Return to School

The following are the details of a return to school at QAS.

A form follows at the bottom of the page for you to fill out by May 22nd indicating whether or not your child(ren) will be coming back to school for classes in June.

As was announced by the Ministry of Education, schools will be resuming in-class instruction as of Monday, June 1st. Until that date, remote learning will continue.

Attending school will be voluntary for students in Kindergarten to Grade 5 (up to 50% of the time) and Grade 6 and 7 students (the equivalent of one day per week).

It is understood that families may be hesitant to send their children to school in June, due to the unknown nature of the virus.

All students, whether they return to school or remain at home, will receive the same lessons and support from their teacher/EA. Remote delivery of education will continue, as it has since the end of Spring Break, whether a student attends in-class or remotely. Assessment of student learning will also be the same for all students, as teachers will be using the assessments collected from April through June.

In order to make a decision that is best for your family, this is a “DRAFT” of the specifics that you should consider. The details may change but the safety of all will not:

A. Required School Safety Plan

All schools must follow the requirements as outlined by the B.C. Public Health Officer, WorkSafeBC and the Ministry of Education. The QAS Safety plan will be sent home to all parents once it is approved by the Ministry of Education. It will also be posted on the front doors of the school.

*The following items will be part of the QAS Safety Plan. This is a “Draft”. The times and whether students come full or half days included are examples, until we determine the number of students returning in June.

  1. The school will be cleaned each evening. All “high touch” areas like doorknobs, handles, toilets, etc. will be cleaned twice throughout the day. These will be cleaned by our Janitorial staff.
  2. Students/staff will not be permitted to enter the building if they display any flu like or respiratory symptoms, including fever, coughing, sneezing, runny nose, runny eyes, etc. or if they have travelled outside of Canada in the last 14 days or if they have been in close contact with someone with Covid-19. This will be accessed at the start of each day by staff.

    The school will not be conducting temperature checks of individuals. The school staff will not be able to distinguish between respiratory illnesses and allergies. If symptoms are present, the individual will not be able to enter the school.
  3. Should a student/staff member become ill or develop any symptoms (as described above) during the day, they will be immediately quarantined and sent home. They will not be able to return without a Doctor’s note.
  4. Students/staff will be trained/reminded to cough into their sleeve, not to share any items (food, pencils, sports equipment, etc.), avoid greetings (high fives, hugs, etc.) and not to touch their face.
  5. *Two sanitizing stations will be available for students/staff at the entrance doors. Various grades will come at staggered times:

    8:45 a.m. – Kindergarten (will enter at their south door); Grade 1 (will enter at their west side door); Grade 3 (will enter at the east side door); Grade 5 (will enter at the south door, just west of the office area).

    9:15 a.m. – Grade 2 (will enter at the west door near Grade 1); Grade 4 (will enter at the east side door); Grade 6 and 7 (alternating days will enter at the south door, just west of the office area).

    At each door entrance, students will line up outside, two meters apart. A staff member will be at the door 10 minutes prior to the start time. Parents will be encouraged to walk their child to the line up area, to ensure social distancing.
  6. *Classes will use the same doors/hallways (as listed in #5) to exit for recess, lunch and after school. Times will be staggered: Kindergarten and Grade 1 lunch playtime will be 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.; Grade 2 and 3 lunch playtime will be 11:30 to 12:00 p.m.; Grade 4 and 5 lunch playtime will be 12:00 to 12:30 p.m.; Grade 6 and 7 (alternating days) lunch playtime will be 12:30 to 1:00 p.m. Depending on the time, teachers may have students play first, then eat. Recess breaks will be staggered and at the discretion of the teacher.

    The Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 3 and Grade 5 classes will be dismissed at 2:15 p.m.

    The Grade 2, Grade 4, Grade 6 and 7 (alternating days) classes will be dismissed at 2:45 p.m.

    A staff member will dismiss the students at the appropriate door. Parents will be encouraged to meet their child at the exit door as they are dismissed.
  7. All classrooms and washrooms have sinks and soap available for frequent handwashing throughout the day. Including, before and after eating and going outside.
  8. All must always maintain social distancing of 2 metres. The classrooms, washrooms, and hallways are set up to ensure all are 2 metres apart. A line dividing hallway in half will be put in place.
  9. Water fountains in the hallways will be shut off. The coffee machine and water cooler will be out of bounds in the staff room. The fridge, microwave and sink areas will be cleaned twice a day and at night. Students and staff will bring and take home their utensils and containers each day.
  10. The staff room will have an occupancy level of three people at a time. The Library can also be used by staff members in June. It will have an occupancy level of eight at a time.
  11. The office areas, staff work room and staff washroom area will be limited to one person at a time. A sign system will be in place indicating that it is “safe” to enter.
  12. Entry to the school will be limited primarily to students and staff. Parents will be required to contact the school via phone or email.
  13. The Kindergarten to Grade 6 classrooms will have a maximum occupancy level of 10 students, one teacher and one Educational Assistant. The Grade 7 classroom will have a maximum occupancy level of 14 students, two teachers and one Educational Assistant.
  14. Student washrooms will have a maximum occupancy level of two.
  15. Student groups will be kept to a minimum, with the goal of keeping the same group together during the day. There will be no large gatherings.
  16. All classroom libraries and play centres in the classrooms will be closed. Any manipulatives used for teaching will be washed after use.
  17. All sports equipment will be washed after use. Sanitized sports equipment will be handed out by the classroom teacher. Social distancing of 2 metres will be maintained outside.
  18. The play field will be open during class time only (not before or after school). The playground structures (swings, climbing apparatuses, and basketball hoops) will remain closed. Parents are asked to drop off and pick up their child ten minutes before and after school and take him/her to the line up area, if possible, to ensure social distancing of 2 meters.
  19. The wearing of PPEs (masks, gloves, shields) are optional for all students and staff.

B. For Students Who Remain at Home

Continue with the same learning opportunities since Spring Break – lessons sent by the teacher; support and feedback by the teacher/EA; Zoom meetings with the class/teacher/EA; technology devices loaned out by the school to remain with the student until June 24; report card pick-up on June 25.

C. For Students Who Return to Class

Our classrooms can safely accommodate up to 10 students at a time (taking the 2-meter social distancing requirement into account). Therefore, students in Kindergarten to Grade 5 will come to school up to a maximum of 2.5 days per week. Students in Grades 6 and 7 will come to school up to a maximum of 1 day per week.

Students will continue with the same learning opportunities since Spring Break – lessons to be completed at school; support and feedback by the teacher/EA; Zoom meetings with class/teacher/EA; technology devices loaned out by the school to remain with the student until June 24; report card pick-up on June 25.

Students will wear their QAS uniform to school. Students may wear either the summer uniform or winter uniform in June. This is because families may not have purchased “parts” that fit, due to the school closure. Outdoor shoes only in June, as the cloakrooms will be closed. Students will not have to bring their PE strip to school. We will go back to the usual uniform protocols in September.

Students will need: basic supplies (pencils, pens, scissors, pencil crayons, ruler, calculator, etc.), snack and lunch (including utensils) with them each day. They will also need to take them home each day. The individual teachers will let their students know what other items will be required.

Students will need to bring their laptop, etc. with them each day for the online/Zoom portion of their work. If they do not have a device, they will have access to one at times throughout the day.

Students will be assigned a desk at which to do their work. Due to the 2-metre social distancing rule there will not be opportunity for a lot of movement in the classroom. There will be no group work activities. There will be opportunities for outside activities.

D. How Often Will My Child Come to School in June?

This will depend on how many families send their children back. We can safely accommodate up to 10 students in a class at any one time.

*1. Kindergarten to Grade 5

  • up to 10 students returning per class = 2.5 days per week – a total of 10 days in June
  • up to 20 students returning per class = 2 days per week – a total of 8 days in June
  • over 20 students returning per class = 2 days a week for 2 groups of 10 students, one day a week for one group of 10 students. The groups will rotate each week – a total of 6 days in June

*2. Grades 6 and 7

  • will attend 1 day per week – a total of 4 days in June

3. Siblings will attend school on the same day.

4. Families will not get to choose the days or times that their children attend school.

*E. What Will the Day be Like?

These are not final, until we know the number of students. We will either alternate days or with a small number of students, they will come each day for a half a day.

*1. Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 3 and Grade 5 students will attend classes from 8:45 a.m. to   2:15 p.m. on alternating days or from 8:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. each day.

*2. Grade 2, Grade 4, Grade 6 and Grade 7 students will attend classes from

9:15 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. on alternating days or from 9:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. each day.

*3. Depending on the number of students returning, they may be divided into groups by the classroom teacher.

*4. Depending on the number of students returning per class, children may attend school on alternating days or half days.

*5. Depending on the number of students returning per class, a child may not be with their regular classroom teacher.

6. The Educational Assistants who have been assigned to a class during the remote learning phase will remain with their assigned class during the month of June.

*Further details will be available after the family survey has been completed.

F. Specialist Teachers

We will not offer PE, French, Music, Library or Computer classes “live” during the month of June. They will continue on-line at this time. These classes will resume in September.

These teachers will continue to post lessons in each class portal. Classroom teachers will decide if the students attending school are to complete them during in-class time or on the days that they are not in school.

G. Learning Resource Department

Mrs. Lorenz and Miss Langlois will continue to support their students either remotely or at school.

Students who receive the support of an EA, will continue with the EA assigned to them since the beginning of April.

Students will continue to work on the goals as outlined in their IEP. Other services, such as SLP will continue, at least online.

H. What is Next?

Please make the decision that works best for your family. These are different times for all of us. All schools will be using June as a “trial run” so that we can make the necessary adjustments for whatever we face in September.

We ask that you complete the survey below, by indicating whether your child or children will or will not be attending school in June.

Children of Essential Service Workers may attend school more often than the K to 5 (50%) or Gr. 6/7 (20%). Please indicate/explain if your family requires this.

This information will allow our school to submit our safety plan to the Ministry and to finalize plans for June and communicate them to you.

Thanks to all of you, both students and parents for your hard work these past couple of months.

Thanks also to our staff, who have worked many long hours in adjusting the way we serve our students.

Please continue to pray for the health and safety of all and for an end to this pandemic.

Take care,
Joan Sandberg
Principal

June 2020 Intended Student Attendance Form:

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