The picture of what school will look like when classes resume became a little clearer on Aug. 26, when each of the schools in the South East Cornerstone Public School Division and the Holy Family Roman Catholic Separate School Division released their school plans.
The plans call for a staggered start to the school year, with students in Grades 1-12 with last names beginning with A-L attending on Sept. 8, and the other half of the student population, with last names beginning with M-Z, attending Sept. 9.
All students will attend Sept. 10.
There will also be staggered starts for kindergarten in many schools, with a more normal schedule not starting until mid-September.
For the Kindergarten to Grade 8 schools, the plans are fairly similar from school to school, but there will be differences due to bell times and unique programs.
Schools will have staggered times in which doors will be unlocked, students will be allowed to enter the building, the order in which they will enter and when they will exit the building after school.
Also worth noting is that Estevan schools will not have band and choral programs to start the school year, nor will there be extracurricular activities. Parents are encouraged to drop their kids off at school each day, and to pick them up for lunch.
A program such as the Hillcrest School breakfast program will continue but it will look different. Breakfast items will be delivered in individual portions to classrooms and students will quietly eat at their desks in the morning.
The plans also call for students in Grades 4-8 to wear masks when on buses, and when in high-traffic areas such as hallways, but not in the classrooms.
As for the Estevan Comprehensive School, their detailed plan governs everything from masks to extracurricular activities, class schedules to lunch, music program to lockers.
For the most part, principal Nathan Johnson said the reaction has been pretty positive.
“It’s a lot of information to digest for parents and students, and while I don’t have the official numbers, I would think the majority of our students are coming back and they’re excited to return after such a long break,” Johnson told the Mercury.
He expects the biggest change will be with their time table. They are moving from one-hour periods to a morning block for one class and an afternoon class for another.
“You’re still getting all of the classes that you signed up for, but they will rotate throughout the five-day cycle,” said Johnson.
A student will have period 1 all morning and period 2 all afternoon. Then the next day, they will have their period 3 class in the morning and their period 5 class in the afternoon.
Day 3 will be Period 6 in the morning, and then they start the cycle over with an afternoon period 1 class. Lunch each day will be Period 4.
The cafeteria will have to follow restaurant guidelines from the Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan. The school’s chef and cooking instructor will work with Public Health to make sure they’re following all guidelines. There will be cafeteria service, but students won’t be able to eat in the cafeteria.
“When students come in, they will have to observe the physical distancing restrictions, and they won’t be able to eat in that area. If they’re going to stay and access our cafeteria, we would ask that they just go to their afternoon class. They can eat there and stay there for the afternoon. We want to limit the movement of students around the building as much as possible for safety reasons.”
Students will have to wear a mask when in the school, and staff will have to don masks when in the presence of students.
As for band and choir, Johnson said putting them on pause was difficult.
“We’re hoping to get back at them as soon as we can. They’re definitely programs that we value here at ECS and across our school division,” he said.
Students won’t have access to lockers, either. Johnson pointed out that over the years, there have been students who never used a locker. But for those who do use a locker, this will be another adjustment.
“We need to ask the students to bring all of their supplies and their belongings in a backpack and keep it with them during the day,” said Johnson.
Also not happening initially will be extracurricular activities, including sports. Discussions have been happening with different high school athletics groups and Public Health to try to offer some form of a fall sports season. The only sport to be cancelled as of right now is golf; provincials were slated to happen at Golf Kenosee later this month.
Other fall sports, such as soccer, volleyball, football and cross-country, could still happen this fall.
As for the extracurricular activities, Johnson said some clubs could opt to meet virtually through Microsoft Teams.
Johnson said it will be important for parents to be patient and understanding, and he has experienced that in the conversations so far.
“Everybody understands that we’re just trying to keep everybody safe. These restrictions and guidelines will make school look different, but it doesn’t mean that we can’t still have a good experience here at ECS. We’re looking forward to getting all of the kids back.”
