2020-2021 School Year Welcome and COVID Plans
WSCS family,
Welcome to the 2020-2021 school year at Winston Salem Christian School. In our school’s four decades of history, this past school year will certainly be remembered as one of the most difficult and most rewarding. While we say goodbye to our building of 41 years, we enter a campus that meets not only the needs of our school for today, it provides the space needed to expand into a future.
We can’t wait to open our doors and show families our new Patterson Campus. We enter this school year in the midst of cultural turmoil and a global pandemic, and after much prayer, this uniquely difficult time led us to our theme verse of I Peter 5:7: Cast all your cares upon God because He cares for you. Winston Salem Christian School has experienced 16 months of unique challenges, and God has shown his faithfulness every step of the way, and this year we want to remind all of our teachers, students, and families about our dependence upon Him, and our ability to cast cares, uncertainties, and anxieties as the feet of the Creator of universe.
Empowering Learners (HEAD)- This new facility is equipped with fast internet, more resources, and most importantly, highly trained teachers. Our teachers have an expanded skill set of teaching coming off of our distance learning last year, increasing their student engagement. Our students learned to take a higher level of personal responsibility of their education, better preparing them for the autonomy required to succeed in life. We will continue to build on these developments to provide a vibrant and engaging academic setting of the new year.
Cultivating Hearts (HEART)- focusing our ability to trust God and truly rest in Him. Our ability to not be anxious can serve as a testimony to the importance of a personal relationship with Christ. It is our desire for our students to develop an understanding of truth, and the ability to apply wisdom.
Engaging Community (HANDS)- We have new neighbors and new opportunities to engage the community around us. Our student diversity allows us to become a great microcosm for conversations in our community that can impact our world. We seek to build a heart for service in each of our students so that we can engage the community for Christ.
We are excited to welcome everyone to our new campus, and we look forward to informing you about the coming events for 2020-2021. Please continue to watch our website www.WSChristian.com and social media @WSCSLions for more information.
In Christ,
Dr. Bryan Wolfe
COVID-19 Announcement
It is important for us to share some information about our COVID-19 response and expectations for the fall of 2020. We are moving forward with plans to be on campus fully engaged in education and activities. We are excited about our new facility and our small community that allows us to provide a safe environment for our students and staff. Please understand that these plans will continue to develop as we monitor the virus for the coming weeks.
Preventative Measures:
1. We will limit our K-12 to 300 students and our ELC to 45 students in order to promote a small community.
2. Hand sanitizing stations at each entrance to the building to ensure students sanitize or wash hands upon entering the building.
3. Temperature stations at both entrances to the building. Students and faculty will be required to have their temperature taken upon arrival to the building.
4. We will have separate entrances for ELC through 5th grade and the 6th through 12th grade to limit crossover between upper school and lower school students.
5. We will not provide a cafeteria for the K-12 as the CDC is recommending that schools require students to pack lunches. Our ELC will continue to have sealed catered meals in alignment with state guidelines.
6. We will encourage social distancing and we will have classrooms set without students sitting face to face.
7. All students and staff will be masked in accordance with the CDC and state guidelines. We will continue to monitor state expectations concerning masking. We are currently requiring all staff and athletes to mask on campus while indoors.
8. We will have floor markings to provide guidance for students concerning social distancing.
9. Outdoor seating available for upper school lunch, and outdoor locations will be identified for each class to utilize. Each class will have an outdoor pop up tent designated as their outdoor space.
10. Students will be limited in their group interaction. Each lower school class will interact with classmates and be limited in their interaction with other classes. All specials teachers will travel to the classroom.
11. All families are being asked to err on the side of caution when dealing with any sicknesses at home. If a student is demonstrating any cold symptoms they will need to remain at home.
12. We have increased our janitorial staff to ensure regular cleaning and disinfecting. We will begin the school year with our staff doubled.
13. In the event of a resurgence of COVID-19 we are working with our staff to provide a consistent platform to ensure continuity of education.
What if a person tests positive at school?
1. The individual will not be allowed to return to school until two negative test result are provided to the school.
2. Students that interact with a student that tests positive will need to get a test prior to returning to school or self-quarantine for 14 days.
3. We would provide on-line academic support for students during this time. We are currently working to allow students the ability to remote in to their classroom in the case of a COVID absence.
4. We will have a cleaning team disinfect the building utilizing UV technology.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What will we do for High School Lions Camp?
We will provide a student life event to kick off the school year! At this moment we will be planning to host events on campus without any overnight events as an upper school. We know this is disappointing to our high school students, but it is the safe and prudent response in light of our current climate.
2. What are our plans for field trips?
We recognize the value of educational experiences outside of the classroom. While we anticipate fewer field trips, we will evaluate trips case by case.
3. How will WSCS handle exchange students?
We are blessed to have another year of rich diversity offered through our exchange program. We are asking exchange students to arrive August 1. These students will go through a medical screening upon their arrival. We have added a “sick room” to our student housing if anyone has any illness.
4. How will WSCS handle athletics?
We anticipate participating in athletic competitions. We continue to monitor our athletic affiliations for further input. Our student athletes are participating in summer workouts utilizing social distancing and masks when possible.
5. What are the plans for our cafeteria?
Per CDC recommendations we are postponing the use of a school cafeteria. We have placed our cafeteria project on hold until further notice. Students in the K-12 will need to pack a lunch. K-5 students will eat lunch in their classroom or in a designated outdoor location. We are exploring options for sealed catering from an outside vendor.
Winston Salem Christian School will continue to monitor the impact of COVID-19, and while contingency plans have been discussed with local and state officials, we are committed to providing a safe environment for on campus learning as a small community. Our school families can help us by practicing social distancing as well as mask wearing when we are not on campus.
