SYDNEY — The Cape Breton Regional-Victoria Centre for Education is almost ready for back to school on Sept. 8 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A tour of Sherwood Park Education Centre in Sydney, conducted by Cape Breton Regional-Victoria Centre for Education staff members Lewis MacDonald and Cathy Boudreau on Wednesday, provided some insight on what school life will be like under the "new normal" of COVID-19 health protection measures.
Although each school in the district is different, the tour of Sherwood Park showed what needed to be done at each school to be ready to open, in accordance with public health protocols. MacDonald, who is co-ordinator of facilities management, admitted it's been a busy summer.
"It's a logistical challenge, to make sure that every classroom is outfitted with the supplies it needs. But, you know, we're coming to the last day and I'm really happy with what's been achieved," he said. "We have the supplies to have a safe opening."
To maximize space in classrooms so desks can be separated as much as possible, extra materials like soft seated chairs and play structures have been removed.
MacDonald said desks in most schools are about one metre apart. However, since this is less than the required two metres, students must keep their face masks on.
Hand sanitizing stations have been set up throughout the schools. Each classroom will also have hand sanitizer for students and teachers.
Blue and red arrows stuck on the floors of the hallways of Sherwood Park indicate which way students must walk, a gentle reminder foot traffic is one-way.
There are also "wait here" spots for students outside of washrooms and at stairs indicating where they should stand while waiting for them to be clear to use.
Due to health protection measures in place to limit the spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, only one or two students can be in a washroom at a time which is dependent on the size. Students must maintain a two-metre distance between each other while walking through hallways or stairs and there is one way they can walk to avoid congestion, reducing contact.
MacDonald confirmed there will be extra supervision in the schools to help students get used to this.
Cafeterias, lockers and computer rooms won't be used. Neither will many science labs, art or music rooms.
To help students in middle school and high school, Chromebook laptops are being provided to each student for the year so students don't share devices.
"Students are going to be predominantly in their classrooms, so I think we'll use technology a lot more to support (parts of the curriculum like science labs which can't be used this year)," said Boudreau who is co-ordinator for programs and student services.
"Even if they can't do all of it in a separate lab, they can still access these other features to help students understand those concepts."
Since students are in classroom cohorts, they'll do everything with that group. For the most part, the teachers will move to the students for different subjects and when the class does need to move, it will be together.
Break times and lunch will be staggered at many schools. Although the cafeteria is closed to students, meals can be pre-ordered online and will be delivered to the class.
The breakfast program is also continuing but will be pre-packaged for the student to grab on arrival.
Each school will have a dedicated sickbay for students who show symptoms of illness during the school day. Once isolated there, parents will be notified and advised to call 811. Other parents and students will be notified of the ill students when public health deems it necessary.
Overall, the most important thing is student health and safety, which in many cases is having them getting their education in class.
"I was very hopeful we would reopen (in September.) There has been a lot of information in the media about the importance of school for students in terms of their education but also their mental well-being and physical health," Boudreau said.
"I think people are relieved there's going to be a sense of normality even though some of the routines or how we do things in the school may be different. I think it's a really important step."
