COVID-19 Coronavirus Update Page
Please check this page often for ongoing updates about Amazing Scholar Academy Preschool’s response to the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Policies for Safely Reopening in Fall 2020
July 27, 2020 — Our teaching team is planning and preparing to open our preschool according to our usual schedule for the 2020-2021 school term. Our emphasis is on reopening safely while also delivering a quality education experience. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be many changes and safeguards put in place to protect our students and teachers. These guidelines follow CDC mandates and may change with the evolving nature of the pandemic.
Please know that all plans are flexible and will be altered accordingly to keep our preschool environment safe. There will be updates as new health-related information is released by the CDC and the state and county governments.
Please check your child’s temperature at home before coming to preschool. If your child is running a fever of 100.4 or higher or experiencing other symptoms of COVID-19, please keep him/her home and consult your pediatrician for next steps. Your child should not return to school until he or she has tested negative for COVID-19.
In these weeks leading up to the start of the school year, please review and be consistent with hygiene fundamentals at home, so that your child is comfortable with such measures — such as frequent handwashing — once they come to school
All preschoolers will have their temperature taken at the preschool entrance. Our teachers also will have their temperature checked daily.
So we may limit the number of people in our building, no adults will be permitted into our school at dropoff or pickup. Our teachers will welcome students at the door.
Our preschool will be cleaned before and after classes. Toys will be cleaned daily.
CDC guidelines currently call for children over 2 to wear masks or facial coverings. We understand this will be challenging for such young children. If possible, please consider ordering your child a mask featuring a favorite character or design — just as you would on a lunchbox or backpack. We also recommend ordering more than one since children often lose things, and masks will need to be laundered frequently. We will also play some fun games at school to make wearing masks fun. Our teachers also will wear masks.
We will not be able to have snack time at preschool for the time being. In additional, birthdays will be celebrated with trinkets, not snack items. Please make every effort to have your child eat at home before coming to school.
We will take the children to the bathroom in very small groups. Our bathrooms are equipped with motion-sensor lights and soap dispensers to minimize the need to touch surfaces.
Classes will be conducted in small groups and change weekly. Our teachers will rotate between classrooms; children will not.
The children will be in very small groups for all activities.
Gym classes and other activities, whenever possible and weather permitting, will rotate among our outside playground, the outdoor courtyard and the adjacent Fellowship Hall, as these areas better allow for social distancing.
All children will need to have a backpack in which our teachers can place any paperwork or other items to come home to you.
The children will not share crayons, scissors, glue, pencils, markers or many other items.
In the event that a child or family member comes into contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, the child will need to stay out of preschool for 14 days. The preschool will also need to be notified immediately. Also, if a family goes away on vacation or out of state, their preschooler will not be permitted to come to preschool for 14 days upon return. These same rules apply to our teachers.
Preschool Closed for Rest of School Year
April 9, 2020 — We had hoped against hope that it wouldn't come to this. Nevertheless, with Governor Tom Wolf's announcement today that all schools remain closed for the remainder of the school year, Amazing Scholar Academy Preschool has no choice but to remain closed, as well. We regret that our preschoolers will miss out on learning and fun spring events, the safety of our children, families and teachers is of utmost importance.
While we will not be resuming classes again this year, our teachers will continue to communicate with the children several times a week via video email. We will be in touch with each family to discuss plans to officially close out the year - including retrieval of your child's items - when it is safe to do so. We will also address individual administrative matters on a family-by-family basis.
It is probable that our Tea & Fashion Show will be canceled, but we will communicate additional information in the near future, including refunds of ticket orders, etc.
This is new territory for all of us. We ask your continued patience while we make important decisions about bringing proper closure to this school term. Likewise, we are still accepting registrations for the 2020-2021 school term to start in September.
We hope that you can put this difficult news aside during this Easter weekend and share special time with your families. We wish you all a most blessed Easter.
Preschool Closure Extended Indefinitely
Review Lessons
Mrs. Duncan has prepared review lessons to keep our preschoolers engaged and learning during this time of extended closure. Reviews can be downloaded (and printed) via the links below:
March 30, 2020 — In keeping with the federal government's extension of social distancing recommendations and the extended closure of North Hills School District, Amazing Scholar Academy Preschool will remain closed for the time being. We hope to be able to resume classes in the coming weeks. We will communicate updated closure information soon.
With the extended preschool closure, we are now looking at dates in June to host our 2020 Tea & Fashion Show fundraiser. Much planning has gone into this event, and we will continue to make every effort to postpone it, but not cancel it. As soon as we have more information to share with our preschool families, we will reach out.
Please comment on our Facebook page or drop us an email to let us know how our preschool families are getting by during these trying times. We will share some of your messages in our next email blast.
Preschool Closure Extended Through April 10
March 22, 2020 — In accordance with mandates set forth by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf and the guidelines being followed by the surrounding North Hills School District, Amazing Scholar Academy Preschool will remain closed through at least April 10, 2020. As it stands, our intent is to resume classes on Monday, April 13. We will be reassessing the situation over these next two weeks and will announce any need for a longer closure.
Last week our families were called by our teachers to inform them that the Easter candy orders could be picked up directly at Betsy Ann Chocolates this past Friday and Saturday, March 20-21. In-person pickup of orders at the candy shop will continue on Monday and Tuesday, March 23 and 24. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Betsy Ann directly at 412-931-4288.
We miss seeing all of the children and send our best wishes to all of our preschool families during these trying times.
Preschool Closed Until March 30, 2020
March 17, 2020 — In accordance with state and local mandates and out of concern for the health and safety of our preschool community, Amazing Scholar Academy Preschool is closed until Monday, March 30, 2020. Our teaching team will reassess the evolving COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic situation prior to March 27 and inform our families if an extended closure is needed.
Please note that there are no indications of infection among anyone associated with our program. Yet, we must follow CDC safety protocols and prioritize the safety of our children, staff and extended preschool community.
"Not only is the safety of the children our top priority," says Kathy Duncan, director, "but our children have grandparents and other relatives who are among the most vulnerable to this pandemic. We must do what we can to protect all, and closing our preschool for the time being is the best way to do that."
As it stands, preschool classes will resume on Monday, March 30, unless local school districts and other institutions remain closed beyond that date. Please check your email, this page, our Facebook page, and our voicemail system at 412-367-0381 for ongoing updates over the coming weeks.
We encourage our families to practice social distancing and vigilant hygiene and to care for themselves physically and emotionally during this exceptional time.