Westview Public School’s Re-Entry Plan

August 30th, 2021

Introduction

We hope all our Westview families have had a safe summer and are excited for school to start!  The health and safety of our students, staff, and families, while providing excellence for every learner, is our top priority. The purpose of this plan is to provide information regarding operations and procedures at Westview Public School that align with the guidelines provided in SRPSD COVID Response Plan and based on official guidance from the Ministry, Health and others.  We ask parents/caregivers and students to read through and follow these procedures to maintain health and safety for all.   

Full days for grade 1 to 8 Westview Wolf Pack students is Thursday, September 2nd at 8:45 am. Kindergarten students will register on September 2nd and begin on September 7th.  Pre Kindergrten students will have a later September start date; families will be notified of their children’s first day of school when the teacher contacts them to set up a home visit.   

 

Westview Public School is committed to working with our school division, provincial authorities, and our families to support the health and safety of students as we return to classroom learning.    

This plan will be updated whenever new guidelines or directives are enacted by the school division or the province.  All revisions of the plan will be communicated to parents and made available on the school’s website.   

Details on the school’s processes and procedures are provided in each of the following sections:

  • Social-Emotional Supports for Staff and Students
  • Staff Supports and Safety
  • Student Supports and Safety
  • Early Learning (Prekindergarten and Kindergarten)
  • Curriculum and Instruction 
  • Supporting Students with Intensive Needs
  • Extracurricular activities
  • Access to School Facilities and External Services
  • Caretaking & Maintenance 
  • Transportation
  • Parent Engagement & Support 

 

 

  • Social-Emotional Supports for Staff and Students
  • Relationships are the foundation of education and the key to student learning and engagement.  We will spend our first days back reconnecting with our students, learning & reviewing health and safety procedures, assessing the level of social-emotional support they may need, and making meaningful connections by reaching out to families.
  • Our Westview Wolf Pack school team (School Social Worker, School Mentor, Teachers, Educational Associates, and Administration) will work closely with class cohorts to identify the level of supports needed, communicate early and often with parents/caregivers regarding supports available and work together to align the supports needed such as but not limited to:  Mentor and SSW support, Zones of Regulation, Trauma Informed practices that will allow teachers to meet their students emotional, relational, and physical needs as well as effectively use preventative techniques and establish a positive learning environment.   

  

  • Staff Support & Safety 
  • All employees will self-monitor and if unwell with COVID-19 symptoms, they should stay home. Not all symptoms of illness need to be subject to this requirement so  employees are encouraged to consult COVID-19 symptoms for information. Employees will request their sick leave absence using the normal process established at the  school level and enter the absence online for approval/denial. 
  • Teachers will not be required to enter the school when sick to create plans for  substitute teachers. There will still be an expectation to make a sub plan and send it in  electronically, if a teacher is sick and cannot enter the school. 
  • Proper hand hygiene practices are recommended over use of gloves.  Each time an employee or student enters a classroom, it is expected that hand sanitizer will be used to sanitize the employee and students hands. 

 

 

  • Student Supports & Safety
    • All students are required to participate in classroom based learning. 
  • However, students may register in the SRPSD Distance Learning Centre that provides excellent online learning for students who prefer or require an online learning platform. 
  • SRPSD has a contingency plan to transition to remote learning if it becomes necessary to  suspend in-person learning in a particular classroom, school or across the division. 
    • All students will be expected to engage in ongoing learning and outcome achievement. 
    • Teachers will deliver the Saskatchewan Curriculum during periods of remote learning. 
    • Each school will standardize its choice of remote learning and communication  platforms to provide consistency for families. Seesaw or Edsby is used in the Early Years and the rest of school uses either the Google Suite (Google Classroom, Google Meet,  etc.) or the Microsoft Suite (Microsoft Teams and related). 
  • Parents and caregivers are being asked to monitor their children for any signs or symptoms of illness.  If any symptoms are present, the student is to remain home.  For those who are unsure if they or a student present symptoms or may need to be tested for COVID-19, should refer to the Saskatchewan COVID-19 Self-Assessment Tool.
  • Hand washing and other health related procedures will be taught to students and reinforced throughout the school day.
  • Staff and students are encouraged to provide health-approved masks for themselves but SRPSD will provide them at school start-up and as required.
  • Masks will be required for students in all grades on instructional days.    

 

  • Students are required to wear masks while at school (indoor school spaces and when physical distancing is not possible outside) and during bus transportation. 
  • Please note students will be permitted to remove masks in a controlled manner, under the direction of school staff, during the school day. 
  • Accommodations for students with intensive needs may also occur as well. All staff will be required to wear masks and will also be permitted to remove the mask under certain conditions. 
  • If students forget or lose their masks they should get a disposable mask from their homeroom teacher or the front office. 

 

  • Students with COVID-19 related symptoms at school may be required to be picked up by parent or guardian. 
  • Schools will determine locker access in their individual school, assign lockers,  and develop instructions for the efficient flow of students and locker access. It  is recommended that lockers are not shared between students.  
  • Students are allowed to prepare food for nutrition programs if the students are participating in Commercial Cooking and/or Food Studies and are learning  about safety and sanitation in the preparation, storage and service of food. 
  • Whenever possible, have students store personal belongings separately from  others.
  • Common or high touch resources will follow health and facility guidelines for  sanitization. The SHA recommendation is that surfaces/objects be disinfected  between users. 
  • Wash/sanitize hands before, and frequently while, handling learning  resources. 

 

Recess 

  • Westview stuydents will be divided into two groups, Group A (Grades – K, 3/4, 4/5, 6/7) & Group B (1, 2/3, 5/6, 7/8) to allow for staggered recesses.   
  • Staggered recess times will help us to minimize congestion, control the flow of students in an out of the building, and help us to promote physical distancing 
  • All students are expected to go outside weather permitting. 

 

Breakfast Program

  • Breakfast Program will be managed, prepared and delivered by designated staff members each day to ensure health and safety of students and staff.  

 

Lunch 

  • Proper hand hygiene will be practiced before and after eating.  
  • All students will be seated in their own desk and will remain in the class to eat.
  • Canteen will be available for students using the in-class pre-ordering system each teacher/EA will have access to.
  • All lunches will be delivered by staff to the classroom.  
  • If your child requires an emergency lunch please call the school by 9:30 am to notify us.    
  • Lunch time for Group A is 11:45 am – 12:05 pm for Grades – K, 3/4, 4/5, 6/7
  • Lunch time for Group B is 12:10 pm – 12:30 pm for Grades 1, 2/3, 5/6, 7/8  
  • We are also asking parents to package lunches with necessary cutlery that can either be disposed of or brought home.

 

Morning Drop Off  

  • Morning Gym will be postponed until further notice.  
  • Supervision on the playground begins at 8:30 am and the morning bell to enter the school rings at 8:45 am.
  • Student drop off will take place along MacArthur Drive. 
  • Please do not drop off children in the school bus unloading zone located at the front south end of the school. This area is clearly marked with signs.  
  • Once students have arrived at school, they must proceed to the playground.
  • Students are required to wear their masks when it is time to line up and when they cannot physical distance.
  • Students are expected to use their assigned entrance and boot room shelves once their class proceeds into the school building. 
  • Students who arrive late to school must enter through main doors to check in at the office.  
  • In the case of rain, a supervisor will be assigned to your child’s entrance to ensure a safe and controlled entry. 

 

Picking children up during the school day 

 

  • If you need to pick your child up early please call the school and we will arrange to have your child ready for you to pick up at the front doors of the school.
  • Parent/caregivers will be encouraged to pick up their children outside the school. Staff will support younger aged students to connect with their parent/caregiver at the end of the school day.  

 

After school pick up

  • Dismissal bell rings at 3:10 pm. 
  • It is recommended that you make a pre-determined pick up location with your child to allow for a safe departure for all students. 
  • In order to have a controlled safe exit, students are to follow the supervisor’s direction to exit the building. 
  • Please ensure that students are picked up promptly at the end of the school day.  

 

Materials brought from home

  • Students are to be limited to essentials for school (examples may include but are not limited to: backpacks, lunch kits, outdoor clothing, and learning resources as required by the teacher)
  • Students should not be permitted to share resources brought from home with other students.
  • It is best practice for each student to have their own resources, but with  appropriate hand hygiene resources can be shared when required. 

 

  1. Early Learning (Prekindergarten / Kindergarten)

Kindergarten and Pre-Kindergarten teachers are looking forward to getting to know their students and families.  Pre Kindergarten teachers will be contacting all families to set up home visits, yard visits or school visits to discuss the following: 

  • Your child’s likes, dislikes, interests, how they are feeling about starting school, etc.
  • Pick and drop off procedures 
  • Staggered start schedule  
  • What the classroom environment will look like and how we will be supporting students with limiting physical contact (hugs and handshakes) and instead encouraging waves, air high fives etc. 
  • What learning invitations will look like and how children will be instructed to wash their hands before and after use. 
  • Lunch procedures, healthy lunch choices, and how we will practice physical distancing and hand washing procedures before snack and lunch times. 
  • Measures taken to keep children safe such as healthy hygiene behaviors and practices are established through teaching protocols and procedures to students (handwashing; covering coughs and sneezes; avoiding touching the face).
  • How we will be utilizing outdoor play spaces as much as possible.
  • Creating bins/baggies of supplies for each student.  Markers, scissors, crayons, playdough etc. should all be individualized to one student and not shared between children.
  • The classroom cleaning schedule that ensures all surfaces, nap mats, and toys are cleaned regularly.  

 

  1. Curriculum and Instruction:
  • All students are required to participate IN CLASSROOM-BASED LEARNING.  
  • The teaching of safety procedures, routines, and plans will be prioritized in our first days back.  Teachers will devote additional instructional time to the teaching of hand hygiene, mask wearing, routines, and strategies to support students in maintaining physical distancing.    
  • Once safety procedures are clearly established teachers will be assessing students in order to determine a starting point for instruction as this will guide teachers with regards to how much review of the previous years or prerequisite curriculum is required before introducing new curriculum outcomes. 
  • Teachers will work with their students from where they are and support them to grow as learners as Westview School Staff believe in the capacity of all learners.  
  • Teachers will be using online communication platforms to support in-class learning such as Seesaw, either Google or Microsoft Suites, and Edsby.
  • Procedure for library access, book borrowing, and scheduling will be determined and reviewed with students after teachers have had the opportunity to establish safe back to school relationships and routines.   
  • Materials and technology used for instructional purposes will be sanitized.
  • Physical Education will be safely and effectively delivered to Westview students as we:  
  • Establish positive, healthy relationships with students.  
  • Follow school procedure regarding face masks.
  • Incorporate proper hand washing and personal hygiene routines.
  • Engage in physical activities that limit students’ physical contact with others.
  • Utilize outdoor spaces and parks more often. 
  • Modify layouts and use physical and visual guides, such as tape or ropes on floors, grass or sidewalks, and signs on walls.
  • Limit use of PHE equipment but when equipment must be used it will be properly disinfected after each use and not touched after disinfection.

 

  1. Supporting Students with Intensive Needs
  • The inclusion of all students will remain a core value at our school.  We will continue to support the needs of all students.  
  • Our Intensive Supports Team will be available to respond to student needs. 
  • Please note that existing Inclusion Plans may need to be updated to ensure health and safety.
  • Remote learning may be considered for students whose medical restrictions make it unsafe for them to attend classes in the school setting.
  • Please feel free to contact us at the school with any concerns regarding your child.

 

  1. Extracurricular activities
  • Extracurricular programming may only occur with SRPSD schools when authorized  by the School Division and in accordance with SRPSD’s Extracurricular Response  Plan.  
  • Extracurricular programming may be restricted at any time in accordance with  Health Authority guidance. 
  • Decisions for programming are school based. Schools are to consider programming  that will have the greatest impact on student wellbeing. 
  • Participation by school, staff, and students is voluntary. 

 

  1. External Services – Access to School Facilities
  • Access to facilities for partnerships or facility requirements is allowed and will be  coordinated with school Principal, the Superintendent of Partnerships, or the Superintendent of Facilities. 
  • Visitors and guest will be required to wear mask during school hours and during  school events and sign in at the office.  
  • Partnerships providing services within a school setting are to follow SRPSD’s COVID  Response Plan and are to coordinate their services following the direction of the  school Principal. 
  • Community access to SRPSD Facilities after school hours is to follow AP 625 and any  other applicable requirements in SRPSD’s COVID Response Plan 
  • When parents and caregivers are required in person at school they are to follow  current SRPSD COVID Response plan requirements including Masking expectations  for visitors.  
  • Access to facilities for partnerships is subject to change at any time and may be  removed in accordance with Health Authority guidance. 

 

  1. Caretaking & Maintenance
  •  COVID-19 posters and protocol will be revised and delivered to all schools and  support facilities. These will be put up at all school and support facilities entrances.  This will ensure consistent message to allfacilities. 
  • The Facilities Department will purchase all hand sanitizers, masks and otherPPE and  distribute as requested  
  • Current sanitizing and disinfecting procedures will remain in place as normal  practice. 
  • Maintenance staff working in schools will report to office, use hand sanitizer and sign in when working in schools and support facilities. 
  • Contractors working in schools and support facilities are required to provide their  COVID-19 protocol to Facilities Department prior to working in schools. 
  • Contractors must report to the office and sign in and use hand sanitizer before work commences.

 

  1. Transportation: 

We would encourage parents to support children to walk to school whenever possible.  Alternatives to using the bus service can help minimize exposure to viruses and also increase student health and fitness.

  • Busing will be provided for the delivery of students to and from school or school  programs, field trips and extra-curricular trips. 
  • Bus drivers will create and enforce route seating plans that group together students  who live in the same household. No guest riders will be permitted. 
  • Teachers will create and enforce seating plans for field trips and extra-curricular  trips. 
  • Regular cleaning and sanitation of buses will occur as required. 
  • Students are required to wear masks during bus transportation. Students who do not or cannot wear masks will not be provided with transportation unless previous  arrangements for accommodation have been approved by the School Division. 
  • Bus drivers are required to wear masks or face shields during bus transportation.  
  • School start and end times, or student arrival and departure times, may need to be adjusted. 
  • Communicate with schools and families the new expectations/guidelines for  transportation. 
  • Hand sanitizer will be available and is recommended for students to use as they board the bus.  

 

  1. Parent Engagement & Support
  • It will be challenging for us to maintain the level of connection we strive for between home and school but we will do everything we can to do so.  We encourage our families to call or email with questions that you may have. Our ‘Meet the Staff’ and other family engagement events will happen this year but will have to look slightly different from previous years.  
  • Updated information from the school, school division, ministry and health will be communicated through our newsletter on the school website, Westview’s Facebook page, and our communication system School Messenger and Edsby.
  • Please contact the school of your family’s needs to be connected to any type of local community supports.
  • By staying connected and working together we will be able to take on the new challenges this school year will present to us.

 

  “The strength of the pack is the wolf 

the strength of the wolf is the pack!”