December 15, 2020

Dear Parents/Guardians,

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning from 10:00 AM Wednesday to 10 AM Thursday.  This communication is intended to provide our families enough notice to plan and prepare. 

As you know, Wednesday is our virtual learning day.  Our virtual Wednesday instructional schedules will remain the same as already planned.  If you are a parent with a child in a nonpublic school or program, please know that our Transportation Department has been in communication with the school and/or program.  WSSD will provide transportation in accordance with the schedule of the school or program. 

As for Thursday, meteorologists expect that we will have substantial snow accumulation and high winds into Thursday morning.  If their forecast is correct and these conditions do materialize, Thursday, 12/17, will be a good old-fashioned snow day.  This means no school for our students including those enrolled in the Online Academy.  The snow day is already built into our school calendar, and we believe it will be a welcome break for all.  The thought of a snow day is still magical – even in a world with COVID. 

I will be listening to the latest forecasts and watching for snowflakes and will communicate with you by Wednesday evening. 

Please stay safe and warm.

Very truly yours,
Lisa Palmer, Superintendent of Schools

December 14, 2020   (RE STRATH HAVEN HIGH SCHOOL)

Dear WSSD Community,

Today we reached our 6th positive COVID case at Strath Haven High School. Based on the current Pennsylvania Department of Education guidelines and in consultation with the Chester County Department of Health, we are now mandated to implement virtual learning for all SHHS students on Tuesday, December 15th through Friday, December 18th.  All students will attend school virtually according to the SHHS “All Virtual” schedule.

The High School will be closed to all students and employees until Monday, December 21st.  During this time our cleaning team will thoroughly disinfect our High School again.  The contact tracing for all of the current cases is complete; nevertheless, we will continue to work in conjunction with the Chester County Health Department to investigate any additional information that comes to our attention. 

Thank you for your patience and support during this ever-changing time. So that we can get our students back in school as soon as safely possible, please continue to practice the various health precautions, most notably masking and social distancing, 

Very truly yours,
Lisa Palmer, Superintendent

NOTE:  This message is being shared with all families.  The case threshold for each school closure is as follows:

School	School Size	# of Cases of COVID-19 Within a Rolling 14-Day Period – Threshold to Close School for 3-7* Days	# of Cases of COVID-19 Within a Rolling 14-Day Period – Threshold to Close School for 14* Days
NPE	Medium	4-6 students/ staff in same building	7+ students/ staff in same building
SRS	Medium	4-6 students/ staff in same building	7+ students/ staff in same building
WES	Medium	4-6 students/ staff in same building	7+ students/ staff in same building
SHMS	Medium	4-6 students/ staff in same building	7+ students/ staff in same building
SHHS	Large	6-10 students/ staff in same building	11+ students/ staff in same building

*If case investigations, contact tracing, and cleaning and disinfecting can be accomplished in a faster time frame, the length of closure time may be shortened.

December 14, 2020

Dear WSSD Community,

Today we reached our 4th positive COVID case at Strath Haven Middle School. Based on the current Pennsylvania Department of Education guidelines and in consultation with the Chester County Department of Health, we are now mandated to implement virtual learning for all SHMS students on Tuesday, December 15th through Friday, December 18th.  All students will attend school virtually according to the SHMS “All Virtual” schedule.

The Middle School will be closed to all students and employees until Monday, December 21st.  This closure will not impact the administrative wing (Human Resources, Business Office, Technology, Superintendent’s Office).  During this time our cleaning team will thoroughly disinfect our Middle School again.  The contact tracing for all of the current cases is complete; nevertheless, we will continue to work in conjunction with the Chester County Health Department to investigate any additional information that comes to our attention. 

Thank you for your patience and support during this ever-changing time. So that we can get our students back in school as soon as safely possible, please continue to practice the various health precautions, most notably masking and social distancing, 

Very truly yours,
Lisa Palmer, Superintendent

NOTE:  This message is being shared with all families.  The case threshold for each school closure is as follows:

School	School Size	# of Cases of COVID-19 Within a Rolling 14-Day Period – Threshold to Close School for 3-7* Days	# of Cases of COVID-19 Within a Rolling 14-Day Period – Threshold to Close School for 14* Days
NPE	Medium	4-6 students/ staff in same building	7+ students/ staff in same building
SRS	Medium	4-6 students/ staff in same building	7+ students/ staff in same building
WES	Medium	4-6 students/ staff in same building	7+ students/ staff in same building
SHMS	Medium	4-6 students/ staff in same building	7+ students/ staff in same building
SHHS	Large	6-10 students/ staff in same building	11+ students/ staff in same building

*If case investigations, contact tracing, and cleaning and disinfecting can be accomplished in a faster time frame, the length of closure time may be shortened.

December 4, 2020

Good morning.  We hope that this message finds you well.  As you remember, prior to the holiday break, communication regarding travel restrictions was shared with our community.  Since this information was shared, Dr. Levine has adjusted some components of the initial order.   The one component that is related to schools indicates that that individuals 11 and under do not need to quarantine for 14 days or a negative result from a COVID-19 test after traveling.  However, students who are 11 or older will continue to need to either quarantine for 14 days or present a negative result from a COVID-19 test. 

Please feel free to reach out to your school nurse with any questions. Additionally, please remember to complete your Symptom Tracker Survey no later than 30 minutes prior to your child’s school day.

As we have indicated before, our ability to maintain in-person learning and the safety of students and staff is dependent on the WSSD community’s cooperation and following of the safety guidelines.  We thank you in advance for your continued partnership.

Very truly yours,

Your WSSD Pandemic Coordinators
Ferg Abbott, Mary Figura, Lisa Palmer, Gina Ross 

 

November, 2020

Dear WSSD Community:

We hope this message finds you well.  We are writing to you today to share important health updates.  Last week Dr. Levine increased the mitigation requirements related to COVID-19.  These new updates included two areas that directly impact school districts.  The first, which is related to masking further emphasizes the importance of masking and continues to align with the mask procedures identified by the District.  The second area addressed by Dr. Levine, travel outside of Pennsylvania, does present some changes to the previously identified guidance.  In addition, the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Chester County Health Department are strongly recommending that individuals not travel during the upcoming holiday season. 

As we approach this time, we ask that you review the new guidance as it may impact your child’s ability to attend school in-person.  The travel order states: “Pennsylvanians visiting other states must have a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours prior to their return, or else they need to quarantine for 14 days.”  Some points to note:

• There are no longer identified states/areas on the restricted list.  Travel to any state/areas outside of PA requires either a negative test or quarantine.
• Any individuals traveling outside of Pennsylvania must either quarantine for 14 days or present a negative test result within 72 hours prior to their return.
• PA DOH identifies travel as, “any time a person crosses into another state via air travel, public transit, personal vehicle, ride shares or taxis, and interacts with individuals in the other state.”
• More specific information regarding Dr. Levin’s newest orders and FAQ can be found at the following links:
  • https://www.media.pa.gov/pages/health-details.aspx?newsid=1140 
  •  https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/coronavirus/Pages/Travelers.aspx

We encourage everyone’s cautiousness and ask that you avoid social gatherings in addition to making an effort to stay in state.  If you do decide to travel outside of Pennsylvania, please know that the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District will be requiring families who travel out-of-state to complete a 14 day quarantine or present, in writing, a negative test result.  If your child must quarantine, please contact your school’s principal to let them know that your child will be attending school virtually for this period of time. 

The success of our mitigation efforts relies on support and collaboration from our community.  We thank you for partnering with us to keep our schools open and our community safe.

We wish everyone a Thanksgiving that is filled with overflowing blessings.

Very truly yours,

Your WSSD Pandemic Coordinators
Ferg Abbott, Mary Figura, Lisa Palmer, Gina Ross

November 12, 2020 

Dear WSSD Community,

I’m writing today to provide you with an update to Friday’s e-blast.  Yesterday, we became aware of an article quoting Dr. Rubin from CHOP Policy Lab in which he references a recommendation for schools to return to fully virtual learning.  By contrast, on Tuesday, we received correspondence from the Chester County Health Department (CCHD) that supports school districts staying in a hybrid model (click here to see letter).  To reconcile these two different views, I remind everyone that CCHD serves as our medical authority for guidance and recommendations regarding school operations.  Specifically, CCHD has communicated to Delaware County Schools the following:

“At this time, the Chester County Health Department are in support of Delaware County schools continuing in their current instructional model plans while continuing to monitor data against the thresholds. It is also important that schools make a renewed commitment to ensure that all prevention measures are adhered to on a daily basis. While we have cases in schools, the majority of the cases are coming from outside activities. Despite this, we have evidence of in-school transmission when the prevention measures are not being followed. Schools are in a unique position to quickly identify cases, exposures and close contacts, and make timely decisions for sending students and staff home. This results in the spread of the virus being limited once identified.”

CCHD is uniquely situated to make decisions regarding our county schools as they are involved in the contact tracing and review of metrics specific to our area. During the past few weeks, I’ve shared a number of COVID notifications with you about positive cases among our students and staff.  I know it is concerning to receive this information, however, it’s important for you to know that we do have positive cases within our School District. Individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 have contracted the illness in off-campus activities.  The increase in community transmission rates is the result of transmission occurring through gatherings and other community-based activities outside of school.  We have not had spread or linkages within our schools.  What’s very important to note is that the mitigation strategies in our schools are working.  These strategies include:

• Symptom Monitoring Tracker – Thank you for completing the symptom monitoring tracker each morning.  We know parents are keeping their children home when they are sick. 
• Masking - Thank you for sending your children to school with a mask and for reinforcing the message about why it is important for them to wear a mask while they are in school, on school grounds, or on the bus.
• Physical Distancing – Thank you to everyone for maintaining a six-foot distance from others at all times.  We know this is critical to keeping everyone safe.
• Hygiene – Thank you to everyone for practicing proper hygiene at all times.  I wonder if we are all humming Happy Birthday (twice) as we wash our hands, or is it just me?
• Contact Tracing – Thank you for cooperating with our WSSD School Nurses and CCHD when they reach out to you regarding contact tracing.  This is a vital component to controlling the spread of COVID within our community and our schools. 

We still need to watch these COVID data carefully and monitor what is happening within our schools.  Some factors that may cause us to change direction and move to virtual learning at a school, some schools, or all schools would include:

• Linked transmissions within or among schools
• A point where the CCHD could not contact trace the positive cases to control the spread of the disease
• A time when we don’t have enough staff to open our schools
• Mandates from PA Department of Health, Pennsylvania Department of Education or CCHD to return to an all-virtual environment

If we are mandated to return to fully virtual learning by CCHD, PA DOH, or PDE, I will provide you with notice as soon as the District is notified. 

Thank you for your personal responsibility, partnership, and ongoing support as we continue to work together for the health and safety of our community.

Very truly yours,
Lisa A. Palmer, Superintendent of Schools

November 6, 2020

Dear WSSD Community,

There have been rumors regarding health authorities requiring Delaware County schools to switch from hybrid to virtual learning due to the increased incidence rates in the region.  As of today, no mandates have been issued, and we plan to maintain our current hybrid delivery model, continue the implementation of our health and safety plan, monitor our cases, and quarantine or isolate individuals as recommended previously by the Chester County Health Department.  For an update on student and staff positive cases, the community can access our District COVID-19 Data Chart by clicking here.  For an update on the CCHD most current 7 day COVID data as of 11/06/20, click here. 

We still need to watch these COVID data carefully and monitor what is happening within our schools, but we are not at a point where we would change direction.  Some factors that may cause us to change direction and move to virtual learning at a school, some schools, or all schools would include:

• Linked transmissions within or among schools
• A point where the CCHD could not contact trace the positive cases to control the spread of the disease
• A time when we don’t have enough staff to open our schools
• Mandates from PA Department of Health, Pennsylvania Department of Education or CCHD to return to an all-virtual environment

Our WSSD community figures have increased this week.  This means that we, as a community, must be even more diligent with our safety measures if we want to keep our schools open.  That means we must:

• Mask properly – even with our friends
• Practice social distancing – and that does mean 6’
• Practice good hygiene
• Not send children to school when they are sick
• As staff members, not come to school when we are sick

The CCHD is in the still in the process of revising their guidance to public and private schools. When it is posted, you will be able to find it at:  https://www.chesco.org/4397/Coronavirus--Resources-for-Schools. 

As I’ve said before, the COVID situation remains dynamic and may change quickly.  Today’s information is based on my latest meetings.  The next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, 11/10.  If I learn anything new, I will be in touch with the community and our staff.  In the meantime, if you have concerns about your child attending school in person, please contact your principal.

Thank you for your ongoing support as we continue to work together for our students and staff.

Very truly yours,
Lisa A. Palmer, Superintendent of Schools

PS:  Please remember to complete the Symptom Monitoring Tracker for each of your children.  We are asking you to do this small part to assist us in keeping sick children home.  Thank you!!!

November 1, 2020

Dear WSSD Community,

At Monday evening’s School Board meeting, I spoke about Delaware County’s COVID numbers and the approach we were taking within the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District to keep our schools open.  Today, I would like to provide you with an update.

On Friday, October 30, the Chester County Health Department (CCHD) published its most current 7 day COVID data as follows:

What does this mean?  The number of cases in our county has been rising, however, the number of cases within our District has been reasonably stable.  In addition, we have not seen linkages between cases within our schools which is critical to note. 

I’ve spoken numerous times about the fact that I meet with the CCHD and Drs. Rubin and/or Brennan weekly, and sometimes even more than that.  This week I met with CCHD twice - first on Tuesday, then again on Thursday.  We discussed actual COVID data, forecasting models and projections, and where the transmissions are taking place.  The CCHD continues to recommend a measured, thoughtful approach to safely keeping schools open. 

We still need to watch these COVID data carefully and monitor what is happening within our schools, but we are not at a point where we would change direction.  Some factors that may cause us to change direction and move to virtual learning at a school, some schools, or all schools would include:

• Linked transmissions within or among schools
• A point where the CCHD could not contact trace the positive cases to control the spread of the disease
• A time when we don’t have enough staff to open our schools

I still believe if we collectively continue to be diligent, we will be able to keep our schools open.  That means we must:

• Mask properly – even with our friends
• Practice social distancing – and that does mean 6’
• Practice good hygiene
• Not send children to school when they are sick
• As staff members, not come to school when we are sick

The CCHD is in the process of revising their guidance to public and private schools.  I thought it might have been released on Friday but it was not.  When it is posted, you will be able to find it at:  https://www.chesco.org/4397/Coronavirus--Resources-for-Schools. 

As you know, the COVID situation remains dynamic and may change quickly.  Today’s information is based on my latest meetings.  The next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, 11/3.  If I learn anything new, I will be in touch with the community and our staff.  In the meantime, if you have concerns about your child attending school in person, please contact your principal.

Thank you for your continued support.

Very truly yours,
Lisa A. Palmer, Superintendent of Schools

PS:  Please remember to complete the Symptom Monitoring Tracker for each of your children.  Thank you!!!

PROTECTING OUR PROGRESS - 2020-10-30.pdf 

PROTECTING OUR PROGRESS - 2020-10-30 - wssd specific.pdf 

October 28, 2020

Dear WSSD Community,

My reason for writing to you today is twofold:  first, to be more explicit about some components of our Education Plan, and, second, to share my sincere gratitude to all of our teachers and staff for their commitment and dedication to our children.

Education Plan:

The 2020-21 school year has been extraordinary, to say the very least.  Planning for this school year began last year and continues to evolve each and every day as we individually and collectively learn better ways to support our children. 

Our Education Committee worked all summer in developing the Education Plan that was submitted to the School Board for their approval.  In an effort to continuously improve, our Education Committee continues to meet so we can adapt our plan to better support our children.  To keep the community apprised, we had several in-depth, School Board meeting Focus Topic presentations outlining the various components of our Education Plan. 

In reality, we have been planning and continue to plan for three instructional models, with two of them occurring simultaneously: 

• Virtual:  where all children attend school virtually
• Hybrid:  where cohorts of children attend in person on select days of the week while other children attend school virtually
• Online Academy:  where some children learn online through a WSSD Academy that parallels the learning in our other instructional models. 

The planning that we have been doing is considerable and filled with challenges, some of which are outside of our control.  However, while I will not say our Education Plan is perfect, I will say that I do believe we have risen to the challenge and are offering our children a high quality educational program.

Critical to providing that high quality educational program is the outstanding teaching staff that we have in WSSD.  My colleagues have more than risen to the challenge. They brought our plans to life!  They started their year planning for hybrid learning only to have to switch to virtual learning just before the school year started.  Then this month, they had to switch to hybrid learning with limited time to prepare for the transition.  Not only do they remain poised for whatever transitions lie ahead, they are positive and continue to advocate for changes to our Education Plan that will better support our children.  I am very proud of them and honored to be part of our WSSD team. 

In addition to being the dedicated professionals that they are, I believe our teachers are successful because of how our school week is structured.  Our Education Plan calls for our children to be learning from home on Wednesdays.  There appears to be some thought that because our children are not in school or synchronously learning on Wednesdays, our teachers are only working four days a week.  Nothing could be further than the truth.  Our teachers are very busy on Wednesdays, and I believe the success of our virtual and hybrid learning plans depend greatly on the work accomplished on Wednesdays. 

When we presented our Education Plan, I should have placed more emphasis on explaining what work actually occurs on Wednesday.  I apologize for not highlighting this area more and would like to provide more detailed information now. 

USE OF ASYNCHRONOUS WEDNESDAYS

ACROSS ALL SCHOOLS:

• Curriculum development as individuals and across the grade bands, departments and WSSD Online Academy
• Lesson planning for 60 and 80 minute lessons
• Curricular Pacing adjustments
• Technology, including virtual learning and multi-model learning (Simultaneous zoom while teaching in-person) along with the advancement of teachers’ general technology skills
• IEP/GIEP Meetings with case manager, a team of teachers and administration in attendance and prepared for discussion
• Data evaluation for formative and summative data points and student progress
• Responding to e-mails
• Student support via Google Classroom, Seesaw, and Small Groups

In addition, school levels have needs specific to their schedule and student population:

STRATH HAVEN HIGH SCHOOL

• Clubs & Extra-curricular activities across three timeslots in the afternoon - these clubs are moderated by a teacher and provide essential outlets and socialization for student wellness.
• Office Hours held during the traditional 5^th Block time for student support

STRATH HAVEN MIDDLE SCHOOL

• Weekly Faculty meetings
• Weekly Department meetings
• Weekly Team meetings
• Team zoom meeting w/parents
• Clubs: These clubs are moderated by a teacher and provide essential outlets and socialization for student wellness.
• Office Hours held from 1 to 3 pm (work w/individual or small groups of students)

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

• Morning meeting with all children (social emotional check in with all children)
• Grade level meeting across District for weekly planning across both Hybrid and WSSD Online Academy Learning platforms.  This is essential so all children pace equally through their lessons weekly. 

In Appreciation:

The 2020-21 school year has been extraordinary, and our staff has been nothing short of amazing.  I would like to extend my sincerest and deepest appreciation to all of our teachers and staff.  You are extraordinary; you are amazing; you are SUPERSTARS!  You are dedicated, positive, strong, and unwavering in your commitment to our children and our families.  On behalf of all of our children, THANK YOU for everything you do every day.  I know many of you are working morning, noon, and night, and often well into the weekend.  I think our families should know this too. 

Sincerely,
Lisa A. Palmer, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools

October 19, 2020

Dear Parents/Guardians,

The Wallingford-Swarthmore School District is committed to protecting the health and safety of our students, staff, and families. The Pennsylvania Department of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Chester County Health Department are actively responding to the outbreak of COVID-19.

Today we learned of a potential COVID-19 exposure on one of our school buses. We have reported the incident to the Chester County Health Department for further action. The Health Department investigates all suspect or confirmed reports of COVID-19. This helps the Health Department give guidance to the people involved and to the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District. COVID-19 investigations include finding close contacts during the contagious period (contact tracing). Contact tracing helps manage the spread of COVID-19 and prevent future surges of cases. If the Health Department finds you are a close contact, they will give you information including:

• Your last date of exposure, which decides the timeline for quarantine
• Expectations for quarantine
• How to report new or worsening symptoms
• Information about COVID-19

If you are not contacted by the Health Department because of this exposure, you should still watch for symptoms consistent with COVID-19. These symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, abnormal sense of taste and smell, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, congestion, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. If you or your child develops any of these symptoms, please stay home and contact your physician.

We follow public health guidance to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 in our school and community.

NOTE:  This notification is being sent to all students in the building.  If students are deemed to have been in close contact with a potential COVID-19 exposure, an additional notification will be sent to those individuals.

For more information, please visit the Chester County Health Department website at https://www.chesco.org/4376/Coronavirus-COVID-19 or visit the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov/covid19.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Sincerely,

Patti Diaferio

Transportation Director