Elementary Opening Guide, August 16
American International School of Egypt - West Campus
Welcome to AIS West Elementary
As we prepare for the start of the new school year we are taking proactive steps to ensure the health and safety of our students, teachers, faculty and staff. As our director stated in recent communication, we are starting our year with a hybrid schedule where 50% of students will attend school for one week at a time, while the remaining 50% of students at home.
Students will be divided into two Cohorts (A & B). Siblings across all grade levels will belong to the same cohort. Cohort A attends school in Week A and completes online work in Week B.
Cohort B completes online work in Week A and attends school in Week B.
Teachers will provide direct instruction online prior to meeting in person. All resources will be uploaded on Google Classroom to guide the students. Teachers will dig deeper into conceptual learning when students attend school in person.
Your child's cohort information will be sent to you individually.
Important Points
- Your child will be in Cohort A or Cohort B.
- Your child must wear a mask at all times while on campus (with the exception of when eating or drinking).
- Parents are not allowed on campus unless for a specific appointment. KG1 and KG2 parents can deliver their child outside the class, but must leave the building immediately.
- Students will be asked to stay at a distance from their peers at all times.
- Arrival and dismissals have been altered (details below).
What can you do to help?
- Help your child to practice wearing a mask for long times by starting with 30 minutes per day and increasing by 10-15 minutes per day until September 1st.
- Help your child to learn independence in correct hand washing techniques (at least 20 second with soap, washing thoroughly).
- Help your child to learn independence with hand sanitizer.
- Help your child to understand how far away 1.5-2m is in real life.
- Normalize greetings without hugs or touches.
- Talk to your child about why masks, washing hands and keeping distance is important.
- Open lines of communication with your child's teacher to discuss any concerns you may have
- Schedule a zoom appointment with your child's teacher, when necessary, to discuss any concerns.
- Check your email regularly for helpful information about transitioning your child to school and to e-learning.
Hybrid Learning
Students will be divided into two Cohorts (A & B). Siblings across all grade levels will belong to the same cohort.
Cohort A attends school in Week A and completes online work in Week B.
Cohort B completes online work in Week A and attends school in Week B.
Teachers will provide direct instruction online prior to meeting in person. All resources will be uploaded on Google Classroom to guide the students. Teachers will dig deeper into conceptual learning when students attend school in person.
General Safety Guidelines
All staff and students will be required to wear masks at all times and follow social distancing guidelines, on campus, in the classroom and on the bus.
The PE curriculum has been adjusted to focus on personal fitness, health education and individual sport skills. Contact sports will not be allowed in P.E. classes. Whenever possible, the P.E. classes will be held outdoors.
Arrival, breaks during the day, and dismissals will be staggered to prevent large groups from gathering.
- Hallways will have directionality markers that must be followed.
Classrooms and common areas will be disinfected frequently.
Frequent hand-washing will be required of all students and staff.
Teachers will ask every student to sanitize their hands before entering the classroom. Each student will be allowed to visit the bathroom once per each block to wash their hands.
Arrival and dismissals will be staggered to prevent large groups from gathering.
Students will arrive straight to class. There will be no morning lines at the field.
There will be no after-school activities, community events or assemblies.
Staggered Start of School
Tuesday Sept 1
Elementary Grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (Cohort A only)
Wednesday Sept 2
Elementary Grades KG1 & KG2 (Cohort A only)
Elementary Grades 3, 4, 5 (Cohort B only)
Thursday Sept 3
Elementary Grades KG1, KG2, 1 and 2 (Cohort B only)
Sept 6th-10th
All Cohort A students are on campus.
All Cohort B students are e-learning.
Sep 13th-17th
All Cohort B students are on campus.
All Cohort A students are e-learning.
For students in Nursery, KG1, KG2, and Grade 1, our goal is to assess their readiness during the first few weeks of school, and as soon as safe, begin classes 100% of time on campus.
Weeks then rotate (A, B, A, B) during the hybrid learning schedule.
Rotation Calendar
Elementary Arrival Procedures
- Students may start arriving at 7:45am.
- Temperature will be taken at the bus pick up or at the campus gate.
- Students will arrive and go straight to classrooms.
- Only KG1 and KG2 parents are permitted to deliver their child to the cubby area of the class and leave the building immediately.
- Grades 1-5 students must walk independently (with support from faculty, as needed).
Elementary Dismissals Procedures
Dismissal for elementary school will follow the same schedule throughout the hybrid model
Once students are dismissed, they will be accompanied by their grade level teachers and/or TAs to the bus/car gates.
Social distancing and mask-wearing will be required on the school buses.
- Students are expected to leave straight away and are not allowed to loiter inside the building or on campus to wait for siblings.
Gatherings and loitering near exit gates will not be permitted.
Parents and/or drivers are asked not to congregate near gate 1.
Dismissal times:
2:30pm - Grades 1 & 2
2:40pm - KG1 & KG2
2:50pm - Grades 3, 4, 5
Virtual Open House Events
Cafeteria and Food Service
- KG1 students will not have access to the cafeteria and sufficient healthy food options must be provided from home.
- KG2-Grade 5 will have access to the cafeteria, but lunch orders will be collected every morning by classroom teachers and pre-packed food will be placed on the class's table.
- Students will not be permitted to walk around in the cafeteria. This is to limit the interaction between students from different classes.
- The cafeteria will not be open after school to ensure that students go directly home.
- Water fountains will be switched off to reduce risk. We encourage students to bring their own full water bottle. Water bottles will be available for purchase at the school cafeteria if needed.
- More information regarding menus will be forthcoming.