Frequently Asked Questions for School Reentry

Parent Guide

Somers Intermediate School

August 19, 2020

Schools are an important part of the infrastructure of communities

and play a critical role in supporting the whole child, not just their academic

achievement. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, school protocols have been

adjusted to protect the health, safety, and wellbeing of students, teachers,

other school staff, their families, and communities and prepare for

educating students this fall. Although, protocols are different and less

convenient than in the past, they are necessary.

Please find our most current information and plans for the upcoming

school year below. Information and plans are subject to change based on

guidelines from Governor Cuomo’s office, the State Education Department

and the Department of Health.

Transportation and Buses

School arrival will begin at 8:45 AM in a staggered process. The instructional day

will begin promptly at 9:00 AM. School dismissal will begin at 2:35 PM. Buses will

depart at 2:45 PM. Parent pick-up will follow bus departure to help reduce

congestion on the SIS/SMS campus.

Bus schedules will be shared from the transportation department. If your child

will be taking the bus to an alternate location, please complete and submit the

Alternate Address/Day Care Form, promptly.

Students who take the bus:

will adhere to social distancing protocols by sitting 1 per seat, with siblings

sitting together

will wear protective masks while riding to and from school (if a student

forgets a mask one will be provided)

playdates and the riding of other buses will be prohibited to ensure every

child has a socially distanced seat

Students will exit buses in a staggered manner and enter SIS through

various entry points

Students who are dropped off at SIS:

Student drop-off will be located at the upper parking lot doors

Students may not be dropped off early to wait in the cafeteria or the office,

as space is unavailable, and we cannot provide social distancing

At dismissal time, parents may plan and can have another family pick-up

their child. This must be indicated in School Dismissal Manager.

Attendance

Attendance will be taken daily

Students are expected to attend classes daily, whether remotely or in

person

If a student is absent from class, either in-person or remotely, the

school should be notified by phone/email

Electronic daily student health questionnaires must be completed

prior to a student arriving to school or riding the bus

Transitioning: eLearning to In-Person:

If a family chooses to have their child begin the year in eLearning, but then

decides to transition to in-person learning, the transition can take place on

November 30th or March 15th, tentatively. These dates coincide with the school

trimesters. The same transition times would apply to a family transitioning their

child from in-person learning to eLearning.

Both in-person and eLearning classes will have a designated teacher(s). If a child

transitions from one learning environment to another during the year, it would

require a change of teacher.

*Families must contact the building principals prior to the end of a trimester in

order to make a transition to or from eLearning. This will help expedite planning

and placement.

Health Protocols and Handwashing

The district will consult with the Department of Health if/when made aware of a

positive Covid 19 case within the school buildings. The Department of Health will

give further guidance regarding contact tracing and safety procedures to be

followed. The school district will not administer onsite Covid 19 testing. SCSD will

have a plan in place for the approach to testing and contact tracing prior to the

opening of school. This information will be made public to families on the district

and school websites.

In addition, the following measures will also be in place:

Touchless sanitizing stations will be located throughout the school

Handwashing will be scheduled throughout the day

Staff and students will receive training and reminders for hand hygiene

High touch, high traffic areas, including bathrooms, will be sanitized

regularly throughout the school day

Bathroom spaces will be adjusted to allow for distancing between stalls and

sinks. The number of students in the bathroom at one time will be limited

and monitored by staff members. Floor markers will be used to socially

distance students waiting to use the bathroom.

Classrooms will be cleaned and sanitized and the end of the school day

Masks

Students and school personnel will be required to wear masks to and from school.

A mask will be provided to a student prior to boarding the bus or entering the

building if he/she does not have one. Masks must cover the nose and mouth.

Basic surgical style masks are encouraged as they appropriately cover the nose

and mouth and stay in place on the face. Masks will be worn throughout the

school day. Currently, according to CDC guidelines face shields must be worn with

a mask underneath. Additional PPE barriers will be available in each classroom

for teachers who need to provide specific types of instruction to individuals or

small groups of students.

Scheduled mask breaks will be incorporated into the school day utilizing

outdoor spaces

We will utilize outdoor spaces to the extent possible, weather permitting

Masks will be worn during the daily recess periods

Masks must be worn during Phys. Ed. Class if students are participating at 6

feet apart or less. Students will be placed at 12 feet apart when

participating in more strenuous activity and in the event masks need to be

removed.

Food Services

Students will be able to purchase both breakfast and lunch at SIS.

Students will be able to:

Order lunch in their classroom in the morning and individually packaged

lunches will be delivered to the classroom at the appropriate time

A choice of one hot option and two cold options will be available daily

Choice of milk type or purchase of water bottle will be available, but no

snacks or additional items may be purchased

All payments will be cashless, students can use “My School Bucks” or send a

check or cash to SIS for their lunch accounts. Checks can be made payable

to “Somers Intermediate Lunch Fund.” Students with remaining funds from

Primrose will have the funds transferred to the SIS account.

Breakfast will be available to purchase and pick up in the morning. Students

will bring it to their classrooms

Students may also bring a bagged lunch from home

As with any school year, all faculty and staff are aware of any allergy

concerns of students and proper measures will be taken to keep children

safe

Students will eat lunch at their desks in their classroom. Masks will be

removed to eat lunch. Students must wear masks once they are done

eating. The custodial staff will wipe all student desks after students are

done eating.

Student Supplies

Teacher supply lists will be available on the teacher’s classroom site once

placement is announced on August 26th

Student supplies should fit into a pencil box so they can be transported to

school daily in student’s backpack. This is to help expedite the daily

cleaning and sanitizing process.

There will be no shared supplies within the classroom. Supplies can be

replenished as needed.

Students will be expected to bring their IPAD and keyboard to school daily

Students should not bring toys or personal items to school

Water bottles are permitted

Masks or face coverings are required

Over the ear headphones are highly recommended

Students are permitted to have a small, personal bottle of sanitizer

Technology

All students will be provided with an IPAD with hard case, Bluetooth

keyboard, and stylus

All educational programs accessed by students will be available on the

devices

Students will be expected to bring their IPAD to school daily. There will be

a very limited number of extra devices available in the school building, so

please make sure your child has his/her device daily. Technology support

will be provided in school as well as online by our district technology

support team.

Teams will be introduced to new students in the classroom and

instructional support videos will be available. Student IPADs will be

equipped with a variety instructional tools and learning Apps the students

will use throughout the school year

Families of students in eLearning will receive information from the district

on how IPADS will be obtained

Library

Students will not be able to visit the school library but will have the

opportunity to electronic request and hold books.

The school library media specialist will provide instruction and information

to students and families on how to use the online system to request books.

Books will be delivered to students' classrooms. Students participating in

eLearning may also request books. An adult will need to come to the

school building to pick-up the books from the SIS lobby.

When books are returned, they will be quarantined before returning to

circulation.

Visitors

No visitors will be permitted inside the school. Items for drop-off can be left in the

SIS lobby.

Safety Drills

All required safety drills will be completed throughout the school year. Students

will be given instruction and direction on how to respond in each specific type of

drill. Students will not gather in proximity for drilling purposes. In the event of a

real emergency, students will follow typical procedures and report to the actual

safety spaces under the guidance of staff members.

In order to reduce the need to touch doorknobs, interior classroom doors will be

left ajar, but in the locked position.

Field Trips

Field trips will be postponed for the foreseeable future. Virtual field trips will be

integrated when available.

Parent Conferences

Parent/teacher conferences and meetings will take place virtually through ZOOM.

Teachers will contact parents with meeting dates, times and ZOOM links. All

parent/teacher communication will be done electronically, by phone, or virtually.

Open House and Building Events

Transition activities for our incoming third graders will be scheduled via

ZOOM.

A “Welcome to SIS,” video will be sent to all incoming third graders. This

video will introduce students to the building and many of the opportunities

here at SIS.

Teachers will be making a personal contact to their students by phone prior

to the opening of school, the week of September 1st.

Open House evenings will occur via ZOOM. Building events have been

postponed or will occur virtually.

eLearning

eLearning will be used for two purposes this school year. The primary purpose if

for those families choosing this option for this fall. The additional purpose is in

the event of a Covid Closure. eLearning may also be used if a class needs to be

placed in a mandatory quarantine for a period of time. eLearning will allow for

education to continue for a class in quarantine.

In the event of a school Covid-19 closure, teachers and students will be

expected to follow the eLearning schedule provided

Teachers will provide all needed textbooks, workbooks, and print materials

and well as relevant links and assignments via Microsoft TEAMS

A plan for distributing print materials and textbooks to eLearning students

is being created.

Live instructional sessions will take place via ZOOM.

eLearning schedules will be sent to all parents via email prior to the start of

school in September

eLearning schedules are grade level specific

Time is provided in eLearning schedules for whole group, small group and

individual lessons, work and check-ins with teachers

Special Education and Support Services ( AIS, ALP, OT, PT, ENL, Speech and

Language)

Special Education, support, and enrichment services will be provided to all

qualifying students whether virtually or in-person

Curriculum based assessments and formal in-class assessments will be

given in the beginning of the school year to determine student's eligibility

for services

Services may take place within an academic block, with the differentiated

DIP period. In the eLearning schedule, services may also take place during

the last period of the day.

Services may be delivered within the classroom setting or in an alternate

location with additional PPE safeguards. Some services may also be

delivered via Zoom when appropriate.

Band/ Orchestra

Students will have the opportunity to participate in instrumental music

lessons. If your child is interested, please see the information on the SIS

website.

5th grade band and orchestra will continue to receive instrument lessons.

In-coming 4th grade band members will have the option of participating in

percussion lessons.

Due to health and safety constraints, Chorus will be postponed until further

notice.

We will reevaluate instrumental and chorus ensemble opportunities as the

year progresses

Clubs and After School Activities

To provide adequate time for the buildings to be cleaned and to further

promote social distancing, SIS will not hold in-person clubs. Some clubs may

take place virtually. Schedules for these clubs will be sent out in October.

YMCA will provide service this year. Due to space constraints, the SIS YMCA

program will be housed in the Somers Middle School cafeteria. Students

will be walked to and from SIS to the program by YMCA counselors. For

more information, please contact the YMCA at (914) 276-2398.