2021-22 School Year Health FAQ

Tuition will not be affected based on any isolation or quarantine orders.

If a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, Rivendell will notify the Larimer County Health Department immediately. The individual will be asked to isolate themself following instructions from the health department. At this point, it is not the Larimer County Health Department’s intention to quarantine a whole class if there is one positive COVID-19 case.

Students should not be in school with any symptoms, even mild ones like a runny nose or congestion. Students who develop symptoms at school must go home immediately. Children do not have to have a fever to be positive for COVID-19. Children particularly can be positive for COVID-19 even with very mild symptoms that resemble the common cold such as a stuffy nose or a mild cough and spread the virus to others.

Following the State of Colorado’s How Sick is Too Sick guidelines, if a student has any COVID-19 symptoms that are not due to a chronic illness, the child must take a COVID-19 test before returning to school. Home tests are now acceptable for return to school, but please note that molecular tests, like a PCR, are more accurate. Please send a photo of your test results to Kara: kara@rivendell-school.org On the day your child is home, Kara will reach out to you to check in and to share information with you on when your child may return to the classroom.
What are COVID-19 Symptoms?
COVID-19 symptoms include: runny nose or congestion, cough, muscle or body aches, headache, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, sore throat, a fever of 100.4 or feeling feverish, chills, loss of taste or smell, and shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.
What if my student tests negative for COVID-19?

• If a student tests negative, but has a fever, shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or cough, then the student should still stay home until symptoms have been resolved for at least 24 hours without medication.
• If a student tests negative, but has a sore throat, runny nose/congestion, muscle or body aches, headache, fatigue, new loss of taste or smell, then the student can return as long as all symptoms are improving and cough, shortness of breath, fever, diarrhea and vomiting have fully resolved.

What if my student tests positive for COVID-19?
If a student tests positive or chooses not to test, they must follow the State of Colorado and Larimer County health department’s isolation guidelines. If a student test positive, please email Kara right away: kara@rivendell-school.org.

Students with major symptoms lasting over 24 hours or minor symptoms lasting over 48 hours cannot return to school until 1.) Rivendell has received documentation of a negative COVID-19 PCR test and 2.) their symptoms have resolved without the use of symptom reducing medication and 3.) they were not identified as a close contact to a confirmed COVID-19 positive case. If a family chooses not to get a PCR test, the student must remain out of school until 5 full days have passed since their initial onset of symptoms and they have been symptom/fever-free for 24 hours without medication. A mask must be worn at school on days 6-10. If a student can not wear a well-fitting mask over their nose and mouth on days 6-10, then they must remain out of school for a full 10 days.

If a student is waiting on test results for any reason, they must remain out of school until a negative test result is received. Unvaccinated siblings must also remain out of school until a negative test result is received. Fully vaccinated siblings who are symptom free may continue to attend school while test results are pending.

Students who are not fully vaccinated and have had close contact (any household contact) with someone with COVID-19 must remain out of school and quarantine for 5 full days following their last exposure date. The student may return on days 6-10 if they can wear a well-fitting mask at school. If the student cannot wear a mask that covers their nose and mouth, they must stay out for 10 full days following their last exposure date. Close contact is defined as any individual who was within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes starting from 2 days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, 2 days prior to a positive test) until the time the COVID positive patient is isolated. Individuals who are fully vaccinated and have no symptoms do not need to quarantine following a close contact.

Effective February 28th, 2022, state and local health departments have moved to a routine disease control model for COVID-19 in school settings. Exposure notification letters will no longer be sent for COVID-19 cases in routine classroom settings. As with other communicable diseases, affected families will be notified if there is a cluster of illness in a classroom. School-wide notification will be sent if the school reaches outbreak status for an illness.

Parents, guardians, and volunteers will be welcome back in the building this year. All families are welcome to accompany their students inside for pick up and drop off. Due to the limited social distancing opportunities in the school’s common spaces, if you choose to accompany your student into the building we ask that you limit the time spent in the building during drop off and pick up. If you would like to visit with other Rivendell families we ask that you please do so in the parking lot.

Rivendell has aligned with the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment’s lifting of the local mask mandate. Masks are no longer required in the school. It is important to note that our youngest population in the school has not had the opportunity to get vaccinated and we have immunocompromised staff members, so we will continue to be a mask-friendly environment and support anyone who chooses to continue wearing a mask.

We are excited to be hosting community events again this year. We will begin with our Open House on August 23rd from 2:00-3:30 and our Food Truck night on Tuesday, August 31st. We will continue to assess the risk level in Larimer County throughout the school year and look forward to holding more community events as long as it is safe to do so.

Students will still have regular recess times throughout the day. All classrooms in a Level, e.g., both Preschool classrooms, all three Younger Kids classrooms, will have recess time outdoors together. During indoor recess, students will stay in their classrooms with their classroom cohort.

Inside the building, students will primarily interact with the other students in their classroom or "cohort". Exceptions are before care and after care.

If a student needs to stay home due to sickness or exposure to COVID-19, they can request homework from their teacher just like a normal sick day. The classroom teacher will not be able to provide remote instruction in this example.

Drop Off

• Staff will not be doing daily health screenings before entering the building but ask that families establish the routine of doing their own daily health screenings at home. If your student has any symptoms, we ask that you please keep them home and monitor them to help reduce the spread of all illnesses.
• All students are welcome to be dropped off at the front doors (except for preschoolers who need to be signed in and out).
• All families are welcome to accompany their students inside for pick up and drop off.
• Drop-off is from 8:00 to 8:30 a.m. each day.

Pick Up

• Pick-up for Preschool 3:00 to 3:20 p.m. Preschoolers must be picked up inside the building by an authorized pick up person.
• Pick-up for Younger, Middle and Older Kids is at 3:20
• All students must be picked up by 3:30 p.m. After 3:30 p.m. students will be automatically checked in to our after care program. Aftercare is $6.00 per hour.
• Students may be picked up in front of the building in the pick up lane (except for preschoolers who need to be signed in and out). Please stay in your car in the pick up lane and a staff member will assist your child with getting in your car.
• All families are also welcome to come into the Rivendell Commons to wait for their students at the end of the day. Please do not wait outside the classroom doors.

After Care

• Students not picked up by 3:30 will be checked into after care. After care will be mixing classroom cohorts this year and should be considered a higher-risk activity.

Rivendell has aligned with the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment’s lifting of the local mask mandate. Masks are no longer required in the school. It is important to note that our youngest population in the school has not had the opportunity to get vaccinated and we have immunocompromised staff members, so we will continue to be a mask-friendly environment and support anyone who chooses to continue wearing a mask.

Rivendell is happy to bring back before and after care (extended care) this school year. We will not be offering other after school activities at this time.

Students and staff will be encouraged to maintain physical distancing. Teachers will encourage social distancing when at all possible.

Rivendell is following CDC and Local health department requirements on cleaning and disinfecting. Rivendell’s cleaning crew and staff are trained on these requirements. Water fountains may not be available this year. Students are encouraged to bring their own water bottles from home. Water bottles can be refilled in each classroom. Rivendell staff will continue to follow best practices and require regular hand-washing, cleaning, and sanitizing of the classroom, furniture, common spaces, toys, and high-touch surfaces.

Teachers and staff members will be supervising during handwashing times. Teachers and staff will also be reminding students to wash their hands throughout the day.

Students should not bring hand sanitizer to school. Rivendell has hand sanitizer available for student use as directed by a staff member. Students may only use hand sanitizer with staff supervision. Hand washing is more effective and always preferable to hand sanitizer. Children under age 3 are not permitted to use hand sanitizer in school settings.

Staff will not be doing daily health screenings before students enter the building this year, but ask that families establish the routine of doing their own daily health screenings at home. If your student has any symptoms, we ask that you please keep them home and monitor them to help reduce the spread of all illnesses. You may contact Kara at kara@rivendell-school.org with any questions regarding symptoms and illness.

Hot lunch will be provided again this year for $6.00 per lunch ticket. Lunch tickets can be purchased at the front desk.

Students will be able to eat lunch outside at the tables or in their classroom.

Students and families are welcome to use Rivendell’s library this year.

Students are welcome to bring birthday treats to share with their classroom. Birthday treats must be prepacked and must be distributed by a teacher. We are not permitted to serve homemade treats.

General/Covid and illness: Kara Straumanis, Rivendell’s Program Coordinator: kara@rivendell-school.org.
Financial: Karen Wolff, Rivendell’s business manager: karenw@rivendell-school.org.