Dear E.L. Haynes Families,
Welcome to the 2021-2022 School Year! For new families, welcome again to the E.L. Haynes community. To our returning families, welcome back! We are so happy that you all choose E.L. Haynes.
This week has already been one filled with excitement — welcoming students, finding joy in our classrooms, kicking off athletics, and more. Across all three schools we have action-packed weeks ahead of us, and we can’t wait to share our highlights with you.
We will regularly communicate with you throughout the year. The Haynes Herald is our monthly cross-campus newsletter for ALL our families with important updates and special highlights.
Warmly,
Hilary Darilek
Chief Executive Officer
Exciting Announcements
Sign Up for Before- and After-Care at the Elementary and Middle Schools
E.L. Haynes offers a comprehensive before- and after-care program at our elementary and middle schools. Families can sign up by logging into the Infinite Campus Parent Portal and selecting “School Store” on the left-hand side. For more information on our programming, click here.
Reminder: Inclement Weather Policy
As a general rule, we follow the same school closures and procedures as DC Public Schools, however we sometimes make different decisions based on what is best for our students, families, and staff. We will post all closing notifications on our website and social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter), in ParentSquare, and via the DC Public Charter School Board’s website. We will send text alerts and robo-calls to all families and email all staff.
E.L. Haynes Released 2021-2022 COVID-19 Health and Safety Guidelines
As we start the school year, E.L. Haynes released our health and safety guidelines that outline everything we have done to ensure we are combating the spread of COVID-19 in our community. The guidelines also outline all of our policies and procedures for the school year. You can review them in English (here) and in Spanish (here). We will update these as DC Health and the Office of the State Superintendent of Schools adapt their guidance for schools.
Travel Guidance for Students
All unvaccinated students must quarantine after returning from travel outside of the District, Maryland, or Virginia area. Students should receive a COVID-19 PCR test 3 – 5 days following their return and may return to school as soon as they receive a negative test result. Vaccinated students can come back to school immediately upon their return, but should monitor for potential COVID-19 symptoms for 10 days. For more information on the travel guidance, see page seven of the 2021-2022 COVID-19 Health and Safety Guidelines.
Sign Up for SchoolPass – Our Daily Health Screening App
Prior to your student’s arrival on campus, parents / guardians (or students if they have their own cell phone), must complete our health screening every day.
Before classes begin, families and students should confirm their SchoolPass access by downloading the SchoolPass app (available for free on iPhone and Android). Families should have received an email directly from SchoolPass with log-in credentials. If you are having trouble logging on to SchoolPass, staff will be on hand to assist and we will also have paper health screening forms available.
Sign Up for ParentSquare – Our Campus-Wide Communications System
This year we are launching a new parent communication system, ParentSquare. This platform helps streamline communications with families, hosts our family calendar, provides automatically translated messages, and more. We strongly encourage families and students to download the free app, which is available on iPhone and Android.
Medication and Medical Procedure Treatment Plan
If your student requires medication during the day (anything from prescription medications to over-the-counter treatments like Tylenol) you must submit a Medication Treatment Plan, which can be downloaded here. The form must be completed by the student’s healthcare provider. School nurses are on-site every morning at arrival to collect these forms and any medications.
Be Kind. Work Hard. Get Vaccinated.
Vaccines save lives, and we strongly encourage everyone who is eligible (everyone aged 12+) to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. There are free walk-up vaccination sites located throughout the city, and E.L. Haynes will continue to host our own vaccination events on SEPTEMBER 10, from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. (RSVP here), and OCTOBER 1, from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. (RSVP here). All students who participate will receive a $25 gift card after each dose and be entered into a raffle to win an Oculus VR system or Apple Watch.
The District of Columbia requires students to get other pediatric immunizations to return to school. If your child has any outstanding vaccination needs, you should have received an email directly from E.L. Haynes. As the DC Department of Health verifies all student vaccination records, there may be a delay in processing those updated vaccinations. Here is a list of sites where your student can receive all pediatric vaccinations. Please contact your school’s front office at 202-667-4446 with any questions.
Middle School and High School Students – Sign Up for Athletics!
Middle School and High School students can sign up for fall sports, including cheerleading, soccer, cross country, volleyball, and flag football. In order to play sports at E.L. Haynes, students taking part in high-risk sports must receive the COVID-19 vaccination or take part in E.L. Haynes’ school-based asymptomatic testing program. Visit gohaynes.org to register and to find out more.
Mark Your Calendars
- Attendance Awareness Month: September 1 – 30
- Elementary School – New Family Forum: Canvas: September 15, from 5 – 6 p.m.
- Pre-K Staggered Start: August 30 – September 3
- Early Release for Staff and Students: September 3
- Labor Day (No School): September 6
- Middle School – Back to School Night: September 8, from 6 – 7 p.m.
- E.L. Haynes Vaccination Clinic: September 10, from 4 – 6 p.m.
- Elementary School – Back to School Night (Pre-K and K): September 8, from 6 – 7 p.m.
- Elementary School – Back to School Night (Grades 1 – 4): September 9, from 6 – 7 p.m.
- Hispanic Heritage Month: September 15 – October 15
- 12th Grade Family & College Office Meeting: September 15, from 6 – 7 p.m.
- 11th Grade Family & College Office Meeting: September 22, from 6 – 7 p.m.
- E.L. Haynes Board of Trustees Meeting: September 23, from 6 – 8 p.m. (RSVP to Joe Callahan)
- Professional Development Day (No School for Students): September 24 (Note: Full-Day Programming is available for Elementary School students. Contact Laronna Hall for more information).
- E.L. Haynes Vaccination Clinic: October 1, from 4 – 6 p.m.
- SAVE THE DATE: E.L. Haynes Cross-Campus Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration: October 13
