other than the school building such as home or alternate locations. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we appreciate everyone's support on this matter.

We are sharing the attached letter from School's Chancellor Carranza regarding the updates and changes regarding the Parent-Teacher Conferences for this week. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding as this information is shared.

On behalf of the NYC DoE School's Chancellor Richard Carranza I am sharing the following message related to Parent-Teacher Conferences Thursday and Friday of this week; "The health and safety of all students, staff, and families continues to be the DOE’s first priority. Based on current recommendations from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and in an abundance of caution, we are asking all middle schools to use phone or technology-based options to conduct March Parent Teacher Conferences this week." "Parent Teacher Conferences scheduled for Thursday evening and Friday afternoon will still take place; however, parents should not attend in person. Instead, we are asking that Parent Teacher Conferences occur by phone or virtually." Our school will release more details in the next few hours today regarding how to plan for this. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we release more information to you shortly. Please make note that Friday, March 13th is still a half-day of school with an 11:00am dismissal. Respectfully, Lenny Santamaria Principal