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            • THA 2020-2021 School Year

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              June 25, 2020
              Hello THA families,  
               
              We hope you are all having a wonderful and safe summer, Hornets. We have been busy getting ready for a brand new school year and are excited to share a few details with you.
               
              We plan to open our doors to our students in August and operate a full school schedule with health and safety precautions in place.  
               
              The South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA)  will allow each member school to make a decision regarding a return to in-person instruction this year.  THA is required to develop a comprehensive Health and Safety Plan and Policy that is tailored to our unique needs.  We will consult with local health professionals and agencies to gather all information necessary to make informed decisions. 
               
              Given the dynamic nature of the pandemic, our health and safety plans and protocol will incorporate flexible conditions. A comprehensive plan will be available to all parents prior to the opening of school.   We will email the policy and plan as soon as it is finalized and Board approved.  Obviously, many factors depend on state mandates and recommendations, so this policy will be an evolving document.  
               
              If you are concerned about the safety of in-person instruction, please contact us.  We would love to talk to you about the options that may be available for your child.
               
              A few important changes below: 
              • We will check for signs and symptoms of students and employees daily upon arrival and conduct routine health screenings which include history of exposure/home/self-screening and reporting procedures.  
              • Schedules and use of communal spaces will be staggered in order to limit student contact.  (lunch, recess, etc.)
              • We will adopt flexible attendance policies.
              • We will  cap all classes at 15 students in grades 4K-8th grade.   Grades 2K and 3K will cap at 12 students.  
              • We will thoroughly clean our school prior to opening and implement a daily cleaning protocol.  
              • We will identify and protect students and staff at higher risk for severe illness. 
              • Potential eLearning:  We have created a very specific remote learning plan in the event of a school closure.  This will be included in the new policy.  This remote learning plan will include daily face-to-face interaction with each classroom teacher.  (Daily live Zoom classes, videos, Google Classroom, etc.)
              The complete and comprehensive 2020 THA Health and Safety Plan and Policy will be emailed to all families prior to August.  Thank you for your patience as we research and implement best practices. 
               
              To Know:
              ·  We are excited to announce Mrs. Diane Smith will assume lead 2K teaching responsibilities and Mrs. Dianna Koele will loop up and lead our 3K program.  Beth Cronauer will continue as our 3K co-teacher.  We are excited about this early childhood initiative  and look forward to the benefits of a looping program this year.  
              ·  Our outdoor play areas are being updated.  A new fence and playground for early childhood will be installed in July and our middle schoolers will receive new outdoor recreational equipment.  We'll post photos on all social media accounts so you can follow along this summer.  Also, we would like to send a special thank you to the Rogers family for the removal of the old tennis court (and huge eye sore).  What a difference these changes will make.  
              ·  Gym renovations are moving along!  We will post a big reveal when all is complete, so be on the lookout. 
              ·  We are currently researching new curriculum to enhance our English Language Arts instruction and we are moving toward an online library database.  We will keep you updated on these additions to our curriculum.
              ·  We understand the financial burden and added health risk associated with shopping for a new school year.  To alleviate some of this stress, THA will not ask families to purchase school supplies for the 2020-2021 school year.   THA will purchase and provide all necessary items for classroom use.  Parents simply provide a book bag.
              ·  Students in grades 6-8 BYOD:  Bring Your Own Device (laptop/tablet)
              ·  Parents of students in grades 1-5 are strongly encouraged to provide a computer or tablet for students to use at school.  All teachers will incorporate online technology in classroom curriculum.  Please let us know if you would like recommendations or guidance in this area.  Many THA middle school students have used a Google Chromebook with great success.  New Chromebooks can be purchased for less than $200.  Any wifi-compatible laptop or tablet device is acceptable.
              ·  Grades 1-8 Academic Awards Ceremony (THA YouTube Channel)
              ·  Academic awards pins and certificates for grades 1-8 are in the school office.  Please stop by the office after July 13th Tues-Thursday from 9-12 to pick up your child's awards. 
              ·  We are excited to announce that THA will offer supplemental instruction for students in need during the 2020-2021 school year.  After initial classroom assessments in August, students in need will be referred to this program by their classroom teacher.   The classroom teacher will communicate with parents.   This will be an after school service that is free-of charge to our families.  
              Mark Your Calendar:  
              August 1-Campus Clean up Day
              August 6-Registration 10:00-2:00 Library 
              August 13 -First Day of School
              September 7- Labor Day (no school)
               
               
              THA Events:
              5K Graduation-August 3 at 5:30 pm in the THA gym (invitation only)
              8th Grade Graduation- August 6th at 6:00 pm in the THA gym (invitation only)
              Athletic Awards Ceremony-August (TBA)
              Academic Awards Ceremony Posted on THA Youtube Channel 
               
              Selena Davis, Kerri Pennington, Amanda Saleeby
              Co Principals
              Thomas Hart Academy
              852 Flinns Rd.
              Hartsville, SC 29550
              Office: (843) 332-4991 Fax: (843) 383-9523
              Contact:
              Amanda Saleeby
              amandas@mytha.net, (843) 332-4991