Reopening Plan 2020

The Study’s COVID-19 Health and Safety guidelines are based on the principle that the best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed. The School’s plan is based on the implementation of multiple layers of protection and instilling a culture of risk awareness and mitigation among students, faculty, and staff, and the extended community of stakeholders.

The school does not operate in a bubble: actions by students, faculty, staff, and stakeholders when outside the school can have repercussions within the school community. For this reason, a safe reopening of The Study depends on the cooperation of everyone.

Members of the school community should adopt the same best practices when at or away from the school, to protect both themselves and their classmates, friends, parents and relatives, and teachers and staff members.

Traveling by car

It is recommended that students carpool only with others from the same classroom.

Traveling by bus

Students must follow the health and safety protocols mandated by both the Société de Transport de Montréal (STM) and the school bus company which serves the school.

Students must use hand sanitizer before boarding any bus.

On all buses, wearing a face mask is mandatory for students aged 10 and over.

On school buses, students must sit in designated areas to promote physical distancing with no more than two students on the same bench. The same two students should remain seated together on the same bench every day, if possible. Siblings must sit together.

School bus drivers will have access to the necessary personal protective equipment (e.g. mask, visor). The vehicle will be fully cleaned after transporting each group of students.

Prior to the start of the school year, parents will receive a COVID-19 health and safety agreement which must be acknowledged and signed before August 31^st. Anyone with a temperature higher than 38 Celsius or having any COVID-19 symptoms will not be admitted to school. The agreement specifies that students are not to come to school if they are ill or display symptoms of COVID-19 (eg. fever, coughing, difficulty breathing).

Students presenting as ill for any reason throughout the school day will not be given Tylenol/Advil by staff.  The child will be separated from the group and the parent(s) or guardian for the child will be contacted and asked to pick up the child as soon as possible.

In keeping with the school’s overarching principles of risk awareness, shared responsibility and adaptability, hygiene education and awareness raising will be regularly addressed, starting at the beginning of the school year.

Each class will receive a demonstration on how to properly wash hands and hold ongoing discussions on COVID-19 awareness and personal responsibility.

Everyone, students, faculty, and staff, shall wash hands in the following situations:

• After coughing or sneezing.
• Before and after meals.
• After recess.
• After using the washroom.
• When hands are dirty.
• After sports or physical activity.
• After returning from outside the classroom.

Students, faculty, and staff must bring their own refillable water bottles to school. 

Food, water bottles, writing materials, computers, school supplies and other materials will not be shared.

Janitorial services shall implement cleaning and disinfection protocols that comply with and exceed the Guide d’intervention prévention et contrôle des infections dans les services de garde et écoles du Québec (MSSS, 2015) and its COVID-19 updates.

Within the school, students and staff will be required to maintain physical distancing requirements as mandated by the Government of Quebec. According to current Government directives, there is no distancing requirement for students within their homerooms. When students are in their homerooms, they may be closer than one metre to each other.

The distancing rules of one metre between students in different homerooms and two metres between students and adults, will be respected.

Directional signage will be used in hallways and stairwells to maintain a steady flow of traffic and minimize congestion. Signs enforcing physical distancing will be posted throughout the school. This may include marks on the floor at two metre intervals.

All students, faculty and staff and all essential service visitors who enter the school must bring and wear their own face masks while indoors, including in classrooms.

When outdoors, students, faculty and staff are required to wear face masks, if physical distancing is not possible (one metre between students in different classrooms: two metres between students and adults or between adults).

Students, faculty and staff are being asked to bring a minimum of two clean masks to school each day. The girls will be prompted to change their mask after lunch, and should keep spare masks in a ziplock bag with their name on it.

Guidelines recommend that cloth masks be washed at the end of each day.

Students will remain in their classrooms throughout the day, except to use the washrooms or for activities which can be done outside or cannot be done in their homeroom class. Body breaks will be integrated within the school day.

Students within each class will not mingle with students in other classes.

Teachers will move to the classroom assigned to a group to teach each class.

Students, faculty, and staff will respect designated seating arrangements and instructions posted in other areas.

Students will bring all their belongings with them to the classroom, including their coats and bags. Students will place their coats on the back of their chair and their bag(s) next to them.

Only when students have washed and rinsed their hands thoroughly, are they ready to begin the day.

No external visitors, including parents, volunteers, and guest speakers may enter the school during school hours. 

Essential personnel required to keep the school running will be admitted as needed but will also be subject to COVID-19 screening protocols.

Essential personnel will be accompanied by a staff member within the school.

Students, faculty, or staff who present COVID-19 symptoms will be required to leave the school. Parents will be requested to bring their children home and communicate with their doctor or public health authorities. It is important that the school be able to communicate with at least one parent at any time.

Any student, faculty, or staff member having a temperature greater than 38c or who exhibits any COVID-19 symptoms during the school day, will be asked to go to the school’s dedicated isolation room and arrangements will be made for that person to leave the school as soon as practicable. Full personal protective equipment (gowns, gloves, masks, and face shield) will be worn by staff attending to persons waiting in this room to be taken home.

The school will initiate these protocols even when the individual presents few or mild symptoms.

The dedicated isolation room will be disinfected after each use.

The Study is required to report to the local public health office all incidences of communicable diseases, including but not limited to COVID-19. In accordance with government directives, parents, faculty, and staff will be notified if a member of the school community tests positive for COVID-19.

The objective of this plan is to enable 100% of the student body to attend school on a full-time basis. To achieve this outcome, a conservative approach will be adopted, when any member of the school population presents with COVID-19 symptoms.  This requires cooperation on the part of the community, and it is requested, that if in doubt, the student not attend school. If a student is sick, a parent should notify the Elementary or Senior School Director’s office.  The Director excuses a student’s absence if:

• The student’s absence can help prevent the spread of COVID-19, the student is testing for COVID-19, the student is a confirmed case, is in self-quarantine, or is self-isolating (student absence may be affected by the health authority’s decision when to end quarantine period).

The Study faculty and staff are being trained to prepare for a safe return to school. Professional development focuses on:

1. Online Learning Program: the school is investing in technology and teacher development, to ensure that online learning be optimized for meaningful teaching and learning.  It also permanently advances The Study’s capabilities for virtual and technology-enhanced modes of learning.

2. Technology:  Teachers are being trained on the latest technologies to deliver our curriculum in the most effective way possible.

3. Health and Safety Training: Faculty and staff will have been trained on new policies and procedures before the start of school.

4. Wellness:  Faculty and staff are being trained on the importance of creating a school environment, whether in class or online, that helps ensure optimal physical and mental health for all.

The physical and mental health of our school community is an integral part of our school values and necessary for optimal learning. As such, health and well-being are at the heart of our reopening plan.

A health and wellness team consisting of academic leaders, counsellors and enrichment specialists will work together to ensure that students continue to practice the principles of building positive relationships with peers and teachers, managing stress levels, and developing resiliency. Individual counselling sessions will continue to be available.

The Study is currently planning to receive 100% of its student population, on a full-time basis.

The school recognizes, however, that events could take a different turn, and is simultaneously preparing for different scenarios. These range from a modified blend of in-school and online learning for senior school students, to a government required closure of the school and a corresponding move to a fully on-line program for all students.

The objective of all planning is to protect the health, safety, and well-being of students, faculty, staff, and families.

Scheduling will:

• be conducive to meaningful teaching and learning to ensure a continuity of enriched learning,
• allow for a flexible response to changing conditions and
• facilitate a comprehensive school experience.

Co-curricular activities will be embedded into the day when possible.

Students will enter the school through designated entranceways and wait in assigned gathering spots. Students who arrive after 8:00am must enter using the main front entrance on Braeside. Students need to sign in at the office and go directly to their classrooms.

All persons entering school property shall wear a mask. This includes parents dropping off or picking up younger children.

Siblings may enter the school with the youngest child in their family. They will do so using the entrance that the youngest child is required to use.

Kindergarten to 4 student arrival/ supervision begins at 7:30am, at designated spaces in the Braeside Playground. A schedule for entry times will be provided.

Kindergarten to grade 4 students will use the Braeside pathway and line up in front of the regular covered entrance. Parents will be allowed to bring these students as far as the gate at the top of the stairs, students are to be wearing their masks and are to line up using the markers on the ground to ensure proper distancing.

Grades 5 & 6 Entry for students in grades 5 & 6 to begin at 7:45am through the east door.  Parents are not allowed to accompany their children into the playground area or the building. Students are to line up using the markers on the ground to ensure proper distancing.

The school will be open to receive students at 7:45am and not earlier. Students will enter the school through designated entranceways and go directly to their first period classrooms, ready to learn by 8:10am.

Students in grades 7 and 8 shall enter through the main entrance at the front of the school on Braeside.  Students in grades 9 and 11 shall enter the West side lower entrance on Braeside. Students in grade 10 shall enter the East side lower entrance. 

Students who arrive late must enter using the main entrance. Students need to sign in at the office and go directly to their classrooms.

All persons entering school property shall have a mask ready to be worn.

Parents are requested to remain in their vehicles and are not allowed to accompany their children into the playground area or the building.

Kindergarten to grade 4 students will be dismissed at the gate entrance on The Boulevard. Parents may not enter the school for pick-up. Parents are requested to wait in their cars or in the playground, while respecting physical distancing requirements.

Students in elementary school will be lined up by class. Teachers will be with elementary students and have signage indicating their grade and class.

Students will be dismissed directly to parents as they drive along The Boulevard or meet parents who have walked. A schedule for dismissal times will be provided.

Grades 5 and 6 will receive details on the location of pick-up from their division director.

Students in senior school will be dismissed by groups in a staggered fashion and will leave the school directly.  They may not wait in the building for friends or parents.

When in school, the dress code will be modified to make students as comfortable as possible, given the special circumstances in effect at the start of the school year.  The school requests that clothes worn at school be laundered before being re-worn at the school. The students are expected to wear running shoes when wearing gym outfits, and regular shoes otherwise, no additional shoes are required.

The following temporary, alternative dress code will apply:

Elementary School: No blazers or ties are to be worn. On days where students have physical education (PE), they are to come to the school wearing regulation PE clothes instead of their uniform, as locker rooms will be unavailable until further notice.

High School: No blazers or ties are to be worn. For reasons of additional comfort, Senior School students have the option of coming to school in their regulation PE uniform or their kilt and polo or short sleeve shirt. On days when students have PE, they must come to the school wearing regulation PE clothes instead of their uniform, as locker rooms will be unavailable until further notice.

The school requests that clothes worn at school be laundered before being re-worn at the school.

The After-School Program will continue to be available. Daily drop-ins will be allowed on a first come, first serve basis, with a cap on numbers.  All activities will be subject to social distancing (one metre between students).

Locker rooms will be unavailable until further notice.  Therefore, students are requested to minimize the personal belongings and school materials they bring to school.  Students are asked to bring a clearly identifiable refillable water bottle each day.

Efforts are underway to have assigned space available in time for the arrival of cold weather.

All students will be required to use the washroom assigned to their class.

Washrooms at the school differ in size and configuration. Posters will be displayed prominently at the entrance to every washroom, with instructions regarding the use of the specific facility. Students and staff must respect all directives in this regard.

Students are asked to use hand sanitizer in their classroom prior to leaving to go to the washroom.

In no case may more than two students access any washroom at a time.

Markers of 2 metres are indicated outside the bathroom doors to help students maintain social distancing.

The janitorial staff will be implementing an enhanced cleaning routine for washrooms.

Our regular caterer, Chef en Vous will provide a boxed lunch, with two pre-ordered choices each day.  Lunch will be delivered to the classrooms and eaten at student desks. Food preparation and delivery procedures continue to meet enhanced health and safety guidelines. Detailed menus will be provided separately.

As in the past, students with special dietary requirements will be accommodated.

Our caterer will use recycled packaging and containers. 

Currently, government directives permit extracurricular activities, based on the nature of the physical distancing measures required. The offering of specific after school activities will be determined keeping the health and safety of our students of primary concern.  There may be the possibility of offering some of our activities online.

The framework for decision-making in support of a multi-phased return to sport for the 2020-2021 school year is being developed by the Greater Montreal Athletic Association (GMAA) and the Réseau des sports étudiants du Québec (RSEQ). The school is hopeful that some athletics will resume.  Current government directives permit sports activities which take place respecting the guidelines set out by relevant sports federations.

The Library will be unavailable when the school reopens.

A staggered outdoor recess schedule will be put in place. The school recognizes the importance of physical activity during the day and will make every effort to ensure that students have as many possible opportunities to go outdoors and be active. As well, body breaks will be integrated within the school day.

Outdoor play structures will be available, but a schedule will be made available for their use.

The physical distancing rules of one metre between students from different homeroom classes and two metres between students and adults must also be respected during outdoor activities.

Until further notice, there will be no field trips, out of school trips or exchange programs. We hope to resume these as soon as practicable.

We ask that the school be notified of any plans for students, faculty, or staff to travel outside of Canada.  This will allow us to keep track of the whereabouts of members of our school community, should the school be required to initiate its emergency plans.

Students, faculty, and staff who travel out of Canada are required to respect all quarantine requirements imposed by the government of Canada and will not be admitted to the school until such requirements are fulfilled.

When a COVID-19 case is confirmed, Santé Publique takes charge of the situation. With the help of the school, who keeps an attendance/contact registry, Santé Publique will instruct the school on the steps to be taken and who will be contacted (close contacts). At a minimum The Study will notify the parents of all children in the same class.

The results of the Santé Publique investigation will make it possible to determine whether the people who have been in contact with the symptomatic person will be asked to isolate for a set duration of time and determine when they can return to school or continue to self-isolate for a longer period of time if starting to exhibit symptoms and if they should be tested.

The Minister of Education has announced that students who have a medical note confirming that they or a household member have a health condition that makes them vulnerable to COVID-19 will be entitled to online learning from home. Medical professionals are the only individuals able to indicate what is or is not a valid medical exemption.

Parents are responsible to validate the health of their children on a daily basis and to communicate any symptoms to the school. Parents and schools are jointly responsible to raise awareness of good hygiene practices. Parents will be asked to sign a letter of agreement in this regard at the start of the school year.

All subjects are being taught. In music the theory component will take place at school and instrument practice will take place at home. Phys. Ed. will be held outdoors whenever possible. Equipment will be disinfected between each use. Our Phys. Ed. department is working to create activities that get the girls outdoors and respect social distancing.

Regardless of the test results, if a child has a fever, she should not be going to school.

Anyone displaying symptoms should call the public health authority 1‑877‑644‑4545 and follow their instructions on how to proceed. The school is to be contacted by the parents and is to be provided with the details of information they receive. A student cannot return to school until supporting documents/instructions from the COVID-19 line/public health authority is provided and/or a negative test result is received.

Any student who resides with an individual who is under investigation and waiting for test results or who recently was diagnosed with COVID-19 is to stay home and to follow the instructions received from the public health authority.

Hand sanitizers will be available in each classroom and throughout the school, but students may bring their own should they prefer. Water fountains will only be available to refill personal water bottles, clearly identified water bottles brought from home.

Regular cleaning will be conducted by our trained staff and in accordance with disinfecting guidelines; washrooms will be disinfected at regular intervals during the day depending on the frequency of use.

Frequently touched surfaces will also be regularly disinfected during the day and over night (doorknobs, faucets, toilets, computers and pencils/pens).

Students in bathrooms are to respect the 1m distance and maximum occupancy will be established to ensure compliance with the social distancing measures.

Travel in the hallways will be in one direction at a time (i.e. one-way lanes by using specific markings) or arrows will indicate what side of the hallway or staircase to use. Class groups will have to maintain physical distance when moving in the hallways and while in common spaces.

Whenever possible, the groups will be maintained during after-school and during extracurricular activities.  If this is not possible, the 1-metre distance between students will have to be respected. 

If the physical distance of 2 meters cannot be respected, the enrichment center staff member must wear the appropriate protective equipment, a procedure mask and eye protection e.g. safety glasses or visor.

Plexiglass partitions will be installed for staff members who come in close contact with students (i.e. receptionist who gives out the late slips).

Students will eat in their classrooms or outdoors. The number of supervising staff will be adjusted accordingly.

Personal protective equipment (procedure mask and visor) will be mandatory for kindergarten teachers and after-school educators. Teachers at other levels are required to wear procedure masks. If any staff member cannot respect the 2-metre physical distancing measure, they too will be required to wear a procedure mask and a visor.

During the supervision of a student showing symptoms, the designated staff member must wear a procedure mask, protective eyewear (protective glasses or visor) an over-garment (gown) and gloves.

Students are being asked to bring a minimum of two clean masks to school each day. The girls will be prompted to change their mask after lunch.

According to Canadian Physical and Health Education (PHE), physical education should be delivered outdoors whenever possible. Masks should be worn wherever physical distancing is not possible. It is not advisable to wear a mask during intense cardiovascular endurance activities. Classes that would be intense, would be held outdoors so that students would not be required to wear a mask.