Our Lady of Lourdes’ reopening plan includes extensive measures to reduce the risk of students or staff contracting the coronavirus and accommodations for members of the school community who cannot or choose not to participate on campus. Flexibility is built into the plan so that staff and families can efficiently and effectively shift to full distance learning if required due to individual or collective local health conditions.
Our Lady of Lourdes stands committed to the mission of providing a strong faith-based education to all our students. The spiritual development of the student is the primary purpose of Catholic education and within that framework we present a rigorous academic program to enable students to be knowledgeable, responsible, good citizens who serve their school, parish, and the larger community. In this time of pandemic we strive to continue to fulfill our mission and renew our commitment to our faith through the development of plans that will protect and support the students, teachers, staff, and families within our community. In accordance with our mission statement, we accept the challenge to reflect the mandate given to us by the Church to teach and live the Word of God.
I. Reopening Plan Options
A. September Opening Procedures
- Orientation sessions on September 1 - September 4. These include picking up student materials from school, opportunities to meet and greet your homeroom teachers, and a time to socialize outside for students and families. Sessions will be organized by grade and everyone will be required to wear a mask and keep physical distance. (If a family cannot attend, virtual options for meeting the teacher will be available.) See the schedule by clicking on the button below.
- September 8 & 9: Students in Preschool (3’s & 4’s) through 4th grade will be on campus for classes. Students in grades 5 through 8 will have online sessions.
- September 10 & 11: Students in 5th through 8th grades will be on campus for classes. Students in Preschool through 4th grade will have online sessions.
- The blended learning plan will begin as described below starting the week of 9/14.
- Schedules will be posted to include all classes meeting via Zoom. Teachers will set classroom expectations, instruct on technology use, and go over general requirements and answer questions. See the Virtual Learning Guide Section under VI, heading B, at the end of this document for more information about our plans for virtual learning. Click below for current class schedule information.
B. Option #1 - Blended: In-person & Online Instruction
- All students in Preschool through 8th grade will attend on campus classes for in-person learning 3 days of the week, Tuesday through Thursday.
- All students in Preschool through 8th grade will attend virtual synchronous lessons and small group work on the 2 days of virtual learning, Monday and Friday. These lessons will also contain asynchronous work for the students consisting of recorded lessons for review or introducing a new topic; independent work, research, and reading; completing assignments and working on projects; and other assigned tasks that will need to be scheduled at home in the student’s own time.
- On the virtual instruction days, students will have a schedule of synchronous and asynchronous lessons and activities planned for each day. Attendance will be taken at live classroom lessons. Students that can not attend class must have a parent note.
- During on campus learning days, the focus will be on academic as well as spiritual, emotional, and social growth. Much of the school day will be conducted outside. In this way we hope to limit the time wearing masks, keep a safe distance in a well ventilated space, and allow the students to enjoy the benefits of being back to school with their peers. We will work with Fr. Rob and Fr. James to include opportunities for confession, prayer, and attending Mass.
C. Option #2 - Online Only Instruction
- Students will participate in online learning with their classmates from the blended learning option. There will be opportunities for synchronous learning and social interactions with classmates on campus. We will use classroom technology to offer synchronous group activities.
- The resource team of educators will be helping to support the subject teacher and the student in connecting over missed on campus instruction.
- Students will be supplied with school materials including textbooks and manipulatives as needed for learning at home.
- Teachers will give daily assignments; paper and pen, as well as online activities; learning videos; and planned classroom time for whole group interactions and instruction.
- Students will turn in assignments using platforms such as Google Classroom and SeeSaw.
- Teachers will create opportunities to include distance learning students in small groups and whole class activities.
- Teachers will send home a weekly preview of the topics and assignments so that families can plan accordingly.
D. Submitting Family Choice
- Each family will be required to choose one of the reopening models for their child(ren) by August 14th. A Google Form will be sent out to all families.
- Families choosing the online only instruction will be committed to this option until at least October 30 (end of 1st quarter).
- If there is a circumstance in which a family decides to move from blended to online learning they will continue with online learning until October 30.
II. Reopening Calendar
(Please note that some of these are subject to change IF restrictions and guidelines change throughout the school year.)
August/ September:
- 8/24 - 8/28: Teachers on campus for professional development that will involve health and safety training, technology instruction, preparation and planning, general faculty and staff meetings, etc.
- 9/1 - 9/3: In-person orientation sessions for students across all grade levels will be available and encouraged. Students will attend orientation sessions in small, staggered groups. Students in grades 2 through 8 will be assigned times to take the Performance Series Express Standardized Test (see more information below under Academics).
- 9/7: Labor Day- No School
- 9/8 – 9/11: Blended learning curriculum includes 2 days on campus and 2 days online
- 9/14 – 9/18: Regular schedule for Online and Blended learning (3 days on campus Tues-Thur./2 days online Mon & Fri.) begins.
- See Arrival & Dismissal section for specifics on school arrival/ dismissal times and procedures.
III. Health & Safety
A. Daily Procedures
- Every student will have his/her temperature scanned each morning. If a student’s temperature is above 100.4, the student is not permitted to come into school.
- Students stay in the same grade level cohort during the day.
- Students will remain in the same classroom all day except for outdoor play/instruction and restroom usage; they will not move to any special classes; rather, the teacher will move to them.
- Student desks will be 6 feet apart from one another.
- Open windows and fans to keep fresh air circulating in classrooms
- Students’ belongings will be separated from others’ belongings.
- Middle school students will not use lockers.
- Minimal to no traffic in the halls
- Signs will be posted to identify physical distance in common spaces
- All students will be required to wear masks at all times when in the school building.
- Teachers and students will take frequent breaks to go outside for learning and play, when physical distance is available students will be able to remove their masks.
- Teachers will provide breaks from masks for students when they can be at least 6 feet apart. (optional)
- We will work with students to help them as they learn to wear masks, but all students are required to wear masks during the school day.
- Cloth masks should be washed each night. Paper masks should be worn and thrown away after school.
- Students are asked to wear a mask and bring one extra mask in their bag. If a student needs an additional mask we will have them available at school.
- Teachers will wear masks at all times when in the school building, unless they are teaching students from at least 6 feet away; in this case, teachers may wear a plastic shield for a limited time.
- Hand sanitizer will be available in every classroom (K-8)/office and outside each restroom.
- Student groups will be assigned to specific bathrooms in their classroom area. Bathrooms will be cleaned before and after every scheduled group break by our teachers and staff and throughout the day by our maintenance staff.
- Surfaces, doorknobs, and other high-touch areas will be sanitized multiple times per day.
- Sharing of materials/objects will be minimized. The basic student supplies will be available in the classroom. Parents will receive a short list of items to purchase for their student (bookbag, lunch box, binder), but the majority of supplies will be purchased in bulk to have available for student use in the building. Parents will want to make sure to have school supplies at home for distance learning and if we need to move the whole school to virtual instruction. (lists will be forthcoming August 17)
- At the end of the day after all faculty, staff, and students have exited the building, the maintenance staff will use a disinfectant sprayer/fogger machine throughout the entire school building.
- Water fountain usage will not be available; students must bring full water bottles from home.
- No hot lunch will be served.
- No milk will be offered during September. (we will reevaluate in October)
- There will be no extended day program in September (before/aftercare). There has not been a determination on the extended day program in October. There will not be before school care.
B. COVID Isolation Location
- The front lobby room with doors and a bathroom is identified as an isolation room in case there is a student on campus who is showing symptoms of COVID-19.
C. COVID Procedures
- If there is a student, teacher, or family member who is diagnosed with COVID-19, we will respond immediately by contacting the Archdiocese of Washington, The Health Department; and Office of Childcare, we will proceed based on the directions of the Health department.
- Staff, students, and parents will be educated on COVID procedures to reduce the risk in our school community. Completion of the required pandemic awareness training appropriate for student age.
- Core staff will be trained to respond to a COVID case at school.
D. Health Room
- The health room will contain a Sick and COVID log to track all illnesses.
- Health room will contain all PPE and additional supplies.
- Extra masks, soap, and ample hand sanitizer will be ready for staff and student use.
IV. Arrival/Dismissal & Lunch
- Lourdes students will arrive and depart in three bands and enter the building at three different sites based on grade, allowing for less student bunching and daily wellness and temperature screening for students and staff.
- Staggered arrival will start at 7:45 and dismissals will begin at 2:55. See the schedule below:
7:55 arrival & 2:55 dismissal: Last names starting with H- O
8:05 arrival & 3:05 dismissal: Last names starting with P- Z
- No hot lunch will be offered at this time.
- All students will need to bring their own lunch to school. Students can use a lunch box or brown bag.
- All students should have a full water bottle for the day. Students should also bring juice or water for lunch. There will not be milk available for the start of the year.
- Students will eat with their teacher and their cohort either in their classroom or in an outdoor assigned space. Please make sure students have all the utensils and supplies necessary to eat their lunch.
V. Academics
A. Scantron Testing - Grades 2 - 8
- Fall testing will take place in the Library Media Center and Discovery Center during orientation week. Parents will receive a schedule of testing dates and times.
- Students will take the Performance Series Express in Math and Reading. This is a 25-question version of Scantron’s Performance Series computer adaptive diagnostic assessment that still provides the same reports and measurements.
- Testing rooms will be set up to give students physical distance and proper ventilation so that they can remove their masks during testing.
- This test will continue through our Winter and Spring testing windows as well.
B. Blended Learning Guidelines
- Utilizing a cohort model - By adapting building use, teaching assignments and instructional groupings, we are able to place each grade in a room that accommodates recommended space requirements. Teachers will rotate to cohort rooms in most grades. The master schedule has been adjusted so that very small numbers of students are ever in the hallways.
- Longer blocks and fewer subjects - Students will have long blocks of their core subjects - Reading, Math, and Religion. Because of our commitment to minimizing risk, and the challenges associated with moving children through common learning spaces (art room, Spanish, Discovery Center, music room, library), students’ schedules will gradually phase in these special classes as safety requirements allow. In September, our Specials teachers will be assigned to individual cohort groups to assist the teacher.
- Making arrangements for outdoor learning, frequent breaks and outdoor lunches - There are plans to use our deck and field to arrange for outdoor discussion circles. Teachers will share these spaces for outdoor classes, learning breaks, and eating outdoors. Impacted staff will shift roles.
- Uniforms - for the first quarter of school all students in blended or virtual learning options will wear the PE uniform. We will not utilize the Fall uniform (shorts, skorts, polos). PE uniforms are available for purchase in our school store and pick up during Orientation Week. Click HERE to buy uniforms.
C. Virtual Learning Guidelines (all students blended and fully online options)
- General guidelines for student online learning each day from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards:
- Elementary grades, preschool through grade 5: 1-2 hours online each day
- Middle school grades 6 -8: 2-3 hours online each day
- 1 hour outside each day for recreation and physical movement
- Each school day will consist of synchronous and asynchronous learning:
- Synchronous learning: existing or occurring at the same time; teaching while in Zoom, whole group, teams, etc; two-way communication and interaction; collaboration and brainstorming with peers.
- Asynchronous learning: not existing or happening at the same time; assignments done before or after the meeting time; one-way communication where feedback can be provided after the fact or no feedback is given.
- In addition to the live work with teachers, students will be responsible for independent work (asynchronous) each day in assigned subject areas. This is part of their scheduled learning day.
- The blended learning model includes 2 all virtual days. These days will include morning meeting and homeroom activities via Zoom, math and ELA classes via Zoom for all students in K-8, small group activities, teacher office hours, and time to work on projects, assignments, and independent reading.
- Students in the all virtual learning model will be part of the Monday & Friday all-school virtual days. These students will have assignments to work on T-Th, including synchronous opportunities to be part of the classroom activities via Zoom (pending classroom tests and planning) and asynchronous assignments including recorded videos, textbook activities, online platform activities so that teachers can have real-time data from students, group work, independent projects, and more. We will have another assigned teacher to help maintain a home and school connection for students taking part in the all virtual model.
- Students in both learning options will participate in learning platforms, communicate through shared online tools, and meet as whole classes in live Zoom meetings.
- Parents and students will identify and familiarize themselves with the OLOL online learning platforms.
- Students need a space in the home where distractions can be minimized and students have space for their device, headphones/earbuds, a textbook or workbook, paper/pencil, etc.
- Students should wear their PE uniform to synchronous classes and school related meetings via Zoom. For the first quarter of school students do not need to purchase or wear the Fall uniform (shorts, skorts, polos). PE uniforms are available for order now and pick up will be during orientation dates. Click HERE to buy uniforms.
- Attendance will be taken in each class and parents will need to notify the teacher of a student's absence from class. Repeated absences affect student performance and will be reflected in a student's grades and meeting grade level standards.
- All families will have access to Plus Portals. This is our school management system for communication, grading, attendance records, school directory, school calendar, and student assignments.
- Students in grades 3 through 8 will use Google Classroom to turn in assignments, receive feedback from teachers, see graded work, participate in group discussions, and more.
- Students in grades 1 through 8 have a Google account and they can utilize Google Suite of products such as documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. Students in grades 3 through 8 will use this as their primary productivity tool. This is where most documents will be created and Google Classroom is where they would be turned in.
- All students will use SeeSaw, with a stronger focus on lower grades. It is a virtual portfolio that allows for simple uploads of voice recordings, written assignments, images, and videos. Teachers can provide students with feedback and work can be edited and resubmitted.
- Students in grades 3-8 use IXL for Math and ELA. Students in grades 5-8 also have Social Studies in IXL.
- Students in grades 4-8 will have access to Freckle for additional math practice
- Students in grades K - 3 will use Happy Numbers for math. Students in grades 4 & 5 will also have access to this tool for practice activities and reinforcement.
- Students in 1 -3 use Kids A to Z for reading. Students practice active reading strategies as they listen to eBooks being read out loud, record themselves reading out loud, and complete comprehension questions after reading each story.
- In the next few weeks there will be videos and documents shared with families to help prepare students and parents for using online platforms.
D. Grading
- OLOL will follow the established ADW report card (gr. 4-8), grading scale, and standards based report cards (PreK-3).
VI. Attendance
A. Absences
- Students will adhere to the Parent/Student Handbook handbook for all attendance and homework policies.
- School Administrators will keep track of student attendance through Rediker on days that students attend school in person.
- Teachers will note which students participate in any online learning classes and report this to the school office for consideration and possible inclusion in Rediker.
- If a student who is learning from home is unable to attend an online class due to technology issues, an email from a parent or guardian is required.
- We intend to help all families maximize their ability to have their children participate in distance learning by offering a daily schedule so parents can be prepared well-before any distance learning commences.
B. Tardiness
- School arrival will be staggered to facilitate quick safety checks before entering the building.
- Please be on time for your scheduled arrival block. If a parent finds that they will arrive at school after 8:15 am, the parent must call or email the front office to advise the school of tardiness. The front office will direct parents to the appropriate door to enter the building, take the child’s temperature and log into the log book.
C. Leaving the building
- If parents need to schedule appointments for their child, please consider using Monday or Friday, or after dismissal. If a student leaves the building for an appointment during the school day they may not return until the next school day.
D. Visitors Policy
- Parents, visitors, and volunteers will not be permitted in the building without the principal’s permission.
- Anyone who is scheduled to enter the building must wear a mask and have their temperature checked at the front desk.
VII. Requirements
A. Health Record
- Students' health records are required to be complete before the first day of school.
- Student immunization records are required to be current and on file in the health room before the first day of school.
B. Parent/Student Handbook
- Contains school policies for all students and families.
- This year’s handbook will also contain a COVID-19 Addendum.
- Each family will be asked to sign an online form acknowledging that they have read the handbook and shared the information with their child(ren) as age appropriate.