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July 1, 2022 by FUMPDirector

Paid Time Off, Covid Leave, and Illness Protocols

Attendance has been a wild ride over the last 20 months and we all want to make things more manageable for our classrooms, ratios, and children’s experiences. It is time to look ahead to our new Covid protocols and policies for the coming school year. 

Paid Leave

As a starting point, I have gathered several Paid Time Off and Holiday Leave policies from other half-day programs. I have discovered so many interesting things from a survey of the director’s group. Fifteen schools answered and here is the breakdown:

Paid Time Off per School Year

  • 8 Schools: No paid leave 
  • 6 Schools: PTO days = days worked. Work 3 days/ week, receive 3 days of PTO, 5 days = 5 PTO, 2 days = 2 PTO.
  • 1 school: 2 days after 2 years.

FUMP teachers receive 9-11 PTO days per year.

Holiday Pay per School Year

  • 7 Schools: No paid holidays
  • 8 Schools: Paid holidays 

FUMP Teachers receive 23 paid holidays per year. 

PTO Pay and Holiday Pay give each teacher 32-34 days of paid leave each school year – that is 6-7 weeks paid during the school year. I had no idea that FUMP was outpacing paid time off more than every half-day program! 

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Our Paid Time Off and Holiday Pay will remain the same. Staff members will receive:

  • 9 days of leave – 0-4 years. Four days in the fall, five days in the spring
  • 10 days of leave – 5-8 years. Five days in the fall, five days in the spring
  • 11 days of leave – 9+ years. Five days in the fall, six days in the spring. 

Teachers will receive an additional 5 days of Paid Covid Leave for the school year. After Covid Leave is exhausted, Paid Time Off days will be applied. When all paid leave has been disbursed, unpaid leave will go into effect. Also, all leave must be approved by the director once all paid leave has been used, and may be denied.  Additional Paid Covid Leave will be granted on a case-by-case basis.  See below for more information.

Covid Protocols. 

Employee Covid Protocols will now match the CDC guidance for educators’ isolation/quarantine guidelines. See link below. These are the guidelines for fully vaccinated adults:

Positive test: 

  • Isolate for 5 days.
  • Test on Day 5.
  • Return to work if negative and fever-free. 
  • Masks are required through Day 10.  

Exposure, Fully Vaxxed: 

  • Remain at work. 
  • Test on Day 5. 
  • Masks are required through Day 10. 
  • Isolate if symptoms develop.

Exposure, within 90 days of last Covid: 

  • Remain at work. 
  • Test on Day 5. 
  • Masks are required through Day 10. 
  • Isolate if symptoms develop.

Teachers will receive regular pay when their classrooms are closed during Covid, and will be asked to report to work for additional school tasks/projects as per Covid protocols.

Carefully review the policy below, and especially the last two paragraphs of the PTO policy below to be fully knowledgeable about how leave will be handled in the upcoming school year. 

Please share any comments or questions on the form below, we can meet to discuss them. Thank you. SKP

Paid Time Off

Paid Time Off (PTO) is a privilege, not a right; it is a benefit designed to protect the employee from financial loss during times of illness and absence and to protect the Preschool by reducing the spread of illness to other employees and to the children. We expect staff to use good judgment and take paid leave days whenever necessary. 

It is each teachers’ responsibility to contact BOTH the Director (or designate) AND their coworker regarding any absences. A recorded message on the Preschool office voicemail system is NOT adequate notification. Unused PTO days are not paid to the employee at the time of resignation/termination. Unused PTO days do not accrue to the following school term (see Bonus Leave). PTO is granted to new employees after 90 days of employment and is prorated accordingly. 

Paid Time Off is offered to employees based on a ‘Years of Service’ schedule, as outlined below:

  • Years 1-4. 9 PTO days per year: 4 days in the fall, 5 days in the spring.
  • Years 5-8. 10 PTO days per year: 5 days in the fall, 5 days in the spring. 
  • Years 9+. 11 PTO days per year:  5 days in the fall, 6 days in the spring.

Absences related to Covid will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

A preschool holiday that falls on a normal business day during your vacation is not counted as a paid leave day.

The employee will secure a substitute and make note of the arrangement on the calendar in the preschool office, including Before School Care and After School Care staffing. 

Work schedules, holiday pay, and Paid Time Off have been established giving consideration to the school calendar, and coverage requirements. Employees’ absences have a detrimental effect on these conditions. While absence for illness and emergency situations may happen from time to time, employees will not be granted additional time off beyond their Paid Time Off as a standard practice. For any absence beyond three days of work, an employee will need director approval. Leave requests beyond three days will be limited and exceptions are rare, such as once in a lifetime events (Close family member wedding/graduation). Examples that will not be approved are vacations, trips, events of choice, etc., as generous holiday closures and summer breaks are available to staff. 

Emergency circumstances will be considered on a case-by-case basis and will only be granted in extenuating circumstances. FUMP reserves the right to deny the request for leave beyond the allotted PTO days, as excessive absences from work can be disruptive to children, families, and FUMP operations. Taking leave time that has not been approved will be considered a voluntary termination.

LINK TO CDC ISOLATION/QUARANTINE FLOW CHART

Please share your feedback below.

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June 29, 2022 by FUMPDirector

2022-2023 Teacher Commitment Forms

Please complete the form below regarding your preferences for the upcoming school year.

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May 25, 2022 by FUMPDirector

Stacy’s Welcome Letter

Hello! Bonjour!Hola!

Some of your children may have had me as a teacher before and some of you will be brand new. Welcome!

We will do a few things differently and a few things will stay the same as our regular school programming. We will keep our day filled with a buffet of engaging activities for children. We allow for a more flexible schedule during summer that will ebb and flow based on interests.

I don’t have to tell you how hot Texas summers are. Please put sunscreen on before your child comes to school. If your child is on the fair side you may want them to wear a hat.

We are still working on the schedule but I am hopeful that we will continue to do drop off on the playground in the morning and pickup is still TBD.

  • Bring a full-size backpack that can contain the following
  • Labeled water bottle
  • Labeled lunch
  • Labeled towel
  • Change of clothes in a Ziploc that is labeled
  • Water shoes (if they are the kind that dries completely then they can wear them all day, otherwise bring another pair to change into)
  • nap mat

Your child may choose to wear their bathing suit under their clothes or they can change into it when they are ready to do water play.

A note on changing clothes: children will be offered a choice to change in the classroom in different parts of the room, in the hallway, or possibly in the restroom if they are more comfortable. Please let me know if your child has a preference in this area. We will then place our wet clothes into the Ziploc bag and you may reuse it daily.

Our schedule will include:

  • Daily water play -sprinklers and water tables
  • Weekly capitol grounds play
  • Weekly Wesley Hall -for run around time and group games
  • Daily read alouds
  • Audiobooks during rest time
  • Centers that include: construction, sensory, art, dramatic play, writing, and pre-reading skills, and educational games

Please also let me know what your child is really “into” at the moment and/or if they are struggling with any particular area. I am here to help

A note on toys from home: Your child may bring in ANY books that they want.

They may bring in any toys as long as they are willing to share them and willing to risk having them get lost or damaged during play. I will not manage their toys so they will have to keep up with them. Toys will be available at different parts of the day and may need to take a break if students are not completing teacher-requested tasks.

Communication: I will send out all communication from our new Brightwheel app and that will be how you can communicate with me during the day if you need to get ahold of me.

I will also send home info in your child’s folder (I will provide this for new students). It will help make sure their work does not get wet in their backpacks.

Please feel free to tell me anything else you think I might need to know. I love info about your children and receive it best in written form.

Thanks for being a part of our FUMP program. You are a part of what makes FUMP great.

Cheers to summer!

Stacy Prentice

 

 

 

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May 25, 2022 by FUMPDirector

Keely’s Welcome Letter

Hi, all!

I am beyond excited to work with your littles this summer! As I close out my 3rd year at FUMP (my 1st year as Lead Teacher), it remains true that there is no other place that I’d rather be!  We are extremely lucky that Mr. Daviss will serve as Lead Teacher during Session 1 and that he will stay on upon my return to lead Sessions 2 and 3.

We are in the Peach Room #203. Feel free to park in any open space, brief double-parking can be used when no spaces exist.

Drop-off is at the Upper Playground, just around the corner from the North Entrance down the first set of stairs.

Pick-Up is at Colorado 1, the glass doors just south of the parking lot on the Capitol side.

While we will continue to follow a familiar daily schedule, summer sessions are a tad more sensory-heavy than regular semesters.  Water Play returns and takes place during our scheduled outside times.  Your child should arrive at school in a bathing suit and water shoes.  Please apply any sunscreens and insect repellents at home, as staff are unable to do so.

Items to bring each day:

  • Towel
  • Complete change of clothes for the remainder of the day
  • A bag large enough to hold the aforementioned items
  • Pacifier and/or lovey, if needed for rest time
  • Lunch
  • Snack
  • Water bottle

Items to bring and keep stored in the classroom:

  • Sleeve of diapers (at least 2 pairs of extra undies for those already potty trained)
  • Diaper Cream
  • 2 sets of extra clothes
  • Backup pacifier, if needed for rest time
  • Nap mat (these will be sent home on a weekly basis for cleaning)

Please remember to LABEL ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING!

Our day also includes a rest period.  While sleep is optional, relaxation is highly encouraged. Please let us know about your child’s nap routine and whether or not they typically nap at home and/or school.

Looking forward to seeing y’all!

Ms. Keely & Mr. Daviss

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May 24, 2022 by FUMPDirector

Janis’ Welcome Letter

Hello, all!

Welcome to summer at FUMP! Some of you already know me from the 2021-22 school year or years past. I’m wrapping up my ninth year at FUMP, but I also taught here for a long stretch in the 1980s.

We are the Blue Room, #204; our pick-up and drop-off point is the NORTH ENTRANCE (the door with the brown awning, up the ramp from the parking lot). For new parents, you can park in an open space or, if necessary, double-park briefly behind cars already in spaces.

Summer is a little different from our regular semesters. We still follow a daily schedule and stick to a familiar routine, but there is a little more of a free-flowing feel to it. I usually try to pack in as many sensory activities as possible.

One fun summer staple is Water Play, which takes place during our scheduled outside time. Your child should arrive at school in a bathing suit and water shoes. (Please apply sunscreen – and insect repellent, if desired – at home; staff cannot apply these to your child.) They will need a towel, a complete change of clothes for the remainder of the day, and a large bag to hold all of it. REMINDER: LABEL EVERYTHING!

Your child will also need a lunch, a snack, a water bottle, and a nap mat for Quiet Time. These items should also be labeled. *Please let me know your child’s nap routine and whether or not they typically nap at school, if you prefer they don’t sleep at school, etc. If your child is in diapers, you can send a package to stay at school or send several a day, whichever is easier for you. If your child is toilet-training, at least two changes of clothes per day are helpful.

I look forward to seeing you all soon!  Janis

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