Dear colleagues,
Here comes a somewhat unusual Tuesday update. We would like to highlight some of the positive observations made on Monday and clarify a few currently evident bottlenecks to see if we can be even more successful with the changes we are implementing to the daily routines.
The entrance to the school is very smooth and quick. Children know the routine and move swiftly up the stairs and check-point continuing to their respective classrooms.
Most ELAC parents drop off their children quickly and leave in a timely manner. Naturally, some separation anxieties are noticed, mainly with parents. Thank you for dealing with those with understanding, kindness, and the necessary firmness.
The snack and lunchtimes are both running smoothly. Children seem calm and we are developing more consistency with mask-wearing indoors. During recess time, children are already trying to come up with games and plays that meet the safety expectations instead of having soccer or basketball games for example.
PreK/KA and KB have tried out snacking and eating in the ELAC MPR with dividers and know that they function well when eating outside is not possible and the classroom is getting too crowded.
Additionally, the grade 1 team is willing to test lanyards as a way to keep the masks with the students at all times. We will keep you posted about that.
Please, be reminded, we are only about start day 4 after six months of no school. Stay calm and kind.
Few clarifications:
In the morning, we have supervision from 8:05, so the Gr 1 - 5 students can go outside in the morning after their check-in.
Snack time, we can start releasing students to the playground at 10:27 by using the normal hand signal method so we don’t all leave at the same time and create long lines. As the new routine becomes an actual routine, we can always have one of the classroom teacher staying in the cafeteria with both classes and the other one can e.g. go back to class to sanitize tables, shut doors and windows to cool down the classrooms, prepare for next lesson, and have a personal preparation and refreshment time. We aim to finish the snack by 10:30. However, it is the classroom teacher’s judgment call, and the decision should they allow some children to continue to eat their snacks a bit longer. However, we cannot leave the children in the cafeteria without supervision.
Sanitizing hands vs. washing hands. We have noticed that the children may be confused when after they have washed their hands they are still asked to sanitize their hands. Naturally, we would like this practice to become automatic so that majority of the children will take care of their hands by themselves. Currently, we still need to help the children to remember the new expectations for hygiene. You may ask the children to tell the teacher who is at the hand sanitizer place that they have already washed their hands so they don't need to have the double treatment. Children can choose to wash their hands or sanitize their hands after leaving the cafeteria. As we continue to sanitize or wash at entry and exit we can stop the spreading of germs which provides the necessary added safety particularly when children play outside, PE, or move in the corridors in closer contacts.
Faculty eating. Please, refrain from bringing food to the classroom and particularly consuming snacks or food when the students are in the classroom. By bringing food in the classroom when the students are there or eating in the classroom and not wearing a mask sends a mixed message with regards to the strict routine we are implementing with snacks and lunch with the students.
Again, thank you for making this parallel unit of inquiry “How The World Works Now” an engaging yet challenging learning journey for everyone at the school. Let’s stay resilient and consistent as models and guides to the children and each other in the classroom, corridors, and in the playground. There will be times when the COVID-19 safety rules will be tested either by our students or our colleagues. We want to keep the school open and running, so let’s stick together!
Riana, Trevor, and Heikki
