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California Schools Hope to Reopen in Fall California Schools Hope to Reopen in Fall

Valley Christian Elementary School Lays out Multiple Plans for Reopening

By Chiann Nobrega

Anchor: WE’RE HEADING TO THE WEST COAST WHERE CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS ARE FOCUSED ON THE FALL AFTER THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION RELEASED THEIR HOW-TO GUIDE TO SAFELY REOPEN. OUR REPORTER CHIANN NOBREGA IS LIVE IN SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA WITH THE STORY

Reporter: BAILEY… SCHOOLS ALL OVER THE STATE ARE PREPARING FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF REOPENING. VALLEY CHRISTIAN SCHOOL HERE IN SAN JOSE JUST RECENTLY NOTIFIED PARENTS THAT THEY HAVE SEVERAL DIFFERENT OPTIONS ON THE TABLE… ONE BEING A HYBRID LEARNING ENVIRONMENT THAT WOULD REDUCE CLASS SIZES BY HALF.

Maslyar: “We would have students come to school every other day and then at home learning on the opposite days. So structuring the classrooms in terms of spreading out desks and removing excess furniture, creating stairwell directions… that’s the easy part. The hard part is managing temperature checks every morning.”

Reporter: ANOTHER CONCERN VALLEY CHRISTIAN HAS IS THE EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL STATE FOR THEIR YOUNG STUDENTS. MASYLAR SAYS SPENDING TIME ALLOWING STUDENTS TO SHARE THEIR FEELINGS IS SOMETHING THE SCHOOL WILL FOCUS ON WHEN THEY RETURN.

Maslyar: “We known that kids have developed fears and they are learning about things far earlier than we would want. Making sure that kids have a voice and that they are really taking time to validate their feelings is super important.”

Reporter: VALLEY CHRISTIAN WILL BE ANNOUNCING THEIR DECISION ABOUT THE FALL A WEEK FROM TODAY. REPORTING FROM SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA… I’M CHINAN NOBREGA.

SAN JOSE, C.A. (NCC News) – Valley Christian Elementary School in San Jose, California has multiple plans in mind in order to reopen this fall. One of these plans include a hybrid learning environment, which would reduce class sizes by half, according to Lauren Maslyar, vice principal of Valley Christian Elementary School.

“We would have students come to school every other day and then at home learning on the opposite days,” Maslyar said.

If Valley Christian opens in the fall, students, faculty and staff will have mandatory temperature checks every morning. Maslyar says the hardest part will be monitoring the checks and making sure everyone is complying will school and state laws at the time, which includes the possibility of wearing a mask.

“We have summer day camp going on right now for essential workers and we have about 14 kids,” Maslyar said. “They haven’t seen each other in so long. They are affectionate…. they want to touch each other. They are not comfortable with hot masks and they can’t understand each other so they are constantly touching their faces more than if they did not have a mask on.”

Valley Christian will also be focusing on the emotional and social state of the young students.

“Spending time allowing them to share their feelings is primary,” Maslyar said. “What was it like for you to be home? We know that kids have developed fears and they are learning about things far earlier than we would want. Making sure that kids have a voice and that they are really taking time to validate their feelings is super important.”

The decision for fall classes will be announced on Wednesday, July 1.

Reported by

Chiann Nobrega

Chiann Nobrega is a Newhouse master's student at Syracuse University studying broadcast and digital journalism with a sports communication emphasis. She got her bachelor's degree from the University of Oregon in journalism and public relations. Chiann is originally from Honolulu, Hawaii.

Other stories by Chiann Nobrega

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