Back to School during the pandemic ...a discussion thread

[mshanson3121]

Just in case any of us were still hanging on to the notion that kids don’t contract or spread Covid . I still feel like we are walking into a dangerous experiment

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.pbs...-covid-19-after-4-days-at-a-georgia-ymca-camp

I was just coming to share this. Of special importance, it was noted that children between ages 6-10 had the highest rate of attack.

 

[wdwmom3]

I was just coming to share this. Of special importance, it was noted that children between ages 6-10 had the highest rate of attack.

Except this was an overnight camp. The staff wore masks but kids did not. It also states the buildings did not have good ventilation. And the kids slept in a large group in the same building and were regularly singing and cheering. Given it’s an overnight camp you also can assume the staff was not wearing masks all the time. Georgia also has a very high infection rate right now.

This is terrible but I don’t think you can compare it to schools opening here. I should add that if our level of infection was even a fraction of what it is in Georgia, then no schools should be open.

 

[Disneylover99]

Just out of curiosity, how many people have gone to restaurants and especially Walmart since the epidemic?

No restaurants or Walmart for me or my family.

I will be teaching in September. And my children will be attending high school. They are not nervous, but I’m a bit worried and nervous for us all.

 

[bababear_50]

Except this was an overnight camp. The staff wore masks but kids did not. It also states the buildings did not have good ventilation. And the kids slept in a large group in the same building and were regularly singing and cheering. Given it’s an overnight camp you also can assume the staff was not wearing masks all the time. Georgia also has a very high infection rate right now.

This is terrible but I don’t think you can compare it to schools opening here.

Hi
I think it is important as many people are saying young children do not come down with the virus and this seems to indicate that yes they do.
Sorry but many schools have very ,,very poor heating and ventilation systems.
Some classrooms have windows that do not even open.
The cabins had 16 to 26 kids and staff in them,,,somewhat similar to projected classrooms in my area.
Maybe some of the kids did wear masks as it doesn't say,,it just says they didn't have to.
What the article doesn't say is the kids were actually outdoors a majority of the time.
And to note kids often scream/yell/laugh in classrooms --no different than singing and cheering really.
J.M.H.O. (Just My Honest Opinion).

Mel

 

[Disneylover99]

Except this was an overnight camp. The staff wore masks but kids did not. It also states the buildings did not have good ventilation. And the kids slept in a large group in the same building and were regularly singing and cheering. Given it’s an overnight camp you also can assume the staff was not wearing masks all the time. Georgia also has a very high infection rate right now.

This is terrible but I don’t think you can compare it to schools opening here.

My classroom is very small. Ventilation is not great. Masks for my students will not be required. The students will be in class with me all day, every day, eating and drinking. At some points, I’ll need to remove my mask to eat and drink as well.

I think it is comparable to schools.

 

[bababear_50]

To be honest I have so many texts from staff that are some of the greatest people I've ever worked with...just terrific ,,would do everything and anything for kids....BUT
they are very scared right now and they have the right to be!

Mel

 

[FigmentSpark]

Hi
I think it is important as many people are saying young children do not come down with the virus and this seems to indicate that yes they do.
Sorry but many schools have very ,,very poor heating and ventilation systems.
Some classrooms have windows that do not even open.
The cabins had 16 to 26 kids and staff in them,,,somewhat similar to projected classrooms in my area.
Maybe some of the kids did wear masks as it doesn't say,,it just says they didn't have to.
What the article doesn't say is the kids were actually outdoors a majority of the time.
And to note kids often scream/yell/laugh in classrooms --no different than singing and cheering really.
J.M.H.O. (Just My Honest Opinion).

Mel

Exactly. Did all those studies that say kids don't spread it take into account that when things shut down, people may have had to go out, but the kids were kept on lockdown.

 

[bababear_50]

I think teachers and resource staff will need to do intensive inclass *online training* with the kids for the first few weeks of back to school.
They need to know that the kids are well prepared should return to online education occur.

Hugs
Mel

 

[bababear_50]

Exactly. Did all those studies that say kids don't spread it take into account that when things shut down, people may have had to go out, but the kids were kept on lockdown.

Yes this is true,,most kids have been fairly isolated during this lockdown.


Mel

 

[bababear_50]

My classroom is very small. Ventilation is not great. Masks for my students will not be required. The students will be in class with me all day, every day, eating and drinking. At some points, I’ll need to remove my mask to eat and drink as well.

I think it is comparable to schools.

Hi Hon
You will need time to exit ,,even if it's to your car and take a break away,,walk around the block.
Remember your health and well being is important so that you can be strong to support the kids.
It is not going to be easy,,talk to your co workers and lean on them for support.

Hugs to you
Mel

 

[Disneylover99]

Hi Hon
You will need time to exit ,,even if it's to your car and take a break away,,walk around the block.
Remember your health and well being is important so that you can be strong to support the kids.
It is not going to be easy,,talk to your co workers and lean on them for support.

Hugs to you
Mel

Thank you! Yes. I will take care of myself mentally and physically and do my best to take care of my student’s needs as well.

 

[wdwmom3]

I think teachers and resource staff will need to do intensive inclass *online training* with the kids for the first few weeks of back to school.
They need to know that the kids are well prepared should return to online education occur.

Hugs
Mel

this is actually a good idea. One thing I’m going to ask our school is how will it work if our son starts in class but a month or two later we want to pull him out. We only feel comfy sending him now because cases in our area are pretty low and keep dropping. If cases start to go back up we will have him back at home. We are also buying him a new chrome book so he’s prepared.

I should also add that our school isn’t overcrowded and has air conditioning and windows that open etc. It’s also not a really big school in general. My decision to send him may be different if his school was more crowded or older etc.

 

[hdrolfe]

I think most school boards will be asking for you to commit to a certain time frame if you say you will be doing online or in class. I know mine is based on what I posted earlier. I hope that if there is a spike they will send everyone home though.

The studies on kids I read were from around the world, and I particular from places where kids were back to school. Kids under 10 do not tend to have symptoms, nor do they spread it. That is not saying they can't get it.

I understand teachers being scared to go to work, I imagine a lot of people who have been at work throughout and gone back as things have opened up feel the same way. I think that having PPE and limited contacts should help. At least in Ontario for the PPE I do wish they could make class sizes smaller, I do not know how they would do that in most schools. They can't suddenly open twice as many schools and hire all those additional teachers.

We were asked to provide whether our kids would be doing online learning by July 21. No idea if they will revise that now that we know more. It was so they can plan classes and teachers. Hopefully we will get more details soon.

 

[Maddysdaddy]

We are also buying him a new chrome book so he’s prepared.

Before you invest in a Chromebook, you should try to investigate whether the online platform used by your school is D2L. I teach post secondary using that platform and when we went full remote in March, there were significant issues with students trying to use Chromebooks, with most having to go out to purchase a new Windows or Apple computer.

 

[mshanson3121]

Exactly. Did all those studies that say kids don't spread it take into account that when things shut down, people may have had to go out, but the kids were kept on lockdown.

No, they didn't. At least not the earlier ones that I looked at, but that was awhile ago. IMO, studies from other countries in EU, Asia are of very limited value as a) we have some different strains circulating here and b ) despite what may be happening there, we are having a increasing number of reports in North America of transmission AND symptomatic cases in young children.

 

[mshanson3121]

Just thought that I would ask. Since we live in a city of 30,000 and go to the cottage in Southampton, we have eaten out on patios on a regular basis but shy away from Walmart...... Canadian Tire pretty well covers our household needs. We are quite strict on our social distancing but I have worked in a seniors retirement home all along with no symptoms, which was a result of wearing masks and temperature taking weeks before government recommendations. If all peopLe would thoroughly scrub their hands On a regular basis, the spread can be greatly reduced. The biggest issue with kids returning to school would be for them to not follow this simpletask.

Hand scrubbing is good, but also not all that effective since the primary means of infection is droplets. So the #1 defense that kept you healthy and keeps others healthy, is masks. Which many schools will not be requiring. The second is social distancing, which in the younger years, many schools will also not be requiring within their "bubble" (keeping in mind the bubble could be anywhere from 15-60 kids depending on class size and then how many classes are in the bubble, and that all those kids in the bubble are being exposed to many people outside of school). Temperature checking isn't being proposed here, either.

The return to school is really a very different scenario than going to eat on a patio or running into Canadian Tire for half an hour, or even your job where you had hand washing, masks and temp checks.

To me, I think one of the most important things school can do this year is take learning outside as much as possible, then require face shields and/or masks while indoors. Parents could easily start working with their kids now re: wearing them, especially learning not to fidget with them. I'm thinking face shields for teachers and students would be better for K-2, for the purpose of learning to read, social skills learning etc... Not as good as masks, but better than nothing. Then have a hand wash station set up in each K-2 classroom, so kids can wash their hands with soap regularly, since those ages are the slimiest lol. By grade 3/4, most schools have moved past learning to read to reading to learn, so masks would be fine, though I think face shields will always be better for teachers since some kids are always going to rely on seeing what they are hearing. I also think they should be screening everyone (temp check), every day. While temp checks are useless for the asymptomatic cases, even if they catch just a few cases, that could go a long way towards stopping a local outbreak.

 

[bababear_50]

My Board is going to be sending out emails this week asking parents and students to commit to at home online or in school learning.
They will have a date by which the decision needs to be made. (I believe it is Aug 14-15th).
I would keep in mind that many places just entered into stage 3 of reopening and the results of how that goes will not be seen for a few weeks.

I believe schools will have to be fairly fluid in moving kids to online should situations (child ill, family member ill, parent job loss, home relocation etc) to moving the child from one form of learning to the other. There maybe a time delay to make this happen,,material resource distribution/staff allocation.

Last night we were discussing our observations when out and about shopping for groceries. It appeared to us that the kids have no problem wearing masks but the adults seem to have a difficult time not fidgeting with them,,,lol. Just something to think about.

In our one contained classroom (for students with ASD DD) the staff will be wearing masks & shields as their students unfortunately have certain behaviours that require this. Refusal to wash hands is fairly common and a skill the staff work on with kids in this class so lots of hand sanitizer hopefully will be available.
Staff illness in this class is usually very high during a regular school year so hopefully enough staff backup can be put in place ,,, as during a regular year our resource staff were constantly being pulled,,,just not going to be available this year.

At my school Admin is going to have to step up to the plate as we deal with many behaviour situations on a regular basis and it has been an issue in the past not having enough staff to deal with it. During this stressful time staff and students need to be supported properly.
I do know we are supposed to open a *contact program class* next year but haven't heard of the staffing for it.

CONTACT PROGRAM

The Contact Room provides an atmosphere for students to:

• Identify and evaluate the behaviors they have chosen
• Learn that they are responsible for their choices and that the choices they make come with

consequences
• Develop skills to make better choices

The Contact Program Room is a place where a system of interventions is implemented.

It helps students to:


• Reflect on their actions and subsequent reactions
• Consider their behavior and its effects
• Develop a plan to replace the undesired behavior
• Develop skills for more positive behavior /attitude in class

Programs offered through the Contact Room staff:

• Organization Skills
• Anger Management
• Social Skills
• Girls /Self Esteem Group
• Anti Bullying

Contact Room may refer to students to further resources/interventions:


• Vice Principal
• Guidance
• Social Work
• In School Review Committee
• Parents
• Academic/Monitoring Support – Student Success/Learning Center


So much to consider here.


Mel

 

[tgropp]

One thing that puzzles me is why it can be so transferable through droplets (agreed), then why do they have to shove a swab up to your brain to take a test. I have stopped taking the tests the last four weeks. Some were gentle wit eyes watering and sneezing but the last few were taken in a drive through clinic and they pinned my head against the head rest and kept pushing it in. That was enough for me. Can any nurses fill me in.

 

[Silvermist999]

My Board is going to be sending out emails this week asking parents and students to commit to at home online or in school learning.
They will have a date by which the decision needs to be made. (I believe it is Aug 14-15th).
I would keep in mind that many places just entered into stage 3 of reopening and the results of how that goes will not be seen for a few weeks.

This is what I am thinking also. With Toronto and Peel now in Stage 3, the last to join the rest of Ontario, the results over the next few weeks will be even more crucial to confirm whether they should even go ahead with in school instruction at all.

 

[bababear_50]

This is what I am thinking also. With Toronto and Peel now in Stage 3, the last to join the rest of Ontario, the results over the next few weeks will be even more crucial to confirm whether they should even go ahead with in school instruction at all.

Yes and this is why I think Parents need to be prepared.
I have a small list of things I would be doing if I was a parent to prepare to make next year the best I could for my kids.

Hugs
Mel