Meridian ES Back To School Hybrid Edition

Pop art green

How to enter the playground in the morning

Students should not be at school before 8:55am!!!

Only staff and students are allowed on playground.

All students will access this point to enter the playground. Only late students will enter through the office.  Once on the playground, students may go to breakfast or go to a paw outside their classroom to wait for the bell.  There will not be a morning recess.

Any student showing symptom(s) of COVID cannot come to school. *Students showing symptoms at the start of the day will be moved to the isolation room and sent home. *Students showing symptoms during the day will be sent to the isolation room and sent home. *Students may not return to school unless they have a doctor's note, a negative COVID test or are out for 10 days and are symptom free.

Staff members who are showing symptoms of COVID are asked to stay home from work regardless of vaccination status. If you develop symptoms during the day, please notify Kathryn Espinoza, Assistant Principal, and Amy Patricelli, nurse, and go home. Staff may return to work with a doctor's note stating the symptoms are not COVID related, a negative test or ten days when they are symptom free.

Department of Health Guidelines

Pop art yellow

Students may eat breakfast at school upon arrival to the campus in the new Multi Purpose Room (MPR). Due to COVID, we have specific safety mitigation factors in place to protect both students and staff. For breakfast service, tables will be arranged by grade levels. Each table will be marked with stickers for social distancing spaces. Also, each table will have a seating chart that will be filled in by breakfast supervisors for contact tracing in the event we experience a COVID 19 positive case. We will encourage students to eat their breakfast and return to the outside lines to await the bell. Due to these mitigation factors, siblings will not be able to sit together and seating assignments will be made by the supervisors as students come in for breakfast.

Social distancing will be a main health and safety expectation. At all times possible, students and staff are asked to maintain a distance of 6ft between each other. Students may be seated 3ft from each other at desks doing light activity only. When not seated at desks, the 6ft distancing is required. Adults must always maintain 6 feet from anyone.

https://api.bookcreator.com/users/v2/Zqk0strFXlEm2GABGUyer_pj-9gHdFSV8SqTX_nnVh8/books/8h1rUDFeSuGKpkvTSRVhjA/assets/Uw0CCHXRQJWcNli3a4MknA.png?width=196&height=190

Social Distancing Strategy- When in line on playground waiting for your teacher, in line to use the bathroom or to fill your water bottle, or outside during arrival and dismissal, please stand on the paw prints to ensure you are 6ft apart!!

Watch this before Going Back to School - COVID School Reopening Video

To maintain safety, dismissal will be done from the classroom again this year. Students will remain with their classroom teacher until their bus or parent has arrived. Each family will be assigned a family number that will be used for dismissal. The classrooms have a live document that will show numbers highlighted as parents or busses arrive for students. Students will be dismissed from the classroom as their numbers are highlighted. Once students are outside, they will board a bus or get into a line at 'Parent Car' pick up or "Parent Walk Up" pick up locations. (See map on next page) A staff member will ensure a parent is present and dismiss the student from the line. Please remain in your car or the parent waiting area until your child is dismissed. Laminated family numbers will be sent home with students on the first day of school. Until you receive your laminated number, please write your student(s) name on a paper that will be visible to dismissal staff. Please carry your family numbers if you are a walk up parent or place the number in your dashboard if you are a car pick up. It is important that your number be easily visible for dismissal staff.

Flash blue

Everyone at Meridian is super excited to see all of our students return to in person learning this year. We have been waiting so long to be all together again. This will be our best year ever and we are looking forward to all the learning and fun to come. -Stephanie Barringer, Principal -Kathryn Espinoza, Assistant Principal

Under the current pandemic circumstances, we have made decisions for our school in person learning plan based off the following: 1. Safety and Health - When in a position to make a decision, we will choose what is the safest for our students and Meridian staff. There are staff members assigned to ensuring our safety procedures are followed by all those who are part of the hybrid learning environment. 2. Social/Emotional Well-Being - Mental well-being is a priority for Meridian. We need to take care of ourselves, our students and each other. At Meridian, we make relationships and community building a high priority. 3. Academics - After safety and meeting social/emotional needs, we will engage our students in meaningful, intentional and high-quality learning.

Half tone green

Student will be at recess with their grade level peers.  Masks are not required outside at recess but are recommended.  If a student is not wearing a mask they should hang it on their wrist for easy access when needed.

Classrooms will be disinfected on a nightly basis. Restrooms will be cleaned twice a day and high touch points, such as door handles and railings, will be sanitized at least three times a day.  Lunchroom areas will be cleaned using appropriate cleaners between classes.

Each classroom will have the following supplies: 1. Hand sanitizer 2. Bottle of disinfecting cleaner (staff use only) 3. Gloves 4. Surgical masks for both adults and students Our building has a plan for monitoring supplies of PPE on a monthly basis to ensure ample supplies. Please use PPE as needed but conserve whenever safe and possible.

Masks are to be appropriately worn at all times by staff, students, as well as visitors entering the building. The only time a mask may be removed is while eating or during recess outside. Masks are not required while outside but are recommended.

Masks are required by anyone who enters the building

Why Do People Wear Masks?  | Jack Hartmann| Face Mask Song

To  allow for effective contact tracing, students will be assigned seating in all school settings, classroom, bus, lunchroom, specialists, etc.. These seating charts will be used by school and transportation as part of the contact tracing in the event we have a positive COVID case.

We will need to know when anyone is on the Meridian campus. We will need to know where they went, where they were sitting, and who they were with. All visitors will be required to sign in and sign out. It is required that visitors wear a mask at all times and maintain 6 feet from everyone in according to the Department of Health guidelines. If you are not feeling well, please stay home as a safeguard to others.

Students will need to follow our Meridian Elementary schoolwide  expectations. These expectations were designed to keep everyone safe.

When you need support for unsafe behaviors or extreme defiance in the classroom, call the office for support. Audrey, Stephanie or Kathryn will assist.  You will also need to submit a virtual white slip each time you request administrative assistance.

Play ground staff will supervise their designated zones to support students , socially distanced, as needed. Playground staff can call for administrative assistance and will need to document using a virtual white slip.

Can students take their masks off when outside, including outdoor recess and PE?

Per the Secretary of Health's Mask Order face coverings are not required outdoors, regardless of vaccination status. Masks are strongly recommended for unvaccinated individuals when outdoors in crowded spaces or when in close contact with people outside their household. This is because the risk of COVID-19 infection increases with the duration and closeness of contact between the individuals. We will not make mask wearing mandatory when outside, but strongly recommend it.

Staff and students are no longer required to do daily health screeners. We do ask that if a staff or student does not feel well or has any COVID-19 symptoms that you stay home. If staff or students come to school and have any of the COVID-19 symptoms, they will be sent home.

Behavior Matrix This chart contains the student expectations for various locations and activities.

application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document

Expectations matrix 2021  Final.docx

Schoolwide Expectations.docx

Schoolwide behavior expectations poster. This poster is student friendly.

What is considered a close contact when doing contact tracing?  For students, they are NOT a close contact as long as they were 3 feet away or more AND both were wearing a mask.  If one of them is not wearing a mask or they were within 3 feet of each other, they are considered a close contact.

If a student is out sick or on quarantine, you can work with your child's teacher to get assignments during their time away from school since we do not have a remote option at this time.  

what to do if a student is COVID-19 positive or quarantined

Breakfast and lunch will be offered at school free of charge this year for all students. Students may bring snacks that can be eaten during recess outside. No snacking will be allowed in the classroom. Water bottles are allowed and we have drinking fountains in each classroom. Snack should be individual snacks and can not be shared. Students will not be able to bring snacks to share for parties.

Students needing to use the restroom outside of their class's assigned bathroom break will be dismissed by their teacher. Only 1 student may leave the classroom for the restroom at a time. Students will know if they can enter the restroom if there is an empty hook available for them to hang their lanyard. If not, they will wait on the designated paws for their turn to enter. No common bathroom passes will be issued. Teachers are asked to use a check-out system so that they know who is out of the room and when.

Fall 2021 COVID-19 Health and Safety Information

Student Handbook / KSD Student/Parent Handbook

2021-2022-KSDStudentCalendar.pdf

Parent Drop Off Lane. Please pull all the way forward. Have student's remain in the car until they are greeted by a staff member near the bus loop. Drop off should not begin until 8:55am. Student supervision begins at that time.  Please do not pull into the bus/staff parking lot.

Students will have a 20 minute lunch period. Tables in the MPR will be arranged by classes for lunch. Each table has markers for seating to maintain social distancing. Students will be seated with their class in the same seating arrangement as the classroom. This is for contact tracing purposes. Students must keep their masks on until they are seated and ready to eat. Once they have finished eating, they will need to put their masks on while waiting to be dismissed for recess.

Students will remain in their rooms until notified of their dismissal by using a shared document that will be posted on the Promethean boards. Teachers will stand in their doorway to monitor students in our hallways and classrooms. Students will be called by their bus numbers as buses arrive or family numbers that are posted on their car dashboard as their family car approaches in the loading zone. If you are walking to pick up your child, please stand on a paw where the yellow star is on the picture. Families are asked not to congregate on the school grounds during dismissal.

As students exit the building, they will report to the car riders line or the parent walk up line. Students must wait for the supervising staff member to dismiss them from the line. This is for student safety.

Students who arrive late will walk up to the front office with parent or guardian where they will sign in. No students should walk up late without a parent or guardian with them.

We are looking forward to a new school year. Please know that safety of the Meridian student and staff community is our top priority. We are more than happy to answer any questions you still may have. Please call the main office at 253-373-7664.

Kent School District does not require cohorting as a mitigation factor against COVID this year. However, contact tracing will continue to take place in an effort to keep the school community safe. This means that seating charts will be used and records of contact will be kept for all teaching staff and visitors.

Follow these guidelines for healthy habits: 1. Frequently wash your hands, especially when entering a room or leaving a room, coming in from recess, before and after eating, after blowing your nose, and after using the restroom. 2. Try not to touch your face. 3. Wear masks appropriately and wash masks daily. 4. Keep mask on when coughing and sneezing. 5. Maintain 6ft distancing even when wearing a mask.

20 Second Hand Washing - The Science behind it and why it WORKS!

First day of School -Grades 1-6 begin on Thursday, August 26th -Kindergarten begins on Tuesday, August 31st -Breakfast and lunch will be served and it is free to ALL students.

Section 1: Safety Requirements Section 2: Procedures

This book has been designed with the intention of being used with students!

If a staff member or student tests positive, we will contact trace based on our seating charts and staff schedules. Close contacts who are fully vaccinated and do not have symptoms do not need to quarantine but should be tested 3-5 days following a known exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 and wear a mask in all public indoor spaces for 14 days or until they receive a negative test result. They should isolate and follow appropriate guidance if they test positive. If they develop symptoms consistent with COVID-19, they should isolate themselves from others, be clinically evaluated for COVID-19, and tested for SARS-CoV-2 if indicated. The symptomatic fully vaccinated person should inform their healthcare provider of their vaccination status at the time of presentation to care.

When a student or staff member is demonstrating COVID symptoms, they will be escorted to our isolation room (Cougar Den). The purpose of the isolation room is to keep any potential COVID transition from occurring within our general population. Students will be isolated in an indoor safe space until parents can take them home.

Name

Safari may block some audio or video from playing automatically and ‘read to me’ will skip these. You can configure this in Safari’s preferences.