Hybrid Parent Handbook

Student Arrival

• Students must pre-screen at home, come only if no symptoms, and have a mask on before exiting the vehicle. Call Matt Bell our School Nurse with any questions.

• Parents MAY NOT arrive in our lot prior to 8:00 am as staff need to access parking spots to ensure appropriate supervision of students arriving in school.

• Arrival is between 8:00 & 8:20 but we understand late arrivals may be necessary.

• We have a designated drop off spot for students near the white-striped crosswalk between 8:00- 8:20 a.m.

• Late arrivals must be walked to the entry door by parents who must buzz into the office to allow students inside.

• Students will exit the vehicle and remain three feet away from others, as they walk into the building. Students will proceed directly to their homeroom in single line, use hand sanitizer upon entry, go to desk area, and follow teacher directions.

Student Dismissals:

• Daily dismissal students will be called at 2:45 with social distancing in hallways and exits

• Students will be supervised and will wait outside in grass field to left front of school behind fenced area until parents arrive - no later than 3:15

• Parents will park, wear masks, come to the adult supervisor outdoors at the fence line, show ID (Sept.) and sign the student out - bring your own pen or sanitize if using ours.

• Alternate plans will be made for parent pick-up in inclement weather -location tbd.

• Any parent who is not a daily pick up, may pick up a student after emailing or calling the main office (not the teacher) to notify us by noon that day.

• Bus students will be dismissed from classrooms as buses arrive while maintaining social distancing in hallways and at exit.

• No daily or permanent bus switches may be requested or made at the school level. Parents must make any transportation changes by calling the transportation department in advance to request approval. This year changes will be strictly limited to ensure proper numbers are maintained.

Parents, Community Members and Volunteers:

• Will not be coming inside our school in person until further notice

• Should communicate by email, by phone, or written note sent with student

• Meetings with parents and school staff will be done primarily through zoom

• If a meeting must be held in-person, it may be at held at another district site to allow for 6 feet of social distance between each adult present

Breakfast, lunch, snacks:

• Students will be eating in homerooms/self-contained rooms.

• Breakfast cart will come to rooms after 8:00, then will be staged in the lobby for later arrivals.

• Lunches will be delivered to students who will be lined up outside of classrooms to meet the delivery cart. Students will say his/her name for payment.

• There will be lunch choices daily which will be made in the morning.

• All students must wash or sanitize hands before eating and remain in designated seats to ensure minimum six feet of distance while masks are off.

• Trash dumping will be done when masks are back on, in an organized manner, to maintain distancing.

• Snack times will be scheduled at each teacher’s discretion inside or outside the classroom to ensure distancing.

• Students may drink from water bottles when teachers allow them to, as long as 6 foot distance is maintained and water is not kept on desk (or grass) near laptops.

• Updated food allergies and plans must be communicated to the food service department and will be accommodated as appropriate.

Bathroom Use:

• There will be no group bathroom breaks.

• Students will need to sanitize before leaving class and then sign out.

• Students will use the bathrooms closest to their classroom and check inside before entering to ensure they will not exceed the max occupancy (posted on doors).

• If needed, students will wait in line 3 feet apart on footprint stickers outside door.

• Students must wash hands for 20 second before returning to class and then sign back in.

Materials:

• Classroom shared materials will be limited and will only be done with prior and post hand sanitizing/washing.

• Parents should ensure individual student classroom materials and outdoor clothing/hats/boots/water bottles, lunchboxes, ect. all be labeled with sharpie markers. We can provide a sharpie if needed - just ask your child’s teacher.

• There will be no lost and found common area (so please see above!)

• Classes have planned and made purchases to reduce sharing of materials. Let us know if you have an unmet material need.

Recess:

• Students must sanitize hands in classroom (or wash if a sink in the classroom) before going to recess, and before re-entry to school.

• Teachers will lead masked students, on right side of the hallway, three feet apart as designated by foot stickers along all floors, in a single line to exit door. Teachers will walk students in a distanced single line around to the rear playground to ensure supervision at all times.

• All equipment may be used only after hand sanitizing and by following social distancing requirements. Most stationary equipment will need to be used by one child at a time to ensure distancing.

• There will be a separate cart of materials (balls, ropes, games) for each of the recesses.

• Initially, and until further notice, whole group recesses will require students to keep masks on.

• Use of balls etc. are allowed only if all have sanitized prior to use. If a child needs to re-sanitize at recess, stations will be available.

• Staff and families are encouraged to teach and maintain safe distancing and mask wearing in accordance with CDC guidelines while in the community.

• If in coming weeks, we can establish and ensure the mandatory 3 ft masked distance at recess, we can then discuss if 6ft with mask off is possible to ensure - it may not be possible with larger groups but may be possible with smaller class groups.

Nurse Visits:

• For student wellness, students may come to the nurse only when necessary.

• Many minor issues can be taken care of in the classroom.

• Each Homeroom will have a first aid kit to bring outdoors as well.

• Frequent nurse visitors who may need emotional support, breaks, bathroom plans etc., will be supported in other ways by our team members, not by the nurse or in nursing space.

• School nursing staff will ensure appropriate medication distribution/health care plans, in consultation with parents, physicians and the Maine CDC.

• Families must update reliable emergency daytime contactsin case students need to go home due to possible Covid symptoms, to ensure someone can come to school right away.

• Medication deliveries and health plan/504 meetings will be coordinated between families and our School Nurse, Matt Bell.

Student Wellness:

• The past several months have been challenging. Student wellness is a priority. We have a variety of social emotional supports available at school. Please call or email us.

• School Counselor, Jessica Weatherbee

• Social Worker, Kim Fournier

• Response to Intervention Team supports (RTI)

• School-based Sweetser Clinicians

• Meetings with Teachers and Administrators

Open House:

• Is an opportunity to get familiar with teachers and the classroom(s).

• Will be in September scheduled by teachers & virtual only.

• Open House will be by zoom meeting(s) hosted live from classroom(s), or a video made of the teacher in classroom to accompany live zoom drop-ins.

• There will be day time(s) and an evening time(s) to accommodate working parents.

• Open House is a group occasion and not an appropriate forum to discuss individual student needs. These discussions should be done privately with the teacher.

Laptops:

• Students who are doing hybrid learning will be allowed to take laptops home AFTER all school has completed iready assessments.

• We will message that date once we have completed assessments so none will be sent until school wide testing is completed.

• For the first couple weeks of hybrid plan, on remote days laptops won't be required as some families do not have access, so learning activities will not require technology.

• Parents will carefully monitor and support safe, respectful, laptop use. Violations may result in loss of home access to laptops. Paper materials would be sent home.

• Please keep laptops safe, dry, and off floors to reduce damage. Laptop damage at home, or if at school from misuse, may be billed to families and result in loss of privileges.

Student Behavior:

• Student expectations, OUR 3 Bs: BE SAFE - BE RESPECT - BE RESPONSIBILITY, will be our focus in September and will be modeled, taught and coached as always.

• Classroom vision & expectations will be created with student input to build community, engage everyone and reduce anxiety for students. Teachers will plan how to merge A & B students’ input to build cohesive classroom expectations and culture.

• Covid expectations will also be modeled, taught and coached by all staff.

• Following covid protocol, wearing a mask, sanitizing and disancing are not negotiable and are required for return to school in person. Any purposeful breaches will be responded to immediately and may result in students being sent home.

• Students who do not, or cannot, follow safety protocols may be assigned to remote learning as appropriate. This would be an opportunity to practice and increase tolerance/compliance with wearing masks, sanitizing and distancing.

Safety Drills: We will continue to follow our STANDARD EMERGENCY PROTOCOLS

• Drills will allow for practice and comfort with emergency responses.

• Evacuations will be practiced with social distancing 3 feet apart.

• We will practice where students will sit 3 feet apart in the space during a lockdown.

• We plan to announce drills to reduce possible stress on students.

Fresh Air:

• Our filters and bringing in fresh air flow have been a district priority this summer.

• In classrooms, as much as possible, windows and doors will be open.

• Children should be helped to dress appropriately, in labeled layers

• We will use outdoor learning and break opportunities as much as possible/practical.

• Children should use sunscreen before school as staff cannot apply it.

• Outdoor class time may allow for mask breaks when minimum of 6 foot distance can be assured by students remaining in teacher designated spaces.

• We are working to install outdoor shade structures - we will keep you posted.

• We have purchased/waiting for delivery of materials to help us be outdoors even more

Hybrid Instructional Plan:

• Teachers provide full days of in-person learning four days weekly - 2 days w/group A and 2 days w/group B.

• On remote learning days, students will engage in a variety of activities including written work, practice activities, reading, web-based assignments such as Lexia, Iready Pathway for math and reading, projects, tutorials, Google Classroom assignments etc.

• On remote days Monday through Thursday, students will not have instruction with or access to homeroom teachers because they are teaching the other group (A or B).

• Fridays will provide for a variety of learning, support and communication opportunities see details below…

Fridays:

• Laptops won’t go home until iready assessments are done for all students so the first several Fridays of remote learning will not be technology-based.

• Teachers will have live blocks of virtual instruction for students on Fridays. This will be a combination of whole group, small group re-teaching, interventions, one on one time, enrichment, meeting with students and parents., whole class A+B zoom meetings for culture building or social emotional learning.

• Fridays will also provide for preparation time, teacher professional development, professional collaboration, student evaluations, IEP meetings, 504 meetings, and RTI meetings.