INFORMATION AND UPDATES ABOUT COVID-19
School Communications
Dear Balboa Parents & Students,
We are excited to share a few updates and announcements as we all continue to move back into some sense of normalcy. First, we extend our congratulations to the Balboa Class of 2021! It has not been an easy year, but these students (and all others) persevered in their studies and transition plans to college/university despite a global pandemic! We will be hosting a virtual Graduation Ceremony on Friday, May 28, 2021 and invite everyone to attend. Ms. Ashley will be sending out more information.
Next, we want to thank all of our parents and students for supporting the school during this most difficult time. As we shared throughout our COVID-19 journey, the primary goal was safety. As administrators, we had to walk the line between keeping our students and staff safe and healthy, and providing the best supports possible for the academic and social success of our students. The virtual learning experience taught us all to look at new ways of doing things; some worked well, and some did not. What we did learn is how independent and adaptable we all are.
Now we want to share some news on moving forward with some updates on next year and beyond. The first day of the 2021-2022 school year will be on Tuesday, August 10, 2021, and we will be back on campus!! Elementary students will be on campus for classes Mondays – Fridays with the same schedule. Middle and high school students will have classes on campus Mondays – Thursdays, and we are keeping Virtual Fridays, with a few modifications.
MS/HS Virtual Fridays*
(9:00 am -1:45pm)
ELT: 9:00 am – 9:30 am
Open Office Hours: 9:30 am – 11:30 am
Lunch: 11:30 am – 12:00 pm
Clubs & Independent Study: 12:00 pm – 1:45pm
*It will be mandatory that all students attend Extended Learning Time (ELT) on Fridays. In addition, teaching staff will be available during Open Office Hours for individual/group meetings. Students will be expected to use the time on Fridays to attend/create clubs, participate in group activities on-line, and complete projects/assignments. If you prefer your child to work on campus on Fridays, there will be supervision from 8:30 am – 1:45 PM, and all students are to be off-campus by 2:00 pm. Please notify the Administrative Offices for this option.
Virtual learning will continue at Balboa in a variety of ways: 1) If a student is unable to be on campus for an approved reason, we will allow students to join the class from a remote location through the Zoom platform. 2.) Some upper level (11 & 12th grade) advanced courses may be taught virtually, in an effort to increase student independence and accountability, as they get ready to transition to college/university.
Next Spring, we are offering a student trip to Washington, D.C.! Information was given out at the last assembly and were in the newsletter. Please contact Natalie Addleson for more information.
As always, we are here for you, so please reach out if you have any specific suggestions and/or concerns. We look forward to continuously improving the quality of our program for you and your children.
Thank you,
Zachary C. Jones and the Balboa School Administration Team
Dear Parents, Guardians, & Students,
We hope everyone has enjoyed your summer! We have been busy planning for the most unusual school start of our lives with the goal of
serving our students the best way possible under these conditions. The health and safety of all students, teachers, staff, and the school
community are of primary importance. The State of California has broad authority to take all measures necessary to ensure the safe operation
of schools, including, but not limited to, implementing safety measures and distance learning.
Under the current state mandate, a school can only open for on-campus instruction if the county has been off the state monitoring list for 14
consecutive days. We will be keeping in contact with local health agencies to provide the best timeline for opening campus.
At this time, we are moving forward with the August 11, 2020 start date for middle and high school students, which will be conducted virtually.
Teachers will conduct virtual lessons through ZOOM from the classroom.
The elementary school start date will be postponed until Monday, August 24, 2020 with the hopes of being able to return to campus.
Balboa School recognizes that the safe reopening and operation of schools must take into consideration health and safety measures provided
by national, state, and local health officials, and will be largely dependent on local public health conditions. For schools to safely reopen and
allow students, teachers, and staff on school sites, protective measures must be taken, and all schools and offices shall be required to follow
recommended sanitation protocols in accordance with published guidelines and practice physical distancing. Schools shall take measures to
limit campus access and detect sources of COVID-19 or other infectious diseases. Staff and students will be required to wear face coverings.
Continuing use of face coverings shall be consistent with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), and other local and state school
reopening guidelines.
Guidelines have been developed for the use of face coverings by all students including those with special needs and have identified medical
concerns. Measures will be taken to avoid and mitigate any unintended consequences of implementing any safety precautions. Personal
protective equipment (PPE) shall be required for specific job functions and distributed to staff in accordance with policies, laws, and
administrative regulations. Students and staff who exhibit signs or symptoms or COVID-19 shall be held in quarantine while on campus and
further prevented from being on campus until it is medically safe for them to return. Students who are unable to be on campus as a result of
COVID-19 shall continue to receive instruction. Decisions concerning school closure, whether full or partial, shall be made in consultation
with local health officials and in accordance with state guidelines. Notification will be provided to you with health and safety requirements for
students to return to school campuses. Parents, teachers, and staff will receive training and information on COVID-19 and preventative
practices.
There are updated policies and procedures in the Parent & Student Handbook, so please ensure that you read the information and let us know
if you have any questions.
Thank you,
Zachary C. Jones
Executive Director
Resources: Websites:
California Department of Public Health:
https://covid19.ca.gov/pdf/guidance-schools.pdf
California Department of Education:
cde.ca.gov
California Department of Industrial Relations:
dir.ca.gov
Balboa School campuses plan to reopen for on-site instruction on August 11, 2020. Our team is working with state and local health departments, as well as the San Diego County Office of Education to evaluate the COVID-19 situation and ensure it is safe to do so. If on-site instruction is not possible by that date, the semester will begin with virtual classes until we are cleared to resume on-site.
Balboa School is excited to be able to offer middle and high school students three educational plan choices beginning in August 2020:
- Concrete: On-site instruction four days/ week, Virtual Fridays
- Hybrid: Students take a combined load of on-line/virtual classes with on-site classes
- Virtual: Students take all classes online/virtual
Our elementary program will remain the traditional five days/week with on-site instruction.
Our goals are to provide options to our families, lessen the number of persons physically on-site to promote and maintain social distance measures, and to continue to be in the forefront of educational transitions and improvements in order to better serve our students
Dear Parents & Guardians,
We are so thankful for our supportive parents, students, and staff. As we have all never experienced anything like this before, we are working hard to maintain as much structure and consistency in our educational programs as possible.
The administration has been preparing for this unfortunate scenario and has been working to implement Zoom for Education, so that we may conduct “virtual classes” for our students. We understand that some families are still juggling work, childcare, and overall preparations, so we know that not all students will be able to access the virtual classes immediately. We will allow this flexibility for the next two weeks, until Spring Break. If this situation continues after Spring Break, we will require students to log-on daily in order to maintain earning credits toward matriculation and/or graduation.
Please have your child log on-line and join their teacher’s request for a Zoom meeting. Teachers will schedule the classes in real time, according to their schedules. If you need a copy of your child’s schedule, please email Ashley Jones (ajones@nullbalboaschool.com). If your child is not able to attend the virtual classes, or your child needs a Chromebook from the school, please contact Sara Gharagozlou (admin@nullbalboaschool.com) so we may make individual arrangements.
Virtual classes will not be held during the week of Spring Break, and we will use that time to reassess and communicate with you all plans of moving forward. Our goal is to have students return to campus as soon as government officials feel that it is safe to do so.
The administration is available at any time to address any questions, concerns, or feedback. We will be holding a Zoom Parent/Student Meeting on Friday, March 20 at two different times: 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM PST. Please join the meeting at your convenience with the link below. This situation is changing rapidly, and we will update everyone as we receive new information. We know this is a difficult time, but our sense of community is what will help us all persevere.
Thank you again,
Zachary C. Jones
Executive Director
Zoom Meeting link for 12pm PST (below)
Please join the meeting at the time that is best for you.
March 12, 2020
Parents & Guardians,
As Balboa School continues to monitor COVID-19, our primary goal is to safeguard the health of our faculty, students and teachers. We do not have any current cases or known exposure, however, we have determined that it is in the best interest of our community to close campus starting on Monday, March 16, 2020.
Each teacher will create a packet of work for the next two weeks. Tomorrow, we will have all 7 class periods, so that each teacher can review the work/expectations with each class. Teachers will need to get each student’s email address so that they can communicate with them daily, if necessary. Students will be expected to continue their work from home, and they are able to set-up meeting times with teachers, as needed.
The administration is moving forward with Zoom accounts for each teacher. Beginning on Monday, April 6, 2020, (after Spring Break) we will move to real-time, on-line classes until or unless we are cleared to return to face-to-face classes. An update with more detailed information about using the on-line format will be sent out prior to Spring Break.
If your child does not have access to a computer at home, please notify the front office, and we will arrange for them to check-out a Chromebook to use at home.
We understand the difficulties that closing campus presents, and we thank you, in advance, for your continued support.
Please let us know if you have any concerns and/or questions.
Best,
Natalie Clark Addleson
Vice Principal
