Tiffany Ridge Health and Safety
Back to School Special Edition
Safety is our priority!
Park Hill School District Guidelines
This document is not intended to replace or restate the information shared on the Park Hill website. Rather, we hope it will provide you with further information about how we have planned to use the 5 Pillars of Prevention to keep people at Tiffany Ridge safe.
Academic Options
Students who chose not to return in person will use our Park Hill Online option. This is an online only option we are offering during the COVID-19 pandemic for students from across the Park Hill School District. About 125 Tiffany Ridge students have selected Park Hill Online. This will reduce the number of students in our common spaces, such as hallways, cafe, and playground.
In-Person
Students who choose this option will return to Tiffany Ridge in September, taking health and safety precautions. If we need to close down a classroom, a school or the entire district because of a COVID-19 outbreak, our in-person students and teachers might move together to a split mode or to a full distance learning mode to provide continuity of learning.
Covid-19 Self-Assessment
- Fever
- Cough
- Rash
- Sore throat
- Shortness of breath
- Diarrhea
- Nausea or vomiting
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Muscle pain
- Lack of appetite
- Loss of taste or smell
Exposure to COVID-19
5 Pillars of Prevention at Tiffany Ridge
1. Hand Hygiene
- All learning spaces will have hand sanitizer.
- All classes will wash their hands and/or use sanitizer before and after lunch, before and after recess, and before and after specials. We have scheduled specific bathroom and hand-washing breaks to ensure that there is only one class per restroom at a time.
- Students will also clean their hands when entering and exiting any resource, intervention, and special education classrooms.
- Teachers will also develop hand hygiene routines specific to their classroom schedule.
- All teachers will teach and review proper hand-washing techniques.
2. Physical Distancing
We will take steps to promote physical distancing, although we cannot always keep everyone six feet apart.
- Common Spaces: We will stagger the use of common spaces, including the cafeteria, playground, and specials areas. We will limit the students in the cafeteria to half the normal capacity (decals will indicate which seats should be used). Recess supervisors and PE teachers will recommend games and activities that students can play while keeping their distance. Physical contact will be avoided when possible. Few people will be allowed in the front office. Visitors will be asked to use the camera doorbell.
- Assigned Seats: We will use decals to indicate where each student should sit each time they visit the cafeteria and the gym.
- Furniture: Desks have been placed to move students farther apart and face the front of the classroom. We have ordered plexiglass to put on teacher desks, on student tables (where we don’t have individual desks), in rooms for specialized instruction and in front offices.
- Schedules and Transitions: We have adjusted recess and lunch schedules to allow for more cleaning and disinfection. We have created a schedule for transitions at all times to avoid congestion throughout the school.
- Hallways: Sit spots have been placed throughout classrooms and the hallways to indicate appropriate social distancing while in lines, such as the bathrooms. Teachers will also encourage students to maintain social distance while in line using phrases like, "keep one Timberwolf apart" or "use airplane arms."
3. Cleaning
- Our custodians have provided extra cleaning supplies (disinfecting wipes or cleaning spray with towels) in each learning space (including the cafeteria, playground, specials areas, and rooms for small groups). All staff will use these supplies to help disinfect and clean high touch locations extra throughout the day. Areas will be cleaned after each use.
- Teachers will have separate supplies for each student. Students will bring their supplies with them when appropriate (including art and other specialized areas). For shared supplies, the teacher will have a clean and a used bin. Teachers will give students materials from the clean bin and then will use district provided sanitizer to clean the used items before returning them to the "clean" bin.
4. Cohort Groups
- Students will remain with their cohort group throughout the day.
- At lunch, each class will have their own table and students will have assigned seats. Supervisors will bring students the things they need to avoid excess movement within the cafeteria.
- At recess, groups will play in zones. Individual classes will be assigned a supervisor, so they are working with a consistent adult. Zones will rotate to provide options each recess.
- Students who participate in small group instruction with specialized staff will continue meeting in these groups using appropriate protective equipment, hand hygiene, and physical distancing as much as possible.
5. Masks
- All staff and students are required to wear masks when in the building. Masks must be worn at all times except when eating, drinking, exercising, or playing outside during recess. Students and staff will take brief 'mask breaks' when appropriate. If the teacher needs to see a students' mouth to provide instruction, a clear mask will be used or the plexiglass divider will be used.
- Staff and students will be trained regarding the correct handling of masks and will be taught about what to do when they are not wearing their mask.
- Masks and student ID cards will be attached to the student's lanyard. This will keep masks from getting lost and falling on the floor.
- Students and staff without a mask will be provided reusable mask if needed.
- Some will receive masks with clear windows to help those who need to see mouths when someone is speaking.
Precautions and Prevention...
In the Health Room:
Our school nurse will follow all of the recommended health and safety guidelines if a child is sent to the health room with Covid-19 symptoms. The following is a list of extra precautions we have in place for the health room.
- frequent hand washing, use of hand sanitizer, gloves, with proper PPE worn based on the individual's health needs
- cots, chairs, and other surfaces will be cleaned and disinfected between staff/student visits and throughout the day as needed
- A stop sign will be used outside the health room to encourage students and staff to stop before entry. This will allow the nurse an opportunity to promote: social distancing, appropriate personal protective equipment, and hand hygiene.
- Nurse Nicole will provide each classroom with a more extensive than usual first aid kit. This will help staff manage minor health needs without sending students to the health room.
- Teachers will call the nurse prior to sending any students. We will also continue to use health room passes.
- Teachers will have conversations with students about the changes in the health room during the 2020-2021 school year (including what she will look like when wearing a gown, mask, and face shield).
On the Bus:
First Student will train drivers about health and safety precautions for COVID-19. We will open windows when possible.
- Hand Hygiene: We will provide hand sanitizer.
- Physical Distancing: First Student will create assigned seats for students riding the bus, with siblings sitting together when possible. The seat behind the driver will remain empty.
- Cleaning: First Student will disinfect all surfaces on the buses at the end of each route.
- Cohort Groups: When possible, First Student will assign drivers to a single bus and route.
- Masks: Students must wear masks. Drivers will wear masks when students are boarding and getting off the bus.
At Breakfast and Lunch:
Students who choose to have breakfast will go directly to the cafeteria upon entering the building. Students will be offered a grab and go breakfast. After receiving their breakfast, students will walk to their assigned classroom. Students will wash their hands and eat their breakfast in the classroom as they complete their morning classroom routines.
During lunch, students will either eat in the cafeteria or on the stage. We have added tables to the stage space and closed the doors between the gym to create an additional space for lunch. Food in the cafeteria will no longer be self-serve. Cafeteria staff will serve students as they come through the lunch line. All utensils and trays will be disposable. Stickers will be used as a visual for student seating. Students will sit in a staggered arrangement and will be at least 3 feet apart. Students will wash their hands before lunch and will use hand sanitizer as they enter and exit the cafeteria. Students will eat lunch with their grade level cohort group.
We cannot distribute any outside food or beverages to our students. This means we will not have birthday treats from outside the school. If families or teachers would like to purchase birthday treats for their students, please work through our Nutrition Services Department. This information is available in the Weekly Howl.
At Recess:
During Specials Classes: Art, Library, P. E. and Music
Extra Cleaning:
A Few More things...
- For the safety of our students and staff, visitors will not be allowed in the building. Only school district employees are allowed to enter Tiffany Ridge Elementary. Unfortunately this means no lunch or classroom visitors, including the first day of school.
- For now, all evening events, assemblies, music performances, field trips, etc. are cancelled. An update regarding after school clubs will be sent as soon as we have updated information.
- We cannot distribute any outside food or beverages to our students. This means we will not have birthday treats from outside the school. If families or teachers would like to purchase birthday treats for their students, please work through our Nutrition Services Department. This information is available in the Weekly Howl.
- Please send a reusable water bottle to school with your child.
- Please talk with your child about the importance of wearing a mask and have your child practice wearing a mask for longer periods of time.
- Please be patient with us as we navigate through a very different school year.
- Please contact us if you have questions or if your child is struggling.
- For more detailed information. Please refer to the Health and Safety Precautions on our district website: HEALTH AND SAFETY PRECAUTION