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McGovern News!
July 24, 2020
WELCOME TO McGOVERN!
I can't believe it....but camp is finally here! We are so excited to welcome some of our incoming kindergarten students next week! Our faculty and staff have worked incredibly hard to make sure we welcome your family into our McGovern community despite the challenges with COVID-19. Though camp looks a little different this year, we know it will be a memorable experience for your child/children!
Please see below for some important information. We will see you on Monday! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to the school.
Best,
Amy McDonald, Principal
Health and Safety Regulations
The health and safety of our students, faculty and staff is our primary concern as we return students back into the McGovern School building. Medway Public Schools will follow state and federal guidelines to address COVID-19 related school issues. As you are aware, due to the unpredictable nature of the pandemic, the guidelines for summer and for fall may be different.
As a reminder, below are the health and safety regulations we will be following:
Capacity/Class Size: Summer programming is less than 50% of the building’s capacity, with no classroom having more than 10 students and 2 adults.
Physical Distancing: 6 feet of physical distance will be maintained between students and staff. This includes the placement of furniture and movement throughout the building.
Masks/face coverings: All students and staff will wear face coverings or masks unless not possible for medical or behavioral reasons. We understand that some students will have difficulty wearing a mask for the duration of the program, but we need to try. We will be implementing mask breaks for the children. Frequency and duration will vary based upon their individual needs.
Here is a Social Story that provides a visual guide for children about wearing a mask to avoid spreading germs. The resource, from the Autism Services, Education and Training Collaborative, includes why it's important to wear a mask, as well as information about how to safely wear and remove masks. The social story is translated into Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Arabic and Burmese. An animated version is also available.
Transparent masks are being purchased so that students who rely on visual/facial cues will have access to that modality to the greatest extent feasible.
Mask breaks will occur throughout the day, when students can be six feet apart and when outside or when windows can provide additional ventilation.
Students will also be encouraged to advocate for a mask break if needed.
Masks/face coverings must be provided by the student/family; however, extra disposable face masks will be made available by the school for students who need them. Reusable face masks should be washed by families daily.
Adults, including educators and staff, are required to wear masks/face coverings.
Exceptions to mask/face covering requirements must be made for those for whom it is not possible due to medical conditions, disability impact, or other health or safety factors.
Hand Hygiene:
Students and staff are required to exercise hand hygiene (hand washing or sanitizing) upon arrival to school, before eating, before putting on and taking off masks, and before dismissal.
When hand-washing, individuals should use soap and water to wash all surfaces of their hands for at least 20 seconds, wait for visible lather, rinse thoroughly, and dry with an individual disposable towel.
If hand-washing is not feasible, hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent ethanol or at least 70 percent isopropanol content can be used. Hand sanitizer should be applied to all surfaces of the hands and in sufficient quantity that it takes 20 seconds of rubbing hands together for the sanitizer to dry. Hand sanitizer is available in all classrooms and throughout the school.
Here’s a child-friendly video that can support your verbal instructions.
Students will be observed throughout the day and students who may be symptomatic will be referred to the school nurse and moved, as appropriate, to a medical waiting room until they can be picked up by a family member.
Visitors are not allowed in the building this summer, if they need to be dismissed from the nurse's office, we will bring your child to the door to meet you.
Summer Classroom Set-Up
Classroom Spaces and Materials
Environment Preparation:
Disinfecting of room
Before students enter each day, the room will be cleaned and disinfected by the custodial staff, including desks and chairs where students will be sitting and working.
There will be a sticker affixed to the door indicating the room has been attended to. The sticker will be removed by staff to indicate that the room needs cleaning/disinfecting for the next day.
Materials
Students will be given a box with their own set of supplies, including pencils, pens, books, and other necessary materials.
Any supplies which are shared will be cleaned and disinfected before another student is allowed to use them.
Desks and chairs will be at least 6 feet apart, and every effort will be made to keep students from working closely together.
Classrooms
The morning and afternoon sessions will be utilizing different classrooms to avoid cross contamination with different cohorts.
Faculty & Staff Training
Our faculty and staff participated in an extensive training this morning to review all health and safety guidelines. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to our Kindergarten Camp Director, Ms. Karen Mispilkin at kmispilkin@medwayschools.org.
Arrival/Dismissal Procedures- CAMP students
Arrival Procedures:
When you pull up to the McGovern School a staff member will greet you at your designated drop off area.
Please have a piece of paper with your child’s first and last name as well as the group name on the front dashboard or affixed to the passenger side window.
AM Sessions:
Ms. Whitfield’s Whales and Ms.Piette’s Starfish will bear to the left and come to the front circle
Mrs. O’Connell’s Sea Turtles, Ms. Caveny’s Octopus’ and Mrs. Biagetti’s Sharks will bear to the right and loop around to the side entrance
Click here to open the map for the am session
PM Sessions
Ms. Whitfield’s Whales and Ms.Piette’s Starfishwill bear to the right and loop around to the side enterance
Mrs. O’Connel’s Sea Turtles and Ms. Caveny’s Octopus’ will bear to the left and come to the front circle
Click here to view a map for the pm session.
To minimize points of contact and for other safety reasons, we ask that you remain in your car at all times, unless otherwise instructed by McGovern staff.
A staff member will greet you and ask a few questions about your child’s well-being,including:
Has your child had a fever or has there been any changes to your child’s health in the last 24 hours?
Has your child been exposed to anyone with COVID- 19?
We understand that these questions may get ‘old’ after a few days. We ask your forbearance as they will be asked each day without exception.
The staff member will also make sure your child has a mask. That person will then open the door for your child.
On the way into the classroom, your child will stop and clean his or her hands with hand sanitizer.
Dismissal Procedures:
Please pick up your child at the same location as drop off, see the specifics above.
Please have a paper on the front dashboard with your child’s name and teacher’s name or group name in black marker.
Please wait in the car while that person calls into the classroom to have your child come to the car.
On the way out of the building your child will be prompted to clean his or her hands with hand sanitizer, at the building entrance.
The staff member will ensure your child gets safely into your car.
Have your child practice buckling and unbuckling their seat-belts independently prior to the start of camp. Here is a fun song about seat-belts.
Snack and Water Procedures
Please send your child with a snack, a drink, and/or a bottle of water.
All food or beverage items should be clearly labeled with your child’s name and easy for your child to access without assistance.
Snacks cannot contain peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, and/or soybeans.
Drop Off and Pick Up - SCREENING
The teacher screening your child will introduce herself and escort your child inside. Parents must remain outside, in their car. The screening takes approximately 20-30 minutes per student. Once the screening is done, the teacher will escort your child out of the building and return him/her to you.
For screening, we have tables set up and our faculty will wear face masks, face shields and gloves during the screening. In addition, each student will have his/her own materials and any shared materials will be disinfected prior to another student using them.
If you are unsure of your screening time, please call the school to confirm.
Do you need the Smore Newsletter Translated?
Here is the link for the master directions in English.
Here is the link for Spanish.
Here is the link for French.
Here is the link for Russian.
Here is the link for Arabic
Haga clic en los siguientes enlaces para obtener instrucciones sobre cómo traducir el boletín.
Aquí está el enlace para español.
Here is the link for Spanish.
Veuillez cliquer sur les liens suivants pour savoir comment traduire le bulletin d'information.
Here is the link for French.
Пожалуйста, нажмите следующие ссылки для получения инструкций о том, как перевести информационный бюллетень.
Вот ссылка на русский.
Here is the link for Russian.