The Weekly Buzz Update
A Weekly Newsletter from Corner Middle School
Volume 2, Number 14: September 28, 2020
Corner Middle School Set to Re-Open Monday, October 5th
As you are all aware, Corner Middle School is preparing to re-open school on October 5th for students in grades 5-8. While it is not on a fully traditional schedule, we are excited about the opportunity to see our kids face-to-face beginning next week! Each evening this week, we will send home a Weekly Buzz Update to share information that will help transition your child back into school. The hybrid A/B schedule is set to run for two weeks, before we return fully on October 19th. Please take a moment to review these updates each day! Thank you for your support of your student and Corner Middle School!
The CMS Re-Opening Plan: Wellness Procedures and Health Services
First and foremost, we want to do everything reasonably possible to ensure the students, faculty, and staff at Corner Middle School are able to return in a clean, healthy, and safe environment. It is important to note that what you do at home each day is JUST AS IMPORTANT as what we do on the campus.
Per our district's policy, any individual coming onto a Jefcoed campus should assess for COVID-19 symptoms before coming onto the CMS campus. CMS families, it is your responsibility to check your child for symptoms and take temperature before coming to school each day.
Any student who exhibits COVID-19 symptoms below should not report to school
- New onset of cough
- New loss of taste or smell
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Vomiting or diarrhea
- Fever (temperature 100 or greater)
- Two of the following: headache, sore throat, muscle aches, congestion, runny nose, fatigue
If your student is symptomatic, you should seek medical care for him/her, go for COVID-19 testing, or both.
Your student should stay at home when he or she is:
- Feeling ill,
- Directly exposed to COVID-19 (for instance, if someone at home is infected),
- If diagnosed with a confirmed case of COVID-19
The school nurse or administrator will report COVID-19 information from Corner Middle School to Health Services at the district level. Watch the video below from our Health Services Department.
What Do We As Families Do If . . . . .
If your student has been tested for COVID-19, do not report to school/campus until results have been received and instructions given per your physician/ nursing department/Health department
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If your student tests positive for COVID-19, please notify/self-report to your school nurse or administrator who will guide you in a timeline for a safe return to school.
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If a student or a staff member tests positive for COVID-19, the individual will be isolated from school for at least 10 days from the date of the onset AND must be fever-free (less than 100 degrees Fahrenheit) without the use of fever-reducing medication for 24 hours and respiratory symptoms improving prior to returning to school.
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If a student or a staff member has a direct exposure (within six feet for greater than 15 minutes), then the individual should self-quarantine for 14 days from the date of exposure.
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If a student has any of the major COVID-19 symptoms or multiple minor symptoms then the student should be seen by a medical provider to rule out COVID-19 and should provide a note from the provider before returning to school. If a student has only one minor symptom they should follow normal JEFCOED illness policy for return to school (fever free for 24 hours without fever reducing medication, at least 24 hours since the last episode of diarrhea/vomiting, etc. See Student and Parent Handbook for further details).
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We STRONGLY encourage you to watch the videos below from the Jefferson County Board of Education Health Services Department in preparation for your student's return.
What about Kids with Other Health Issues?
The nurse at Corner Middle School will train teachers and staff for Inhaler Only Delegation so that they can administer scheduled inhalers before PE/activity in order to eliminate the exposure of asthma students to infectious students.
CMS teachers and staff will be provided triage bags with basic materials such as band aids, wipes, and gauze to assist with minor issues to avoid contact with infectious students and curb time out of the classroom.
CMS teachers and staff have been trained on guidelines for sending students to the health room to avoid unnecessary exposure.
Corner Middle School has moved the nurse’s station with a designated isolation area for symptomatic students or staff in the 6th Grade Building. There will be a designated “well” area in the nurse’s station for students who are coming for medication or other procedures. This area will be located in an area that will prevent direct contact with a potentially infectious student or staff member. Look for more information on Saturday regarding check-outs from the nurse's station.
Students who require the administration of an inhaler will report to the school office where it will be administered by a medically-trained member of the office staff or administrator.
WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP PREPARE FOR THE RE-OPENING OF SCHOOL?
Help us by encouraging increased hygiene practices at home, at school and when out and about. Encourage your student to wash his/her hands for 20 second duration and more frequently, avoid touching their faces,and covering their cough or sneeze with the elbow. If hand washing facilities are not available, tell them to use hand sanitizer.
All students at CMS should bring their own face mask to the school. It will be worn on the school bus, in transitional areas, and in the classroom. There will be opportunities throughout the day for mask breaks.
We are encouraging our students to NOT share items such as school supplies, food and drink, and personal hygiene items. Attached below is our school supply list. We did not ask for a great deal this year. Instead, we made a wish list of items that would help us in the classrooms. If you have the wish list supplies, please bring them this week to the office or on the first day of school.
What Is the School Doing to Assure a Safe Return for Students?
Corner Middle School administrators, teachers, and staff will review procedures for housekeeping and sanitizing prior to our students' return. As part of the plan we submitted to the district:
The custodial staff is being scheduled to be present during the school day, as well as before and after school (and at extracurricular activities) to assist with regular sanitizing using CDC and ADPH recommended cleaning supplies.
Corner Middle School will be cleaned and disinfected daily. Common areas will be cleaned on a more frequent basis. Using the hybrid A/B schedule approved by the Board, we will utilize Wednesdays for deep cleaning. We will also schedule custodians for deeper cleaning on Friday after school or on weekends unless the district offers additional contracted services.
Teachers and students will be encouraged to assist in the wiping down of furniture in classrooms at the end of each class.
Signs encouraging frequent hand washing and proper hygiene practices will be posted throughout the buildings across the campus. Routines will be reviewed with staff and students as they return to campus.
Water fountains at Corner Middle School will be turned off and covered. Students will be encouraged to bring water bottles from home each day to assist with hydration. We are exploring bottle refilling options and donations of water bottles.
Hand sanitizer stations can be found in classrooms, the cafeteria, the office, the health room, gymnasiums, and in select spots in hallways and other common areas.
Teachers and staff will be encouraged to limit student movement throughout the day while students are in the classroom setting.
Students will be placed in assigned seats in the classrooms and the cafeteria to allow for easier contact tracing.
While we have considered a “one-way” traffic flow throughout the building, the layout of our campus all but prevents that. With that said, faculty and staff will be in the hallways between every class change encouraging students to move on to the next class, avoid social grouping in the hallways and restrooms, maintain the wearing of masks when moving, and getting kids into classrooms as soon as possible.
There will be no hall lockers issued at Corner Middle School for the 2020-2021 school year.
Hallways and transition areas will be disinfected after each passing period in the building.
The custodial staff at Corner Middle School will follow guidelines from the CDC, ADPH, and JCDH in regards to the use of appropriate cleaning supplies.
Has Anything Changed for Athletics / Extracurriculars?
Schedule for Weekly Buzz Updates as We Prepare to Re-Open
Please look for information in a Weekly Buzz Update each day this week on the following topics to assist our families:
Monday, September 28th: Health Services Information (Preparing for a Safe Return to School)
Tuesday, September 29th: Transportation Information (Coming to and Going Home from School) and Child Nutrition Services
Wednesday, September 30th: Instructional Information (Navigating the Two-Week Hybrid Period)
Thursday, October 1st: Instructional Information (Successful Traditional and Remote School Days)
Friday, October 2nd: Instructional Information (Academic Progress and My Student in the First Quarter)
Saturday, October 3rd: Policy and Procedure Information (Dress Code, Cell Phones, and the Code of Conduct)
Corner Middle School
The mission of Corner Middle School is to serve our community of learners by:
· Utilizing highly-effective instruction and a challenging curriculum.
· Meeting the needs of diverse learners in order to prepare them for college and entry into the work force.
· Partnering with the community.
· Cultivating student leaders.
· Integrating technology into all areas of learning.
Email: mmanning@jefcoed.com
Website: https://cornerms.jefcoed.com
Location: 10005 Corner School Road Warrior, Alabama 35180
Phone: (205) 379-3230
Facebook: facebook.com/CornerMS
Twitter: @CornerMiddle