2021 COVID-19 School Guidance Checklist
Building Hours:
Claremont TK-8 Campus: 7:30 am – 4:00 pm
Claremont/Upland Preschool Campuses: 6:30 am – 6:00 pm
Upland High School Campus: 7:30 am – 4:00 pm
SHOULD YOU BEGIN SHOWING SYMPTOMS OF COVID-19 WITHIN 14 DAYS OF YOUR VISIT PLEASE CONTACT
Claremont Campus: Mr. Hester rhester@westernchristian.org 909-624-8291
Upland Campus: Mr. Stephens rstephens@westernchristian.org 990-920-5858
Western Christian HR Department: HR@westernchristian.org
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Dear WCS Family, I am pleased to share that Western Christian Schools has received approval from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health for our 2nd through 5th grade students to return to campus for instruction on Monday, November 9th. This approval allows our 2nd through 5th grade students, in the same manner as our Kindergarten and 1st grade students, to return to campus in cohorts, or smaller groups that do not mix. We praise the Lord for this advancement! Each child will be assigned to one of two groups in each class at each grade level. Each group will be on campus twice a week for in-person instruction (either Monday-Tuesday or Thursday-Friday). Virtual instruction will remain available to all students should parents want their students to remain at home rather than attend class on campus. Day Camp for students of essential workers will continue to be offered to students on the days that they cannot attend class in person. Mrs. Figueroa, our TK-8 Principal, will share more detail in the coming days with 2nd-5th grade parents about the logistics of this plan and which days students will be on campus. Mrs. Figueroa will also be providing information about recent changes to our morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up procedures. WCS is also currently monitoring the impact of an important settlement of a case in Los Angeles County that could benefit many Christian schools across the state, including Western Christian. Our legal counsel is providing me and the WCS Board of Trustees with guidance about the potential avenues that this settlement could provide to further expand opportunity to students for on-site instruction. We will certainly be communicating more about this should those avenues become more certain. My aim in stating this is not create unnecessary intrigue. Rather, I want you to know that we are diligently working behind the scenes to advance in safely returning our students to campus as soon as it is possible. Good things are happening around us, Western, even if we cannot see or feel it. God is at work for our good. In the meantime, I ask that you continue to pray that the Lord would make a way where there seems to be no way. I believe that He hears our prayers and that He will be faithful to answer. I also ask that we pray for one another. I know this season is so difficult on students, parents, teachers, and staff. I also know that we have alumni out in the world navigating this tumultuous time. Pray for all in the Western Christian family – for their marriages, their safety, their mental and emotional health, their finances, their relationships with Jesus. Ask the Lord to bring peace, hope, and rest for the weary among us. Ask Him to reveal his great love through Christ for all of our people. I pray for you daily. God loves you just as you are, WCS. He has you in the palm of His hand. God will never disappoint us. Our hope is secure in Him (Romans 5:1-5). Happy Election Day! May God bless you, your family, and His school, Western Christian. Sincerely, John Attwood Superintendent Western Christian Schools |
Dear Western Christian Family, I am proud to share that the start to the 2020-2021 school year has been a success. Beginning a school year in a pandemic, virtually, in the midst of a constantly shifting landscape of guidelines, mandates, and cultural norms is no small task. Yet, God has made a way where we could not see it, just as our verse for the year, Isaiah 43:19, promises. Look for the promise in that verse to be found repeatedly true this year. God will make a way, WCS! I am so proud of our students and teachers. They are true Lancers, approaching the challenge of this season with bravery, hope, and commitment. They make me proud! HS and TK-8 Campus Reopening Status and TK-2 Waivers Without going into great detail about the process for county reopening by the State of California and how that interacts with county Department of Public Health (DoPH) guidelines, I will summarize by saying that we are not able to open yet, but we are drawing steadily closer to that time. Numbers in both San Bernardino County and Los Angeles County continue to fall. COVID-19 infection rates, death rates, and hospitalizations continue to plummet. This is great news. However, some of the metrics in our counties still have not met the threshold for the state to approve reopening. Thus, as of today, September 30, we remain in the Purple tier for both Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. But here’s some good news! Los Angeles County did make an announcement on September 29 that waivers would begin to be considered for the reopening of grades TK-2. Waivers will only be granted for a small amount of schools and it appears that they will be prioritizing areas of low income. WCS will certainly be submitting our application as soon as they define the process for us and boundaries for us. We’ll be communicating about this as soon as we know more. What Does this Mean for Our Campus Reopening Timeframe? We are drawing nearer to a greater reopening for both of our campuses, but we are not there yet. Based upon the trending of virus metrics and the processes for reopening (including requirements for achieving tier movement and lags in data reporting to the state), WCS sees early November as a possibility. We wish for it to be sooner, but based upon what the state and county is requiring, November looks likely. I have grown leery of making bold pronouncements as the state seems to change their approach the moment I send anything to you, but I want you to have as clear of a view for the future at WCS as possible. Hold loosely to this timeframe knowing, all the while, WCS is passionately and consistently pursuing every angle to successfully reopening our campuses. A Successful Visit from LA County I am pleased to share that the County of Los Angeles DoPH recently made a scheduled visit to our Claremont campus (we asked them to come) to inspect how WCS was managing COVID-19 safety requirements for the reopening of campuses (particularly for our learning cohorts). Our helpful visitor from the county shared that we were doing an excellent job and had nothing negative to report to LA County. WCS is doing all it can to foster a safe, organized, and loving learning environment in this pandemic and LA County recognizes this. Praise the Lord! Keep Students Engaged through Opportunities for Safe In-person Interaction! As our students journey through the challenges of virtual instruction, it is vital that they maintain relationships with their peers and teachers. Please pay close attention to the communication coming from our campuses regarding athletics, clubs, chapels, discipleship and mentoring groups and more. These are the vehicles for safe and, often, in-person and on-campus experiences that allow for our students to have meaningful interaction within the WCS community. Our kids need this desperately, and even aid their performance in virtual learning because they know with/from whom they are learning. They feel connected, part of something that adds meaning to their daily coursework. This matters. Feel free to call our offices if you have further questions or concerns about this. We are making our way through this, Western Christian. You are doing an awesome job, parents. Hang in there, Mom and Dad. You are phenomenal. We are learning and growing together. The beauty, if there is any, in navigating a pandemic at Western Christian is that you are not alone. Your child is not alone. We are not forgotten or forsaken. We are a family, and the Lord is leading us, his school, through this together. May God bless you, may God bless your family, and may God bless Western Christian. John Attwood Superintendent Western Christian Schools |
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Dear WCS Families, As you have likely heard/read, Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and many other school districts in Southern California announced that they will postpone the start of on-campus instruction and will reopen in a distance learning format until further notice. This announcement has huge implications for the learning and development of children in Southern California. However, Western Christian is not bound to their decision. Western Christian functions as its own school district, and as of now districts have the freedom to decide when and how to reopen. As the second largest school district in the country, LAUSD has massive, logistical complications to reopening successfully that smaller schools like WCS do not have. Under the direction of the Board of Trustees Western Christian Schools is committed to reopening our campuses for in-person instruction on August 17. We will be reopening utilizing a reopening plan that includes taking all necessary safety precautions. WCS administration will continue to evaluate the current state of LA and San Bernardino counties and guidance issued through them as we make reopening decisions. It should be noted that, at some point all schools, public and private, will have to reopen, and we, along with other private Christian schools in our area, doubt it will be after everything is declared 100% safe to do so. No one knows when that will be, and much learning could be forfeited by that time if campuses remained closed. Delaying the learning of our students and potentially putting them at risk to other social-emotional health concerns is too great a cost. We believe that children need to be in school. They need to be with their friends and teachers that love them, growing and learning every day. Most importantly, our students need to learn about our great God and His love for them through Jesus Christ every day! We plan to take advantage of the first few weeks of school to establish safety standards on campuses, build relationships, and assess the academic status of our students and bridge learning gaps that may have resulted from the previous year. We will also use the time to teach students and parents about online learning in the event that we are required to temporarily go online for all students. It is possible that, due to mandates from our counties, we would need to toggle in and out of online learning. We hope that will not be the case, but we want our students and families to be prepared for this if/when it occurs. We have every intention to keep your children on the learning continuum for their grade level. WCS kids will not fall behind! We want every parent to remember that in-person schooling has inherent risk. WCS can not promise or guarantee safety from COVID-19 or other communicable diseases. We will do all we can to provide a safe environment. Please remember that families have the option to attend school remotely in the convenience and safety of their homes and rejoin our school once they feel it is safe to do so. We plan to release our reopening plan on Wednesday of next week, July 22. Due to the fluid nature of pandemic and subsequent decisions/mandates in our area, it must also be noted that our plans could change based upon unforeseen decisions and circumstances. Thank you for your continued patience, and God bless you and your family! Sincerely, John Attwood Superintendent Western Christian Schools www.westernchristian.org |
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Dear WCS Families, Given the recent federal recommendation to remain at home through April 30, Western Christian has decided to keep our campuses closed and continue remote learning until Monday, May 4th. We plan for students and teachers to return to school on May 4th. With regard to campus events and activities that were scheduled within this time of campus closure, please look for relevant communication from our Principals, Mrs. Browning (TK-8th) and Mr. Doolittle (High School). Easter break will be observed from April 10 through April 17. Instruction will not take place during that time. Our Claremont and Upland WCS Preschools remain open to preschool students, Transitional Kindergarten, and Kindergarten students. Our preschools are deemed an essential service to our community by the Department of Social Services, as many of our students are children of our brave and noble first responders and medical professionals. Because of our compliance with the rigorous cleaning standards required by DSS under Title 22, our Preschool facilities have been deemed clean and safe for children. If you are interested in having your Preschool –Kindergarten student attend, please contact our Claremont Office and we will assist you. We miss you all, and we are looking forward to your return. Remember, this is temporary, and we are going to get through this together. You are doing great, Western Christian! You make me proud to be a Lancer! “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 Sincerely, John Attwood Superintendent Western Christian Schools |
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Dear Western Christian Families, We miss you on campus! This has been a busy week for us. Teachers have been preparing to deliver online learning to their students, and we are so excited to reconnect! I hope you enjoyed watching the “Lancer House” video! We managed to squeeze in some fun this week, as well! Communication Tools WCS’ remote learning program will be a mixture of live and recorded instruction in combination with documents, presentations, activities, and assignments, hosted primarily within myWCS. Our teachers’ intent is to continue the consistency that students are familiar with in the classroom, but in an online format.
Some Things to Keep in Mind
Some of you may have heard from your teacher this week. If you haven’t, don’t worry, you will very soon. I am so proud of the hard work and dedication this team has put in these past few days, challenging themselves to learn new ways to educate and connect with their students in the midst of such a tenuous time, while dealing with issues and concerns with their own families. I am so thankful for the spirit of perseverance our school community has displayed in this season. This week I was comforted by a devotional email I received. It is so easy to let anxiety creep in during such an unpredictable and unprecedented time in history. The devotional provided a different perspective that I think we could all use right now. In the present global shutdown, bars have closed, sports has shut down, Disneyland, recreation and entertainment has shut down. As a result, families are at home, talking and eating together. People are quiet. The world is quiet. Children are home safe. Attitudes are changing, people are showing compassion toward others, we are coming together in a unity of heart and mind, and people are praying and looking to God for answers. –Headstone Ministries Life’s distractions have been minimized. We are forced to slow down and prioritize family and physical health. Let’s lean into this time, to learn all God has for us in this season. We are praying for you and for family. Shalom, Michelle Browning Principal Western Christian School Tutorial Videos Links How to download zoom and connect to a class. https://westernchristian.myschoolapp.com/ftpimages/808/download/download_4434138.mp4 -How to access and navigate your child's myWCS Middle School Students should already know their myWCS login information. TK-5th grade Students Your students myWCS credentials are as follows: Username: firstname.lastname Password: FirstnameDayofBirth First character of first name capitalized Two-digit day of birth For Example John Doe was born on 3/03/15 Username: john.doe Password: John03 These are temporary passwords. You will be directed to reset them upon their initial login. This is explained in the video. Any questions related to this information can be directed to it@westernchristian.org |
Hey Lancers, I’ve been so blessed to visit our virtual classrooms these last few days and see your children's smiling faces. I hope this unique time of community will continue to be a blessing to your family during these unusual times. Our first official day of Remote Learning is coming up this Monday, March 23, 2020. As we have evaluated what is best for our students, I’ve made a few changes that may alter certain instructions teachers shared with students during their orientations. On Monday, every class will have a Live Zoom Session with each of their teachers starting at their regularly scheduled class time (see below). Sessions will vary in duration based on each course. During this time, teachers will provide students a brief overview of the week to make sure they get off to a great start and understand the objectives and assignments due throughout the week. Period Start Time 1 8:05 AM 2 9:03 AM 3 9:56 AM 4 10:59 AM 5 11:52 AM 6 1:20 PM 7 2:13 PM Additionally, we’ve established a “Code of Conduct” for our remote learning live sessions. Please review these details below. If you ever have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me directly. Our aim is to educate, serve, and love your family in this time, and I covet your input as we move forward. Remember, have your students check their assignment center daily so that each day they know what they are to do for each of their classes. I love you WCHS. God bless you, Brandon Doolittle Principal Western Christian High School WCHS REMOTE LEARNING CODE OF CONDUCT Live Zoom Sessions will be a foundational tool to keep students connected and interacting as we venture into Western Christian High School’s remote learning program. The following code of conduct will ensure that effective, efficient, and distraction free learning will continue for our students during video conferencing sessions. We understand that students and families may have circumstances that prevent them from joining live sessions. If this is the case, please message your teacher so they can provide you with information to help you catch up. Please see the following expectations for Live Zoom Sessions.
Attendance
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