Essential Information About Covid-19 and Emergencies

March 2, 2021

UPDATE TO NYSED RE-OPENING PLAN

HeartShare Education Center just been notified that a second student has tested positive for the Covid-19. As per our NYSED Reopening Plan, if two or more unrelated cases are identified, school will revert to remote learning for 14 days. This is for staff, students and related service providers. The classroom will revert to remote learning beginning Wednesday March 3, 2021. We will resume in-person class on Wednesday March 17. This affects the entire school building. The school will be closing in-person instruction Wednesday March 3, 2021, and we will reopen to in-person instruction on Wednesday March 17, 2021. The classroom and therapy will be teaching remotely during this time.

During remote learning, teachers and therapists will provide “live” instruction via Microsoft TEAMS. The live instructional session will be recorded and offer daily instruction. The teacher, teacher assistants, counselors and therapists will be available to meet with students via Microsoft TEAMS during these days of remote instruction.

In order to ensure equity among all students, all students will receive equal access and opportunity to teaching and learning that is completely aligned with NYS Department of Education. TEAMS is HeartShare’s remote learning platform used to communicate live instructional sessions, post lesson plans, provide tele-therapy, hold staff and family meetings and give feedback on students’ work. While keeping equity at the heart of learning, HeartShare will continue to provide the maximum level of education, whether it is in-person or remote, to ensure that all students have the same opportunities to education.

Our main goal is to keep everyone healthy. We will electrostatically clean all classrooms, therapy areas and common spaces. We hope every remains safe during this time and look forward to seeing everyone back on March 17.

Carol Verdi
Executive Director
HeartShare Education Center

 

January 12, 2021

UPDATE TO NYSED RE-OPENING PLAN

HeartShare Education Center

HeartShare Education Center is in the position of having to revert to remote learning due to multiple exposure to COVID-19, diagnoses of COVID-19 or mandatory DOH quarantine of staff due to COVID-19. Additionally, we have had students and their families who have tested positive to COVID-19 requiring additional staff quarantining. At this point it is impossible to meet the health and safety mandates of our reopening plan. We have decided in the interest and safety of our students and staff to close our classrooms to in-person instruction until February 22, 2021.  It has been impossible to maintain staffing ratios. Prior to that date, we will re-assess to ensure that we have enough staff who are able to attend work. This is for staff, students and related service providers. The schools will revert to remote learning beginning Wednesday January 13. We will re-assess and plan to return to in person class on Tuesday February 22, right after the Martin Luther King holiday. This affects all class at The HeartShare School in Brooklyn. The classrooms will be teaching remotely and the related service providers will be conducting tele-therapy during this time.

During remote learning, teachers and therapists will provide ‘live” instruction via Microsoft TEAMS. The live instructional sessions will be recorded and offer daily classroom instruction. The teacher, teacher assistants, counselors and therapists will be available to meet with students via Microsoft TEAMS during these days of remote instruction.

In order to ensure equity among all students, all students will receive equal access and opportunity to teaching and learning that is completely aligned with NYS Department of Education. TEAMS is HeartShare’s remote learning platform used to communicate live instructional sessions, post lesson plans, provide tele-therapy, hold staff and family meetings and give feedback on students’ work. While keeping equity at the heart of learning, HeartShare will continue to provide the maximum level of education, whether it is in-person or remote, to ensure that all students have the same opportunities to education.

We hope that this decision will keep everyone safe until we are able to resume our preferred in-person/hybrid learning model. We believe our students learn best when they are in school, and we will make every effort to have them back by February 22.

January 8, 2021

UPDATE TO NYSED RE-OPENING PLAN

HeartShare Education Center just been notified that a staff member has tested positive for the coronavirus. We have been directed by the NYCDOH Situation Room to close the classroom for in-person instruction for 10 days. This is for staff, students and related service providers. As per our Re-opening plan, if there is a positive case in one classroom, the room will go remote for the time of the quarantine. The classroom will revert to remote learning beginning Monday, January 11. We will resume in-person class on Tuesday, January 20, right after the Martin Luther King holiday. This affects one classroom at The HeartShare School. That one classroom will be closing in-person instruction Monday, January 11, 2021, and we will re-open to in-person instruction on Tuesday, January 20, 2021. The classroom and therapy will be teaching remotely during this time.

The remainder of the school will remain on the Hybrid model.

During remote learning, teachers and therapists will provide live instruction via Microsoft TEAMS. The live instructional session will be recorded and offer daily instruction. The teacher, teacher assistants, counselors and therapists will be available to meet with students via Microsoft TEAMS during these days of remote instruction.

In order to ensure equity among all students, all students will receive equal access and opportunity to teaching and learning that is completely aligned with NYS Department of Education. TEAMS is HeartShare’s remote-learning platform used to communicate live instructional sessions, post lesson plans, provide tele-therapy, hold staff and family meetings and give feedback on students’ work. While keeping equity at the heart of learning, HeartShare will continue to provide the maximum level of education, whether it is in-person or remote, to ensure that all students have the same opportunities to education.

 

November 16, 2020: Weather Emergency

UPDATE TO NYSED RE-OPENING PLAN

HeartShare Human Services of New York has just been notified that due to expected severe weather conditions, all New York City public school buildings will be closed tomorrow, Thursday, December 17, 2020. For safety reasons, yellow bus service for charter and non-public school students will not operate tomorrow. Based on this notification, and in compliance with our NYSED reopening plan to put safety first, HeartShare will be closing in-person instruction tomorrow December 17, 2020, and Friday December 18, 2020, and will be teaching remotely. HeartShare programs will resume in-person/hybrid instruction on Monday December 21, 2020, if the weather permits.

During remote learning, teachers and therapists will provide ‘live’ instruction via Microsoft TEAMS. The live instructional session will be recorded and project-based activities that are related to daily instruction will be posted on the Microsoft TEAMS platform. All teachers, counselors and therapists will be available to meet with students via Microsoft TEAMS during these two days of remote instruction. Due to the severe weather and the suspension of transportation, the students will participate in daily, live remote learning provided by the teachers and assistants. All models of instruction will be provided remotely including classroom and tele-therapy instruction via Microsoft TEAMS.

In order to ensure equity among all students, all students will receive equal access and opportunity to teaching and learning that is completely aligned with NYS Department of Education. TEAMS is HeartShare’s remote learning platform used to communicate live instructional sessions, post lesson plans, provide tele-therapy, hold staff and family meetings and give feedback on students’ work. While keeping equity at the heart of learning, HeartShare will continue to provide the maximum level of education, whether it is in-person or remote, to ensure that all students have the same opportunities to education.

As we move forward through the winter months, HeartShare will adopt the Mayor’s Pilot Snow Day initiative and in all cases of snow days, will revert to remote only instruction until the weather provides safe travel for our students ages 3-21. When safe, we will go back to our hybrid model of in-person and remote.

November 11, 2020: Urgent Update

Please be advised that the NYCDOH has informed us that we cannot reopen school until Friday November 20, 2020. The HeartShare School located at 1825 Bath Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, 11214, will remain on remote learning through November 19 and will reopen for in-person instruction on Friday November 20, 2020. The building has been fully disinfected and all students and staff will be tested prior to their return on November 20. Again, in person instruction will resume on Friday November 20, 2020.

In these times we wish to preserve and protect all students and staff. Stay Safe everyone.

Carol Verdi
Executive Director
HeartShare Education Center

November 6, 2020

Please be advised that effective today, November 6, 2020, The HeartShare School located at 1825 Bath Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, 11214, will be closed to in-person instruction for the next 14 days due to multiple reported cases of exposure to COVID-19. As per our reopening plan and advice from the NYCDOH, we will close the building, fully disinfect and revert to remote-only learning, extending to November 18, 2020. In-person instruction will resume on Thursday November 19, 2020. In these times we wish to preserve and protect all students and staff. Stay safe everyone.

Carol Verdi
Executive Director
HeartShare Education Center