AuSable Forks Elementary School

Good morning, After meeting with the Essex County Health Department this morning, we can now share that there are no school contacts from our most recent COVID ...case. There were, however, enough community contacts to reinforce our decision to switch to remote learning for the time period that we previously shared (return to hybrid model on December 15th). We want to remind everyone to remain diligent about their personal safety. Mask wearing, handwashing and social distancing remain our best course of action to fend off further spread of the Coronavirus. We want to again thank the men and women of the local health departments who are working long hours to ensure that our school and our communities remain as safe as possible. If you have not been contacted by a member of their Contact Tracing Team, you are not at risk from this particular case. Thank you to our students, staff and parents for working to quickly shift from hybrid to to remote learning. More information will be following regarding parent-teacher conferences, home-delivered meals and any changes to learning schedules. Paul D. Savage II Superintendent of Schools

!!SECOND UPDATE!! Good Evening All, After receiving additional information regarding the active COVID case at AVCS, as well as not knowing the full picture of p...ossible connections to the case at this time, out of an abundance of caution we will now be going to a full remote schedule at AVCS for all grades Pre K -12 starting tomorrow. This will mean that we are having full remote instruction for all students starting tomorrow with an extended date through December 15th. Please note that this is a week longer than our original decision and I have decided to extend it further at this time. This is an extremely challenging decision but not knowing the full extent of the possible connections to the case I just cannot take a chance on the safety of our students, staff and communities. That will always be our priority at AVCS and we appreciate the support of our families and staff during these challenging times. All the best, Respectfully, Paul D. Savage II Superintendent of Schools **AVCS will still transport students to CV-TEC and CVES, per normal schedules.**

Dear Patriot Family, In an attempt to keep you regularly informed, I wanted to make you aware that we have just been notified that an AuSable Valley Central Sch...ool District Middle School Student has tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently in isolation. The student has been out of school since last week and initial contact tracing efforts by the Essex County Health Department (ECHD) are underway. The ECHD contact tracing protocol is being followed and those potentially impacted will be contacted directly by the ECHD. Please note - there are no changes to District operations at this time. As is outlined in the District’s reopening plan, the District will continue to coordinate our response with the CCHD and ECHD in the event of any confirmed case. The Clinton County and Essex County Health Departments have been positive partners throughout this pandemic and we appreciate their continued support and guidance. We thank you for your continued support as we strive to keep our students, staff and community safe and healthy. All the best, Respectfully, Paul D. Savage II Superintendent of Schools

Good evening, this is Paul Savage, Superintendent of the AuSable Valley Central School District, with an important message regarding a schedule change for our s...chool district after the upcoming Thanksgiving Break. After a great deal of monitoring, consideration and review of the COVID situation, both in and around our immediate region, I am announcing that after the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday Break we will be "pausing" slightly at AVCS and will be going to a fully remote schedule for everyone during the week immediately following the Thanksgiving Break. This means that all students, including those under the current hybrid plan model, will be on a fully-remote instructional schedule on the dates of Monday, November 30th through Monday, December 7th. Again, there will be no in-person and only fully-remote instruction for all during the week immediately following Thanksgiving Break with the hopeful return to our current commitment status on December 8th. As with anything COVID-related, please be aware that this decision could be extended longer --- pending any further changes in our situation and/or due to any uptick in COVID cases before or during that break time. The recent surge in positive cases of COVID-19 in all three of our school district's counties offers a stark reminder of how quickly this virus can spread under the right circumstances. We cannot take any chances with our families and feel this decision is best for us at AVCS at this moment in time. We will continue to monitor and will keep you informed if any further changes are needed. Please know that I do not make and/or take this decision to implement a short pause lightly. We know that this decision will be difficult for some families to manage during that week, especially after all of the other sacrifices that have already been made. We are truly taking this action out of an abundance of caution and hoping that this extended remote learning period will provide greater protection for our students and employees as they travel and/or host relatives who are travelling for the Thanksgiving Holiday. This pause is designed to proactively help and reduce the community spread of COVID as well as to help up with our monitoring of the number of COVID cases in our region surrounding the holiday break. In the end, if the slight pause of in-person for a week (or maybe more) can best ensure the safety of your children and our communities -- I consider that the right decision. I certainly hope that you will once again at least respect the fact that the well-being of your children, the faculty and staff, and our communities is at the core of this and all of our decisions. Please remember to remain diligent in the healthy practices of handwashing, mask wearing and social distancing. We've been able to navigate this storm so far and we hope that this remote period, along with the other safety precautions established, can offer a better chance at long-term success. As always, we thank you for your teamwork and patience as we move forward #PatriotStrong and we will keep you updated as we navigate these waters together. Thank you and have a wonderful evening.