Dear MCA Family, 

We hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful summer and staying healthy and safe. 

The final three months of the 2019-2020 school year presented unprecedented challenges and I remain extremely proud of the resilience, perseverance, support, trust, and love shared by our MCA Family! This commitment and strength allows us to move confidently into the opening of the 2020-2021 school year. 
We have spent the last few weeks developing a plan to reopen the school allowing us to once again have our children’s beautiful smiling faces on campus while keeping their safety, health, and wellbeing in mind as well as adhering to the guidance established by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and local public health authorities. Below is our plan for the reopening of the school for the 2020-2021 school year. Please note that this is a fluid situation which we continue to monitor and changes may be made accordingly. 

Annual School Calendar
Our general annual school calendar will remain the same. Please find it here. 

Alternating A and B Weeks

In an effort to maintain the camaraderie and nurturing environment brought by face-to-face interaction and still keep a safe number of individuals in the building at a time, the school year will alternate between two weekly schedules as outlined below. Scheduling details for each week are forthcoming.

Week A
Elementary and middle school students in the buildingHigh school students in virtual classrooms*

Week B
Elementary and high school students in the buildingMiddle school students in virtual classrooms*
*We will use Google Meet, which is a video conferencing tool that meets the needs of our educators and student body. It will require all students to have their own or access to a Gmail account as well as computers with functioning microphones and cameras. If your child does not have their own Gmail account, please take some time to set one up and notify us as soon as possible of the address your child will use (new students only or returning students with new accounts). It is at this address that they will receive daily email invitations from their teachers to join virtual classroom meetings. Please also take some time to ensure the microphone and camera on your child’s computer are in working order.

Safety Protocols

  • Prior to entering the building, students must have their masks on and their temperatures checked. Any student with a temperature of 100.4 or higher will not be allowed to enter the building. 
  • Socially distanced mask breaks will be incorporated throughout the day.
  • Classrooms/subject areas exceeding 10 students will make dual use of the classroom and Spartan Hall.
  • All classrooms have easy access to hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes, and tissue boxes.
  • All restrooms and kitchen are stocked with sufficient soap and paper towels/hand dryers for thorough hand washing. Posters with proper handwashing techniques are posted in these areas. 
  • High touch surface areas, tables, and chairs will be disinfected a minimum of five times throughout the day, and maintenance will clean and disinfect the school after hours everyday. 
  • No large group gatherings.
  • Temperature screenings for all who intend to enter the building. 
  • Strictly limiting parents, guardians, and visitors, and restricting them to specific areas.
  • Monitoring the health of students and staff daily and immediately reporting any negative findings. For the students, this will primarily be the responsibility of the parents in the home environment, to observe the child’s health, take daily temperature readings and report any unusual symptoms that may be a cause of concern for the school community. Staff will have similar responsibilities.

Symptoms and illness During School

  • Children who become ill at school or exhibit COVID-19-like symptoms will be isolated in a specifically designated office at school. Caregivers will be contacted and expected to pick them up immediately.
  • Parents must ensure their contact information at the school is correct and updated immediately if there is a change.
  • The school will keep a record and immediately send home anyone in the school community exhibiting the following symptoms (as defined by the CDC):
  • A fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or above
  • Cough
  • Runny nose
  • Congestions
  • Shortness of breath
  • Stomach cramping
  • Diarrhea
  • Nausea
  • Fatigue
  • Loss of taste
  • Loss of smell
  • Any member exhibiting COVID-19-like symptoms like those described above must self-quarantine at home until all of the following are true:
  • No fever (without the use of fever-reducing medicine) for at least 72 hours.
  • Other symptoms have fully improved (no cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, etc.)
  • A medical doctor’s note will be required upon return.
  • The school reserves the right to require COVID-19 testing from any student or staff member exhibiting symptoms.
  • The CDC recommends that individuals at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 consult with their doctor to assess their risk and determine if they should stay home or not.

Again, please note that this is a fluid situation which we continue to monitor and changes may be made accordingly as we receive more updated information from the CDC and local health officials.

We look forward to reuniting the MCA Family! 
May you enjoy a safe, healthy, and fun summer.

Warmest regards,–
Ingrid Acosta   Principal

MCA Academy ©2022