Shared Responsibility
UMCA Rich Tree Academy prides itself for building a community of students, parents, faculty and staff with a shared goal of creating a safe, joyful and challenging learning environment for every student. Now, facing unprecedented times, we must all work together to keep the health and safety of our students and employees. We strongly recommend that all members of our community download the Government of Canada’s COVID-19 Alert App, which can notify people about possible exposure before any symptoms appear. That way, we can continue to take care of ourselves and protect our communities.
Personal Protective Equipment
Students
- Parents/guardians will be expected to provide their child with a personal face covering to wear at school to reduce the spread of their own respiratory droplets to protect others. Please send your child with a set of 3 masks.
- In Grades 4 to 12, students will wear non- medical or cloth masks while in school. Students in JK-Grade 3 will wear masks when entering the buildings in the morning and during dismissal in the afternoon.
- In Kindergarten to Grade 3 non-medical or cloth masks are strongly encouraged for students but are not mandatory.
- For students who are unable to wear a face covering, please provide a medical exemption form.
Permitted Visitors
Permitted visitors must wear a medical mask at all times.
School Staff
All school staff will wear medical grade masks and will be provided eye protection (i.e. face shield) for use as required.
Screening and Arrival
- Prior to arriving to school, each student and employee/teacher, must fill up an online screening questionnaire (more information will be provided closer to start date). This questionnaire must be filled EVERY DAY.
- Any student experiencing COVID-19 symptoms is required to remain home (the use of a mask is not an acceptable alternative). Please don’t send sick kids to school.
- Where possible, students must maintain a physical distance at all times, as they enter, move through and exit the building.
- Once students enter the school; it is recommended they remain at school until the end of the school day (elementary) or the end of their class schedule (secondary). Exceptions will be granted for medical/ family appointments supported by the Principal.
Visitors
- At this stage, no parents, caregivers or any other family members are permitted to enter the school buildings. In the meantime, all school events involving guests, parents and grandparents, will be held on Zoom. All parent meetings will also be held on Zoom. We remain committed to maintaining our partnership with parents and will welcome them into the buildings when it is safe to do so.
- Until further notice, visitor(s) are not to enter the school during hours of operation unless identified through a prearranged exception.
- Parents are not allowed to enter the school, and drop off and pick up will be done outside of the premises.
- Please ensure your child brings all he needs for his day at school. Drop-offs will not be available, including access to lunch delivery services.
- Uber Eats and other food delivery services will not be allowed in the school.
- When a parent/guardian needs to meet with the Principal in person, the meeting must be scheduled in advance.
- Before entry, permitted visitors must review and adhere to the instructions on the COVID-19 Self-Assessment poster from York Region Public Health posted at exterior doors.
- Any permitted visitors experiencing COVID-19 symptoms are required to remain home (the use of a mask is not an acceptable alternative).
- All permitted visitors must sanitize their hands and wear a face covering at all times and maintain a two-meter physical distance as they enter, move through and exit the building.
Staff
- On a daily basis, before entry, staff are to review and adhere to the instructions on the COVID-19 Self-Assessment poster from York Region Public Health posted at all exterior doors.
- Any staff experiencing COVID-19 symptoms shall remain home/not enter the school, pending results of a COVID-19 test which they shall do immediately and share the results with the Principal as soon as the results are known. (The use of a mask is not an acceptable alternative).
- When possible, staff are to maintain a physical distance as they enter, move through and exit the building.
Student Movement in School
Signage will be installed throughout the school to minimize close contact between students.
Hallways
To minimize close contact between students, directional floor decals will be installed in all schools to manage movement of students.
All hallways to be divided into two-way paths for movement in the school.
Stairwells
- All stairwells to be divided into two-way paths for movement in the school.
- When walking in the school, students will be instructed to stay on the right-hand side of the hallway to ensure a safe and distanced flow of traffic.
- Students will follow the expectation of “hands to yourself” at all times and will not hold hands, or make physical contact, with other children or adults.
- When picking up young children, parents will line up outside by the appropriate doors, two meters apart from one another.
Elevators
- If assistance is required by a student, maximum users in an elevator/lift are two (2) persons.
- Masks are to be worn at all times in elevator/lift.
- Floor decals to be installed indicating recommended standing locations.
Washrooms
Floor decals to be installed indicating recommended physical standing distance at sink(s), if possible.
Cohorting
Cohorting is the process of grouping students so that if a student or staff member develops an infection, the number of exposures is reduced. All students in JK-Grade 8 will be attached to a cohort (their class) and every effort will be made to avoid the mixing of students in different cohorts. First thing in the morning, students will enter their classroom and will only leave their classroom to use the washroom, for gym, recess and at dismissal. During gym and recess, students will remain in their cohorts.
Entering Main Office
- Each office reception counter or desk will be provided a plexiglass screen due to high volume of interactions required.
- To reduce crowding in office, students and permitted visitors are requested to wait in the hall to be called into the office.
- ‘Please wait’ floor decals to be placed near the office reception counter to remind students and visitors where to stand.
- Floor decals will be placed in the hallway outside the office to provide appropriate waiting locations prior to entering the office.
Placement of Student Desks/Tables
Classrooms will be decluttered and furniture removed where possible to minimize areas that are touchable and to maximize mobility.
Assign, where possible, designated seating and use visual aids to indicate that some furniture is “off limits.”
Hand Sanitizing
- Students are to wash hands using soap and water or use hand sanitizer immediately before: leaving home, leaving the classroom, eating, touching one’s face, and leaving school.
- Students are to wash hands or use hand sanitizer immediately after: arriving at school/entering the classroom, finishing lunch, touching shared objects, using the bathroom, coughing, sneezing, and blowing one’s nose, and arriving at home.
- A hand sanitizing station will be placed in the front lobby of the school and in classrooms.
- It is recommended that students not bring their own hand sanitizer to school for issues of quality, fragrance and management of potential hazards.
Washroom Use
- Students are to maintain physical distance at all times within the washroom, where possible.
- Students are to wash their hands when they enter and exit the washroom.
- Teachers are recommended to create a washroom schedule with clear washroom breaks (one in the morning and one in the afternoon).
- Cohorts are to travel in groups to use designated washrooms.
- Students are to assess if the washroom has reached maximum usage as they enter based on posted signage.
- If maximum has been reached, students are to wait in hall in designated area.
- Floor decals spaced apart are to be placed outside washrooms for students to wait if the washroom is full.
- Floor decals spaced apart are to be placed inside washrooms at areas such as sinks/hand washing areas.
- It is recommended that students immediately leave the washroom as soon as they are finished.
Enhanced Cleaning Practices
Regular cleaning and disinfecting of objects and high-touch surfaces in the school is very important to help prevent the transmission of viruses from contaminated objects and surfaces. The following procedures will ensure that the building is clean and those entering the building are kept safe:
Custodians and cleaning staff will conduct regular cleaning and disinfecting throughout the school day with a focus on high-touch surfaces. Washrooms will be cleaned twice during the school day.
- School will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected each night.
- Classroom toys, materials and resources will be cleaned frequently. A sufficient number of toys will be available to encourage individual play. We will only offer toys that can be easily disinfected.
- Garbage containers will be emptied after lunch and in the evening.
- A full stock of handwashing supplies will be available at all times (soap, paper towels, hand sanitizer etc.) Custodial staff will ensure ongoing top-up of hand washing supplies and hand sanitizer.
Sanitizing of Shared Equipment
- Cleaning and disinfection of high touch surfaces will be done twice a day as per Public Health guidelines and Standard Operation Procedure for Cleaning High Touch/High Contamination Areas.
- Shared equipment will be cleaned before and after use. Examples of shared equipment: carts, physical education equipment, and science apparatus, etc.
Drinking Fountains
All students must bring a reusable water bottle to school. Water bottles can be filled at the non-touch water dispenser at the back of the water fountains. Students may not use the spout of the water fountain with their mouths. These spouts will either be disabled or taped closed.
COVID-19 symptomatic students and staff
Students and staff must stay home if they:
- have any symptoms of respiratory illness, even if mild and contact York Region Public Health and your medical practitioner.
- have been told to self-isolate by public health or a medical practitioner.
- have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
- have recently returned from travel that requires a period of self-isolation.
- Children or staff experiencing symptoms of respiratory illness, even if mild, should stay home. The use of a mask is not an acceptable measure to attend school for those who are symptomatic.
- In cases where a student develops symptoms of COVID-19, the school will contact the student’s parent or caregiver to pick up the child immediately and ask them to bring the child to the nearest COVID-19 Assessment Centre.
- In these cases, students will be isolated in a prearranged sick room until a parent/ guardian can pick them up.
Entrance and Dismissal
Entrance
- Where possible, students, employees and visitors should maintain a minimum physical distance at all times upon entry and movement through the building.
- Parents are not allowed to enter with their children. Drop off and pick up will be done outside of the premises.
- A designated teacher will make sure your child gets to their class safely.
Dismissal
- For pick up, please approach the window at the vestibule, and request for your child to be called, keeping a 2 meters distance from the window. We kindly ask you to keep the number of people at the vestibule to a maximum of 4 people at a time.
- Please wear a mask.
- Once you asked for your child, you should exit the vestibule and wait for him/her outside of the building to allow the next parent to approach the window.
- Your child will be called and will meet you at the entrance.
Student Pickup During School Hours
Parents/guardians need to pre-arrange pickup with the office.
Parents/guardians are not to enter the building.
Recess
- Students are expected to remain in their cohorts during recess.
- Students are to wash hands or use hand sanitizer before and after recess.
- Maintain a physical distance while playing outside.
Conclusion
The health and safety of all our students and employees was, and will always be our top priority. Facing unprecedented challenges, we are trying to continue with a learning environment, as normal as possible, while following all the Ministry of Health guidelines. In this plan, we tried to implement safety measures which will keep our community safe and healthy, but at the same time will provide our students with a nurturing, rich, and friendly learning environment. We thank parents for their support and for placing their trust in us as the children return to school.
