March 2022 Newsletter
March 21st, 2022
Dear Jack & Jill Families:
I hope this beautiful weather continues and our families stay safe and healthy!
As part of our ongoing COVID-19 program preparedness plan, we continue to focus on keeping our children, families and staff healthy. We encourage all those eligible to be fully vaccinated, stay home when they are sick, and we will continue to offer testing for our staff and families as we are able to receive a supply. We will wear masks as required when the COVID-19 rates increase in the county in which our program is located. If the rate is medium or high, we need to adhere to the guidelines and staff and families will resume full mask wearing.
Jack & Jill’s Updated Mask Policies and Guidance:
We have several updates to provide on our mask policies, beginning Monday, March 21st, 2022. Updates are based on policies provided by MDH and the CDC and consultation with our local health nurse and are subject to change in the future. Full details of these policies are linked below. Both the MDH & CDC recommend masks in certain circumstances, including counties with high transmission. As of now, both Hennepin County and Anoka County are in levels of low transmission. As a result, Jack & Jill is easing its mask wearing policies. If Hennepin County or Anoka County return to high levels of transmission, Jack & Jill will return to requiring masks for all school agers and adults within its premises.
Jack & Jill’s new mask policy follows:
During learning time, masks will no longer be required to be worn in the classroom by both staff and school aged children.
Masks will still be required to be worn in community and common area settings outside the classroom for school aged children and adults. These areas include, but are not limited to the hallways, the staff lounge, interaction between staff and parents, and other communal areas.
We still ask masks to be worn at drop off and pick up by staff, parents, and school aged children at Jack & Jill. Wearing a mask for just a few minutes a day while you drop off and pick up will help keep reduce the spread of germs within Jack & Jill!
If low levels of transmission continue in Hennepin County & Anoka County, we will provide updates to our COVID-19 policies sometime in April. As with the rest of you, we are looking forward to the day where we no longer need to wear masks and hope that day is here soon! Please reach out with any questions.
MDH Guidance on Masks: Recommendations for Wearing Masks - Minnesota Dept. of Health (state.mn.us)
CDC Guidance on Masks: U.S. COVID-19 Community Levels by County Map | CDC
Additional program requirements and recommendations regarding masks are as follows:
Staff will be required to wear a mask if they are handling a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19.
We are supportive of staff or school age campers who choose to continue to wear a mask daily.
School Age children participating in JJ’s Jam programming will not be required to wear a mask in the classroom or outdoors while attending JJ’s Jam daily programming.
School Age children participating in offsite indoor field trips will be required to wear a mask at the offsite indoor field trip setting as required by the field trip destination.
School age children and staff transporting on buses to and from daily field trips will be required to wear masks.
Jack & Jill and JJ’s Jam will continue with its policies and strategies to maintain social or physical distancing in the program. Children will remain divided into small, designated PODS that stay together as much as possible throughout the day and from day to day.
Children will be limited to mixing between their assigned daily POD as much as possible for staffing and ratio requirements.
Jack & Jill maintains the option to modify the mask wearing policy as needed due to increased illness and necessary changes with increased COVID exposure.
School Photos:
Lifetouch will be taking our school photos this year.
St Anthony:
Tuesday, April 5th: Infants & Toddlers (All Baby/Bebe classrooms, Penguins and Ladybugs)
Wednesday, April 6th: Preschool & Pre-Kindergarten (L’ll Fish, Red Fish, Frog, Tree Frog and all Pre-Kindergarten PODS)
Blaine:
Wednesday, April 13th: Infants & Toddlers (All Baby/Bebe classrooms, Penguins and Ladybugs)
Thursday, April 14th: Preschool & Pre-Kindergarten (L’ll Fish, Red Fish, Frog, Tree Frog and all Pre-Kindergarten PODS)
Parent Teacher Conferences:
In the next few weeks, you will receive an email from signup.com to register for your child’s parent teacher Zoom conference.
Sign up emails will be sent next week for the pre-Kindergarten classes for their parent teacher conferences for the week of May 2nd.
Preschool Fish, Frog and Tree Frog conferences will be scheduled for the weeks of May 16th, May 23rd and May 30th.
Toddler conferences will be set for the latter part of May and early June, as the staff schedules allow.
Spring conferences are set for a 15–20 minute timeframe to allow parents and staff additional time to talk about your child’s development.
Mother’s Day Breakfast and Gift Delivery: On Thursday, May 5th, at morning drop-off, your child’s gift to you will be provided along with a yummy treat for you to enjoy on your way to work! Thank you for all you do and Happy Mother’s Day!
Pre-Kindergarten Graduation:
Pre-Kindergarten families have received a separate email with details of the graduation ceremonies to be held Wednesday, June 1st in St. Anthony via your child’s POD at 2:00, 3:00 or 4:00 pm, and similarly on Thursday, June 2nd in Blaine. Each graduating child will be allowed two guests for the scheduled ceremony that will take place outside.
Upcoming Closing Reminders: Jack & Jill is closed on the following days:
Each day the center is closed is a paid tuition date.
Friday, April 15: Staff Training Day
Friday, May 27th: Staff Training Day
Monday, May 30st: Memorial Day
Monday, July 4th: Independence Day
Thursday, Sept 1st: Staff Training Day & Fall Classroom Changeover
Friday, September 2nd: Staff Training Day & Fall Classroom Changeover
Monday, September 5th: Labor Day
For more detail, please see Jack & Jill’s Calendars: https://www.jackandjilledu.com/calendar
Add our Calendar to your Google Calendar: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0?cid=amouYW5kYW5kQGdtYWlsLmNvbQ
Clothes Exchange:
Please be sure to send extra clothing for your child to school that are the correct size and seasonally appropriate. We will be sending home any clothes currently in your child’s locker that may no longer fit and are not seasonally appropriate.
We appreciate your continued support.
Warm Regards,
Carol L. Arens,
Owner/Administrator
carol@jackandjilledu.com