The first priority for Saint Kevin School this year is the safety and well-being of our students and our faculty members. The faculty and administration of Saint Kevin School have worked diligently with two different subcommittees to come up with plans for full in-person, limited in-person, and distance/remote learning scenarios as outlined by RIDE and RIDOH.  Saint Kevin School will also be adhering to the guidelines from RIDOH in regard to the cleaning and sanitizing of the school.

The key word for our entire school community this year will be “flexibility”.  Saint Kevin School has plans and is prepared for all three scenarios, but we never know when one of these scenarios will have to be utilized. We stand ready to adjust our plans as community conditions and the overall body of knowledge about COVID-19 continues to evolve.  There will be ongoing and clear communication with the SKS community as we progress through the school year.

The SKS community did an amazing job with distance/remote learning last spring.  If we have to utilize this model again, Saint Kevin School has worked to further improve it based upon feedback from families and staff. 

Prior to the start of school, there will be an informational Facebook Live video presentation.  Policies and procedures will be discussed as we tour the school.  Parents will also be able to submit questions during this time. 

Outlined below are the key areas of focus for the reopening of Saint Kevin School.  Additional changes will be made as a needed. 

Screenings Prior to School Arrival
Each day students and faculty members must complete the COVID-19 Screening Tool Worksheet prior to entering the building.  Each day, students and faculty must complete the COVID-19 Screening Tool Worksheet.  This is the first defense against preventing COVID-19 in our school and relies on family adherence.  If a “Yes” response is given to any of those questions, your child or faculty member cannot enter the building.  In order to gain entry to the school, the COVID-19 Screening Tool Worksheet must be given to the staff member located at the door.  

School Arrival (Refer to Student Drop-Off Map)
Morning Care (details below) starts at 7am and runs until 8:30. You can enter Morning Care between the church and the school. Any students arriving between 8:30-8:45 will enter through the door near the garage.  Students will exit vehicle and go directly into the building to their homeroom class.  Any students arriving after 8:45 will use the front main entrance of the school.  Bus students will use the front main entrance. Upon entering the building, all students will submit the COVID-19 Screening Tool Worksheet, and use the sanitizing dispenser located near the entrances. There will be no morning recess outside before school starts this year.

Morning Care and Extended Day
Students utilizing Morning Care and Extended Day programs will be sitting with their grade level classmates only.  They will not be able to sit with other students outside their grade level pod.  There will be no SKS items being utilized during this time. Families should provide their own snacks for Morning Care and Extended Day.  No nuts allowed.  We will provide coloring sheets, but students will need to have their own crayons or markers to color.  Pick-up and drop-off for both of these programs will be at the side door near the church.  There will be three rooms utilized that are socially distanced with barriers between each grade level pod.  The fee for Extended Day is $7 per hour.  There is no fee for Morning Care at this time.  Morning Care and Extended Day programs are designed for families that work or for emergency purposes only.

Lunches
Lunches will be provided by Cozy Catering.  The price for lunch is $4.  Each lunch will be individually packaged by the company and delivered to SKS.  Lunches will be given to the students and they will eat lunch in their own classroom (stable pod).  Lunches must be ordered one month in advance.  The order sheet will need to be emailed to Cozy Catering along with payment.    The catering company will handle all ordering and payments. Saint Kevin School will not accept payments for lunches or orders.  More information regarding the lunch program will be sent separately.  Students that bring their own lunch/snack from home keep in mind the nut free policy.

Recess
Students will have recess daily.  They will be socially distanced between different grade-level pods and remain in their sectioned off area of the playground. 

Bathrooms
Pre-K through grade 2 students will utilize bathrooms on the main level.  Stall and sinks will be labeled by grade (pod).  Kindergarten students will utilize the private bathroom in the CCD office. Each grade from 3-5, will have designated stalls and sinks in the second floor intermediate bathrooms.  The one exception is for grade 3 boys, who will use the private bathroom outside their classroom.  Grades 6-8 will have designated stalls and sinks in the middle school bathrooms.

Face Masks
Saint Kevin School will follow the requirements put forth by RIDOH and RIDE.  Masks are required in the K-12 setting, even when students are in stable groups and socially distanced.  Students will also wear their mask anytime they are outside of their classroom.  These instances include using restrooms, entering school in the morning, dismissal, and in our Morning Care and Extended Day Programs. Staff members are required to wear masks. Saint Kevin School will have extra masks for students and faculty if needed.

Cleaning/Sanitizing of School
Saint Kevin School will follow guidelines put forth by RIDOH when it comes to cleaning and sanitizing the school.  Bathrooms will be cleaned and sanitized multiple times per day as well as frequently touched areas. Areas inside the classrooms such as desks will be cleaned regularly.  A fog sanitizing machine will be used throughout the school on a daily basis.  There are new touchless soap, paper towel, and hand sanitizer dispensers located in each classroom. There will be new hand sanitizer dispensers at each entrance to the school.  The water fountains will be used as bottle filling-stations only.

Partial/Limited In-Person/Hybrid School Scenarios
For Limited In-Person scenarios, as outlined by RIDOH and RIDE, class sizes have to be fifteen, which include teachers. For classes that are larger in size the following model will be put into place.   Classes that have more than fourteen students (for classes with a teacher assistant – thirteen students) will require students over the maximum to rotate through a hybrid learning model schedule.  For example, if a class has eighteen students, we are over the limit by four students.  The first four students in alphabetical order on a teacher’s roster will not come to school that day.  The next day the four students that stayed home will come to school and the next four students in alphabetical order will stay home.  This method will continue as long as needed.  Families should have a plan in place to accommodate students being out of school.   Students that are not in school will be able to complete the same assignments their classmates are working on utilizing the Google Classroom Platform. 
A hybrid learning model schedule will be provided by the classroom teacher each month.  There will be no switching of days in or out of school.  Parents with multiple children have the option to keep their children home, learning virtually, on the same day if needed.  A child must be out on their scheduled day, however if a parent chooses to keep them out an additional day for convenience, they will not be penalized.  They will be expected to participate in learning through Google Classroom. 

Remote/Distance Learning
All students from our PreK – Grade 8 students will have an SKS Gmail account/email.  Parents will be required to be guardians on their accounts.  When necessary, each grade will have a set schedule for their virtual lessons.  These remote lessons replace in-person lessons and students are expected to attend.

Transportation
Saint Kevin School utilizes First Student Inc. as the bus service provider through the City of Warwick.  Although students may utilize the bus services, parents are advised to consider other means of transportation to ease the strain on the bus company as recommended by RIDOH and RIDE.

Dismissal
Saint Kevin School will use a staggered dismissal as recommended by RIDOH and RIDE to help alleviate congestion.  Please refer to the attached chart for times and locations. When students are released from the teacher to their parent/guardian they must go to their vehicle and leave the premises.  The playground equipment will not be accessible after school. Students using the bus will be called for dismissal as soon as their bus arrives.  Due to the way bus students will be dismissed, parents should anticipate a potential change in bus stop arrival times. 

Visitors
Saint Kevin School will limit the number of visitors that enter the building.  All visitors will enter the main entrance of the school.  Prior to entry, visitors must answer the COVID-19 Screening Test.  Visitors must wear a mask and will not go beyond the front foyer area of the school.  All visitors must fill out the appropriate log-in information.

Field Trips
There are no field trips scheduled as recommended by RIDOH and RIDE.  This could change as the year progresses and the guidelines change.

Illness/Sickness
If a student shows any symptoms of COVID-19 they will be sent to the quarantine room to be assessed. Parents/guardians will be contacted and expected to pick-up their child within one hour.

Safety Drills
Saint Kevin School will conduct all necessary safety drills as required by RIDE.  Social distancing will be observed as much as possible

Saint Kevin School understands that some students will not be able attend school due to a variety of reasons such as illness, quarantine, or family concerns.   Families with these circumstances should contact the school as soon as possible.