Dear Clarence Sansom Families:
I am looking forward to welcoming our school community to the 2020-21 school year. I want to assure you we are doing everything possible to ensure the health and safety of all our community members.
As you are aware on July 21, Education Minister Adriana LaGrange announced that all schools across the province will return to classes under Scenario 1 – in-school classes resume (near normal with health measures). In response, plans are well underway in our school to welcome our community of students as we adhere to current health guidelines.
CBE's Scenario 1 Information can be found on our website and outlines the measures we are taking to provide for the health and safety of our students. Please refer to this document for detailed information on health measures, physical set-up of schools, cleaning of schools, daily operation of schools and transportation. The actions described in the document follow the guidelines provided by Alberta Education's K-12 School Re-entry COVID-19 information: Guidance for schools re-entry Scenario 1. We continue to refine information in our re-entry planning based on provincial and CBE guidance.
Please continue reading below for specific information about Clarence Sansom School's re-entry plan.
Sincerely,
R.D. Million
Principal
Clarence Sansom School
Clarence Sansom School | Re-entry Guidelines
Please read carefully the information below to gain an understanding of the measures we are taking to provide for the safety and health of our students. The CBE will continue to make adjustments as our context changes. While this plan is set for now, updates are expected via the CBE corporate website. Parents are advised to check regularly.
We are asking that families start the first day back to classes with our new procedures. It is necessary that students be assessed using the self-screening form daily before school. The following link will allow you to download the most current Alberta Health daily checklist. Please print a copy of the Self-screening Questionnaire. Students showing symptoms as described on the Self-screening Questionnaire must remain home.
Staggered Start to School Year
We are beginning our school year by limiting the number of students entering the school over the first two to three days. The purpose of the plan is:
§ To ease the transition of students into school,
§ To spend time with smaller groups familiarizing them with our health measures,
§ To facilitate physical distancing while teaching the protocols of our health measures.
Because of bussing, staggered entry days are full day. Students are expected to wear masks.
§ Grade 7s and ACCESS and ALP students will come to school on Tuesday, September 1 (no other grades will attend that day). Students should arrive for an 8:30 start outside the front doors of the school; the school day will end at 3:30. Calls will be made prior to September 1 informing students of which cohort they are assigned to. Staff and signage will be in place to make it clear where students need to line-up. Teachers will be holding cohort signs near the school's main entrance and students will gather with their teacher to be escorted into the building. Social distancing will be maintained. Students will not be permitted to leave the school at lunch, so they must bring a lunch that can be eaten at their desk and does not require refrigeration or microwave access. Grade 7, ACCESS and ALP students will NOT attend school on Wednesday or Thursday. They will return to school on Friday, September 4, with all other students.
§ Grade 8s will come to school on Wednesday, September 2 (no other grades will attend that day). Students should arrive for an 8:30 start outside the front doors of the school; the school day will end at 3:30. Calls will be made prior to September 1 informing students of which cohort they are assigned to. Staff and signage will be in place to make it clear where students need to line-up. Teachers will be holding cohort signs near the school's main entrance and students will gather with their teacher to be escorted into the building. Social distancing will be maintained. Students will not be permitted to leave the school at lunch, so they must bring a lunch that can be eaten at their desk and does not require refrigeration or microwave access. Grade 8 students will NOT attend school on Tuesday or Thursday. They will return to school on Friday, September 4, with all other students.
§ Grade 9s will come to school on Thursday, September 3 (no other grades will attend that day). Students should arrive for an 8:30 start outside the front doors of the school; the school day will end at 3:30. Calls will be made prior to September 1 informing students of which cohort they are assigned to. Staff and signage will be in place to make it clear where students need to line-up. Teachers will be holding cohort signs near the school's main entrance and students will gather with their teacher to be escorted into the building. Social distancing will be maintained. Students will not be permitted to leave the school at lunch, so they must bring a lunch that can be eaten at their desk and does not require refrigeration or microwave access.Grade 9 students will NOT attend school on Tuesday or Wednesday. They will return to school on Friday, September 4, with all other students.
§ Parents can drop off and pick up their students on the sidewalks near the school. Parents are asked to maintain physical distance on school property and remain outside the building. If parents need to come into the building, they can call in advance to make an appointment.
Health Measures
§ Hand Washing: Students will be instructed on the location of hand sanitizers and reminded to use them frequently.
§ Hand sanitizing stations are located in entrances, exits, classroom without sinks and near high touch equipment.
Illness at school
§ Students exhibiting signs of illness will be moved to the nurse's room. This area will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected after the student has left.
§ It is critical parents / guardians or a pre-identified emergency contact pick up an ill child within an hour of being contacted by the school.
Masks
Masks are mandatory for all students from kindergarten to grade 12. This includes classrooms and public spaces such as hallways, learning commons, bathrooms, etc. Mask guidelines, including support for students and staff who are unable to wear a mask due to medical conditions or other needs, are currently being developed.
Volunteers and Guest Visitors
§ Although volunteers are valued members of our community in their support of our students, to minimize outside contact of established student cohorts, there will be no volunteers working in the school. Individuals are encouraged to communicate with the school through email or by phone.
§ In-person guests such as guest speakers and artists in residence will not be invited into schools to minimize outside contact of established cohorts.
§ These decisions will be revisited throughout the year.
School Supplies
§ Schools will be providing student supplies in an individual bag (e.g., pens, pencils, erasers, etc.) Students are not to share their personal supplies, e.g., pencils.
Physical Set-up of Schools
Physical Distancing
Schools will arrange and monitor physical distancing when and where possible as outlined in the Alberta Education's K-12 School Re-entry COVID-19 information: Guidance for schools re-entry Scenario 1.
Classroom set-up
§ Desks are arranged in rows with students facing forward.
§ Number of students at tables will be limited.
§ Seating plans are mandatory and will be in place for every class.
Cohorts
Where possible, schools will organize students and teachers into groups and teachers will move to classes rather than students changing class locations whenever possible.
§ Cohorts are classes in individual grades; these students will remain together throughout the day. Individual cohort groups will learn together and be provided breaks as a cohort, including lunch.
Breaks
We are providing each cohort with an area outside that supports physical distancing and promotes physical activity. Breaks will be provided mid-morning and at lunch. Depending on weather, breaks will be offered inside and outside the school.
§ Lunch: Cafeterias and canteens will follow the Alberta government's strict COVID-19 health guidelines. Numbers in eating areas will be limited to less than 100 students. A reminder that students are not to share food or drinks.
§ Our cafeteria will not be open. Students will have to bring their own lunches and they will eat with their cohort in their classroom.
§ Our campus will be closed at lunch. This means that students will NOT be permitted to leave the school grounds at lunch. Students will remain with their cohort in their assigned area during lunch. A closed campus will limit the risk of Covid-19 exposure to staff and students.
§ Parents are not permitted to bring student lunches to school throughout the morning. Students are expected to bring their lunch with them to school.
Water bottles
Students are encouraged to bring their own water bottles to fill and have available over lunch and at their desks during the day. As a high touch area, water fountains will be sanitized regularly. The use of water bottles will limit movement in the hallways.
Common Areas
Consideration has been given to managing student numbers where students often gather. School settings will limit student gatherings to less than 100 students.
Library Learning Commons
The Library Learning Commons space will not be available to students or staff for finding resources. The space may be used to expand classroom space to meet physical distancing requirements.
Hallways and indoor common areas (foyer, etc.)
Students are not permitted to gather in groups outside of their cohort. Movement within the hallways will be limited. All seating areas in the hallways will be removed or blocked.
Students will be expected to leave the school immediately after dismissal, unless under the direct supervision of a teacher.
Storage of Student Belongings / Change Rooms
Lockers
In order to support physical distancing, no lockers will be used. Lockers will be locked to prevent their use. The use of lockers will be revisited throughout the year.
§ Students are asked to limit the amount of personal belongings they bring to school as space to store these items is limited to classrooms. Each classroom will have protocols about storage of student items. The school is not responsible for lost or stolen items—we ask that students not bring valuables to school.
Change Rooms or locker rooms
At this time we will not be using locker rooms or changing for physical education classes. The use of locker rooms will be revisited throughout the year. If or when locker rooms will be used, we will use the following protocols:
§ Capacity will be limited and physical distancing protocols followed when use is necessary. Floor markings will be used to indicate where students must stand when changing to ensure adequate spacing.
§ The entry and exit of students into a locker/change room will be monitored and staggered in order to provide physical distancing.
§ Students are to hand wash/sanitize upon entering and exiting.
§ Students will need to remove their belongings from the locker/change room.
§ Locker rooms should be disinfected between classes/cohorts.
Further details can be found at: Guidance for Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation - Stage 2
Movement in School
We are minimizing occasions of large gatherings of students and managing movement overall of students in the hallways.
Entrances and exits
On the first day of school, students will enter by the front doors. After that day, all students will have assigned doors for entry and exit and movement will be directed in the building.
o Traffic flow in the building (hallways and stairwells) will be managed and students will not gather in public spaces when they arrive, at lunch, or after dismissal. Students will report to their classroom immediately upon entering the school.
· Arrival and departure times at school are the busiest times for our school. To assist in the movement of students and to support physical distancing we are implementing the following:
· Walking students: students are discouraged from arriving early and staying at school after dismissal. The school will remain locked until 8:15 a.m. and students can enter the building after that time.
· To assist with physical distancing, parents who wish to, can meet their children on the sidewalks around the school for pickup. We ask that parents arrange with their children a meeting location away from the exits and consider parking away from the school grounds. We expect to have more vehicle traffic than normal so we ask that parents consider that their travel time may be affected by the volume of vehicles. As always, we ask that parents and students keep traffic safety in mind when walking or driving near the school.
§ At the end of the day, cohorts will be dismissed in a staggered fashion to avoid crowding in the halls.
The health and safety of your child will remain a priority for our school and we will keep you updated as new information becomes available. As mentioned, detailed information for the guidelines for safety and health for all schools is available on CBE's Scenario 1 Information website. We are confident that, as a community, we will soon adjust to our new protocols and practices. We look forward to welcoming our students back to school and resuming our time together as a positive and caring learning community.
