Charter School of Inquiry

Food Distribution Even though CSI now has some students back in the building, we will continue to have food distribution on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Please come to the cafeteria entrance at the back of the building. Thank you.

A school is a very empty place without children. We were pleased to welcome some of our kindergarten students back into the building today.

Ms. Courtney Eaton (left) welcomes the newest member of our recruitment team, Ms. Shireen Farjana (right). Ms. Farjana is a CSI parent and has been a substitute teacher here at the school. She will now be the liaison between CSI and the Bengali community, providing outreach, translation services, and family support. Welcome, Ms. Shireen, to your new role at CSI.

State Education Department Survey CSI is moving forward with the application for our second charter renewal. Parents/guardians of CSI students should have received a survey via email. This survey is an important step in the charter renewal process. If you did not receive the survey, please contact Ms. Eaton at 833-3250. The survey is due by March 15, 2021. Thank you.

COVID-19 Vaccinations The Delevan-Grider Community Center is scheduling COVID-19 vaccination appointments for people living in the following zip codes: 14209, 14201, 14208, 14213, 14211, 14215, 14214, 14204, 14222, 14212 Appointments can be booked at https://am-i-eligible.covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/... Thank you.

State Bible Tabernacle Church Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Giveaway Today, Friday, December 18, 2020, 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. State Bible Tabernacle Church 391 Edison... 10:30-3:00 1st come 1st serve Yams Green peppers Potatoes Apples Collard greens Ham and turkeys on Monday, December 21, 2020

Reopening Plan As CSI prepares to bring students back into the building in some capacity, parents are asked to once again review the CSI Reopening plan. Please pay particular attention to the sections that address health and safety protocols. The link below will take you to the CSI Reopening Plan on our Website. Thank you. ... http://csicharter.org//uploads/2020/07/CSI-Reopening-Plan-

Transitioning to Hybrid Instruction Survey Dear CSI Families: Over the past four months, CSI has been considering a number of factors to determine when we will be able to transition to the next phase of reopening, which will be a hybrid mode (a combination of in-person and remote learning). Factors have included positive COVID-19 cases in our area; the number of people hospitalized in our region; and the New York State Department of Health directives, particularly as they per...tain to conducting COVID-19 tests in schools. We have also considered how to maximize the effectiveness of instruction with some students in the building and other students learning virtually. CSI has been considering how much independent work students will have to do in a hybrid setting, since students will be required to complete independent work in order to meet grade-level standards and meet the minimum State requirements for instructional hours. The weekly schedule for students returning in hybrid would be two days in the building, one full day of remote learning, and two days of predominantly independent work. Students will be specifically assigned to the two days that they will be in the building, and consideration will be given to ensure that children of the same household are assigned the same two days. At CSI we have already had staff members who have tested positive for COVID-19, and this required us to quickly pivot from teachers working in the building to teachers working from home. If we had students in the building, they would have had to quickly pivot back to remote-only instruction. Perhaps the greatest challenge that schools face is the stringent COVID-19 testing that must be performed in school and the resources required to perform the testing. Currently, the requirements for COVID-19 testing in schools are as follows: 1. Schools in an Orange Zone must test 20% of students, faculty, and staff who are on site (participating in in-person learning) every month, with 10% testes biweekly. 2. Schools in a Red Zone must test 30% of students, faculty, and staff who are on site (participating in in-person learning) every month, with 15% tested biweekly. In making our plans to move forward with reopening in a hybrid mode, we need to hear the preferences of our families. Please take a few minutes to complete a survey by Monday, December 21, 2020. The results of this survey are very important in helping to ensure that our reopening plan reflects the needs and preferences of our families. To complete the survey, please follow the link below. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZMCYVZX Thank you in advance for your input.

Thanksgiving Recess The CSI grad-and-go meal distribution will be on Monday, November 23, and Tuesday, November 24, next week due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Meal distribution is from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Instruction will end at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 25, and the school will be closed on Thursday, November 26, and Friday, November 27, for Thanksgiving Recess.

Project Play of WNY was so generous and donated these Play Packs for all of our students at CSI in grades 1-6! Students will be using the items in these bags during PE classes. You will only receive 1 bag per family, so families with more than one student at CSI will unfortunately have to share. Parents/Caretakers can pick up their students Play Pack at the school this week, 8am-3pm.