Schuylerville Elementary School Reopening Plan

Throughout the first few days of the 2020-21 school year, students will be provided with education on safety practices and protocols throughout the school.  This will continue through the first seven day cycle to allow for students to review safety practices with each special area teacher. Explicit teaching of safety practices will include the ‘why,’ which will in turn support the ‘what’ and ‘how.’ 

Content Outline

Arrival to School: Bus

  • Parents are asked to take the temperature of their child before leaving the home each morning.  
  • As buses arrive to school, around 8:50 a.m., drivers will take the temperature of each student on their respective bus.  
  • After all temperatures have been taken, students will exit the bus (one bus at a time).  
  • If a student has a temperature of 100.0 or greater, they will be escorted to the elementary health office to have their temperature retaken.  If it remains high, a parent will be called to pick up their child. 
  • Kindergarten students will enter through the side, playground entrance (tags will be used to identify bus vs. drop off students). 
  • Grades 1-5 students will enter through the student service entrance.

Arrival to School: Parent Drop-offs and Walkers

  • Parent drop off is between the times of 9:00-9:15 a.m.
  • Parents will follow traffic patterns.  
  • Share a quick “kiss and go” to avoid holding up traffic.  
  • Parents are to remain in their vehicle unless supporting a child out of a carseat.
  • Students in grades 1-5 will safety cross the busport using the crosswalk and enter through the ES main entrance where their temperature will be taken.
  • Students in grade K will safety cross the busport using the crosswalk and enter through the side entrance near the playground where their temperature will be taken.
  • Should a student have a temperature of 100.0 or greater, they will be escorted to the elementary health office to have their temperature retaken.  If it remains high, a parent will be called to pick up their child.

Reopening Framework

The district has reassigned elementary teachers and will hire four term position teachers to account for the additional classroom sections. K-5 students will report to school daily and will remain with their classroom cohort throughout the day.

  • K = 7 sections with an average class size of 14.43 
  • Grade 1 = 7 sections with an average class size of 15.3
  • Grade 2 = 7 sections with an average class size of 15.6
  • Grade 3 = 7 sections with an average class size of 15.7
  • Grade 4 = 5 sections with an average class size of 18
  • Grade 5= 7 sections with an average class size of 17.3

School’s Out Program

  • The program will run from 7:30-9:00 a.m. and 3:15-5:30 p.m.. 
  • As students arrive in the morning, one family at a time will enter the vestibule (each individual must wear a mask) to be checked in.  
  • A staff member will take the temperature of the child(ren) and the parent/guardian will sign in the child(ren).  Subsequent families will wait in line 6 feet apart outside.  
  • Parents will not be allowed beyond the vestibule into the building.
  • Students will be placed in cohorts, activities will be positioned throughout the building, students will not be sharing supplies, and disinfecting practices will be in place.

Arrival to Classrooms

  • Students will be escorted to their respective classroom each morning. 
  • Students will report directly to their classroom and then will be allowed to visit their cubbies or locker in small groups with masks on and adherence to social distancing.  
  • Student hallway spaces will be disinfected nightly.

Supplies

  • Students will not be allowed to share classroom supplies or art supplies.

Classroom Configurations

  • Classrooms will have all unnecessary furniture removed and placed in storage for the year. 
  • Only the exact number of desks needed for students and the teacher will be in the room. 
  • Teaching materials that do not take up additional space will remain in the room.

Master Schedule

  • 7 Cycle Day (a change from 6). The first day of school will be Day 1.
  • 5 special area classes that will cycle through the 7 day cycle. 
  • Classroom teachers will continue to support all students and their individual learning needs.  AIS and ALPS will no longer be separate pull out or push in classes.  
  • Each child learning remotely will receive a daily schedule which includes an outline of daily class schedules with time designations.

Special Area Classes

  • Physical Education (3/7) = Held outdoors with modified activities that support social distancing guidelines. If a class is not able to go outside, PE will be held in the classroom.  Students will not change for PE nor will they use the locker room.
  • Music (1/7) = In the classroom. 
  • Art (1/7) = In the classroom. No sharing of supplies. 
  • Library (1/7) = In the classroom.  Rotation of books on a seven day cycle. Returned books rest for 5+ days. 
  • Social Emotional Learning (1/7) = In the classroom. 
  • *The elementary school will longer have science and computer as a special area class or ALPS as an enrichment program.

Student Expectations

  • All students must arrive to school (School’s Out, bus stop, bus, drop off, building, etc.) wearing a mask.  
  • Students will report to their classroom to drop belongings in their locker and sit at their assigned desk.  Adults will assist and escort students. 
  • Student desks will be six feet apart and when not feasible, outfitted with desk shields. 
  • Students will have mask breaks throughout the day (ex. every other row in the classroom at a time, lunch, recess). 
  • Water fountains will be capped off.  Water fill stations will be available.  Students are encouraged to come with full water bottles each day. 
  • Students will continue to have a snack time.  Classrooms with allergies will be restricted to the types of snacks allowed.

In-Person and Remote Learning

  • Teachers will provide instruction to the students assigned to their class, both physically in the classroom and those that are home learning remotely.
  • Students learning remotely will be expected to join teacher classrooms via Google Meet during the designated ELA and Math times each day.  
  • Students learning remotely have the option to participate in special area classes in an asynchronous model (live remote with the class) during the assigned class day/time. 
  • Students and families will be provided with the necessary tools and instruction to participate in remote instruction. 
  • Technology support with livestream lessons will be available. 
  • Attendance will be taken daily for both in person and remote students. 
  • Students that are home sick and capable of learning remotely can choose to do so.  It is the responsibility of the parent to contact the classroom teacher before 8:30 a.m. if the child plans to participate in instruction for that day. 
  • If a child is absent from school and unable to participate in remote learning, parents are to contact Norma Thivierge, attendance clerk, indicating the absent before 9:00 a.m.  
  • Grading practices will be in place.

Technology Platforms

  • Grades K-5: Google Meet
  • Grades K-2: SeeSaw
  • Grades 3-5: Google Classroom
  • All K-5 students will be provided with an iPad regardless of need. Students requiring WiFi in the home will be supported based on financial need.

Lunch 

  • ES Cafeteria 88 students max – 76 floor, 12 stage
    • Cafeteria Tables (floor) – two students per table with table shields (typically 12 students per table)
    • Individual Student Desks (stage) – one student per desk with a six foot radius, facing the same direction
  • Multipurpose Room 51 students max
    • Individual Student Desks – one student per desk with a six foot radius, facing the same direction 
  • ES Gymnasium 112 students max
    • Individual Student Desks – one student per desk with a six foot radius, facing the same direction
  • Extended lunch times to reduce the number of students eating at any given time. 
  • Students will not be required to wear masks while eating lunch however will need to wear a mask when not sitting at the desk/table. 
  • Students are encouraged to bring lunch daily. 
  • Students buying lunch will have their lunch delivered to their lunch location to avoid time in the lunch lines. 
  • No a la carte sales (ice cream, snacks, drinks)

Recess

  • Class sections will rotate between seven outdoor locations, weather permitting. This will keep cohorts of students together and not mixed with the full grade level. 
  • Recess will be held in the classroom when weather does not permit outdoor use. 
  • Appropriate activities will be shared with students. 
  • The playground will not be available for use as it is not feasible to disinfect it after each use. 
  • Mask breaks will be provided for students when outdoors and a six foot distance is maintained.

Dismissal

Walkers (2:50 p.m.)
    • Students will be dismissed by classroom to reduce travel in hallways. 
    • Walkers will exit the building through the elementary main entrance.
    • Walkers are to be dismissed to their planned destination off campus (this may or may not be the child’s home).
    • Parents/guardians will not be permitted to drive on campus to meet their child.
Students riding the bus (3:00 p.m.)
  • Students will dismiss from their classroom to their respective bus upon that bus’s arrival beginning at 3:00pm.  After all students riding each bus are accounted for, the bus will depart campus.
    • Kindergarten students will be escorted to their bus by staff using the side door closest to the playground.
    • Students in grades 1-5 will dismiss out the elementary main entrance.  
School’s Out Program & Parent Pick Up (3:05 p.m.)
  • Students enrolled in the after school program and students being picked up by a parent/guardian will be escorted to the elementary cafeteria (after school program) and elementary gym (parent/guardian pick up) by the classroom teacher. 
  • Students being picked up by a parent/guardian will sit at a desk (each desk will be positioned six feet from one another) in the elementary gym.  
  • Parents/guardians will line up outside of one of two pick up locations wearing a mask and adhering to social distancing guidelines:
    • Parents/guardians of a student with the last name A-K will enter through the student services entrance. 
    • Parents/guardians of a student with the last name L-Z will enter through the side elementary gymnasium entrance to the right of the student services entrance.