UPDATE!: Students Return to Classrooms

We have exciting news!! Academy at Smith students will begin returning to classrooms over the next few weeks, a few grade levels at a time. We will use a cohort model, with half of the students attending in-person on Mondays and Tuesdays (Cohort A), and the other half attending in-person on Thursdays and Fridays (Cohort B). The remaining days will be remote learning days. 9^th graders will return Monday, Feb. 22, or Thursday, Feb. 25, depending on their cohort. Then, 10^th & 12^th graders will return the week of March 1. 11^th graders will return the week of March 8. The chart below will tell you what Cohort your student is in based on their last name, and when they will return to the building for face-to-face instruction. We also included an updated bell schedule that will begin for all student (face-to-face & remote) on Monday, February 22^nd. The link to the virtual preference form is located at the end of this email for students/parents who do not intend to return to the building this semester and wish to remain remote learners.

It is our goal to create and maintain a learning environment that is safe, clean, and conducive for maximum learning. The following is a list of school reopening updates and Covid-19 safety procedures that you should be aware of:

• Only 50% of our students will be in the building at a time to allow for social distancing
• Students will not be able to switch the Cohort that they are in
• Unless they are quarantined, students will be marked absent if they are not in school on their specified Cohort day… even if they attend their class virtually instead
• Classrooms will be sanitized during each class change 
• Students will eat both breakfast and lunch in their classrooms, instead of the cafeteria
• Students will not be allowed off campus for lunch (this includes seniors)
• To limit the number of visitors on campus, students may not have lunch delivered to them
• Only 1 student will be allowed in the rest room at a time to allow for social distancing
• Parents are encouraged to carpool and/or transport their children to school, when possible instead of using GCS transportation
• Students must wear a cloth mask at all times while on campus (except for when eating)
• Student temperatures will be taken when entering the building each day
• Students must appropriately answer health screening questions each morning before entering the building
• Due to limited supervision, students should not arrive on campus any earlier than 9:30am and should be picked up from campus no later than 4:45pm

2^nd Semester Virtual Preference: If you have changed your mind about whether or not returning to school in person is right for you, we need to know now ASAP. If you want your student to continue learning at home, it is important to log into SchoolMint (https://gcsnc.schoolmint.net/welcomeback) to enroll in the GCS eLearning Academy.  

• Click here to access the Schoolmint video tutorial that can assist you with stating your preference for virtual learning this semester. 
• If you are one of our families who did this in the fall, you should’ve received a text message and/or email message from SchoolMint to let us know if you wish to return to school in person or continue remote learning at home. 
• If you didn’t log into SchoolMint for this in the fall and still want to return to school in person this semester, there is nothing you need to do. 

On behalf of the faculty and staff of The Academy at Smith, I would like to thank you all for your flexibility. Your ability and willingness to adapt to the various changes caused by these unprecedent times has been greatly appreciated. Additionally, please know that we are very excited that our students are finally returning, and we appreciate your trust in us in allowing your student to return! For more information about GCS’ reopening plans, visit www.gcsnc.com/reopening