Coronavirus Information | School Updates

Coronavirus Information and School Updates

Distance Learning as of May 2020

Mayfield Junior School transitioned to distance learning effective Wednesday, March 18. To continue to keep all members of our school community safe and healthy and guided by updated government and health directives, Mayfield Junior School will continue distance learning for the remainder of the school year.

We value and know our day-to-day connections and relationships with our students and each other are what make MJS unique. We feel blessed these will continue, albeit slightly adjusted, in our Virtual, Joyful, Holy Child Community.

Planning and coordination are in progress for end-of-the-year events, celebrations, and traditions. We look forward to providing updates.

March 19, 2020

California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a "Stay at Home" announcement limiting non-essential movement for residents. Mayfield Junior School's campus will be closed until further notice as a result. Distance Learning will continue for our students as scheduled. Preferred communication with faculty and staff is by email, and phone messages will be checked periodically. One of our treasured school traditions, Morning Prayer, will continue Monday to Friday on our MJS Facebook page.

March 24, 2020

From the Maywire: Mayfield Junior School has been very purposeful in rolling out our Virtual, Joyful, Holy Child Distance Learning plan. We are on schedule. As a reminder from previous messages, this continues to be our plan: First Two School Days (March 16 & 17) - No School; Next 10 School Days (March 18-31) - Supplemental Work; Days 13+ (April 1 - ?) - Remote Instruction begins.This thoughtful schedule was set to ease everyone into remote instruction. It gives our families a chance to prepare, and it gives our teachers plenty of time to prepare while our students still have school work to complete. This distance learning plan is not a sprint to a finish; it needs to be sustainable, reasonable, and Holy Child.

March 19, 2020

This evening California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a "Stay at Home" announcement limiting non-essential movement for residents. Mayfield Junior School's campus will be closed until further notice as a result.

Distance Learning will continue for our students as scheduled. Preferred communication with faculty and staff is by email, and phone messages will be checked periodically.

We are collectively experiencing challenging times, yet we will take care of each other and persevere through this period.

March 16, 2020

We are continually monitoring the rapidly changing developments of the coronavirus and communicating with health and governmental organizations to keep all members of our school community safe and healthy. The state of California and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced new mandates and recommendations for social distancing and gatherings. Following these guidelines, as of tomorrow, Tuesday, March 17, Mayfield will no longer offer Extended Care during Distance Learning. We understand this update from public agencies may cause challenges for some families, and we thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we collectively navigate this evolving situation.

March 13, 2020

Academics

Here is an overview of the distance learning plan.

Grades K-1

March 16-17: No school for students to allow families to organize and prepare for distance learning.
March 18-31: Supplemental work will be provided by teachers via PDFs, hard copies, and workbooks. Optional online activities will be available via Seesaw.

Grades 2-8

March 16-17: No school for students to allow families to organize and prepare for distance learning.
March 18-31: Supplemental work will be provided by teachers:
Grades 2-4: PDFs, hard copies, textbooks, and online via Seesaw. Skill review will be available in every subject.
Grades 5-8: Online via an Assignment Center. Skill review will be available in every subject.

Contact
For questions regarding distance learning in kindergarten to fourth grade, contact Erika Sears, Lower School EdTech Specialist, at esears@mayfieldjs.org.

For questions regarding distance learning in fifth to eighth grades, contact Nicole Wirth, Innovation and Design Mentor, at nwirth@mayfieldjs.org.

Extended Programs

Extended Care will be available on Friday, March 13, from noon to 6 p.m.
and Monday, March 16. Extended care will close for the distance learning period beginning Tuesday, March 17 - Please see March 16 communication for update for details.

Community Updates

March 12, 2020 4:00pm
Dear Parents,
Thank you for your prompt attention to all communications that have been sent regarding the coronavirus. Your care and concern for our MJS school community are always appreciated especially now as we navigate this quickly evolving situation.

As you know, the school's Leadership Team and Board of Trustees have been closely monitoring coronavirus news and information. We have been working closely with the Pasadena Association of School Heads (PASH), the Pasadena Public Health Department (PPDH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other health and academic organizations.

After a call this morning with PASH, we, as local independent schools, collectively determined it is in the best interest of all of our schools to move to distance learning.

To be clear, MJS does not have a confirmed case of the coronavirus, however, in an effort to safeguard the health and safety of our community, Mayfield Junior School will close tomorrow, Friday, March 13 at noon. Our School Closure Continuity Plan will begin on Monday, March 16.

Suspending on-campus classes at this time was a difficult decision to make. Given the uncertainty and concern surrounding the coronavirus, we believe the decision to promote social distancing is prudent.

Here is Mayfield's plan:

Read full message

March 11, 2020 6:09PM
Thank you for your support as we work through this unprecedented situation. All the decisions we make are focused on the health and well-being of all community members.

We do not have a confirmed case of COVID-19 in our school community. We are in regular communication with the Pasadena Public Health Department (PPHD), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Pasadena Association of School Heads (PASH), the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), and the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). You may be aware that a few Southern California schools have announced closures. It is the consensus of Mayfield Junior School and the organizations listed above that schools should not close at this time. Should this change, we are prepared to implement our School Closure Continuity Plan in response to a variety of situations.

March 10, 2020 4:05pm

On a daily basis, we are closely monitoring coronavirus (COVID-19) news and updates. I ask you to please do all that you can as a family to keep our school community safe. While the chances of contracting COVID-19 are currently low, we know this is a rapidly developing situation. Our school community is healthy, and we continue to be vigilant by implementing preventative measures including extra cleaning campus-wide.

We recommend you and your children follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) everyday guidelines to prevent the spread of any respiratory illness – including COVID-19:

Wash your hands with soap and water often for at least 20 seconds.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
Stay home when you are sick, and keep your child home when she/he is sick. For now, students should not return to school until they are fever and symptom-free for 48 hours.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
The CDC does not recommend that people who are well to wear a face mask.

Please consider your family's upcoming travel plans. If you, or any member of your family, have traveled to Level 3 Health Notice countries that are experiencing community spread, the CDC has made it clear that you must stay home and away from Mayfield Junior School for 14 days since you left the area. At this moment, these countries include China, Iran, Italy, and South Korea.

We are evaluating all student, parent, and family events and gatherings on a case-by-case basis. You will be promptly notified if changes are to occur. We love seeing members of our community on campus, but if you are sick, please stay home. For now, hand-shaking, hugging, and other physical contact should be avoided. Elbow or foot bumps will suffice for greetings.

At school events, we are adjusting programs when appropriate. For instance, at today's 2nd Grade AGAPE program, bread was pre-cut rather than torn off for each child, and juice was served individually in cups.

Mayfield is taking opportunities to reinforce and educate students in a variety of ways about COVID-19, and more importantly, about lifelong healthy hygiene habits. Our nurses visited grade levels, Middle School science teachers are delivering lessons and Ms. Sara Crepaux is conducting a wonderful experiment with Lower School students using a UV light and Glo Germ to educate students about the importance of thorough hand washing. Please support these efforts by having these same discussions and expectations at home.

February 27, 2020 5:00pm
Mayfield Junior School continues to monitor new developments concerning COVID-19 and to prepare for potential scenarios. School leadership is exercising precautions and utilizing best practices to protect against communicable illness while remaining prudent and intentional in our response.

The most effective way to stay healthy and minimize the spread of infectious disease is to follow basic health best practices. Below are steps Mayfield Junior School is taking to prevent illness across our campus:

Practice good hygiene: Wash hands often and thoroughly for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before and after eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash and wash hands.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces (the school has increased the frequency of disinfecting and cleaning school facilities).
Students, faculty, and staff who are feeling ill need to stay home until they recover, and are fever free for 48 hours (at this time).

As a part of Mayfield’s ongoing emergency preparedness, please see the School Closure Continuity Statement below. Families are encouraged to be mindful of spring travel plans and the potential impact they may have on our community. School trips, activities, and events may be adjusted. Updates will be communicated if necessary.

There are currently no plans to close school, but if we need to go to our School Closure Continuity Plan for any reason in the future, it is a good idea to have age appropriate school supplies (pens, paper, crayons, etc.) on hand at home. Also, Middle School students should always remember to take their iPads and chargers home each evening (5th grade iPads would be distributed as needed).

School Closure Continuity Statement

In the event that Mayfield Junior School needs to be closed for an extended period of time the following procedures will be put in place:

School leadership will assess the situation.
The school community will be notified that the school will be closed, and updates will be provided when possible.
Every effort will be made to minimize disruptions to learning. We will utilize online learning tools to provide instruction. Faculty are prepared to deliver content in this format.
School personnel will communicate how to access online learning and instructions needed to facilitate the continuation of learning during the closure.
School administration and business activities will continue off-site as soon as possible.

School closure includes all Mayfield Junior School’s operations, programs, and events.

Morning Prayer

Morning Prayer Archive
Please note Morning Prayer is currently on Facebook Live each weekday morning at 8:00am.

Questions or Concerns?

Joe Sciuto
Head of School
626.229.2131

Dave Caldwell
Director of Facilities
626.229.2103

Larry Guyer
Director of Technology
626.229.2119

Bridget Kelley-Lossada
Middle School Director
626.229.2101

Laura Kennedy
Lower School Director
626.229.2118

Anna Longstaff
Director of Advancement
626.229.2105

Lauren Marlis
Director of Enrollment
626.229.2102

Thomas Stafford
Director of Marketing and Communications
626.229.2107

Kathy Sweeney
Director of Finance
626.229.2106

Mayfield Junior School

405 South Euclid Avenue, Pasadena, California 91101 626.796.2774

Located in Pasadena, California, Mayfield Junior School of the Holy Child Jesus is a K-8 Catholic coeducational private school. Our kindergarten, elementary school, and middle school experience best prepares students for high school education and beyond.

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