CLICK HERE for a PDF copy of the 2021-2022 Re-Entry Plan
Last Updated - 17 September 2021
Dear RIBMS Families,
Further to our previous communication, we are pleased to provide you with some clarification on our COVID related policies as they impact the 2021-2022 school year. In making these decisions, we have strived to ground our thinking in the advice and guidance of the Chief Medical Officer of Health of Alberta, Dr. Deena Hinshaw and the Minister of Education, Adriana LaGrange, as well as ensuring compliance with directives from the Palliser School Division. As always, we remain committed to ensuring your child’s safety while in our building and strive to keep open lines of communication with our families. This plan was built with feedback from all Coaldale Palliser schools for maximum consistency. As always, as the province releases new information, this document is subject to change.
Our philosophy regarding our COVID protocols ties directly back to Palliser’s three key strategies, which are:
Follow Expert Advice
Keep the Virus Out
Prevent the Spread
First Days Back
Wednesday September 1- Grades 5 and 8 will attend school this day. Students are asked to line up at their designated grade level door. 5’s NE doors and 8’s at the West doors of the school. Class lists will be posted on the door at 8:00am students will find their name and line up in their homeroom. Students will enter the building at 8:20 and will be directed to their homeroom with their supplies.
Thursday September 2 - Grades 6 and 7 will attend school this day. Students are asked to line up at their designated grade level door. 6’s at the NW doors and 7’s at the East main doors of the school. Class lists will be posted on the door at 8:00am students will find their name and line up in their homeroom. Students will enter the building at 8:20 and will be directed to their homeroom with their supplies.
Friday September 3 - ALL grades attend school this day. Students are asked to arrive no earlier than 8:00am and line up in their homeroom lines at their grade level door. Grades 5 and 8 will enter 5 minutes earlier than the 6th and 7th grade students. When a staff member opens the door the students will enter for the day. There will also be staggered dismissals from this day forward.
Tuesday September 7th and On - Full days of school will commence as per the school calendar. Staggered start times and dismissal times will remain standard practice (see below).
Staggered Entry/Exit
We will be continuing with our staggered entry and exits for the 2021-2022 school year.
Students will be arriving to their designated doors and will be permitted entry as follows:
Grade 5s and 8s - 8:20am
Grade 6s and 7s - 8:25am
Students will be dismissed from their classes as follows:
Grade 5s and 8s - 3:27pm
Grade 6s and 7s - 3:33pm
We ask that your child arrive no earlier than 5 minutes before their designated time in the morning and that they exit the property as soon as they are able, again to meet the directive to monitor the flow of hallway traffic and crowds.
Class to Class Transition Times
To begin the year, we will be having students move from class-to-class while being masked.
This will be re-evaluated as we receive additional guidance from provincial and divisional officials.
Student Possessions
We will be utilizing our locks and lockers this year to store the following items:
Clothing
Gym Strip
Lunch
Any technology or valuables
Students will be asked to keep their other possessions in their backpack and to bring their backpacks from class to class.
Access to the School
Public access to the school will be restricted to by appointment only
If you wish to see an administrator or teacher, you must make an appointment
The doorbell system at the front door of RIBMS will remain operational to start the year
Sanitization
Sanitization upon entering the building will continue. We will maintain our hand sanitizing stations at the doors.
Hand sanitizer and soap will be provided in the individual classrooms.
Masking in Schools
Per the directive of the Chief Medical Officer of Health and the Premier, masking in schools is now mandated in all situations where students cannot maintain proper social distance (2 metres distance).
Students are not required to wear a mask when sitting, faced forward in their own desks completing independent work.
Cohorting
In accordance with the latest guidelines, our elementary students (grades 5 and 6) will be cohorted by homeroom classroom. Per our original re-entry plan, these students were already cohorted in this fashion and so very little will change in practice.
Lunchtime and Recess
Our recess schedule will include all students outside at one time. Students will be encouraged to remain in grade level cohorting.
As it relates to lunch, we are moving towards a more pre-COVID model where our canteen will be open for one grade only each day.
High touch conveniences such as microwaves will now be available this school year (one per class).
Option Classes
Due to the constraints of our timetable, students will be placed in exploratory options.
Choice cannot be provided at this time, with the exception of students wishing to participate in our band programs.
Exploratory options change at the start of each term and there are diverse offerings catered to be of interest to many students.
Illness in School
For the month of September and subject to further review and clarification from provincial and health authorities, we will continue our student illness policy from the last school year. Specifically, this means that if your child discloses that they are ill and their symptoms meet the designation of potential symptoms of COVID, you will be contacted and asked to pick up your child.
If your child or a member of your family is confirmed to have COVID-19, we would ask that you please contact the office staff at Baker. By doing so, we will be able to send out a nameless notice to the school community that there is a positive case.
Athletics, Field Trips, and Extracurricular Activities
Further to the directives of Dr. Hinshaw and Minister LaGrange, our extracurricular programs will resume for the 2021-2022 school year.
In terms of athletics, Baker Bear athletics will be governed by the policies of the Palliser School Division, COLJHAA, and the LSAA. Cross Country and Volleyball will be the first athletic events offered this fall.
Field Trips will again be available to Baker students. Field trip approval must meet any provincial and local health and legal guidelines and as always, are subject to the approval of the principal and the superintendent of schools or their designates.
Extracurricular clubs and activities will resume at Baker, again ensuring that they are compliant with any provincial or local health or legal guidelines.
Rules regarding the presence of spectators will be forthcoming.
Large Group Gatherings
Indoor large group gatherings such as school-wide assemblies are currently prohibited.
If we need to gather as a large group, we will do so online or outside.
