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

[MamaLema]

MamaLema

Hi Hon
I just wanted to drop by and say I am so sorry this is happening to you.
So many thoughts went through my mind,does she have family that needs her?,,does she have enough supplies and food for a quarantine?,,does she have family needs/responsibilities that she usually meets and is there someone else to do those things. Is her home big enough to quarantine from the rest of the family? Does she have a family doctor that is readily available to her. Is she losing all her sick days?
I know my school staff would be like a team crowding around the person to make sure the staff member had all the things she/he needed.
I am not sure where you live but I am in Mississauga and if I can be of any help please just PM me.
Rest well and know many people care about you.
YOU WILL GET THROUGH THIS!!!!!!
GIANT HUGS
Mel
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I have been on the Dis for 16 years. I have never teared up reading any post until now. Thank you for your beautiful words and kind heart. I have banished myself to the basement and I’m very lucky to have a caring family and not worry about groceries, etc God bless you

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

We are starting week 2 of school here in NS. First week was great. I am also back in the office this week, which I am actually enjoying. DD's sports are ramping up at the end of the month though, so the weeks will start to fly by again with routine.

It will be Christmas before we know it LOL

 

[DiaryofaDisneyKid]

The start of the school year for my 3 seemed to go smoothly last week. My youngest DS is in Grade 3 and he has 17 kids in his class. My DD is in Grade 5 and has 23 in her class and my oldest DS is in Grade 8 and he has 24. They have to use hand sanitizer when the enter or exit both the classroom and the school. At lunch they can use the sink in the classroom to wash their hands or wait in a socially distanced line to wash them in the washroom. Recess and lunch breaks are staggered so that only 1/3 of the school is out at one time. They also have the field and pavement marked off with lines into a big section for each class. A class can only play in their own section. They even have walkways with directional arrows so kids can get to their section without walking through another classes area. So far everything seems to be thought out well and all 3 of my kids were super excited to be back! The only area I think they might have a problem with is the washrooms. They have 2 magnets on each washroom door and children are supposed to turn it over to occupied when they enter and turn it back to unoccupied when they exit as only 2 kids are aloud in a washroom at one time. I don't think little ones will remember to turn it all the time when they leave so the washroom might be full all day, LOL. I am sure the school will figure it out as they go. I am thankful for the awesome principle and teachers at my children's school and I think the smooth restart is because all of their creative ideas and hard work!

 

[hdrolfe]

Well, kiddo has a "headache" so I'm going to guess we are done now. I'll pull him out and homeschool him. His only concern is if he can still see his friends and play with them. He had 3 days last week and is already getting sick from anxiety over it. He wants to be able to go back to grade 7 (maybe). I thought things went ok last week but apparently not.

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

@hdrolfe Oh I hope he is feeling better. So much anxiety for these kids.

 

[DiaryofaDisneyKid]

Well, kiddo has a "headache" so I'm going to guess we are done now. I'll pull him out and homeschool him. His only concern is if he can still see his friends and play with them. He had 3 days last week and is already getting sick from anxiety over it. He wants to be able to go back to grade 7 (maybe). I thought things went ok last week but apparently not.

Aww, I hope everything works out. This is such a stressful time for kids!

 

[gskywalker]

Our 4 are supposed to go back to school this week. 2 in middle school are back full time. 2 in High school are only in class 6.25 hours a week. I can't make sense of why high schools are only being open for 2.5 hours a day but hopefully my one daughter will make do. The one who won't is our oldest. For some crazy reason they are using cohorts for her class of 8 students. So she only has 4 students in her cohort and only going to school for 6 hours a week when they aren't capable of doing school at home unless a parent is the teacher. Last year they basically just assigned cooking and art projects which of course has to be done with a parent the entire time. With all the money going out to help people and having her home has meant I can't work and yet the government hasn't given me a penny to account for the difference between a special needs child being at home compared to a regular teenager( I don't qualify for the CERB).

 

[ottawamom]

@hdrolfe, I am so sorry the in-school thing didn't work. I know how much you were hoping it would. I remember saying to DH the other day, if we had kids in school right now they likely wouldn't be there at all. Somebody in this house usually has "something on the list" going on on any particular day.

Are you going to be able to manage the homeschooling with work? At least this way you may be able to tailor the curriculum to keep him engaged (wishful thinking?)

I pray this "Pandemic" is gone sooner than later but I'm afraid we are all in for a long haul.

 

[quandrea]

I have been on the Dis for 16 years. I have never teared up reading any post until now. Thank you for your beautiful words and kind heart. I have banished myself to the basement and I’m very lucky to have a caring family and not worry about groceries, etc God bless you❤

We are very lucky to have @bababear_50 as part of this wonderful, caring little group.

 

[quandrea]

Well, kiddo has a "headache" so I'm going to guess we are done now. I'll pull him out and homeschool him. His only concern is if he can still see his friends and play with them. He had 3 days last week and is already getting sick from anxiety over it. He wants to be able to go back to grade 7 (maybe). I thought things went ok last week but apparently not.

My kids do Zoom meetings with their two swim friends twice a week. We started in the summer. The intent of the meeting is to do dry land exercises. However I don’t think much exercise happens, and that’s fine by me. They love it! Last week they met up with their friends on zoom for a birthday party. It’s not exactly like in person, but it keeps them connected. Especially with winter coming.

 

[hdrolfe]

Thanks everyone. I think we'll be able to manage, even with me working. At least I am working from home so we should be able to manage, learning doesn't have to be from 9 to 3, it can be any time. I am really only worried about math. It's so funny, in grade 3 he was way ahead in math and the teacher was sending home extra work for him, then in grade 4 he just lost all of it and has never caught up again, I think they changed methods or something and he just couldn't understand. At least his reading comprehension is way ahead. We'll focus on what he needs, and what he enjoys, and see where it leads.
I just can't see him doing the online school version since it's synchronous, he likes to get stuff done and then do something fun. I guess he won't be going back to French Immersion though, I'm not bilingual and there is no way I can do that! Since he wants to be a pilot maybe he won't need it?

I am hoping he'll agree to swimming lessons or something so he still gets enough exercise, he finds most things boring

 

[jeepwreck]

Well today was my son’s first full day of school grade 1, and he is home sick with a cold. He was sick all weekend so we kept him home today just to make sure he is completely over it before he goes back tomorrow maybe

he went last Thursday and Friday, for a while and everything seemed to go well. But we will see how this week goes full time

 

[Disney Addicted]

I am a PS teacher. Today I was informed a 3 year old in my classroom tested positive. We were sent home and I’ll be spending the next 14 long and boring days in a bedroom away from my family.

I just hope no other children develop symptoms. I have a son in the high risk category. I had a little mental breakdown at the though of passing anything to him. He’s been through hell medically in his life. Waiting for results has been torture.

I have been on the Dis for 16 years. I have never teared up reading any post until now. Thank you for your beautiful words and kind heart. I have banished myself to the basement and I’m very lucky to have a caring family and not worry about groceries, etc God bless you❤

I'm sorry you have to go through this. I hope everything goes well and you won't have caught it as well. Out of curiosity, how long was your classroom open before this happened? Our school board just opened today. Hopefully you have lots to keep you occupied while you're isolating in the basement!

We were told that there’s no eating in classroom but sipping of only water is allowed. However, under special circumstances, students can remove their masks to take snack in class, one at a time.

It's funny how every school board has a different set-up. My teen is with Kawartha Pine Ridge. He doesn't go back until this Thursday. He will be taking 1 course all day every day for an entire week in one class. Then the second course (math) all day every day the next week. Alternating for 9 weeks. However the kids will be taking their breaks and lunches in the same classroom. Depending on the room the student is in, they will have a particular school door they will enter & leave by each day.

He opted to go back to school as for Quad 2 he has an Electrical and Hand Tools course that cannot be done online. We were hoping he could do online for computer science and math during Quad 1 but found out that he would have been "removed" from his high school and then would have to reapply and pick his Quad 2 and Semester 2 courses all over again from what's left!! Semester 2 is suppose to be co-op at a construction site but who knows if that will happen. The Gold Collar program has been cancelled for the school year. Last year guidance insisted he choose English even though we said he was taking it over the summer, just like the previous summer! So now they cannot get him into the computer science grade 12 university course online with Prism like he wanted originally... Ugh. The only course left for grade 11 or 12 that he's mildly interested in is Music (he likes to play bass guitar) but I'm worried about music class and reed instruments being played.. (sigh)

He's made the decision that he will go for a 5th year (victory lap) in high school so he can complete all the courses he wanted to take. I believe in a couple of weeks he should select 4 new courses for Semester 2 and tell the guidance office if co-op gets cancelled to slot him in these course as soon as they know. Or put him on the wait list immediately. Hopefully if he has to take 4 new courses instead of co-op, he can do them through Prism or ILC and not lose his Grade 12 courses at the high school. Unlike this "virtual" high school they have set up.

 

[Maddysdaddy]

Per Alberta Health Services definitions, my daughter's High School started last week and lasted two full days before an "outbreak" (two or more students attended while Covid+) was declared. Now we're just waiting to see what happens in the incubation/testing period and what the spread looks like.

I was stopped at a red light in front of her school last week as classes were letting out and the hordes of students filing out through the doors, immediately unmasking, and then hugging/kissing/crowding in tight groups tells me that Covid isn't going away for a long, long time.

In AB, either it was business as usual in terms of high schools running like normal (e.g. no cohorts or alternate days or alternate entry/exit times, or mandatory masks in classrooms, plus 30-40 students in each class) or students could choose full-time online until January. At my daughter's school, about 1300 of the 1400 students chose to go back, so when I talk about "hordes", I'm talking about 1300 students exiting at one time and congregating in front of the school.

I get it - they're teenagers being teenagers and it's unrealistic to expect some (most?) of them to act as if their actions have far-reaching consequences, but it's hard not to think that asymptomatic teens aren't going to be bringing Covid home to their parents/grandparents/siblings...

Really, really glad that my daughter chose to go online this semester and that we're fortunate enough that she's old enough and responsible enough to handle online learning - I know for that, we're definitely the exception and not the rule.

 

[pigletto]

Per Alberta Health Services definitions, my daughter's High School started last week and lasted two full days before an "outbreak" (two or more students attended while Covid+) was declared. Now we're just waiting to see what happens in the incubation/testing period and what the spread looks like.

I was stopped at a red light in front of her school last week as classes were letting out and the hordes of students filing out through the doors, immediately unmasking, and then hugging/kissing/crowding in tight groups tells me that Covid isn't going away for a long, long time.

In AB, either it was business as usual in terms of high schools running like normal (e.g. no cohorts or alternate days or alternate entry/exit times, or mandatory masks in classrooms, plus 30-40 students in each class) or students could choose full-time online until January. At my daughter's school, about 1300 of the 1400 students chose to go back, so when I talk about "hordes", I'm talking about 1300 students exiting at one time and congregating in front of the school.

I get it - they're teenagers being teenagers and it's unrealistic to expect some (most?) of them to act as if their actions have far-reaching consequences, but it's hard not to think that asymptomatic teens aren't going to be bringing Covid home to their parents/grandparents/siblings...

Really, really glad that my daughter chose to go online this semester and that we're fortunate enough that she's old enough and responsible enough to handle online learning - I know for that, we're definitely the exception and not the rule.

While I agree with you that its probably unrealistic to expect some teens to realize that their actions have consequences I think this points to a giant failure on their parents part, and moreover your provincial government . They just went back to school business as usual with zero public health measures ?! And people were a-ok with that ?
I live around the corner from a high school. The kids that vape are still standing in tight little groups passing it around. I guess if they don’t care about their own health its a stretch to think they will care about someone else’s.

 

[Disneylover99]

TDSB virtual school was supposed to start on the 17th, now delayed until the 22nd as parents opt to pull their children out of in class school due to growing COVID numbers.

 

[AngelDisney]

I'm sorry you have to go through this. I hope everything goes well and you won't have caught it as well. Out of curiosity, how long was your classroom open before this happened? Our school board just opened today. Hopefully you have lots to keep you occupied while you're isolating in the basement!



It's funny how every school board has a different set-up. My teen is with Kawartha Pine Ridge. He doesn't go back until this Thursday. He will be taking 1 course all day every day for an entire week in one class. Then the second course (math) all day every day the next week. Alternating for 9 weeks. However the kids will be taking their breaks and lunches in the same classroom. Depending on the room the student is in, they will have a particular school door they will enter & leave by each day.

He opted to go back to school as for Quad 2 he has an Electrical and Hand Tools course that cannot be done online. We were hoping he could do online for computer science and math during Quad 1 but found out that he would have been "removed" from his high school and then would have to reapply and pick his Quad 2 and Semester 2 courses all over again from what's left!! Semester 2 is suppose to be co-op at a construction site but who knows if that will happen. The Gold Collar program has been cancelled for the school year. Last year guidance insisted he choose English even though we said he was taking it over the summer, just like the previous summer! So now they cannot get him into the computer science grade 12 university course online with Prism like he wanted originally... Ugh. The only course left for grade 11 or 12 that he's mildly interested in is Music (he likes to play bass guitar) but I'm worried about music class and reed instruments being played.. (sigh)

He's made the decision that he will go for a 5th year (victory lap) in high school so he can complete all the courses he wanted to take. I believe in a couple of weeks he should select 4 new courses for Semester 2 and tell the guidance office if co-op gets cancelled to slot him in these course as soon as they know. Or put him on the wait list immediately. Hopefully if he has to take 4 new courses instead of co-op, he can do them through Prism or ILC and not lose his Grade 12 courses at the high school. Unlike this "virtual" high school they have set up.

With students removed for virtual school, there are less options of courses students can take in each quad. We are asked to look for virtual Coop placements. I am overseeing the Specialist High Skills Majors program and it’s challenging to fit all academic requirements especially Coop in students’ schedule this year.

 

[FigmentSpark]

My DS had been back at school since last Wed., but Ottawa just went back today, apparently and Peel is also delayed, I think. How will these boards make up the days? No spring break? Extra days on the other end? No PA days?

 

[hdrolfe]

My DS had been back at school since last Wed., but Ottawa just went back today, apparently and Peel is also delayed, I think. How will these boards make up the days? No spring break? Extra days on the other end? No PA days?

Only a couple PD days (Ottawa), one in November, one in January, two in June. I assume these are "report card writing days" of some sort. That's for elementary, I think secondary may have a bit different. We are used to having the Friday before Thanksgiving but not this year, same with the Friday before Family Day.

 

[bcwife76]

First full day of school here in Surrey BC (and most school districts around BC I believe). For us it was a GONG show, last Thurs/Fri our kids went for an hour each day to go over the cleaning protocols. That all went amazingly well. Today we had staggered starts for primary, K and intermediates. My kids are grades 5&7. Lining up outside by our giant grass field, waiting to be let in the gates in their respective lines to meet their teachers. Like what the actual F??? Sorry but this was just so ridiculous. I got my 12yr old in her line then went back to meet my 9yr old in the grade 4/5 line, thank goodness we were both wearing masks because apparently if there are no marks on the ground people forget how to stay 6 feet away from each other lord love a duck. Cohorts are max of 2 classes, at most 60 kids but *should* be under. Both girls in portables AGAIN, sinks outside of the portables with cold water, this should be fun in winter....so to say I'm having 2nd, 3rd and 4th thoughts about their face to face return (esp when I learn their desks are in groups of 3 or 4)..... 2020 REALLY needs a manual