Co-op Update

Hello Co-op Friends,

The West Monroe Advisory Council needs to inform you of some changes for our 2020-2021 Co-op School year. Due to COVID-19 concerns, our host church, Cedar Crest, has requested that we do not return to Co-op with our full population of students (which numbers over 300). The concerns of safety and spreading of germs are valid. They have agreed to allow us to run a Co-op program this year that consists of academic high School classes. Soon, you will see a schedule that lists the classes we are offering -- General Science, Physical Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Anatomy, ACT Math/Prep. We are purposely running a very slim schedule to honor the wishes of our facility. Many, many thanks to the teachers of these classes who have volunteered to teach our classes without the usual added benefit of their own children having educational experiences at Co-op.

This Co-op situation will be entirely different than it ever has been before:

The students enrolled in these classes will be the only students allowed on campus so for the first time ever (and I hope only time) your student can be dropped off for class or drive themselves. There will be no classes available for birth - 8th grade.

Our schedule will run from 9:30 to 12:30 and there will be no lunch on campus. When class is over, we ask you to be present in the parking lot to pick up your student or that they leave after having helped put away tables.

We have always had a strict sickness policy that most families have honored. We will have thermometers on campus this year. It is possible your student will need to wear a mask at times. Be prepared to provide that. We will be doing our best to create space in the classrooms and not have students sit shoulder to shoulder at the tables.

In addition to the changes at WM Campus, you should know that the Monroe Co-op and the Farmerville Co-op will not meet at all. Both of their host facilities have decided it would be best for all involved if Co-op did not meet this year.

We are limiting registration to families who were a part of the Co-op system in 2019-2020. No new families will be allowed to register for Co-op this year. No new high school students will be allowed to register for classes. Only families who attended a location last year may register. Also -- any student who fits that criteria may attend the classes at West Monroe campus. If you had previously expected to be able to take a science at Monroe Co-op and now can't, we welcome you to join us on WM campus on Tuesdays.

For those of you who will be registering for these classes, we are taking the opportunity to try out an online registration system this year. We will post a date for online registration soon. It will be in AUGUST.

All three Advisory Councils have found this process a little difficult and very heartbreaking. The many ways in which COVID-19 has impacted our world can get very aggravating and to have now impacted something we all value so much is disappointing. We have great plans to try and do some fun days at the local parks to keep the connections alive between our younger students. As the weather cools off, this would be a great time to have nature study or find a spot to hike. Look for posts asking for volunteers to help make that happen.

We also encourage you to think outside the box -- use your Monday, Tuesday or Friday time that you would normally have been at Co-op to get together with another family or group of families and do some fun activities -- a literature club, lego club, science club, drama club or art club. The possibilities are endless. We can't meet corporately as a large group but that can't stop us from learning together and having fun in small groups.

If you are a technically savvy mom and want to offer a virtual class -- post if on the message board -- get friends to sign up -- make it happen!!!

We all plan to revisit the idea of Co-op at first of the year. Perhaps, our world will be in a different place with the virus and if it's possible, we would all be happy to run a mid- year registration for 10 weeks of class in the spring. We certainly hope and pray and look forward to the 2021-22 school year when perhaps we can all gather together again, friends old and new to have Co-op.

VERY IMPORTANT REMINDER: We are all accustomed to being required to join Nelcha at Co-op registration and this is a reminder that you still need to RENEW your Nelcha membership. Please go to nelcha.org, print out a form, fill it out, sign it and mail it with correct $$ to Carrie Spence's address on the bottom of the form. Everyone who wants to be a member of Nelcha for the 2020-2021 school year has to renew their membership. Don't forget!!

Please send any questions to nelcha10@gmail.com.

Take care friends. Hope to see you soon.