What does DK and Kindergarten look like during a pandemic?
Dear students and families,
I hope you are having a wonderful summer! I am enjoying a break from school too, but I am very excited to get back to Cross again! Even though I’ve been taking a break from the school building, I’ve been hard at work planning out our school year. I’ve sure you have lots of questions about what changes will be in place to keep everyone safe and healthy and I hope this letter answers a few. Please know, you can always reach me by email (kbrown@crosslutheranschool.org) if you have any questions or concerns.
Q: Will my child need to wear a mask in school?
A: Masks are required for all DK and K students when they are out of the classroom (arriving at school, walking through the hallway, Chapel and Opening, bathroom breaks, etc.) They are not required to wear them when they are in the classroom. We will be teaching the students on how to properly wear masks and time will be spent at the beginning of the year helping the students learn how to safely keep masks in place. Talking with your child now about the importance of wearing a mask and practicing wearing a mask would be very beneficial!
Q: Will the teachers be wearing masks at school?
A: Yes– the staff at Cross will be following all the required guidelines developed by the Michigan Safe Start Plan.
Q: How often will my child be able to wash his/her hands during the school day?
A: Whenever students enter the classroom, handwashing will take place. (Arrival, coming in from recess, etc.) We have a sink in our room and plenty of hand-sanitizer. We will also wash our hands before we eat.
Q: Will the drinking fountains be available?
A: No, as a safety precaution they will not be in use. All students are encouraged to bring a reusable water bottle from home that has a lid. These will be sent home with students each day to be washed.
Q: How often will the classroom be disinfected?
A: We will be following the required guidelines from the Michigan Safe Start Plan by sanitizing frequently touched surfaces in the room every 4 hours with an EPA approved disinfectant.
Q: Will my child be sharing materials with classmates?
A: For the most part- no. Each student will have his/her own tub of schools supplies. Classroom books and Ipads will be cleaned after each student uses them. Play is such an important part of the K and DK experience– toys will be sanitized between use.
Q: Will my child’s classroom look different this year?
A: A little bit! To help spread everyone out a bit more, I’ve removed most of the tables from our room so that we can do “flexible seating” in our room this year. Students will be working on their own mat with their own clipboard with their own tub of supplies. I’m excited to show you around our “new room” at Open House.
Q: Will I still be able to walk my child to his/ her classroom in the morning?
A: We are strongly encouraging parents not to enter the school building when dropping off their children. If it’s absolutely necessary for you to enter the building, a mask will be required.
Q: Can we still send in birthday treats for my child?
A: As a safety precaution, we ask that only individually-wrapped treats be sent in from home.
Q: What if my child or I still have questions or concerns about the school year?
A: Please, please do not hesitate to reach out to me through email! (kbrown@crosslutheranschool.org)
I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer- and I can’t wait to see all of you at Open House!!
God’s blessings,
I hope you are having a wonderful summer! I am enjoying a break from school too, but I am very excited to get back to Cross again! Even though I’ve been taking a break from the school building, I’ve been hard at work planning out our school year. I’ve sure you have lots of questions about what changes will be in place to keep everyone safe and healthy and I hope this letter answers a few. Please know, you can always reach me by email (kbrown@crosslutheranschool.org) if you have any questions or concerns.
Q: Will my child need to wear a mask in school?
A: Masks are required for all DK and K students when they are out of the classroom (arriving at school, walking through the hallway, Chapel and Opening, bathroom breaks, etc.) They are not required to wear them when they are in the classroom. We will be teaching the students on how to properly wear masks and time will be spent at the beginning of the year helping the students learn how to safely keep masks in place. Talking with your child now about the importance of wearing a mask and practicing wearing a mask would be very beneficial!
Q: Will the teachers be wearing masks at school?
A: Yes– the staff at Cross will be following all the required guidelines developed by the Michigan Safe Start Plan.
Q: How often will my child be able to wash his/her hands during the school day?
A: Whenever students enter the classroom, handwashing will take place. (Arrival, coming in from recess, etc.) We have a sink in our room and plenty of hand-sanitizer. We will also wash our hands before we eat.
Q: Will the drinking fountains be available?
A: No, as a safety precaution they will not be in use. All students are encouraged to bring a reusable water bottle from home that has a lid. These will be sent home with students each day to be washed.
Q: How often will the classroom be disinfected?
A: We will be following the required guidelines from the Michigan Safe Start Plan by sanitizing frequently touched surfaces in the room every 4 hours with an EPA approved disinfectant.
Q: Will my child be sharing materials with classmates?
A: For the most part- no. Each student will have his/her own tub of schools supplies. Classroom books and Ipads will be cleaned after each student uses them. Play is such an important part of the K and DK experience– toys will be sanitized between use.
Q: Will my child’s classroom look different this year?
A: A little bit! To help spread everyone out a bit more, I’ve removed most of the tables from our room so that we can do “flexible seating” in our room this year. Students will be working on their own mat with their own clipboard with their own tub of supplies. I’m excited to show you around our “new room” at Open House.
Q: Will I still be able to walk my child to his/ her classroom in the morning?
A: We are strongly encouraging parents not to enter the school building when dropping off their children. If it’s absolutely necessary for you to enter the building, a mask will be required.
Q: Can we still send in birthday treats for my child?
A: As a safety precaution, we ask that only individually-wrapped treats be sent in from home.
Q: What if my child or I still have questions or concerns about the school year?
A: Please, please do not hesitate to reach out to me through email! (kbrown@crosslutheranschool.org)
I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer- and I can’t wait to see all of you at Open House!!
God’s blessings,