All LMEC Families,

At Living Montessori Community Education we continue to be vigilant of all current Department of Health safety measures as well as other common sense measures to assure all students, families, staff members and teachers stay healthy. We receive up-to-the minute updates from Public Health and Governor Inslee’s office and this memorandum is to confirm what we know as of this moment. It also serves to assure you we are doing everything possible to adhere to safety and cleanliness protocols during this season of Covid-19. We continue to be grateful that LMEC remains open and no additional restrictions have been placed on our school during the Governor’s press conference on Sunday.

We also want to share with you the most recent Travel Advisory from Governor Inslee on travel inside and outside Washington State. Specifically of note is Section 1 addressing the issue of self-quarantine after travel. We encourage everyone who travels to follow the recommendations of the Department of Health and/or their health care provider. With the holidays approaching, this information could impact our LMEC families and students, teachers and staff members. Our goal is not to cause undue alarm but to ensure we are all cognizant of safety protocols. We want to keep everyone healthy and safe. In doing so, we will continue to:

1. Check Temperatures.
2. Wash Hands.
3. Social Distance.
4. Wear Masks.
5. Provide Hand Sanitizer.
6. Implore Extra Cleaning of School Facility.
7. Being daily cognizant of the following symptoms (that could indicate Covid-19):

• Do you have a cough?
• Do you have shortness of breath or difficulty breathing?
• Chills?
• Fatigue?
• Muscle Pain or Body Aches?
• Headache?
• New Loss of Taste or Smell?
• Sore Throat?
• Congestion or Runny Nose?
• Nausea or Vomiting?
• Diarrhea?

Our attendance questionnaire and policy will be updated to include quarantine requirement only if directed by DOH or public health officials.

Our mission is to keep everyone healthy and safe! With your help, we are confident working together, we will achieve this! Thank you in advance for your ongoing support in this endeavor.

Marilyn Kiehlbauch
Administrative Assistant

Dear LMEC Families,

I am writing in reference to Governor Inslee’s Press Conference today, Sunday November 15, 2020. I’m sad to see that the safety measures needed to protect our citizens requires significant impact to small businesses – trying to strike the right balance between the two must be very difficult for State officials. At the same time I think of those who have lost loved ones.

I was particularly encouraged by the Governor’s recognition that the safety measures employed by those schools and childcare programs that have face to face classes have allowed them to be insignificant sources of the spread of the corona virus. We are fortunate indeed that the virus is much less of a threat to children than the annual flu.We want you to know that as the winter season approaches Living Montessori will continue all practices currently established and will update protocols as needed to ensure the safety of our community.

The Governor also indicating during the Q&A that it is becoming apparent, from the experience of many places outside Washington, that schools may be opened safely (i.e. with minimum effect on students, staff and the surrounding community). This gives us some optimism about the return of other schools to in-person learning. A return to in-person learning is needed if this generation of children are not to fall, perhaps irretrievably, behind in their educational, social and emotional development.

At Living Montessori we could not possibly have a safe operation without your cooperation. The staff and I particularly want to thank you all for being mindful of minimizing your exposure outside the school, supporting our protocols, keeping sick children home and maintaining good communication with us. This level of collaboration and consideration gives us confidence that we can continue providing the critical educational service and a safe place for the children to meet their social and emotional needs. Our staff are diligent in following the Covid-19 protocols. It is also quite amazing to witness how natural it has become for children throughout the school to regularly follow hand washing and all other health and safety practices.

I want to end with a big thanks that we owe our dedicated staff as they work hard to support your child’s education and at the same time keep children and themselves safe.

Best Wishes,
Afrose Amlani
Head of School

Dear LMEC Families,

As we continue to navigate through Covid-19 protocols, this memorandum serves as an update to our current policies and practices at Living Montessori Education Community.   Effective immediately, we now have a Central Point of Contact (CPC) in the event you, your child or anyone in your household tests positive for Covid-19. If a diagnosis should occur, please call LMEC immediately at:

Central Point of Contact
Mrs. Stephanie Newton
Program Director
425-373-5437 ext. 214
E-mail: Stephanie@livingmontessori.com

Mrs. Newton is monitoring all voicemail and email correspondence on a regular and ongoing basis. There are a few things to keep in mind when reporting a Covid-19 diagnosis (or any other health diagnosis):

1. Please do not discuss the diagnosis with anyone other than Mrs. Stephanie Newton.  Any health diagnosis remains under the national confidentiality guidelines of The HIPAA Privacy Rule (established to protect individuals medical records and other personal health information). All of us at LMEC are committed to protect the privacy of all individuals. Under HIPAA regulations, it is inappropriate for any teacher or staff member to be apprised of a health diagnosis or enter into a discussion about a health diagnosis with any person. As the Central Point of Contact Director, Mrs. Newton’s commitment of confidentiality is unparalleled and particularly exceptional as related to HIPAA matters.
2.  At the time of reporting, Mrs. Newton will be in contact with you to discuss next steps, quarantine procedures if any, etc., as she has been properly trained to follow King County and DOH decision-making guidelines. Mrs. Newton is certainly available for any questions you may have as they relate to LMEC’s established health and safety procedures as well.
3. We will continue to adhere to strict COVID-19 protocols that are already in place as follows:

• Daily Temperature Check of all Staff, Teachers, Children.
• Wearing masks at all times.
• Practice social distancing and keeping group size within proper limits according to space, capacity and size.
• Washing hands often and regularly.
• Sanitizing work spaces often and regularly.

We look forward to working with each of you in the event you may have questions.  We hope with this added measure of care and confidentiality provides a path of keeping everyone healthy and safe.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

Marilyn Kiehlbauch
Administrative Assistant

Private Schools Reopening Principles

Goal: To identify core principles and criteria into which flexible models may be incorporated that allow private schools to reopen on-campus instruction in the fall of 2020 in ways that are consistent with the mission and values of individual schools, with the needs of their community, and with guidance from public health.

Guiding Principles:

Health and Safety

Public: In order to be part of the solution for controlling transmission of Covid-19 for all, Washington approved private schools have a responsibility to engage in practices that support the health and wellbeing of the larger community.

School: In order to limit transmission risk of Covid-19 within schools while creating the most effective teaching and learning scenarios, schools should utilize the health guidelines provided by state and local government.

Community Wellbeing

Teaching and Learning: The goal is to return to school for on-campus learning to the greatest extent possible. In order to maximize the student learning experience, schools will provide opportunities for students’ academic, social, emotional, physical and intellectual growth.

Mental Health: In order to promote mental health and wellbeing, schools will provide flexible, safe and healthy opportunities for ongoing connections with peers, faculty and staff.

Equity and Inclusion: Schools will work to provide teaching and learning opportunities that are accessible to all students and teachers, including enrolled students in high risk categories. Schools should demonstrate a commitment to equity and ensure quality education for all enrolled students whether on campus or remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Family Support and Communication: In order to support parents in the instruction of their children, schools should provide predictable schedules and clear communication about the services they are able to provide. There will need to be parental education and ongoing communication about how best to work in partnership with the school to provide students the most support.

Conclusion: These principles will be most effectively carried out if individual schools are allowed to tailor their reopening approach to meet the unique needs and circumstances of their communities.

Resource for Reopening Planning:
Private schools serve an important role in educating over 83,000 students throughout Washington. They include day and boarding schools. They offer diverse educational programs to families including, but not limited to, Montessori, Waldorf, Independent, secular and religious schools. Some are small primary schools serving students beginning at infancy; others are K-12. Some have enrollments of over 2,000 students and others with less than 10 students. Many serve unique learners, students facing economic deprivation or families in crisis. Private schools are the hub of many families’ communities.

To reopen safely, private schools will utilize the guidance provided by the State Department of Health (DOH), OSPI and local health jurisdictions. They will look to the models provided by OSPI, but will create unique models that reflect their missions, and the safety expected by both the state and the parents for whose children they are responsible. The Guiding Principles above will guide all carefully crafted reopening plans that will redefine the logistics of every aspect of a school day. The diversity of the state’s private schools means, similar to higher education, that “one size does not fit all.” Because many private schools have small enrollment and low population density, as well as flexibility within their physical plant, they can pivot to the new guidelines as the state reopens and innovate in such areas as hybrid learning models, facility use, schedules, and calendars to meet the needs of their students, faculty, and families.

Considerations in the Development of Campus Reopening Plans

Each private school should develop a plan for reopening that is consistent with the Private School Reopening Principles articulated above. Each school plan should consider four components:

• repopulation of the campus,
• monitoring health conditions to ensure detection of infection,
• containment to prevent spreading of the disease if infection is detected,
• shut down if infection cannot be contained or is otherwise necessary.

In formulating these plans, schools must be mindful that the course of the pandemic over the summer cannot be confidently predicted. It is possible that conditions may warrant reopening, but the pandemic worsens in the fall to the extent that the Governor would order a new shutdown. Private schools should be flexible and plan contingencies including a physical reopening and a potential closing with all scenarios incorporating the potential need of distance learning.

Private schools should consider multiple models for re-opening their campuses and select the one that makes the most sense for their unique circumstances of program, students served, location, and facility. These models include and are not limited to: a return of all students to campus with a variety of adaptations to meet state health requirements; some students returning and a slow integration of other students by age; cohorts of students on campus at different times; alternating days for students; the use of distance learning to “decompress” the campus population; extending the calendar and day schedule. Careful considerations of these and myriad other models allows a school to find the best approach for its school. Schools should be prepared to modify school calendars, the structure of a school day, the physical layout of their campuses, and policies for students, employees and visitors relative to hygiene, access to campus and safety protocols.

As private schools fall in the intersection of three educational systems — higher education, K-12, and early childhood — private schools should review all three kinds of plans for insights and ideas. It is important to note that all three systems will be following consistent guidelines from the Washington Department of Health.

Before a boarding school can reopen a residential program the school should take prudent steps to follow all applicable health guidelines for their boarding students which may include testing protocols for both students and faculty.

Components of an Independent School Plan:

An independent school plan should reflect the individual decision-making by the school regarding reopening and ongoing operation. An independent school plan should include:

• Recognition it will follow Washington Department of Health Guidelines, as applicable.
  • This should include following applicable standards from the Reopening WA Schools Health and Safety Requirements created by the Department of Health regarding the use of facemasks for employees, students, and visitors; recommendations for screening (testing, temperatures); visitors to campus; responding to students or staff who are symptomatic; social distancing; personal hygiene, room cleaning, isolation or sick rooms; and the cleaning regimen for schools, day and boarding.
  • For boarding schools, this should include applicable recommendations for dormitories as modified to fit the housing and residential structures of the school and taking into consideration related faculty housing issues.
• A transportation plan that adheres to safety guidance. Schools may want to consider teaming up with local schools to share busses.
• A process to develop and communicate the reopening plan including collaboration with constituents.
• Creation of a team who can help with school planning and support school relations to local and state Department of Health.
• Consideration for vulnerable populations of students and staff.
• Development of plans for shutdown should it be necessary.
• Useful guidance for planning residential program reopening may be found in guidelines created for institutions of higher education.

Conclusions:

Private Schools play an essential role in the education of students and in the economy of Washington. The State has understandably recognized that for businesses to “re-open,” it is essential that day care programs, public and private schools, and colleges and universities open, as well.

Private schools have the potential to be impacted by declining enrollment due to both the economic downturn associated with Covid-19 and parental uncertainty. This will hurt both the private and the public school systems. A flood of displaced students into the public schools will place a logistical and economic burden upon public schools already severely stressed due to the dramatic impact of Covid-19. This, coupled with the need to promote safety and health, requires a close partnership with the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the State Government to successfully reopen private schools. Below is a list of needed resources that will enable private schools to successfully open:

• Availability of necessary Covid-19 tests.
  • An adequate supply of tests is needed for all boarding and day school populations if testing of these populations is recommended by public health guidance.

• An adequate supply of suggested PPE equipment, including masks, for all private schools.
• An adequate supply of cleaners, such as hand sanitizer, wipes, cleaning material.
• An investigation into the possibility of a “safe harbor” from liability based upon the development of a written plan consistent with the recommendations for K-12 schools.
• Reporting protocols for informing health officials about known Covid-19 cases.
• Acknowledgement that any recommendations are subject to change based on further guidance, evolving public health recommendations and/or changes in circumstances that may occur prior to the commencement of the school year.

Finally, like other industries that drive the state economy, private schools face serious financial harm even to the extent of jeopardizing their short-term sustainability given the serious economic decline the country and State are experiencing due to Covid-19. To help ensure that private schools remain a vibrant part of the educational landscape, provide a choice for families, and continue to provide substantial and reliable employment, the State should look at short-term, fixed-cost funding for private schools to help them through a potentially significant enrollment decline for 2020-21. Private schools are a key economic driver across the State, and much like other businesses and nonprofits, funding to assist in the sustainability of these schools in the short-term will alleviate economic instability and provide the opportunity for continued strength in private school programming, enrollment, and service.

APPENDIX: Reopening Schools Safely: Considerations

• Consider surveying the school community–students, teachers, administrators and parents– as soon as possible to understand their needs, wishes and limitations for the fall.
• Consider what changes to your operations have a lead-time component and need to be addressed early this summer. Examples to consider include: health and safety equipment to be ordered, HVAC system upgrades, space alterations, and increased technology needs.
• Consider enhanced professional development for faculty in online teaching as needed. When the State closed this spring, faculty had little time to learn best practices for online teaching. Online instruction may be the primary form of pedagogy in some instances and the default mechanism in the event of a second wave of infection. Plan for increased professional development for faculty both during the summer and throughout the school year.
• Consider the school academic calendar to provide the best opportunity for a successful opening of school and continuation of programming.
• Consider developing multiple scenarios for reopening.
• Consider changes to time and space in calendar and scheduling to decrease density on campus such as elongating the school day or week, extending or altering the school calendar, repurpose spaces for classrooms, and other alterations.
  • Example: Compress the fall calendar for boarding schools so that students leave at Thanksgiving and do not return until the new year.
• Consider developing smaller “cohorts” of students and faculty to decrease interaction among groups; in the event that there is a person who tests positive, such limited grouping might create least disruption to the whole school. Similarly, develop “family” groups in boarding schools to decrease isolation and increase a safe community size of students ages 11-19 for rooming, dining, and bathroom use.
• Consider organizing the academic calendar into small sections so should there be a disruption, only part of the grading calendar is disrupted.
• Consider using hybrid or blended models to deliver some courses or leaving some courses entirely online.
• Consider using the late summer to offer online courses for students who need remediation.
• Consider the daily drop-off and pick up routines, the use of multiple entrances, the repurposing of spaces to limit interaction.
• Consider studying various plans that are being implemented including:
  • Sequencing the return of students to campus.
  • A rolling return of students to campus.
• Consider flexible staffing configurations to accommodate faculty and staff.
  • Faculty in vulnerable populations may wish to teach remotely.
  • Offering courses where a faculty member is teaching remotely — some residential institutions are considering having students come to a classroom, with appropriate social distancing, and have the faculty member projected onto a screen in the room. This might create a greater sense of community than having students participate by themselves.
  • Many institutions may have to cap the size of larger classes to accommodate social distancing, break them into multiple sections, or teach them remotely.
• Consider how to manage extracurricular activities and athletics: athletics, arts, and many activities (e.g., debating clubs, student newspapers, Model UN) as many might be pursued virtually or with social distancing.
• Consider limiting visitors to campus. Schools should consider how to limit visitors, parents, and vendors coming onto campus as an effort to limit the transmission of the virus.
• Consider requirements for instructional hours, days and graduation credits as required by the State Board of Education.
• Consider in all planning the mental health and wellbeing of the community as paramount after physical health and safety guidelines have been met.
• Consider creating a succession plan for teachers and administrators who become sick with Covid-19.
• Consider referencing reopening guidelines created for institutions of higher education, if running a boarding school.

Dear LMEC Families,

I want to offer my sincere thanks for all those who took the time to attend the Friday 6/19 round-table. Your engagement provides a vital exchange of information to strengthen our partnership and assist our school in understanding how to best serve our community. We could not have survived without your commitment.

This letter is a follow-up to the round table with updates and clarification of some of the questions that came up. It provides an overview regarding our preparation and considerations for the fall. Over the summer we will be working on creative ways to offer as full a range of our program as is possible within the requirements and guidelines of various authorities.

Our involvement with officials in re-opening schools

Our school continues to advocate for children to be onsite. Scientific data demonstrates that they are not at risk for fatality from Covid, contrary to the fear raised by media. Keeping childcare and early learning programs open without social distancing or masks throughout our nation and around the world has proven just that. Our early learning and childcare program, which has remained open with only 20 students at the beginning, has now grown in attendance to approximately 90 students with no confirmed Covid-19 cases.

We know that children are, however, at a higher risk of compromised development that cannot be compensated later. The highest impact educators can have on children’s academic, physical, social and emotional development in person.

Our school joined a task force organized by WFIS (Washington Federation of Independent Schools) to advocate for schools to be open in fall. Our work included an appeal to allow each school district as well as each private school to independently determine their ability to meet “safe opening” requirements so that the highest number of students have the ability to stay in school with minimal disruptions.

You will receive, in a separate email, one of the documents I provided to WFIS during our participation in the task force for the Governor and OSPI to consider, while planning for fall school opening. I believe our collective work influenced their decision. My husband, William Duncan, who is a scientist, worked with us to compile this document. It provides links to videos and content of world-renowned scientists on the topic of Coronavirus. William, has passionately followed the path of this pandemic for a long time. I hope you find it valuable.

Living Montessori plans to provide onsite education for all programs
The information below will provide a brief overview of what was discussed during the round-table with updates and areas of consideration as we plan for “safe re-opening and continuation.”

Overview of DOH guidance and Living Montessori application

Physical distance 6’
While it is impossible to maintain consistent physical distance for children under 5 yrs. of age, Living Montessori has an advantage of larger than required classroom sizes as well as an abundance of overall indoor space. We have successfully developed strategies with room set up and workspaces to continue to offer much needed movement and maximize distancing. Recommendations are used in conjunction with age appropriate, developmental needs of the children. Living Montessori’s goal is to move towards full classrooms of 20 students. As we plan for fall we may need to make adjustments to that number and group size, based on our square footage, to reasonably allow for some level of physical distancing. This is a non-issue for the elementary classrooms. The classroom sizes are more than adequate.

Hygiene
All individuals must wash hands or use hand sanitizer (adults only) upon entering the building/classroom. Frequent hand washing is a daily part of our staff and children’s day. All children, current and returning will begin fall classes with a review of hygiene practices that prevent germs from spreading. These practices include washing hands, blowing nose, keeping hands off the face, etc. Teachers will continue to clean and sanitize materials, all surfaces and high tough areas in classrooms frequently throughout the day.

Health Screening
Temperatures of all children and staff will be taken upon arrival. General illness health screening will occur in the form of observation and questions of child’s overall health. Current Health Policy applies. Refer to the handbook for all health policy questions. An updated handbook with Covid-19 addendum will be available in August.

Masks
Effective June 26th. Masks are required by DOH and the Governor for all children ages 5 and over, as well as all staff and adults in the building. We will have a one-week grace period for parents to prepare and for children to adjust. Your children will be supported throughout the day to manage any difficulties that may arise from this new protocol.
The following exceptions to wearing a mask apply:
-Children are not expected to wear masks when outside. (Our school will be planning more outside activities including some academic time, particularly for primary and elementary students).
-If a child or an adult has a disability and cannot comfortably wear or remove the mask
-Individuals with repository condition or those advised by medical professionals or behavioral health specialists.
-Exceptions will be made with a Doctor’s note

Children under 5 are not expected to wear a mask
Our observation is that masks do not meet the intention in young children and is counterproductive. Young children play with their masks, remove them for comfort, misplace them or lose them. Children are more likely to touch their faces when wearing a mask.

No masks are to be worn by children ages 2 and under

OSPI Elementary guidelines / requirements
-Onsite education beginning September
-Minimal to no disruption – unless Governor orders closure
-Unless the Governor orders closures, each district and private school will have the flexibility and responsibility of methods used to meet safety guidelines or determine closures. This flexibility will allow schools, not impacted by Covid cases, to remain open with the least amount of disruptions.
-Private schools must meet 450 hours of instruction for Kindergarten students and 1000 hours for students in grades 1-6.
-School days may be extended into summer if adequate hours are not met.
-Alternatively, shortening school breaks such as winter and spring breaks may make up missing time.

Equity
Schools must determine the most equitable way to educate all children. This could mean, for example, accommodating children who need to quarantine if school is on-site or vice versa, accommodating children needing to be onsite while school moves to distance learning.

Arrival/Departure Procedure
Drop off and Pick up procedure to be announced later. We may continue with the process that has been implemented over the summer with minor changes.
-Temperature of all individuals entering the building will be taken upon arrival.
-Adults must use hand sanitizers to sign their children in and out
-Physical distance will be expected
-Adults entering the building are expected to wear a mask unless they have underlying conditions prohibiting the use of masks.

Tours
Will be limited to 1 family at a time but a maximum of 3 families may be acceptable if physical distance can be attained.

Delivery of our Program

Academic
Private schools are not expected to follow district wide strategies due to varying school and community needs. We plan to maintain the traditional Montessori Method and offer as full a range of our program as much as possible every day.

Before and After School Care
We expect to continue our before and after school care.

Specialty Enrichment
We would love to continue offering all the programs our students have benefited from. Over the summer we will be working on creative ways to offer these programs while managing to avoid mixing groups. The more students within each group participate in the specialty program the less we will need to mix and the more opportunities we can offer.

Enrichment
Music, Art and Spanish (LMA) will continue as normal.

Field Trips
Volunteers for field trips will be limited and may need to drive themselves. Orientation will be required prior to the field trip for all adults attending.
Seattle Children’s Theatre- is expected to continue barring any new restrictions.
Farm Trip – canceled
Science Seattle Science Centre– will be offered with an in-house experience
Elementary overnight– planning is underway barring any unforeseen restrictions.

Recreation/outdoor recess
As much as possible more outdoor time will be offered. This may include some academics as well enrichment activities.

Mealtimes
-Meals may be offered in individual classrooms
-Seating to be spaced out Montessori style – age appropriate
-Adult to serve the meals instead of family style where children serve themselves.

Events
Curriculum night-moved online
Fall carnival – school day celebration by class unless guidance or requirements change.
Advancement– to be determined

Communication
Weekly all school news – will contain weekly minor updates and calendar changes,
Bloomz– for daily communication and updates and any quick alerts
Constant contact-updates monthly, unless major changes need to be announced
Survey– as needed to determine needs

Staff Preparation
As a result of remaining open through the pandemic our staff have been thoroughly training on processes to ensure safety. We have increased our training to include supporting children and families during these unreliable times and transitions back to school.

Living Montessori intends to remain open and offer on-site learning except when driven by the following:

Emergency Care – Quarantine and School Closure
(Quarantine will last for 14 days)

Pod Quarantined
To contain possible spread pods of two or three groups will be created. Individuals in each pod will remain within their assigned pods as much as possible. If a case arises, only the affected pod may quarantine and move to distance learning.

Mandatory K-12 closure only – Directed by the Governor
K-12 will move to distance learning within two days of closure.
K students who are in the Primary classroom may come for childcare. They will remain with their class/teacher
All other programs will remain open

All school – mandatory closure (child care, early education, primary and elementary)
All school will move to distance learning. Over the summer we are considering other tools and activities to ensure a high level of engagement.

Student is quarantined
For example if a student comes in contact with a confirmed case but not showing symptoms or testing positive, student will remain home. Distance learning is being considered for various student quarantine situations. More details of its application will be available in August.

Parent or family member quarantined
Parent to inform the school. DOH guidance to be provided

Staff quarantined
In this case a substitute will replace the teacher on-site until the staff member returns. Lead teachers, if quarantined, may join class via zoom and stay connected to the students. Depending on the nature of staff quarantine DOH will determine if Pod must also quarantine.

Family chooses to remain home if school or child care/early learning remains open
Distance learning for families who opt to keep children home, while program is open, is being evaluated. This situation comes with much complexity and requires a well thought out solution. Our commitment is to ensure consistency for all students and offer a high quality, meaningful program. For some of our programs we are considering the idea of having a dedicated teacher for those requiring distance learning. This may only be feasible if sufficient number of students consistently remains in the distance-learning program for a full quarter or the full year. Having said that, we are by no means advocating for children to stay home. On the contrary, we strongly discourage families from keeping their children home unless they are at high risk. We are very concerned that children are missing important developmental milestones.

Survey
Last week we sent out a survey to determine the needs of our families. We hope you all participated and that it will provide us with valuable information to best serve you and your children.

We know the lockdowns, particularly school closures, have contributed to a great deal of stress on many families. Behavioral problems in children have increased and so has domestic violence and child abuse. Many children are experiencing depression and confusion and drug abuse is on the rise. Our school is committed to doing all it can to bring some sense of normalcy to the children and gain your confidence so you feel safe bringing your children to school.

Our plans are based on current information and guidance. We want to remind you that a lot can change in just a few days. We will continue to keep you informed. We plan to host another round table discussion soon. Please be on the lookout for an invite.

Our Sincere thanks for your continued support and participation.

If you have any questions please email them to: stephaniej@livingmontessori.com

With the Governor’s directive, beginning tomorrow June 26th, masks will be required for children ages 5 years and above while at school.

Please see the Department of Health guidance. This guidance has information on exceptions, so be sure to read thoroughly.
https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/1600/coronavirus/DOH-OSPI-DYCF-SchoolsChildCareGuidance.pdf.

As educators we understand this can present some difficulty in young children. For their comfort we are planning on spending more time outside which will reduce the amount of time they will need to wear a mask. If your child is 5 years or above, please send them to school wearing a mask along with a labeled Ziploc bag, where they can store it during food times and while outdoors.

We appreciate your cooperation in this matter.

If we can be of any assistance, please reach out to Laurie Langevin lauriel@livingmontessori.com or Stephanie Newton stephanie@livingmontessori.com

Living Montessori Education Community

Dear LMEE Families,

I’m writing you to update you on the plans for Summer at LMEE. Guidance and Plans for Fall will be announced at a later date. The following information is for those of you attending on-site, considering on-site attendance and for those of you participating in Montessori At Home.

As you know, LMEC has remained open during the Covid-19 pandemic as childcare is considered an essential service. In order to continue providing childcare we are currently following state and local guidelines. As a reminder, the following information regarding attendance groups was sent on May 1st and linked in weekly newsletters. Please take a moment to review. For all other guidelines,
information is included and available in recent newsletters and on our website.

Class and Group Size

• In order to minimize exposure children will stay in groups of 10 maximum at LMA and 5 to 10 at LMEE depending on age and class.
• The children may not be in their originally assigned classroom due to small group size.

We are working tirelessly to accommodate attending and returning students within these guidelines. Among the many guidelines to consider we are also managing the assessment of:

1. Staffing
2. Consistent groupings of children
3. The ability to create a consistent and meaningful distance learning program (Curriculum and Packets)
4. Classroom availability and placement for children returning to on-site learning.

As we assess the ongoing needs of children and classrooms, staffing and guidelines, some considerations for the Summer months will be adjusted. The following updates apply to Early Preschool students beginning June 15th through August 1st. (This information does not apply to the Moonbeams classroom.)

For currently attending students:

As always, teachers are planning a Summer Curriculum full of fun and engaging activities. Your child will stay in the classroom they have been assigned. Beginning June 15th, your child will stay with their current classroom for Circle Time. Beginning June 15th children will be reassigned in Bloomz and Transparent Classroom. For example, if your child’s original classroom was Oasis and they are attending Rainforest, they will now be assigned to Rainforest for the Summer Months.

For children and families attending Montessori at Home considering a return to campus:

You must alert Admissions for classroom placement and start date coordination.

For children and families continuing with Montessori at Home:

Beginning June 15th (through August 1st), 1:1 Zoom meeting times will be limited. Please speak to your individual teacher about continuing options. Zoom Circle and Pick-Up Packets will continue
throughout the Summer.

This has been a challenging time for all. It has also been an opportunity to learn and grow as a team and community. We appreciate your understanding and support. We are grateful we are able to stay open and provide care and support for children and families. Thank you for all of your patience and kind words of encouragement.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Regards,
Stephanie Newton,
Program Director

Living Montessori – New Health and Safety Guidelines and Practice

Safety of all children, family and staff is our top priority. With the recommendations of and guidance from DCYF, Department of Health and CDC, Living Montessori has added some new health and safety practices to our current Health and Safety Policy found in our handbook. Please feel free to request a copy of the handbook if you do not have access to it.

Health Screening at Entry
Living Montessori will check for signs of being sick for all staff and children at entry each day.

• Staff will wear gloves during screening.
• Children’s and staff’s temperature will be taken every day. Parent/guardian is requested to take their child’s temperature if possible before arriving to school. If child’s temperature is 100.4 degrees or more the child must stay home.
• Staff may ask questions about child and family health.
• Our school is not expected to screen children, students, or staff to identify cases of COVID-19. If a community (or more specifically, a school) has cases of COVID-19, local health officials will help identify those individuals and follow up on next steps.
• If a child develops or shows a fever or any other symptoms listed in our current Health Policy the staff will follow the Health Policy and procedure.
• All persons entering the building are expected to wash hands upon entering.
• Hand sanitizer must be used prior to signing your child in or out. Alternatively, our staff may sign your child in or out.

Drop-off and Pick-Up

LMA Drop off
Please use car-line from 8:15am to 9:30am in the usual drop off location close to the front lobby. Children are expected to be in school by 9:00 am but a 30 min grace period is allowed due to new adjustments that may present some challenges to families.

LMA Pick up
3:00 – 3:15: All pick will occur via car line in front of the library. 3:15 – 5:30: Call ahead for car-line pick up to give your child time to prepare to go home.

LMEE Drop off
Parents/guardians will bring the children in the lobby. Maximum 3 families will be permitted in the lobby at a time.Staff will provide drop off instructions upon entering.

LMEE Pick up
Parents/guardians will pick up from the lobby or classroom depending on the child’s age or need. Maximum 3 families will be permitted in the lobby at a time. Staff will provide pick up instructions upon entering.

Class and Group Size

• In order to minimize exposure children will stay in groups of 10 maximum at LMA and 5 to 10 at LMEE depending on age and class.
• The children may not be in their originally assigned classroom due to small group size.
• Each group will remain together throughout the day. They will not be combined with other groups at any time indoors or outdoors.

Hand washing

• All adults and children wash hands up arrival with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Frequent hand washing will continue throughout the day and children needing support will be provided hand-washing lessons as appropriate.
• Hand-washing is encouraged for children after blowing their nose, coughing or sneezing.
• Staff are required to wash hands after blowing their nose, coughing, or sneezing.
• Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands and encourage children to do he same.

Cleaning and disinfecting

• All high touch areas are cleaned and disinfected frequently throughout the day
• Classroom materials, tables, etc. are sanitized frequently throughout the day
• All classrooms are thoroughly cleaned and sanitized daily
• Outdoor play area is sanitized daily
• Faucets and sinks are cleaned and sanitized at least three times daily

Social Distancing

• Adults will practice social distancing by maintain a 6’ distance and strategically plan children’s activities to minimize contact.
• Social distancing amongst children is not realistic and must not be forced.
• Carline at LMA and drop off and pick up procedures will support further social distancing.

Face Masks

• Facemasks are encouraged but not required at this time until more clarification is provided by DCYF.
• No face covering or facemasks are to be used for children the age of 2.
• Further guidelines will be provided during training and updated of any changes

Yours Truly
Afrose Amlani,
Head of School

My Dear LMEC Families,

I hope you and your family are doing well and staying healthy.

It has been about a month since the “stay-home, stay-healthy” proclamation and I am sure that you and your children are hoping to resume something closer to normal life in the not too distant future.

We thank you for your support as we all work to adapt to this difficult time.

A number of children have continued to attend LMEE and LMA. However, some of you have asked whether you qualify to have your children attend. In particular this question is arising as the State begins to reopen some industries. Another question has come up which is, can my child attend if I am working from home? The purpose of this letter is to clarify the situation.

Is childcare the same as Preschool?

1. Preschool and Early Preschool fall under the umbrella of Child Care and Early Learning, which has not been closed by the Governor.
2. School is closed for K-12 only and childcare is available to all age groups including K-12 students (K-6 at Living Montessori).

To emphasize these points, here are three questions with their answers taken directly from the web site for DCYF (Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Family Services) that might help clarify:

Q: Does the request that childcare remain open to essential workers include providing care for currently enrolled families who need care for 5-12-year-olds?

A: Please continue to provide care to already enrolled families, including families with school-age children.

Q: Should my childcare only serve children of essential workers? Am I allowed to stay open if I don’t serve any children of essential workers?

A: Childcare providers can remain open and serve any child. If currently enrolled children need care, then you can serve them regardless of their parent’s essential worker status. You can also enroll new children…….DCYF encourages providers to prioritize children of essential workers and uniquely vulnerable children if there are more children than the provider can safely serve.

Q: Are licensed childcare providers expected to close under Governor Inslee’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order? Are they mandated to stay open?

A: Governor Inslee designated child care businesses and workers as essential and exempt from the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order. Child care providers are not under a mandate to stay open or to close. We encourage child care facilities to continue serving their communities and to make their educated decisions based upon what information and recommendations are coming from the Washington State Department of Health (DOH).

So, as you can see, if you wish or need to have your child attend, you may have them do so. In order to maintain appropriate guidelines it is important to provide us with advance notice of your child’s need to attend. With the recommendations of and guidance from DCYF, Department of Health and CDC, Living Montessori has added some new health and safety practices to our current Health and Safety Policy.

An overview of these practices and advance notice timelines will be laid out in a subsequent letter to shortly follow this one.

Again, I thank you for your support and as usual please direct questions to Laurie, Stephanie N or me.

Yours Truly
Afrose Amlani,
Head of School

Dear LMEC Families,

I would like to share a few, hopefully, helpful insights.

Teaching Staff
With your deeply appreciated support we continue to pay our teachers. In our view it is essential to do so. Both to help the staff during this difficult time and, as we return to more normal operation, to ensure children are able to return to an emotionally and educationally stable environment. We note that, of their own volition, a few staff members have chosen to work part time and accept various unemployment benefits. This option is available to all those who prefer it and where it is deemed appropriate. The school has also increased sick leave benefits to encourage staff to take care of themselves. All other eligible benefits continue.

Child Care
As recommended by the governor, we continue to offer childcare to those who need it. Many of you work in high tech (internet, web, communications), medical and other essential fields. It is very important that these continue to operate fully during this time.

The staff’s day is somewhat different to normal! Some are providing care to attending students – two staff members are assigned to each group of 8 children in order to cope with social distancing and additional sanitizing at LMA and even less students per teacher are assigned at LMEE. Other teachers and staff continue to work hard to support your children with distance learning, circles times, one-on-one with the children at LMA and families as needed, music and art videos, in some cases “take home packets” and ideas. They continue to plan, communicate and prepare for the weeks to come and engage in more training. In addition, they, with the Administrative team, are evaluating ways to improve on distance learning and support. We expect that all we learn during this time will be put to good use in more normal times so that we can easily include children who cannot be in the classroom due to illness. Summer Camp planning and AMS accreditation process is also underway.

Operating Expense
There has been a reduction in food cost for non-attending students. It has, however, had minimal impact in our overall budget. The larger cost is our labor for preparing food. Our staff includes three full-time kitchen staff that remains employed, with full benefits. They prepare meals for all attending children and staff as well as assist in maintaining our facility. Full operating expense such as IT, telecommunication, utilities, insurance, janitorial services, as well as rent are all current. No discounts have been available at the present time. On the contrary some cost have increased.

Revenue Loss
A few of our families have dis-enrolled due to loss of employment and others have accepted our scholarships. As much as possible, we would like to continue to support families in need. Additionally, the school has made an exception to the refund policy and is crediting all of the current session’s specialty enrichment cost to families towards their next specialty enrichment session.

Our Commitment
We are committed to ensuring that our students can return to an emotionally stable education community that they are familiar with. This will allow them to rapidly catch up with their education. Our teachers will diligently provide as much remote learning and support as is feasible.

This interesting time with regular changes requires balancing many complexities, not all of which are addressed here. I hope this letter offers some insight. Rooted in our core values, we will continue to make decisions in the best interest of our students while ensuring our organizational stability and our capacity to provide excellent educational services in the long term. Although I believe our teachers are offering excellent remote learning opportunities and are committed to improving the students’ experience and family support, in the short term no one can argue that remote learning is a full substitute for in person care and education. In my communication with families it seems that it has offered other invaluable benefits. I hope to talk with more families in the next week or two and use the information to better serve our community. This situation is in a constant flux and we will endeavor to be in communication as often as possible as well as provide as much transparency as possible so you know your tuition is being used to maintain staffing, the school and the wider community.

Community
We are all in this together, and while it is a difficult time, it is also a time for contemplation on what really matters and for continued mutual support to the best of our abilities. We expect you to return to a vibrant school with even better trained staff where children will easily excel emotionally and academically. We look forward to seeing you in person, hopefully, soon.

Rest assured we are committed to the children, their families and our staff for the long term. Your continued support is very much appreciated in order to achieve this aim and deliver the best we can through this crisis and beyond.

We miss you and your children’s energy and presence.

Much love,
Afrose Amlani
Head of School

Dear LMEC Families,

During these challenging times there has been so much uncertainty, unrest and lack of clarity throughout the school, the city, the country, and in fact the world. People are all dealing with this new reality in their own way. It has been my goal to stay focused on the things I can do to effect positive outcomes for our LMEC Community. I have been working diligently gathering resources and information to afford our school the greatest stability possible in the present days and in the long term.

I want to thank you all for your support and participation in remote learning. I understand most of you have engaged in the Zoom circles and some will be doing so by the end of the week. Although it cannot be a replacement for physical learning I have received glowing reports about how much is possible with the online experiences. It is my observation that this connection is also beneficial to our staff that is participating. I want to say a big THANK YOU to my leadership team and staff for their love and dedication to our learning community.

Here is the latest update regarding COVID-19

Governor’s order – Essential Workers

According to the “Proclamation by the Governor Amending Proclamation 20-05” Stay Home – Stay Healthy

• Workers supporting public and private childcare establishments, licensed pre-K establishments, K- 12 schools, colleges, and universities for purposes of distance learning, or the provision of school meals, or child care for the children of essential workers across all sectors and for uniquely vulnerable children)
• Communication and Information Technology is among essential workers

Our school is aware that a number of our clients fall into the Communication and Technology service category as well as other Essential Workers categories, as described in the Proclamation.

It is up to each client to determine their status/category and whether childcare services are needed. It is not the role of the school to question or determine their eligibility. Rooted in our core values of Collaboration, Empathy, Respect and Trust we are here to support all members of our learning Community.

Living Montessori will therefore remain open for services to all those who deem it necessary in order to perform their essential duties.

One organizational method we have employed is to divide the Administrative Team into specialized partnerships so that we can manage the increased volume of information and need to communicate with greater efficiency. If you have any questions or information to share please forward it to the following team.

Stephanie Newton and Laurie Langevin have been focusing on supporting the distance learning opportunities as well as the coordination of the childcare being offered on site. As I have been in contact with many schools I am confident that we are offering our students a meaningful learning experience while we are not conducting classes in person. Maintaining connections with the children is essential for them as well as the families in this challenging time. Stephanie Newton and Laurie are available to answer questions about the school operations, curriculum and program related questions and teacher communications. Stephanie@livingmontessori.com Lauriel@livingmontessori.com

Aliya Hirji and Crystal Pumilia continue working with all admissions and enrollment related questions. aliya@livingmontessori.com admissions@livingmontessori.com

Stephanie Johnson and Laura Michaud have been working on compiling information from reliable sources like the CDC, King County Health Department, WFIS, and the Governor’s office. You may also email Stephanie J. if you are unsure of where to take your questions. She will connect you with the appropriate individual that may or may not be listed here. stephaniej@livingmontessori.com lauram@livingmontessori.com

Lead Teachers are available to help you work with your child and provide a meaningful distance learning experience.

As we continue down this path where the future is ever changing please trust that we care for and value each of you. Be gentle to yourselves and acknowledge all that you are holding. Our greatest wish is that this is short lived and we can get back to business, healthy and with many lessons learned. I also wish that this experience can bind us together as a stronger, greater community doing the most important work of all – shaping the future of humanity. Our school’s stated purpose demonstrates our pledge and commitment to the future: Our purpose is to develop empowered global citizens in partnership with their families.

Thank you for being part of Living Montessori. We look forward go working together to achieve a peaceful humanity.

Sincerely,
Afrose Amlani
Head of School

Dearest Members of the Living Montessori Educational Community,

I am writing today to let you know how much you are each appreciated. I wish to express my thanks to the families. Everyone has been impacted in the current situation yet you have been supportive at every level including words to champion our teachers, staff and administration. The teachers have most graciously taken on the new adventure in online learning with enthusiasm, creativity and commitment to their children. By this evening all of the LMA families will have had their initial meeting on Zoom. The LMEE families will have their initial meetings early next week. The two meetings that happened yesterday were a great success. The teachers, support staff and administrative team have been working tirelessly in the face of an ever changing landscape. Their support and flexibility have been invaluable.

Tuesday, March 17th the entire staff had its first Zoom staff meeting. I was extremely impressed that the questions from the staff primarily focused on the topic of our children and how we will serve them. I was deeply moved by the fact that they participated with little concern for themselves. We are so fortunate to have such an amazing, committed staff.

As we move forward please support your child by having them continue to stay in touch with their class communities. They are affected by this change as much as the adults are. Allow us to support you with suggestions and activities that will keep your child engaged and excited about learning.

I ask that you please continue to support us as we all move through this temporary experience together. During times of tests and short term hardship it is most beneficial to think long term. Pulling together for a common cause will strengthen us all as a group as well as individually. We are all committed to the children, the Montessori Method, and a better more unified world.

Have an amazing weekend, stay well.

Sincerely,
Afrose Amlani
Head of School

Dear LMEC Families,

Once again, I want to thank you whole-heartedly for your dedication and support in this difficult time. I know you have faced disruption in your home and work. During this time I hope you have found comfort in the love, structure and stability our teachers have provided. I also hope you feel confident in the Health and Safety practices our school has ramped up. It is crucial this environment continues as we manage through these troubled times.

Governor’s Decision
As of yesterday (3/13), Governor Jay Inslee has closed all public & private K-12 schools effective March 17 through April 24, at minimum. Private schools may keep their school buildings open for staff and administrative teams. The teachers/staff are expected to work. He has not ordered closure for all other early learning and childcare facilities for children who do not fall in the K-12 category. Additionally, he has been clear that childcare is to be offered to all students whose families need to work. This includes K-12 students. This was further clarified to Washington Federation of Independent Schools (WFIS), of which Living Montessori is a member, via phone with the Governor’s office.

Our Plan
The school will close through Wednesday March 18th in preparation of virtual learning. By March 18th, families will receive details of virtual learning. Our facility will open on Thursday March 19th to offer childcare.

Elementary
The Elementary school program will be conducted through alternative methods. By Wednesday March 18th, further instructions will be sent to families and students regarding expectations, instructions via zoom, student projects and responsibilities, one-to-one teacher-student contact and group contact time.

Primary
By March 18th the Primary teachers will send educational instructions, resources and expectations via email to all Primary families to use if they do not need to bring their children to school. Expectations and consistent virtual teacher contact for Primary, including K students will be determined based on capabilities and other variables. Montessori mixed age group and student readiness criteria may only apply if teachers determine its viability. More details will follow. We will begin slowly so children and families have time to adjust. Instructions and resources will continue as long as needed with regular communication, evaluations and adjustments to ensure success.

LMEE
By March 18th, Early Education program will offer guidance and ideas, via email and perhaps Bloomz, of initial activities to support families who will be keeping their children home. This will be followed by emails, Bloomz and phone communication to evaluate and adjust continued support to ensure success.

All School
Beginning Thursday March 19th, childcare at LMA and LMEE will be OPEN and continue as usual with normal operating hours for all children who need to come to school. This includes the Elementary students whose families need to work.

Beginning Friday March 20th, all families who expect to bring their children to school must confirm their attendance every Friday for the following week. If you already know what you will need, through April 24th, please make that information available as soon as possible. The more information we have in advance the better will be our planning.

Please provide information to admissions@livingmontessori.com. Please do not directly email Gina or Nancy.

We are confident in our understanding and ability to maintain strict CDC COVID-19 guidelines and diligently practicing our Health Policy.

Our Commitment
Our mission is to develop empowered global citizens in partnership with their families. Living Montessori is committed to continue providing excellent care and education to all of its students, regardless of its form. As a true Montessori community we will support you as best as we can while you carry out your challenging role of taking care of your children and managing your workload. We know this is no “walk in the park.” We are here for you!

Living Montessori has always supported and paid its staff during all emergency closures. Our teachers give fully, providing a vital role of stability essential at all times and most critical during troubled times such as the one we are currently facing. As Head of School I am committed to ensuring my staff are paid while we offer a high quality education, in whatever form we need to, as well as physically provide care to all the children whose families need to work.

As you can understand, this commitment can only be fulfilled with continued tuition. I am asking every family in our school to keep this in mind and diligently continue their enrollment and tuition payment. I cannot stress enough that in these stressful and disruptive times children are highly impacted. It is essential that they have a stable, emotionally familiar environment to come back to. We can absolutely do this by working together. Scholarships can also be made available for families in our community, whose livelihood is threatened by loss of jobs, so that their children are not left behind. Please contact me directly if you find yourself in this position or would like to help someone in need.

“childcare and early learning serve a vitally important function in allowing parents to continue working, which has a significant public health and social benefits. Parents still need to work and children need safe and enriching spaces to spend their days.”
-Washington State Governor Jay Inslee, March 12, 2020

Personal note
I have dealt with some enormously difficult situations in my personal life and business and have come through a stronger, perhaps kinder person. At one point in time I was even homeless as a single mother with three young children. When I was a young girl of 17 my family lost all they had in East Africa, during Idi Amin’s regime, when they were forced to come to this privileged country as refugees. It is the support of generous and welcoming communities that made my family’s success possible. These are the times our capacities are confronted and hopefully developed and our relationships, commitments and values are tested.

I am thankful for Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook and all other organizations, which have the capabilities to support the wellness of their employees, have stepped up. Our heart goes out to all those who have lost their dear ones, whose health is compromised, those struggling to keep their jobs and the small businesses barely managing to keep up.

I can tell you with certainty that all of you who have expressed their gratitude and their support for our teachers and the school have fueled our resilience to help us whether this storm together.

All my love,
Afrose Amlani
Head of School

Dear LMEC Families,

First of all I want to thank all of you for the tremendous support you have shown to our school community in these trying days as we navigate through uncharted territory.

As we make decisions we are thinking about the effects this virus has had in our students, staff and families. Our goal is to balance the needs of everyone involved and make decisions with everyone’s safety in mind.

As we have already done we will continue to follow the guidance of our governor and the relevant authorities. Jay Inslee ordered all private and public K-12 schools to close, beginning Tuesday March 16th. Inslee has also asked for childcare to be offered to those families in need.

Closure
To prepare for distance learning as well as think through how offering childcare can be managed. The school has decided to extend our closure from Friday March 13th through Wednesday March 18th.

What this means
Elementary: The Elementary school program will be conducted through alternative methods. The teachers will continue to communicate the timeline and what this looks like with their families, in order to maintain an enriching educational experience for our students.

Primary: The primary teachers will continue to gather resources and educational materials to support students at home. More details on how this will all work will be communicated by Wednesday, March 18th.

LMEE: Early education program will offer guidance and ideas for activities and support for families through Bloomz, phone calls and emails.

All School: We are evaluating the possibility of offering childcare to all LMEC families in need. This will require careful thought and preparation. On Friday March 13th, our administrative team will participate in the DCYF (Washington State Department of children, youth and families services) webinar specifically for childcare providers. In this webinar we hope to gather valuable insights and guidance that will shape our decisions moving forward.

We understand that this still leaves many unanswered questions. In the days to come, our goal is to clarify how we can best serve our families and staff.

Sincerely,
Afrose Amlani, Laurie Langevin & Stephanie Newton
Head of School | Program Directors

Dear LMEC Families,

I want to inform you that in the wake of the press conference earlier today, regarding Jay Inslee’s order to close all EVENTS that gather 250 people or more, the Seattle, Lake Washington, and Bellevue School Districts have announced their school closures for the next two weeks. There has been no order from the State of Washington to close public or private schools.

For now the school will remain closed on Friday March 13th as scheduled, as well as Monday March 16th (not previously scheduled) to allow for preparation in the event of an ordered closure. Unless there are new developments, we are planning on keeping our school open after the two day closure.

In the meantime, we ask you to do the following:

1. Practice social distancing as much as possible
2. Follow proper hand washing and sanitizing procedures
3. Inform us of any travel
4. If you are sick, have an alternate drop off/pickup person or drop off and pick up your children from the lobby
5. Keep sick children at home We respect each family’s individual decisions about what is best for their children.

Thank you for your support and dedication to our school community.

Sincerely,
Afrose Amlani, Laurie Langevin & Stephanie Newton
Head of School | Program Directors

Dear LMEC Families,

I want to inform you that we are in daily communication with our Health Nurse as well as King County Health Department and keeping up-to-date with the CDC’s recommendations. No change has been advised as yet.

The risk to children for Corona Virus remains low and the school continues to strictly observe the standard Health and Safety policy with emphasis on very careful and frequent hand washing, practicing safe sneezing, coughing, nose blowing and additional measures such as weekly deep cleaning and frequent sanitizing of all the high touch areas.

Here is the CDC report, as can be seen, children are at far more risk from the flu than Corona Virus. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm

Our teachers have begun the process of preparation for continuity of our Primary and Elementary students’ education in the event the school needs to close for a period of time. We will endeavor to keep these works/lessons fruitful for the students and yet simple for parents to give guidance and help while managing their own workload.

For Toddlers and Early preschool students, it is not appropriate to send works home nor does it seem feasible for parents to manage this task while working from home. However, if families need the support our teachers are happy to provide appropriate parent guidelines and ideas that may be helpful as you try to fulfill this dual role.

As always, please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or if we can provide any support.

Sincerely,
Afrose Amlani, Laurie Langevin & Stephanie Newton
Head of School | Program Directors

Dear LMEC Families,

In a continued effort to practice safe, conscientious operations at Living Montessori, we have made some adaptations to our scheduled Programs and added other precautionary steps.

All School Temperature Checks
Beginning Monday March 9th, please be prepared to have your child’s temperature taken either upon arrival or at our earliest available opportunity. If your child is in before-care please walk them to the cafeteria or LMEE MPR respectively, when arriving before 8:00 am. At that time you may be asked to confirm that your child has been fever free in the past 24 hrs., without the aid of medication. Children with a fever of 100 degrees or more, or children medicated to reduce fever will be sent home or not be admitted. Please be sure to give yourselves a little extra time each morning in order to accommodate this important process.

LMA Activity Changes
For the time being, any activity where parents are invited to the school will be cancelled or adapted. This action is in accordance with the recommendation to avoid large gatherings. Please read the following details about specific events and how they are being changed or cancelled.

LMA STEAM Fair
The students will follow the timeline set out at the beginning of the project. Students will bring their projects to school on Monday, March 16th. Instead of being a school wide event, the presentation will be held in the individual classrooms over two days (March 19th and 20th). The families will not attend as originally planned. This will remove the “large gathering of people” element while still allowing the children to be excited about science and have practice presenting to a group of people. The school will be closing at 3:00 pm on March 20th, as planned to allow the school time for deep cleaning and sanitizing the classrooms.

LMA Pick Up Time Logistics on March 20th. (STEAM fair day)
All pickups will be via carline only. Elementary, Juniper and Poplar students will need to be picked up from the service entrance on the West end of the building. All other students will be picked up outside the front lobby entrance. Staff will be available to guide the carlines. Students will take home their science projects. All student cubby contents will be sent home to be sanitized. Relevant items may be returned on Monday.

LMA Piano Students
All Recitals will be cancelled for Friday, March 6th and Monday, March 9th.

Elementary Ballroom Dancing
The Ballroom Dancing Demonstration will be filmed, no parents should attend. You will be able to watch the demonstration with your children.

All School Absentee Notice
Since many families have chosen to keep their children home during this time we are experiencing a lot of wastage of food and time in special dietary preparation as well as staff planning. This can be better managed with at lease 48 hrs. of notice. Please email ginak@livingmontessori.com for LMA or lmeeadmin@livingmontesori.com for LMEE, if you plan to keep your child home. Please inform us of the duration of time if you have that information. For example, a day or two or a week at a time.

All of us at Living Montessori thank you for your concern and support in these unusual times. We continue to stay abreast of the most current updates from the CDC, King County and Washington State Department of Health, the State Board of Education and our visiting State Health Nurse. All recommendations are to continue to follow Health policies and remain open. We will implement changes as required to insure the safety of our students, staff, and families. The school will remain open until the above authorities advise otherwise or at the discretion of our leadership team as the evolving situation demands. We respect the rights of each family to make choices regarding the attendance of their children.

For your information, the school is exploring ways of implementing virtual learning for students as age appropriate. More information will be made available soon.

Wishing you good health and much love,

Sincerely,
Afrose Amlani, Laurie Langevin & Stephanie Newton
Head of School | Program Directors

Dear LMEC Families,

I ask that you read this notice in its entirety.

I am writing to inform you that we are continually monitoring the situation and staying up to date as new information becomes available regarding the Coronavirus, what the school is doing, and how we can all work together to ensure the safety of our learning community.

The Health and Safety of our children, families and staff is paramount.

For now it is most important to get “grounded in facts” and take all preventative measures. The virus is still in the process of being fully understood and naturally misinformation can lead to fear and panic. It is vital that we work together with accurate information to protect our learning community. To that end, I’ve included links to some helpful, factual resources.

Schools have been advised to continue with normal operations; diligently following Health and Safety policies that are in place and staying current with Washington State Department of Health guidelines:
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Schools: Information for School Nurses and Administrators
Washington State Department of Health 2019 Novel Coronavirus Outbreak (COVID-19) Information Portal

Preventative measures are our best option.

We have reviewed our processes and increased our preventative measures as needed. The first step was an increased effort in emphasizing our hand washing and sanitizing procedures throughout the school. We have employed extra resources to sanitize surfaces that are normally not within the normal scope of work and within DEL and State Health Department guidelines. We continue to follow guidelines from the Washington Board of Education, Washington State Department of Health and the CDC. Please reference the links provided for more information on the most up to date recommendations. Although most of these recommendations are already a part of our normal routine, the school has taken additional steps to minimize the risk to our community.

Immediate Actions the school has taken as a preventive measure:

1. To elevate cleaning and sanitizing, we have employed an additional cleaning crew to come in weekly and sanitize all high touch areas. This includes all lobby furniture, counter tops, LMEE fish tank, all school faucets, sinks, toilets and door knobs, cafeteria, LMEE MPR and LMA gym mats and equipment, etc. etc. This is in addition to our normal procedures.
2. As a preventative measure, we have reviewed our Health & Safety policy, relevant to preventing spread of disease, with all staff as a reminder to follow it strictly.
3. To emphasize hand washing, teachers are reviewing proper hand washing lessons with children. We ask that you employ these procedures at home. Additionally, our teachers will begin showing CDC hand washing videos created for children. Feel free to show them at home.
4. These will not be shown to our infants. They may be shown to our young toddlers in Ocean and Lagoon classrooms at the discretion of our Program Director and their lead teacher.
5. Teachers are consistently reviewing lessons on sneezing, coughing, and nose wiping with children and each other.
6. New hand-washing reminders are posted throughout the school. All individuals visiting the school are asked to wash their hands and follow all appropriate safety procedures.
7. Hand sanitizer has been made available for all adults only at the sign in desk for use prior to touching the sign in/out tablet and/or operating the door.
8. Large group gatherings at school are minimized. Please look for updates for all upcoming events.

How you can help:

1. Our school is as safe as we make it. Your efforts are equally important. Follow our Health Policy. Our complete Health Policy can be found in your LMEC Parent Handbooks and I encourage you to review it. We will enforce it, strictly!
2. Keep sick children home.
3. Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
4. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
5. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
6. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
7. Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.
8. If your child needs to be sent home you will receive a Health Notice spelling out when your child can return. Be sure to pay attention to that and follow those instructions. If you do not receive a Health Notice, the LMEC Health Policy applies. Children must be symptom free without the aid of medication for 24 hours prior to returning to school.
9. If you are sick please DO NOT ENTER the classroom. Stay in the lobby and ask our office staff to take your child to their classroom.
10. Please use the provided hand sanitizer prior to touching the sign in/out tablet and/or operating the door.
11. Please assist us by making sure your children are consistently washing their hands upon entering their classroom or before joining their before care group. If your children are in before care at LMEE please have them wash their hands in their classrooms or the nearest classroom prior to joining their group in the MPR.
12. If you are traveling, please inform us of your destination. Currently, the CDC is recommending that all travelers from China (including school students, staff and volunteers) arriving in the United States AFTER February 2, 2020 at 2 p.m. stay at home, away from others, and monitor their health for 14 days.
13. Please call us if your child will be absent and provide details if it is for health reason.
14. If you or your child is diagnosed with COVID-19 or any contagious illness please stay home and immediately inform the school. This will allow us to quickly take the safety measures as per the authorities’ guidelines and our Health Policy. We will, at all times, maintain your privacy.
15. If you are diagnosed and your child is well please inform us and we will advise you according to the Health Department guidelines.

Thanks for getting to the end. We appreciate joint efforts in keeping our community safe.

Please do not hesitate to contact your respective Program Directors, Laurie Langevin and Stephanie Newton, or me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
Afrose Amlani
Head of School

LMA Families,

We wanted to reach out and respond to parent concerns about group gatherings, here at the school, surrounding COVID-19 (Coronavirus). Our upcoming Steam Fair specifically is being looked at carefully. We are monitoring the situation, and if action is required we will make that decision closer to the date.

In the meantime we want to pass on these cleaning guidelines, from the CDC, and encourage you to follow as closely as possible at home to ensure consistency for the children as well as lower the possibility of germs spreading.

WA State: Department of Health: Cleaning Tips for Teachers

In light of this new information, we ask if you are unwell or showing any symptoms, that you take caution when you are dropping off or picking up your child. Please utilize the carline (8:15-8:55, 3:00-3:15). If you are outside of those times and are still unwell, please come into the lobby and a staff member can bring your child out to you, in order to limit exposure.

Continuing with our policy, please remind your child to wash their hands immediately upon entering the classroom.

Thank you for partnering with us.

Sincerely,
Laurie Langevin & Stephanie Newton
Program Directors

Dear LMEC Families,

Please read below information from Washington State Department of Health.

OLYMPIA – As the investigation into 2019 novel coronavirus continues, the Washington State Department of Health is sharing important data points to help the public understand and track the progress and the work being done statewide. The immediate health risk from novel coronavirus to Washington residents is still considered low at this time.

Across the state, we have identified 8 persons under investigation (PUI). A person under investigation (PUI) is an ill person with possible 2019 n-CoV infection who is in the process of being tested.

The current number of close contacts stands at 63. This is the number of people potentially exposed to the virus who are being actively monitored in Washington state. A close contact is a person who has been within about 6 feet of a person with confirmed 2019 n-CoV infection for a prolonged period of time or has had direct contact with secretions from a person with confirmed 2019 n-CoV infection. The definition used in Washington is the same as the CDC definition. We plan to update the number of close contacts daily at 3pm here on the Department of Health website.

We will update our website daily with:

• The number of confirmed 2019 novel coronavirus cases in Washington.
• The number of people who are currently being monitored due to having close contact with a person who is confirmed to have 2019 novel coronavirus.
• The number of ill persons under investigation (PUI) for possible infection.

The patient with confirmed 2019 n-CoV is still in satisfactory condition and in the same unit at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett. Providence is coordinating with the CDC, the Department of Health, and the Snohomish Health District to monitor and treat the patient. No discharge date has been set.

The 2019 novel coronavirus is concerning because it’s a new strain and can cause pneumonia. The Washington State Department of Health wants to ensure that the public is aware of the ways we are working to keep the public informed every day. The multi-agency public response to Washington’s first case of 2019 novel coronavirus is ongoing, as these teams partner to learn more about this emerging issue.

There are steps people can take to reduce their risk of getting any viral respiratory infections. These include:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick
• Clean and disinfect objects and surfaces

It is also important for people to stay at home away from others if they are sick and for people to cover their mouth and nose with a tissue when they cough or sneeze, then throw the tissue in the trash and wash their hands.

DOH has established a call center to address questions from the public. If you have questions about what is happening in Washington state, how the virus is spread, and what to do if you have symptoms, please call 1-800-525-0127 and press #.

More information on 2019 novel coronavirus is available from:

• Public Health Seattle-King County
• Snohomish Health District
• Washington State Department of Health
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The DOH website is your source for a healthy dose of information.

Rest assured, the school will continue to follow our Health Policy and practice and the above, Washington State Department of Health, recommendations.

Sincerely,
Stephanie Newton & Laurie Langevin
Program Directors