b. Communication – Family and Community Engagement

To help inform our reopening plan, the St. Jude the Apostle School has sought feedback and input from stakeholders, including administrators, faculty, staff, parents/guardians of students, local health department officials and health care providers, and community groups. Engagement efforts included virtual and in-person meetings and one-on-one conversations.

The St. Jude the Apostle School remains committed to communicating all elements of this reopening plan to students, parents and guardians, staff and visitors. The plan is available to all stakeholders via the school website at www.stjudetheapostleschool.org and will be updated throughout the school year, as necessary, to respond to local circumstances. The link to the plan appears on the website homepage, and will also be shared through our social media accounts and SwiftK12 email. Every effort will be made to ensure that the plan is accessible to all individuals.

As part of its planning for the reopening of school and the new academic year, the St. Jude the Apostle School has developed a plan for communicating all necessary information to school staff, students, parents/guardians, visitors and education partners and vendors. The St. Jude the Apostle School will use its existing communication channels –including our website, social media accounts, and the SwiftK12 communication system– as well as appropriate signage and training opportunities to support the dissemination of consistent messaging regarding new protocols and procedures, expectations, requirements and options related to school operations throughout the pandemic.

St. Jude the Apostle School is committed to establishing and maintaining regular channels of communication and has reviewed and determined which methods have proven to be the most effective in communications with our school community. The school will rely on the use of our website and the SwiftK12 communication system to communicate news, requirements and updates related to reopening and in-person instruction, including social distancing requirements, proper wearing of face coverings and proper hand and respiratory hygiene. The information that we will share will be based on state guidance and the collective efforts of administration, faculty/staff, and the Diocesan School Office who have invested in meetings to inform the decision making process.

In support of remote learning, the St. Jude the Apostle School will make computer devices available to students, teachers and staff members where appropriate. The school will supply Chromebooks to students in grades 3-6 at no cost to the families, and families with students in Preschool through grade 2 will have the opportunity to borrow laptops from the school as needed. The school will provide students and their families with multiple ways to make contact with teachers during remote learning, including email, phone calls, text messages and messages sent through our Student Learning System platforms (SeeSaw, Google Classroom and Zoom).

St. Jude the Apostle School will use existing internal and external communications channels to notify staff, students and families/caregivers about in-person, remote and hybrid school schedules with as much advance notice as possible. Staff, students and families/caregivers will be notified about all pertinent schedules via the summer mailing, text alerts and emails, links sent via social media and the school website.

St. Jude the Apostle School is committed to ensuring that all of its students and their families are taught and re-taught new expectations related to all public health policies and protocols. As part of this continuous training, the school will assess the best approach to communicating the information for each students’ age group and will provide frequent opportunities for students to review these policies and protocols. This targeted education will help ensure that all students and their families know what is expected of them as they successfully return to the school setting. These trainings will cover:

• Hand hygiene – All individuals entering the building will be required to use hand sanitizer when granted admission through the screening process. Hand sanitizing stations will be installed in all classrooms and in shared areas throughout the building. Students will be required to wash hands before and after eating snack and lunch and whenever hands are soiled. The first 2 weeks of school will be utilized for teachers to train students on proper hand hygiene through the use of created and published videos, classroom demonstrations, and signage. All staff will be trained prior to the opening of school.
• Proper face covering procedures (how to wear and remove) –  All individuals entering the school building will be required to wear proper face covering for the duration of their time spent in the building. Students will be required to wear proper face covering when they are unable to adhere to the social distancing guidelines. Staff will be required to wear proper face covering at all times. Replacement face covering will be provided to students and staff when needed. The first 2 weeks of school will be utilized for teachers to train students on how to wear and remove proper face covering through the use of created and published videos, classroom demonstrations, and signage. All staff will be trained prior to the opening of school. Families/Caregivers will receive guidelines and procedures on proper face covering through written memos and email communications.
• Social distancing – All students, faculty, staff and visitors will be required to maintain 6 foot social distancing while entering the building. Students will be required to maintain proper social distancing when face coverings are not possible, and encouraged to maintain social distancing at all times regardless of face covering. Signage will be displayed at all entrance points and within the school building reinforcing the social distancing guidelines. All K-6 classrooms populations will be limited to ensure the 6 ft distancing guideline. All students in Preschool through sixth grade will maintain classroom cohorts to limit exposure risk. 12 foot distancing will be maintained in the gymnasium when PE and Music (singing) instruction is occurring. Socially distant spacing will be marked on floor (maximum of 30 students possible). Social distancing and PPE will be maintained during dismissal routines for both bus riding and pick-up students. The first 2 weeks of school will be utilized for teachers to train students on social distancing regulations through the use of created and published videos, classroom demonstrations, and signage. All staff will be trained prior to the opening of school. Families/Caregivers will receive guidelines and procedures on social distancing regulations through written memos and email communications.
• Respiratory hygiene – Students and staff will be trained and encouraged to use the practices of coughing/sneezing into elbows, use of tissues to cover your mouth/nose, and proper disposal of tissues. The first 2 weeks of school will be utilized for teachers to train students on proper respiratory hygiene through the use of created and published videos, classroom demonstrations, and signage. All staff will be trained prior to the opening of school. Families/Caregivers will receive guidelines and procedures on respiratory hygiene through written memos and email.
• Identifying symptoms – Students and staff will be monitored for the symptoms outlined by the NYS Department of Health throughout each school day. Signage will be displayed throughout the building and students and staff will be trained in the recognition of those symptoms with the use of videos and classroom discussions/demonstrations. Families/Caregivers will be required to notify the school office at (518) 283-0333 and/or the school nurse at [email protected] if their child develops symptoms outside of school hours. Families/Caregivers will be required to fill-out and turn-in a weekly screening form. This form will provide the information of whether the student has had a raised temperature, and if they have exhibited any of the symptoms described by the NYS Department of Health. Parents will be reminded, by text and email, to return this form each Monday. All students and staff will be screened at entrance points and admitted or denied entrance each day.

St. Jude the Apostle School will create and deploy signage throughout the school building to address public health protections surrounding COVID-19. Signage will address protocols and recommendations in the following areas:

• Proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Acceptable face coverings and requirements related to their wear
• Hand washing
• Adherence to social distancing instructions
• Symptoms/prevention of COVID-19

In addition to signage, the school will encourage all students, faculty, staff and visitors through verbal and written communication to adhere to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and DOH guidance regarding the use of PPE through additional means such as videos, classroom demonstration, mailings, emails and social media posts.

The school is committed to creating a learning environment that protects student and staff health, safety and privacy. Our school will operate under a standard procedure for addressing situations in which an individual has tested positive for COVID-19 or appears symptomatic. These procedures are outlined in the Health & Safety section of our reopening plan [www.stjudetheapostleschool.org/re-opening-plan/health-and-safety/].

The school will share with all stakeholders its protocols and safety measures regarding containment by posting our reopening plan on the school website (www.stjudetheapostleschool.org). In the event that a student or staff member is sick or symptomatic, notification to exposed individuals will occur pursuant to the state’s contact tracing protocols as implemented by the local health department. The school will not notify the wider community unless specifically directed to do so by local health officials.