Rawson's Hybrid Chronicles
Rawson Elementary School's Interim Newsletter
Edition #2: Mitigation Strategies ... Keeping Our Wolves Safe!
Welcome to our Rawson Hybrid Chronicles, Edition #2. The Chronicle is dedicated to sharing strategies being put in place across the district, as well as strategies specific to Rawson Elementary School, which are intended to maximize mitigation of any illness. Please review the following carefully as this information will be increasingly important as we begin to welcome our Wolves back to the building.
The mitigation strategies being put in place across the district are extensive. Our district Safety Committee worked hard over the summer to develop appropriate protocols for a variety of teaching and learning environments. As we began the school year, this work continued and has resulted in strong guidance intended to keep us all safe as we return to school.
We have a variety of safety updates and strategies being put in place to try to eliminate and/or reduce the amount of potential spread of any virus in our building. Some of our top mitigation strategies include:
- Every student (parent) and staff member will be required to self assess for COVID related symptoms prior to coming to school.
- Any one on school property and in school buildings is required to wear an appropriate face mask. Face covering should be disposable or washable and completely cover the mouth and nose. Face masks should fit snugly - like a hug on your face(!) - and should secure behind the ears or with a tie. (Resource: How to Wear a Face Mask, CDC)
- Minimal and one-way traffic in hallways and on stairwells; limits to the number of students allowed in restrooms at one time.
- Students nor staff will be sharing any school supplies. (By the way, don't forget to buy your child's school supplies. We will definitely need those due to this mitigation strategy. School Supply List: https://bit.ly/3cF1N8B)
- Student desks and workspaces are separated by at least 3 feet, more in almost every classroom here at Rawson!
- Students will have assigned seats in their classrooms as well as lunchroom.
- Classes will not "mix" at school. Each classroom will have it's own space for recess and assigned tables during lunch.
- Student lockers will be used minimally.
- Students will have individual toolboxes for their school supplies, which will be stored at/near their assigned desk.
- Classroom, workspace, and restroom cleaning and sanitization will be completed on a daily basis. And in some cases, multiple times throughout the day!
- Hand sanitizing stations are located in every classroom and in various locations around the building. Students and staff are expected to sanitize hands each time they enter or re-enter a classroom. Classrooms with sinks are provided with soap as well as paper towels.
- Each classroom is equipped with sanitizing cleaners and/or wipes for use as needed.
- Appropriate hand washing will be taught and practiced throughout the school day.
- Students are expected to walk through the hallways with their assigned class while physically distancing. We will support this understanding and practice through markers placed on the floor in various locations around the building.
- We are striving to minimize the number of transitions and/or work with other adults. Students will be with their classroom teachers for a vast majority of the school day.
As you can imagine, there are many other strategies that we are putting in place in addition to those mentioned here. As we progress with Chronicles and information from the school district, more strategies will be shared. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us at any time!
As a reminder, the Rawson Hybrid Chronicles is a five-part newsletter dedicated specifically to sharing important information with regard to our upcoming return to school in a hybrid format. The Chronicles will be released periodically over the next week and a half and are designed to provide you with bite-size, easily digestible information regarding our return to school. This format is being used as there is much information to share with our Rawson families with regard to school safety and what hybrid learning will look like moving forward. We are hopeful that you find these Chronicles informative as we inch closer to welcoming our Wolves back to our school building!
Here is the schedule of dates for each of the upcoming Chronicles:
- Wednesday, September 30, 2020
- Monday, October 5, 2020
- Wednesday, October 7, 2020
You can find previous Chronicles linked below:
- Thursday, September 24, 2020: Our Wolves Return! - https://www.smore.com/vzamr
Please watch your evening email inbox for each Chronicle ... there is a lot of information yet to come!
Rawson Elementary School
Nicole Horsley, MS, NBCT
Building Principal
Rawson Building Hours:
Regular School Days 8:15 am - 2:30 pm and by appointment
Email: Rawson@sdsm.k12.wi.us
Website: http://rawson.sdsm.k12.wi.us/
Location: 1410 Rawson Avenue, South Milwaukee, WI, USA
Phone: 414-766-2904
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoMilwSchools/
Twitter: @SoMilwSchools