EBSAC will be meeting with the TDSB Finance department on August 24 and with Principal Karailiadis on August 31 to discuss parents’ questions about the return to school, and how EBSAC and Earl Beatty parents can support a successful return.
Parents are invited to submit questions to ebsacinfo@gmail.com. We will consolidate the list of questions in this post.
School Infrastructure and Equipment
- What proportion of Earl Beatty have windows that open? Will windows and classroom doors be required to remain open at all times? Have any repairs / changes (e.g. wider openings) been made to the school windows over the school closure or are any planned at this time?
- What can you tell parents about ventilation in the school? Has there been any formal assessment of ventilation / airflow in classrooms? Is there adequate ventilation in the washrooms?
- The TDSB has commented that they have been making repairs and improvements to schools during the closure. What, if any, improvements have been made to Earl Beatty?
- Can you please provide an update to parents on the work on the kindergarten yard? (i.e. What is the plan for the yard, when will the work be complete, what COVID safety precautions will be put in place if work is still being completed once students are back in the school?)
- How many classroom in the school have tables rather than individual desks? How will physical distancing be ensured in these classrooms? Will students be kept in smaller cohorts of 2-3 students if they are unable to maintain adequate distance between individual students?
- How will physical distancing be maintained in younger grades, where students general move around the classroom, playing and learning in centres?
- Will library, gym, lunchroom, music/drama rooms be used for classes, to help give kids the space to physically distance?
- Can the school use the parking lot during the day as additional outdoor space for students?
Hygiene and Safety
- What are the procedures for dropping off students and picking them up at the end of the day? How will late entry work?
- How would drop off work if kids have doctors appointments during the day, or a regular weekly appointment, for things like OT?
- If a student develops COVID symptoms during the day, where will they be isolated until their parents arrive? Who will supervise them during this time?
- Will students be permitted to leave the school for lunch (either older students eating off-campus or younger students going home for lunch with a caregiver)?
- Where will students eat lunch, and who will provide lunchtime supervision? Given that students will not be wearing masks during lunch, what safety measures will be in place? (e.g. Eating outdoors)
- How many classrooms at Earl Beatty have sinks for handwashing? Were any additional handwashing sinks installed in the school during the closures?
- Does Earl Beatty have sufficient hand hygiene supplies (hand soap, paper towels, hand sanitizer)? How will staff ensure that there is an adequate supply of these items in the classrooms and washrooms?
- For students with sensitive skin, eczema, and other skin conditions, what accomodations will be made if hand sanitizer cannot be used?
- Will Earl Beatty implement staggered entry / exit / recess / lunch? How will recess and lunch supervision work if classes are on a staggered schedule?
- How will music class work this year? Will singing and wind instruments be prohibited in the school?
- What safety measures will be in place with respect to supply teachers, itinerant teachers, and prep teachers (gym, music, drama, library, French)?
- How will fire drills and lockdown drills be handled this year?
- If a student is off school with a positive COVID diagnosis, or possible COVID symptoms, how will their education be managed during the time they are off? Will devices be provided by the school for such absences, if required?
- What types of face coverings will be permitted? Would a face shield or a hat with an attached face shield be acceptable?
- How many face coverings should students bring to school each day? Will there be specified times when students change their face coverings (e.g. after recess, after snack, after lunch)? What are the school’s recommendations for helping students to manage their face coverings (e.g. bags for clean and soiled masks, how to ensure they don’t get lost or accidentally traded, best ways to label cloth masks)?
- When and how will the rules around face coverings be shared and who can we speak to about specific concerns? In particular expectations and exceptions for younger children?
- Is there a plan to continue the free fruit program safely (any other nutrition support typically provided to students)?
Outdoor Learning
- There has been a great deal of coverage in the media on the benefits of holding classes outdoors to the extent possible, and research has shown positive outcomes from outdoor learning. How will this be addressed at Earl Beatty?
- What supplies / equipment does the school need to facilitate moving classes outdoors? Can these be purchased using the school’s budget or EBSAC’s fundraising revenues that were intended to support student achievement?
- The City of Toronto has recently stated that schools may use parks without permits. Does Earl Beatty plan to use local parks to keep students outdoors as the weather allows?
- Not all students may have appropriate outdoor clothing to participate in outdoor learning when the weather is wet or cold. Can teachers put together a list of clothing / footwear donations that would be needed? Is it possible (given COVID safety restrictions) to put together a supply of outdoor clothing donations that could be kept at the school for students who come unprepared for the weather?
Fundraising / Use of EBSAC Funds
- Are the following items allowed to be donated and/or purchased through EBSAC’s fundraising revenue? Would they be allowed under the TDSB’s fundraising rules and safety requirements, and would they be beneficial for Earl Beatty’s teachers and staff?
- Face coverings for staff that allow students to see their lips (e.g. this Health Canada approved mask: https://www.theclearmask.com/product)
- Cloth face coverings for students who forget theirs / are unable to supply their own
- Window fans / air exchangers / HEPA filters for classroooms, washrooms, and other areas
- Outdoor shelters / tents
- Hand sanitizer
- Temporary handwashing stations and/or permanent handwashing sinks to be installed in the school
- Water bottle filling stations to replace existing water fountains
- Desks for classrooms that only have tables
- Classroom supplies (pencils or pens, art supplies, scissors, glue sticks, clipboards, etc.) to reduce sharing of supplies
- Will fundraising be allowed this school year?
- A portion of last year’s dance-a-thon proceeds were to be directed to a school in our area with less fundraising capacity. Has this money been transferred to that school, and if not, can that be done soon to support the other school’s safe reopening?
- EBSAC understands that most of Earl Beatty’s tech was distributed to families across the TDSB for the spring remote learning. Will the devices that were distributed be returned to the school or replaced by the school board, and what is the timeline for that?
Family Engagement and Transition to School
- What can EBSAC do to support families in the transition back to school?
- During a recent TDSB meeting, staff talked about videos that will be produced to introduce students to new safety measures that will be in place when they return to school. Can EBSAC help to take some photos / videos to add a school-specific view? (e.g. Pictures in Earl Beatty hallways / classrooms, maps and pictures to explain the entry/exit procedures, etc.)
- What plans are in place to welcome new kindergarten families and ensure that they are comfortable as they join our school community? (e.g. Will teachers reach out to introduce themselves to students and families ahead of the first day, will there be a special transition plan for kindergarten students during the staggered start?)
- How are students who need additional support (e.g. those with IEPs, those in Earl Beatty’s ISP classes) being supported through the return to school, whether they choose in-person or remote learning? How will remote teachers be brought up to speed on students’ IEPs? Will any support for students with IEPs who choose remote learning be provided by teachers or staff from their physical schools?
- What plans are in place to maintain the connection of students who have elected remote learning to their peers at Earl Beatty? How can EBSAC support these connections?
- Staff at SickKids have used photo buttons so that patients can see what they look like behind their masks. Would Earl Beatty teachers and staff be open to this idea, if EBSAC can provide the buttons?
- How will phys ed work this year?
- Will Earl Beatty’s swimming program operate this year?
- Will there be any extra-curricular activities this fall?
- Will students be allowed to play with friends in other classes during outdoor time (recess, lunch)?
- The JK/SK kindergarten curriculum has a significant component of play-based and group-based work. How will this be maintained and supported? What will the instructional day look like? Will students be allowed to play together, or will they be encouraged to remain physically distant even in class?
- Will younger kids share toys/books etc? If not, is there a need for additional duplicate supplies to ensure there are enough for those classes?
- What actions will be taken to foster a sense of belonging and to invite/provoke learning within the kindergarten classroom?
- What criteria will be used to balance hygiene/safety risks against children’s emotional and educational needs in the kindergarten environment?
- How will drop off work for younger students (e.g. kindergarten)? Will a teacher meet them, will it be a person in full PPE, or just a mask?
- Since there is already a second (ECE) teacher in a JK/SK classroom, is there any thought to students splitting up into two 15-child groups for portions of the day? Perhaps one group could go outside, and one could stay inside?
- Are there any requests from teachers/staff on how to make this better for them, or for students, that we haven’t thought of?
- At what point(s) in the year would students who initially elect remote learning be able to switch to in-person school?
- Will we have an opportunity to speak with our child’s teacher prior to the first day of school so we can understand and share with our children what to expect?
- How will the staggered start to the school year be implemented at Earl Beatty? When will families be informed about their children’s exact return dates?
- Since the virtual option is at a centralized location separate from Earl Beatty, will there be a way for students who choose virtual to not feel completely cut off from their school community?
Class Assignments
- If classes are reorganized after the return to school survey, when will families be contacted with their child(ren)’s new class assignment and teacher?
- In a normal school year, Earl Beatty is required to have 3/4 split classes. Is this requirement in place this year? What is the cap on the 3/4 class size for the 2020-2021 school year?
- If there is a second wave of COVID and another wide school closure, will students who begin the year in-person continue with remote learning with the same teacher?
- If students who initially elect remote learning return to in-person, will classes potentially grow above the hard caps put in place by the TDSB? Could there be frequent class re-organiziations throughout the school year?
- If students in French Immersion request a move from in-person to remote learning during the year, will they be guaranteed a place in a remote French Immersion class?
- Is the school working with Beatty Buddies to align the school and daycare cohorts, where possible?
COVID Screening and Testing/Dealing with Illnesses
- There have been recent rumblings from the Minister of Education and Toronto Public Health about surveillance testing of asymptomatic students. Has there been any discussion about implementing this in our school or our Ward?
- Is there a strategy in place to help screen students for symptoms who have chronic conditions that may be hard to distinguish from COVID symptoms?
- Will a negative COVID test be required for students to return to school after an absence due to illness?
- Will schools help coordinate / expedite COVID testing for students with symptoms, or will this testing be done through the regular testing clinics (e.g. MGH)?
- What will be the procedure for confirmed cases of COVID at the school? Who will be informed (teacher / class / entire school)? What will testing / isolation policies be in such cases? How will this information be communicated, by the classroom teacher or by administration?
- Will regular testing of school staff (including supply teachers and itinerant teachers) be required and/or recommended?
- If a student tests positive for COVID, do all of their siblings need to stay home as well? What about if a student is absent for COVID symptoms (but not a confirmed case)?
- What will the messaging be to families about symptoms of illness and when a student should stay home? e.g., only fever? or gastrointestinal issues, cough, runny nose, etc.