LEARNING SAFELY AT

ST. TERESA OF CALCUTTA SCHOOL

EFFECTIVE PROCEDURES AND PROTOCOLSFOR AN EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT

IN ACOVID-19 ERA

2

Cathy Carpenter, Faculty

Lynn Earl, Parishioner

Jim Maiale, Facilities Manager

Jackie Stiles, Child Care Director, Parent

The Facilities Committee met and discussed how we would maintain our

building and provide a safe environment for student, faculty, and staff.

Facilities Committee

3

Facilities Committee

• Signs will be posted in highly visible locations (hallways, classrooms, bathrooms, etc.)

promoting everyday protective measures and how to stop the spread of germs.

• Signs will be posted at entrances to school notifying people that we require face masks

upon entry and efforts of social distancing.

• Windows will remain open as often as possible to maximize ventilation.

• HVAC filters will be changed on a regular basis.

• The school will be cleaned and sanitized at night by our hired cleaning company and

high usage areas (bathrooms, stair rails, door handles, etc.) will be cleaned on a set

schedule throughout the day using EPA approved cleaning solutions approved for

killing the Coronavirus. Classroom desks will be wiped down periodically throughout

the day. Special cleanings will take place if exposure is confirmed or suspected.

4

Facilities Committee

• Maximum number of students in a classroom will be 25.

• Desks in classrooms will be spaced 6 ft. apart from the center of one desk to the center

of the next. Desks will all be forward facing.

• All unnecessary furniture will be removed from the classroom for social distancing.

• Traffic in hallways will be reduced and coordination between classroom teachers will

take place in order to minimize hallway traffic and high traffic bathroom use.

• Visitors will be limited to just lunch volunteers and homeroom parents. All other

non-essential visitors will not be permitted into the school office. Any student pick

ups and item drop offs will take place in the school lobby.

5

Maria Stelacio, BSN, RN , Parent

Jennifer Holdsworth, BSN, Parent

Lisa Robbins, MSN, CRNP, Parent

Dr. Christina Farrell, DPM, Parent

Dr. Robert C. Getts, Ph.D., Consultant

The Health and Safety Committee met to discuss the processes of how we

will keep our students, faculty, and staff safe and what the procedures and

protocols will be in place if a child/staff member becomes ill.

Health and Safety Committee

6

Health and Safety Committee

• There will be a nurse on site at St. Teresa of Calcutta School for the entire school day.

• The nurse will triage and treat patients upstairs using a medical cart and will assess and

determine if student needs to be brought to the nurse’s office or quarantine room. The Health

Suite will be strictly for daily medication and treatments.

• Families will sign off on a document at the beginning of the year stating that they agree to

monitor their child(ren)’s health daily.

• Temperatures will be taken in the morning before students are able to proceed to classrooms.

• Temperatures may be taken periodically throughout the day of students, faculty, and staff.

• Faculty and Staff will be required to assess their health prior to arriving at school. This

includes taking their temperature and reporting any symptoms in a timely manner to the

principal.

• A quarantine room will be designated for students who are symptomatic. Students will be

monitored and picked up from this quarantine room. Parents will be notified prior to pick up

of the procedure and necessary measures before returning to school.

7

Health and Safety Committee

• There will be minimal sharing of classroom materials. Any materials that would

require sharing will be wiped down between use. Handwashing will need to take place

before and after using manipulatives. Classroom libraries will not be utilized.

• Hand sanitizing stations will be located at entrance to the school and throughout the

building, including all classrooms, offices, and outside bathrooms.

• All water fountains will be shut off and covered. Students will be asked to bring water

bottles from home.

• Reusable water bottles should be wiped down and washed frequently to eliminate

germs.

• Students will be asked to bring their lunch in a disposable bag. If a child uses a

lunch box, we highly recommend that the lunch box be washed and

sanitized every night at home.

8

Health and Safety Committee

• Students will eat lunch in their classrooms. Aramark will provide a boxed lunch for

each student ordering lunch. A lunch count will be required in the morning for

planning purposes.

• Recess: no outside play equipment from home; items in use for play must be

disinfected before and after use.

• Students will wash hands at specific times throughout the day for example before and

after lunch, before and after recess, and traveling outside of their designated

classrooms.

• Northeastern Music will provide virtual band lessons for the start of the school year.

They will reassess the situation in October to determine if a return to in-person

instruction is safe. More information will be provided once school begins.

• All faculty/staff meetings will be virtual until further notice.

• All tutoring will be done virtually.

9

Health and Safety Committee

• A virtual learning option will be available for those students who are at a higher risk for

severe illness, for those families not comfortable having their child return to in-person

instruction, for those students/classes that may need to quarantine at home and if the

government would not permit us to open in-person.

• Underlying health conditions for any student should be shared and recorded with health

suite staff.

• Students will be required to wear face masks while on the bus, when arriving to school,

while moving in the hallways, and when they are unable to practice social distancing.

Student will be permitted to remove their masks while seated in their classroom, eating

lunch, and when they are able to social distance 6ft. Students are welcome to keep

masks on per parent’s discretion. If a student cannot wear a mask for medical reasons

they must have doctor’s note per PA state mandate. A visor is a viable option for those

who are medically exempt from mask wearing. Teachers may wear masks or visors.

• Proper mask storage and care will be encouraged at both home and school. Masks will

be stored in plastic bags when not in use at school.

10

11

Education Committee

Frank Ciccitto, Technology Consultant, Parent

Anita Dixon, Principal

David Dusza, Faculty

MaryBeth Moloney, Faculty

The Education Committee met to discuss what changes need to be made to our

learning environment to adhere to COVID mitigations and how we will implement

virtual learning.

12

Education Committee

Procedures to limit the sharing of materials among students

• Students will have their own pencil cases for their own supplies.

• There will be no sharing of supplies including pencils, crayons, scissors, glue, etc., in all

classrooms.

• Teacher will sanitize any materials or educational tools that she /he shares with students

E.g. yard stick, meter stick, protractor, compass, pointer, markers.

• Chromebooks will be cleaned after each use. An infrared wand is being considered instead of

Lysol wipes.

• Physical education equipment will be cleaned before and after each use.

13

Education Committee

Process for identifying and restricting non-essential visitors and volunteers

Only lunch volunteers and homeroom parents will be permitted to come into the school.

• Large gatherings will be eliminated.

• Back to School Night will be virtual.

• Grandparents Day, Concerts, Christmas Presentation will resume when it is deemed safe to do so.

• A google form will be created for volunteers to complete before they visit the school.

• Volunteers will be screened upon their arrival to the building.

14

Education Committee

Ways to ensure that Catholic Identity is infused into lesson delivery

• Plan for Prayer Services as the teachers complete units in the Religion Book.

• First Friday Mass will be attended by the appropriate number of classes to accommodate social

distancing in church.

• Pope Francis’ Prayer for the Pandemic will be included into the daily prayers of the school.

• Faith-based activities such as retreat days, prayer services, and prayer buddy meetings will be

modified appropriately to fit with the pandemic policy.

• Promote service project experiences when possible.

15

Education Committee

Protocols for adjusting transportation schedules and practices to create social

distance between students

• Students will have their temperatures checked in carline while still in their vehicles.

• AM Carline will be moved from 7:30 to 7:45 to allow for less students entering the building all at once.

• Bus students will enter the school through the front door. Temperatures will be taken in the lobby and in

the APR. If student has a temperature they will be taken to quarantine room and parents will be notified.

• Rules and procedures for busing will be put forth by the public school district transportation

departments. Parents should direct questions/concerns to their home district.

• Afternoon announcements will be adjusted to allow for a staggered dismissal.

16

Education Committee

Methods of limiting the number of individuals in classrooms and other learning

spaces and interactions between groups of students.

• Class sizes will be limited to 25.

• Teachers will move between classrooms instead of students.

• Students will remain with their cohort (class) and the intermingling of classes will be discouraged.

• Student messengers will be discouraged. If it becomes necessary to send a messenger to another

classroom, students must wear a mask and use gloves, then sanitize hands once he/she returns to the

classroom.

• Teachers will be encouraged to communicate via email or text rather than using a messenger.

• Outside space for classes may be utilized when schedule and weather permits.

• St. Teresa’s Religious Education Program will be virtual until at least January. This will limit

additional students being present in the building after school hours and on weekends.

17

Education Committee

Virtual Learning –Government does not allow us to open in person/ Cohort or

Whole School Closure

• Parents will be required to read and sign off on Procedures for Virtual Learning. This agreement states the

student will be present, responsible for all assignments, dressed appropriately, follow virtual procedures and

virtual etiquette.

• Teachers will build on the lesson delivery strategies used during the closure in the third trimester.

• The Google Classroom platform will continue to be utilized for the Learning Management System.

• The Learning Management System will centralize materials, lessons, instruction, assessment,

feedback, and communications.

• Teachers will create a specific schedule for cohort students. Students will be responsible to be present for

online instructions, dressed appropriately (no pajamas), and prepared with class materials.

18

Education Committee

• Schedules will be sent to parents ahead of time to inform parents exactly when the student is expected

to be present online.

• Prepare parents for virtual learning and school requirements via a recorded video.

• Parents will be required in grades four through eight to accept Google Classroom invitation. By

accepting the invitation, parents will receive a weekly summary of lessons, assignments, projects, and

activities.

• Attendance will be taken everyday in each class. Students attending either in person or virtually will

be marked present. If your student is not present in person or virtually he/she will be marked absent.

19

Education Committee

Individual Instruction

• Google Classroom will be the main Learning Management System to centralize materials, lessons,

instruction, assessments, feedback, and communications for Grades K-8. The primary grades may

utilize age-appropriate applications.

• St. Teresa will provide some type of video connection to the classroom for the child who is at home

(Video stream via classroom camera, Google Meet, Zoom, etc.)

• Instruction will be for the core subjects of Religion, English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics,

Social Studies, and Science each day and the minor subjects once a week.

• The goal is the mastery of curriculum so the child stays current and can return prepared to rejoin the

class.

20

Education Committee

• Students are responsible to complete all assignments, activities, assessments and projects. Google

Meets may be used for collaboration.

• The teacher will provide a schedule that is specific to the grade.

21

Communications Committee

Kimberly Canning, Faculty, Parent

Cindy Falciani, Staff

Jamie Vigliotta, Home and School President, Parent

The Communications Committee met to discuss ways to best communicate information

to families and other areas of school (ex. Child Care, P.R.E.P.)

22

Communications Committee

• Families will be notified of St. Teresa of Calcutta’s Health and Safety Plan through the Option C

Communication System. The plan will also be posted in a visible location on the school’s website.

• The plan will be emailed out to our St. Teresa of Calcutta Child Care Director, Jackie Stiles and to our

Religious Education Coordinator, Deborah Rorabaugh.

• A copy of the plan will be provided to the Parish Office.

• Any changes made to the plan will be noted and sent out to all parties in a timely manner.

** Please note that all plans and protocols are contingent on the directives and changes from the government. This plan will be updated when/if changes are made.