Bush Elementary
Return to Learn - Parent Edition (Updated 8/21/20)
Bush Elementary's Return to Learn Plan
Bush Families,
As you know, the district released their Return to Learn Plan (linked here).
Under those guidelines, here is the building-specific plan for Bush Elementary. Please continue to reach out if there is anything I can assist you with, or questions I can answer. I know this is a time of uncertainty for many. I look forward to seeing you and your families all again!
Dr. Holly Broadway
New Additions to the Bush Plan
Birthday Treats
District-Provided Student Masks
End of Updates to the Bush Plan
Bush Building Notes on the Mask Requirements
K-2- is strongly encouraged to wear a mask, grades 3-5 are required (like staff).
Masks will be worn on the bus, when students are unable to social distance, and in all classes when social distancing is not possible.
PE- Face coverings will be worn unless social distancing can be maintained or strenuous activity is taking place. Classes will take place outside as much as possible.
Music: Singing will only be permitted when face masks and distancing are possible when in the building. Singing will be permitted without a mask outside of the building with distancing.
Recess-Masks can be off with social distancing
The district is providing 3 masks per student.
To be considered a face covering, the nose and mouth must be covered Examples: gaiter, bandana, mask
Disposable masks will be available.
What is not considered a face covering:
A face shield is an extra precaution. It is not a face covering per CDC guidelines.
The CCDC does not recommend use of face shields for normal everyday activities or as a substitute for cloth face coverings because of a lack of evidence of their effectiveness for source control.
The purpose of masks is to keep respiratory droplets from reaching others to aid with source control. Masks with one-way valves or vents allow exhaled air to be expelled out through holes in the material. This can allow exhaled respiratory droplets to reach others and potentially spread the COVID-19 virus. Therefore, CDC does not recommend using masks if they have an exhalation valve or vent.
Teachers will ensure that face covering breaks can happen throughout the day.
Students will be able to take face covering breaks as needed throughout the day
When students are socially distanced (6 feet), they may remove face coverings/masks.
Staff will be teaching how to properly use the mask/face covering.
What happens if a student doesn’t have on a mask/face covering that should be wearing one?
Staff will ask them to put on the mask/face covering.
If the student continues to refuse, an administrator will be notified.
If the student continues to refuse for the administrator, a parent will be contacted.
If the student continues to refuse for the parent, the student will be sent home.
Notification of FPS Positive COVID-19 cases
Arrival
Doors open at Bush Elementary at 7:40. We are asking that parents not drop off, or allow their students to walk to school prior to this time. There will be no way for students to social distance standing in lines in front of the building prior to the doors opening. Please use the car rider lanes to drop off your student(s). The car rider lanes are shown on the map of the parking lot below. Also note on the map where to park if you are planning on walking your student up to the front doors. Unfortunately, at this point, we are not permitted to have parents walking their students to class. As soon as this restriction is lifted we will allow this to take place again, as Bush has worked to be very open for our families.
Buses will no longer all dismiss at once for students to enter the building. They will be called on the radio and directed when to dismiss their students from the bus into the building one at a time to avoid big crowds of students.
When students (and staff) enter the building, thermal cameras will automatically scan them for their temperature. Any body temperature above 100.4 will send a notification to the office to have that individual assessed for symptoms of Covid-19. Students will report immediately to their classroom. Students who take part in the free breakfast program will no longer go to the cafeteria to pick up their breakfast, it will be available for pickup outside of their classrooms.
Staff members will be expected to wear a mask or face covering in any instance where social distance cannot be maintained including arrival and dismissal time. See above for specific mask requirements.
Dismissal
Bush begins dismissing car-riders and walkers at 3:10. Bus riders will begin to be dismissed around 3:20.
Please refer to the map below to view the procedure Bush will be following for dismissal.
The lane closest to the building will be for buses only. The other three lanes will be for car-riders. Two staff members will be directing traffic in the car rider lanes, and three staff members will be loading cars. Parents and guardians will be given a hang tag to put their student(s) name(s) on to speed up the process of loading vehicles.
Staff members will radio the office when they see the hang tag, and call the student(s) from their classroom to come outside and load their vehicle. **We will no longer have all of our car riders in the shelter as we cannot mix grade levels. This is why we have added the third lane of car riders.
Kindergarten car riders will be in the shelter with staff, waiting for their name to be called.
We are asking that unless you have business with the office, to please utilize the car rider lanes to pick up your student, and not gather near the shelter. If you do need to park and exit your vehicle, please note the area marked on the map of the parking lot for this, so that you do not get caught in the traffic of car riders. Please do not park in the rear of the building to pick up your students, as our after school program has student traffic back there.
Bus riders will no longer congregate in lines in front of the building to wait for their bus. They will wait in their classroom, and be called from there to a designated line when their bus is entering the property. Please refer to the district plan for plans specific to the bus.
Staff members will be expected to wear a mask or face covering in any instance where social distance cannot be maintained including arrival and dismissal time.
Building Sanitation Schedule
Custodians will have a schedule where each bathroom is shut down and sanitized during the day. Classrooms and work spaces will be sanitized every evening by the custodial staff.
During school hours, custodians will thoroughly clean high touch surfaces throughout the building on an ongoing rotation throughout the day, including bathrooms, water bottle fill stations, doorknobs, entrance/exit handles, handrails, walls, etc.
Teachers will sanitize surfaces when their class will be out of the room for a minimum of fifteen minutes.
Scheduled Hand-washing and Sanitizing
Every classroom will have three handwashing times built into their daily schedule. Students will also have access to hand sanitizer throughout the day as needed. Students will be required to sanitize before and after eating, and before and after recess.
Classrooms
Cleaning materials and hand sanitizer will be placed in every classroom. Staff will be expected to support cleaning and disinfecting of classroom surfaces and supplies as needed.
Every classroom will be supplied with hand sanitizer.
Assigned seats (with required seating charts) will be given within classrooms. As we know there is limited space in classrooms. These seating charts will be updated with the office when any changes are made.These seating charts will help provide the best social distancing possible in that space. Desks and tables will be spaced out as far as possible within classrooms. Table seating will be spaced out as far as possible within classrooms. In spaces where space does not allow for distancing, the district is working to have Plexiglas shields installed.
The practice of students sharing supplies such as scissors, crayons, markers, pencils, etc. will no longer be permitted.
Non-essential furniture and other soft surfaces such as carpets and seating will be removed for sanitation purposes. Plastic covers or slips can be added to create an easily cleanable surface.
Classroom libraries and stations will be altered for sanitation times between student use.
Classroom-specific questions can be addressed with the classroom teacher, once class lists have been posted.
Specials
Physical Education
Students will go to the gym for physical education. Coach Beeler has worked it into his schedule to have sanitation time for PE equipment between classes.
Music
Mrs. Alexander will be facilitating music classes in the students’ classrooms. All music equipment will be sanitized between uses. For the time being, no singing will take place inside the building.
Art
Mrs. Davidson will be rotating art classes between the students’ classrooms and the art room so that no grade level meets back-to-back in the art room. Art equipment will be sanitized between uses.
Library
Classes will go to the library during their scheduled library time. Due to the space in the library, classes will be able to utilize different parts of the library with sanitation time in between classes. The librarian will have a system in place to ensure that books are sanitized before being returned to the shelf for another student to access.
Counseling
Counselors will continue to go to classrooms to provide counseling lessons. When pulling individual students or small groups, the counselors will sanitize the counseling office between sessions, and will follow the guideline of not mixing grade levels.
Special Education Services
Special education teachers will adjust their schedules to accommodate and provide services to their students in a manner that does not intermingle different grade levels to the best of their scheduling ability, and allow for sanitation time between students.
Annual IEPs will be held at the time they are due according to the IEP timeline. For families who choose to do virtual learning, IEP meetings will be held prior to school to determine if virtual learning is appropriate. IEP meetings can be held virtually or in-person, according to need.
Interventionists
Visitors
In order to minimize the exposure of all students and staff to others outside of their assigned small groups, non-essential visitors and parents will not be permitted beyond the secure vestibules or entrances at school buildings.
Any essential visitors who do enter the building will be required to enter through the main entrance, provided with a mask while in the building, scanned by the thermal temperature cameras, and will be tracked in a visitor log to include symptom screening questions, date and time of visit, where in the building they travel to, and which, if any, students or staff they have contact with.
Lunch
Recess
Other Building Notes
We are working to limit student movement in the building, as well as avoiding limiting student to student contact outside of their grade levels.
Until further notice, Bush will not be able to have in-person assemblies or family nights.
As per the FPS Return to Learn plan, we strongly encourage students to wear masks.
Hand washing stations with soap and/or hand sanitizer will be available in classrooms, commonly used areas, and at the entrances and exits of all buildings.
Drinking fountains with refillable water bottle stations have been installed to be used for individual drinking containers such as cups or bottles. Students will not be able to drink directly from the fountain. It is encouraged for a student to bring their own bottle with their name on it that they can refill at this station. Disposable cups will be provided for students who do not have a water bottle.
Students or staff who display symptoms of COVID-19 while at school will be moved to a designated area within the school building to minimize contact with others until they go home.
Bush Elementary will not be able to have a Student Council in the 20/21 school year.
At this time there will be no field trips scheduled in the 20/21 school year.
All K-2 students will be strongly encouraged to wear a mask in any instance where social distancing (6 feet) cannot be maintained. All grades 3-5 students will be required to wear a mask in any instance where social distancing (6 feet) cannot be maintained.A limited supply of disposable face masks for students will be available if a student forgets, misplaces, or damages their mask throughout the day. See above for more mask details.
The instructional task force is finalizing guidance on distance learning for teachers and parents to guide the district if a shutdown becomes necessary. The complete plan will be released mid-August.
Video tutorials are being developed for both teachers and parents on Google Classroom for any time that virtual learning takes place.
Bush Elementary will not have Hornet Pride Role Models in the 20/21 school year. We will recognize students and staff in an alternate method.
Class Lists
Open House
First Day of School
Due to Open House being cancelled and visitors not being permitted in the building, we will have extra staff on hand to assist students coming in the building the first day, and to guide them to their classrooms.
During dismissal, staff will pass out hang tags to vehicles for future use. Please use a marker to write your student's name in large print to speed up the process in the future.
Protocol for Possible Exposure
The County Health Department and District Administration will determine if and when any groups within the building or district need to quarantine.
The return to school guidelines below will be used to allow for a student/staff member’s re-admittance to school in the ABSENCE of a diagnosis related to COVID-19 such as allergies, strep throat, ear infection, pink eye, etc.
FPS will follow state guidelines for attendance reporting. If a student is required to quarantine for 14 days that will be noted on their record of attendance. Attendance for virtual learning while a group of students are quarantined, or during a district closure, will be monitored based on student engagement in distance learning activities.
Procedures have been developed to maintain the continuity of learning for students who are required to quarantine at home. Information about distance learning will be released in mid-August.
A task force of teachers and administrators has been working this summer to develop plans for online learning for intermittent or extended school closures. Goals of the task force were to maintain the continuity of instruction from in-person learning to remote learning for all students, minimize the detrimental impact of school closure, and to develop professional development and guidance for staff to support teaching and learning. Teachers will receive specialized training during back to school meetings related to blended and online learning. Additional details, including expectations for distance learning, will be released in mid-August.
In the event of a school closure, the District has a plan to distribute Chromebooks to all students, PreK-12. 6-12 graders will continue to take their Chromebooks home during in person learning as in the past.