Staying Healthy

School Health & Safety Guidelines

The Ark follows all updated health and safety protocols and procedures as outlined by the Health Authorities and BC Center for Disease Control (CDC). Different protocols offer different protection. Wherever possible, we will use the protocols that offer the highest level of protection and add additional protocols as required. In the event that you feel you or anyone in your family are unable to meet these requirements, we will be able to provide you with recommendations of other programs that may better suit your family’s needs.

Health & Wellness Safety Policy

( Any illness, including Covid )

The Ark’s Health & Wellness Safety Policy, which applies to all staff, families and children within our school community, is in place to keep us, and all our loved ones, safe. Remember that any public health emergency may be a rapidly changing situation, and our ability to remain open may change without notice; or we may be ordered closed by BC’s provincial health officer, and/or our licensing officer. Parents are expected to regularly conduct a morning health review of their child at home. Take your child’s temperature if you suspect illness.

Parents may also be asked health check questions by the staff in the morning if symptoms are observed. Leaners must be symptom-free for 24 hours and the may not have been given acetaminophen or ibuprofen in the last 12 hours.  In the event that a parent is found to be not answering this statement truthfully or withholding important medical information, the schoool will be obliged to terminate our relationship with any family that may endanger the health and safety of the school community as a whole.  

Becoming Sick at School with any Illness, including Covid

No health services will be provided to a student in school who is exhibiting any regular, non life-threatening symptom. Children will be made comfortable while the school will follow any specific BC CDC guidelines needed. A student who is unwell, will picked up by their parent/caregiver as soon as possible, should they develop symptoms while in care at school. Physical distancing, isolation in the library while waiting for your to arrive, respiratory safety protocols and hand hygiene will be practiced while waiting for pick up.

Our regular School Health & Wellness Safety Policy is always in place: children may not attend school programs with any of the following symptoms:

●        unusual, unexplained loss of appetite, fatigue, irritability, or headache

●        eye redness, swelling, infection

●        unexplained rashes or any rash that is not confirmed by doctor to be non-contagious

●        known or suspected communicable diseases (measles, chicken pox, pink eye, hand foot and mouth, etc.)

●        ear infection

●        vomiting and/or nausea in the last 24 hours

Provision of Care During a Pandemic

The Ark has established three modes of operation: In-Person School, Outdoor School and Virtual School. The form school attendance will take will depend on public health guidelines, Ministry recommendations and the status of the current community viral load. The school will be divided into our three classroom groupings as is currently our developmental placement norm. Learning will take place in classrooms, on the exterior school grounds where and when possible, as well as the the gym. All configurations are flexible and fluid to meet the needs of the children and adaptations will change over the course of a given day, week during the school year. Change may happen rapidly in response to pandemic safety concerns. School will look like a flexible blend of the three models, with the implementation of additional measures, as appropriate: reduced class sizes, mini-cluster grouping, varying durations of in-person contact (attendance), alternating schedule capacity, staggered snack, lunch and class transition times, individualized material use and independent work. Sports, field experiences will take place if reduced physical contact is able to be practiced by those within the same class. Parents must continually check in the Virtual Classrooms for updates on the form and schedule of the delivery of instruction for the given week.  

Classroom Cohorts

During the Pandemic, NAS is grouping children in “shared physical distancing classroom bubbles” and will interact with each other within defined areas.  Essentially, this will mean that children will be attending and learning within a school framework and be placed within one group only.  This limits the number of children the student is exposed to, as well as the extended exposure to people outside of your closest family circle. In class distancing must be worked on, consistently practiced and maintained to reduce exposure risk. If a student is unable to keep physical distancing expectations among peers, they will be sent home to ‘try again’ the following day.

We are reminding families that having your child attend school means that your entire family has a larger ‘shared social distance bubble’ to consider also.  You are required to behave responsibly and follow Dr. Henry’s recommendations to limit your family’s exposure.  What you do places the whole school community at risk. Reduce the risk that we will need to close for 14 days, possibly killing the staff or extending family members residing in the shared household with the student. Be very selectively careful how you choose to extend personal social interactions with individuals outside of your household.  Currently, your “shared social distance bubble” includes all individuals that any member of your child and your entire family interacts with.

Daily Health Check of Children, Attending Parents & Staff

All children, attending parents and staff are required to be screened daily, at home before coming to school, for any observable symptoms, including cough / respiratory distress and a record a temperature below 37.5 degrees on informally or on a Daily Health Check Form if required. Students will give the form to the teacher who will verify with a second visual health check upon arrival.

Students & Staff

- Perform proper hand hygiene (wash with soap & water for 20 seconds, dry well)           

If Parent is entering/remaining/participating at school

- Perform proper hand hygiene (wash with soap & water for 20 seconds, dry well)

- Confirm have checked own temperature at home before coming to school

- Disinfect thermometer before and after use

- Staff will sign Daily Health Check Form

Arrival of Staff:

- Staff will arrive at least 30 minutes before scheduled class time

- Wear “inside shoes” indoors

- Place items down, wash hands

- Clean the area that you left your belongings on

Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

If recommended by the Health Department, non-medical masks may be worn by all students at school, except when eating. Non-medical masks are recommended in situations where a person cannot maintain physical distance for extended periods of time and is in close proximity with a person outside of their regular contacts or class grouping. PPE will be enhanced by plexiglass barriers at desks. Parents and caregivers of children who are considered at higher risk of severe illness due to respiratory illnesses, COVID varients or who are immunocompromised, are encouraged to consult with their health care provider to determine their child’s level of risk and what is recommended.

Provision of Care during Staff Illness

As staff are required to stay home for 10 days when exhibiting illness symptoms until they have received a doctor’s clearance to return or a negative test results.  This presents significant limitations to school operations in the event of staff illness.  Without teachers, there can be no school. If a teacher is required to stay at home due to illness symptoms of COVID or otherwise, it is possible that the individual staff member, class or the entire school, may close temporarily as a precaution to control community spread. Pandemic measures require us to respond rapidly and take action proactively, even in the situation where we may be initially unsure if illness symptoms are COVID-related or not. Testing and acquiring results can take some time and can cause delays in taking the safest response, so NAS will err on the side of caution at all times by immediately notifying families and recommend isolation protocol for 14 days, or until which time we have adequate information and medical clearance to return to the current school class routines and schedules. We will be closely following provincial and local health department guidelines if COVID-19 is detected among staff, parents or students of the Ark. Depending on the circumstances, Virtual School may be in place during this period.

Illness, Attendance, Exposure & Travel Exposure – You MUST notify us‼

Children may not attend school programs if they exhibit any symptoms of illness or fever. Immediately email the school with a list of symptoms presented. Parents must keep their child at home until they have been assessed by a health care provider to exclude COVID-19 or other infectious diseases, and their symptoms have completely resolved.  All staff and students who have symptoms of COVID-19 or have travelled outside Canada in the last 14 days must stay home and self-isolate in accordance with guidance from the BC Centre for Disease Control.

Parents must email teachers if they, or anyone in their home, will travel or has travelled, outside BC. Self-isolation must be followed for those who are considered a close contact of a confirmed case outside the school community and notice must be immediately emailed to the school.

As such, it is critical for parents to think through how they will work from home/care for children who are required to stay home until they are symptom free, or if we are required to close due to symptoms exhibited by staff or community contagion exposure.  Pandemic health & wellness protocols will remain in place indefinitely, or until we receive revised health department clearance.  We expect families of any child attending the Ark to responsibly remain vigilant regarding all individuals residing in the household regarding the care and taking of all precautions possible to strictly limit exposure to COVID. 

Restricted Access to Physical School Space

Parents and caregivers must remain outside of the school to drop off their children at the exterior entry door designated for your child’s class. Parents may not enter the elementary space without clearance and will text, email or call instead of visiting the school. Scheduled entrance access must be organized directly with your child’s teachers. Parent-Teacher Conferences/meetings with staff will be held remotely.

Visitors entering the school will be prioritized to those supporting activities that are of benefit to student learning and wellbeing. All visitors will confirm completion of the Daily Health Check before entering. Documentation of date, name and contact information for all visitors who enter the school shall be kept.

Little Ones Working on Separation

Teachers must physically distance from parents and cannot take a child from the parent in terms of separation and transition-to-school challenges.  If you anticipate a difficult drop off transition, please discuss this with your teacher so you can share aligned expectations and separation strategies.

School Arrival and Departure

Not early or late. Arrive exactly on time. Line up at the orange cone(s), which teachers will have marked as the start of the socially-distancing line up for pick up. Please continue to observe social distancing expectations as you wait for a teacher to dismiss your child to you.

INSIDE DROP OFF:

1. Hang up your child’s belongings at the cubby. Remember to keep a 2 meter distance from others in the hallway /entrance area.

2. Your child will take off their outside shoes and place them in their cubby shoe bin.

3. Line up in front of the classroom door, waiting on the marked appropriate physical distancing line until a teacher can help you.

4. Use your own hand sanitizer for yourself and your child while in line.

5. The teacher will ask for the Daily Health Check Form. She may ask you some health questions.

6. Say goodbye to your child and have your child join the teacher.

7. Once inside, your child will wash their hands.

OUTSIDE DROP OFF:

1. Please line up at the cones, which teachers will have marked as the start of the physically-distanced line up. Please continue to observe social distancing expectations as you wait for a teacher to help you.

2. A sign-in area will be designated. This may be a picnic table, or a small step stool.

3. After using the pen, use hand sanitizer. Use the hand sanitizer for both you and your child.

4. The teacher will ask for the Daily Health Check Form. She may ask you some health questions.

5. Say goodbye to your child, and have your child go to their designated island as directed by the teacher.

6. Parent may now leave.

Health Authority Cleaning & Sanitization Guidelines

Classrooms, including all accessible materials, will be disinfected twice per day when used full day or in-between groups, when the classroom is shared throughout the day.  Disinfection will be completed using health authority approved methods and products, including electrostatic spray disinfection.  We respect that some families prefer us not to use these, and feel they are “unnatural” cleaning products.  Unfortunately, these are the designated options available for disinfection under the present circumstances.

Hygiene

Hand-washing hygiene will be practiced upon arrival to school and before children go home, before and after eating, after toileting, after sneezing/coughing into elbows or tissue, face-touching, whenever hands are visibly dirty and when moving between different learning environments (e.g., outdoor-indoor transitions, from the gym to the classroom). If a sink is not available, alcohol-based hand sanitizer will be used. Each child must have their own personal, clearly-labelled bottle of hand sanitizer available and disinfectant wipes to keep at school and on field excursions. Antiseptic agents are to be used as a last line of defense only. Students and staff will be reminded not to touch their faces. 

Using the Toilet & Potty Training

-  Teach your child how to use the toilet in a sanitary way, making sure the toilet seat is lifted and that no pee gets on the toilet seat. If it does, teach your child how to be responsible to wipe it up with some toilet paper.

- Teach your child how to independently wipe their bottom.

-  Teach your child how to properly wash their hands after toileting.

-  If your child is not completely potty-trained, please try very hard to finish training before school commences. Ensure your child goes to the bathroom and completely voids before coming to school. Preschool teachers will attend to number 2 and heavily soiled diapers only. Ensure pull-ups/wipes are provided to the school in a large baggie, labelled with your child’s name. Continue to work on transitioning to complete potty training. 

Lunch

-  Each child will have a personal placemat to use for eating

-  Please send all lunch/snack items in a paper, plastic bag or container that can be INDEPENDENTLY opened.  Morning snack, lunches and afternoon snack are in their own labelled (not name, but as ‘snack’) bags, so that children are not unpacking multiple items.  All uneaten food will go back in the lunch bag for home.  

-  There will be no use of the microwave. Use thermal containers is needed. Plan lunches accordingly.  For those looking for a “freezing” option for their lunch, we suggest using frozen yogurt tubes, packed with Fisker scissors to cut open.

- Pack your child’s metal utensils, ½ of paper towel and a pack of diaper/wet wipes each day.

-  Labelled water bottle that can be independently opened.

- Teach your child that food is not to be shared by students.

- Special birthday snack brought from home is not permitted until further notice.

MORNING/ AFTERNOON STUDENTS: 

In backpack: snack, water bottle, 1 change of clothing in a ziplock bag. Should be wearing BASEBALL HAT with face shield and water-shoes (such as natives) or similar. Please ONLY send muddy buddies if raining or forecast is for rain. Include one small towel. Your child must be able to carry their backpack.

EXTENDED DAY STUDENTS (OFFSITE DAY):

In backpack: snack, lunch, water bottle, 1 change of clothing in a ziplock bag. Should be wearing BASEBALL HAT with face shield and water-shoes (such as natives) or similar. Please ONLY send muddy buddies if raining or forecast is for rain. Include one small towel. Your child must be able to carry their backpack.

Sunscreen

In order to reduce possible spread of illness, parents must apply sunscreen to their child before arrival to school. A bottle of spray sunscreen brought from home, labelled clearly with your child’s name, will be kept at school for the teachers to assist with re-application.  If your child requires a type of sunscreen due to allergy, only available in cream form, staff may assist with the application using gloves. Please note that an allergy is not the same as a personal preference, and a doctor’s note with medical confirmation will be required to use it.  A sunscreen medical form, complete with pharmacy sticker, will be brought by parents; please print, sign and send this with your child on their first day of attendance.  Children cannot return to school without an authorized signed sunscreen permission form. This form can be found on our school website.