Middle School: Welcome Back Information and Updates

Good Morning Villa Middle School Families,

We are so excited to welcome all of you and your students back on campus in the coming weeks. The teachers and staff have been diligently making preparations and are eager to have our students join us on campus. I’m sure our students are eager to hear about their class placements. As is the tradition at Villa, those assignments will be emailed to families this coming Monday, August 23rd. I know you have had a lot of information sent your way, but HERE is an infographic to help navigate Villa’s Covid protocols. Our current plans for both Covid protocols and the first few weeks of school are as follows (please note that things may change due to Covid-19): 

COVID-19 Protocols: 

In the summary of Villa Covid Safety Measures shared by Julie Grasseschi, Villa will comply with guidelines from the Washington State Department of Health and the CDC. This means: 

Vaccination:

• All eligible students are encouraged to be vaccinated. 
  
• We ask that IF your student is fully vaccinated you begin submitting verification of their vaccination status to
  villa-office@thevilla.org (If we do not have this information and your student travels they will need to quarantine post-travel).

Masks:

• Students age five and older and all adults are required to wear two-layer masks at school, regardless of vaccination status.
  
• Masks will be worn by students both inside and outside while cohorting with students outside their grade levels.
  
• Exceptions to outdoor masking may be made during PE or homeroom outings where students are outside with only peers from their specific class.
  

Travel for unvaccinated students: 

• Unvaccinated students must quarantine for 7 days upon return to Washington when traveling on public transportation (flights, busses, etc.), test negative between days 3-5 of quarantine, and may return with a negative test result on Day 8
  
• Remote learning will not be offered when quarantining due to travel
  
• Travel via private transportation (ex: driving to Oregon) does not require quarantine for any students, regardless of their vaccination status
  
• Please be sure to have quarantined prior to the start of school post-summer travel on public transportation for any unvaccinated student
  

Travel for vaccinated students: 

• Vaccinated students who have submitted vaccination records to villa-office@thevilla.org do not need to quarantine after traveling via public transportation
  

Upcoming Dates/Events: 

1. Visit Day August 25th: 

• This year the event will shift and be for new students and 6th grade only (email sent with details to follow). 
  
• Returning 7th and 8th graders will get a chance to familiarize themselves with their teachers and classrooms on the first day of school
  

2. First Day of School August 31st, 8:30-12:00:

• We encourage you to drop your students off at St. Bridget’s parking lot for less congestion
  
• Students should bring a snack, water, and be in school uniform (we will resume uniforms this school year) 
  
• School Supplies List HERE please have students come to school with supplies 
  
• No lunch is needed on the 31st. However, please send your student to school with lunch until our new lunch service is live starting September 7th! 
  

3. Drop off/Pick Up Updates: We will continue to have staggered pick up and different drop off locations in order to allow different grade levels the ability to maintain safe distances as much as possible. 

• Drop Off:
  • Drop off begins at 8:05-8:20
  • Please drop off at St. Bridget’s if/when possible
  • ALL M.S students will meet by the West Entrance and wait until 8:15 to be let inside
    

• Pick Up:
  • Students will be dismissed at 3:20 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday
  • Wednesdays students will be dismissed at 1:55 to allow for staggered dismissal.
  • Please pick up at St. Bridget’s if/when possible
    

4. Curriculum Night September 1st, 7:00-9:00 PM (VIRTUAL) 

• In response to the increasing number of cases in King County and ensuring access to information for all families, our Curriculum Nights are moving to a virtual format. Specific information regarding your child’s Curriculum Night will come from Ms. May, Ms. Sullivan and/or Ms. Goldsmith prior to your scheduled date. All calendar events for Villa are updated on VikingNet, our parent and family resource page. Scroll down for the calendar.

5. Open the Box Night for 6th Graders Only 1 guardian per household September 7th, 7:00-8:00 PM (details to follow)

6: Gentle reminder that the Montlake Bridge is closed until September 3rd in case you haven’t driven your school commute this summer please plan accordingly.

Thank you so much for your understanding, partnership, and support in this coming year. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns, and have a great rest of your summer.

Best Regards,

Chrissy May, Interim Middle School Director