Plastic Student Desks

January 26, 2021

There may still be a few tables in the room in the photo taken by Deb Gau, but the Marshall West Elementary School's classroom is still following the social evacuation rules because the school staff prepares students to return to face-to-face learning today.

Marshall — in some ways, classes won’t be much different — students will still wear masks and stay away from society.

But starting today, the pupils of Marshall Public Schools will all gather together instead of studying at home once a week.

Said Peter Thor, the principal of Westside Elementary School.

Darci Love, the principal of Thor and Park Side Elementary School, said it would be a good thing for young students to return to the classroom full-time.

Love to say.

Elementary school students at Marshall Public Schools will return to full-time face-to-face learning today. Love and Thor said that teachers and school staff use Friday and Monday as preparation days for the transition, but many of the strategies that Park Side and West Side will follow are a continuation of what the school has already done.

Love said that he is concerned about the health and safety of the school. She said that in addition, the school district's parents and family members are very supportive.

Regional school districts each have different plans to help ensure the safety of students and school staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although some regions currently have face-to-face learning, others are in a blended learning mode or are experiencing

Bring students back gradually.

MPS Dean Jeremy Williams said that as the Marshall District develops a plan to bring middle and high school students back to face-to-face learning, this plan will need to include a rolling start.

MPS started the school year in a blended learning mode, where students spend one or two days a week studying at home. However, as the number of COVID-19 cases among community and school staff fluctuates, this pattern has changed. Students participate in distance learning in November and gradually return to blended learning in January.

Love and Thor said this is particularly useful for young MPS students returning to the classroom full-time.

With classmates and teachers, Sol said. Only 80% of the students are in the West End at a time, which means that students may only see some classmates on certain days.

Thor said that asking teachers to bring all students back to the classroom is also a good thing for teachers. When certain classes are doing distance learning every day, it means doing other planning and teaching with these students.

Classrooms in Park Side and West Side will still follow the rules of social evacuation, with tables spread out and plastic partitions on the tables. MDH's new guidelines allow students to be 3 feet apart instead of 6 feet, but Love and Thor said they are still cautious about distances.

Thor said. Similar to the beginning of this year, the classroom space is carefully used to distribute student desks.

Thor said that the Western District will not use the cafeteria, and will allocate different student groups to different places in the playground to limit contact between student groups. Sol said that even in physical education, students will need to wear masks-which may be one of the larger adjustments students must make.

When students return to the classroom today, the way they ride the school bus will be different. Thor said the children will be allocated seats, and some vents and windows on the bus will open one to two inches to provide additional ventilation.

Love said that students near the park will also allocate seats on the school bus and increase ventilation. In Park Side (Park Side), courses will continue to be open only to students in other categories. Love said that at lunchtime and during breaks, classes will be organized into groups.

The West District and the Park District will continue to clean high-contact surfaces regularly, and students will still be taught hand washing and good hygiene.

This year, school districts in different regions have different learning plans, depending on the number of students in each school, the space available and the number of COVID-19. Currently, certain school districts provide face-to-face learning for all students, including Lakeview, Lynd and Ivanhoe.

Minnesota Governor Dan Dieter said that in Minnesota, students from kindergarten to sixth grade returned to school on December 9 after a period of distance learning. At the same time, students in grades 7-12 have gradually returned to face-to-face classes, and students in grades 7-9 and 10-12 take turns to attend classes.

Dayt said. Years 7-9 resumed full-time school last week, and grades 10-12 will resume full-time school starting on February 1.

Dayt said.

Principal David Marlette said that in Russell-Tyler-Ruthton, older students are going to school in a mixed mode, with one third of students studying at home every day . But since the beginning of this year, students from kindergarten to fifth grade have been in full-time classes.

Ma Lin said that private interaction with teachers and classmates is particularly important for young students.

He says.

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My shoes and glasses, as well as my school keys and documents, are in the plastic trash can in the garage. My reusable lunch bag has been replaced by a disposable kraft paper bag. I wear the community pendant for more than 30 years and sit on my dressing table next to my unworn watch. I entered the back door of the house and continued two steps forward, directly to the basement, where I took off, washed my hands and face in the fixed bathtub, and then went back upstairs to take a shower. This is the end of a new day in my life. I am a teacher in the COVID-19 era.

Since our school closed on March 16, 2020, my school administration team has been working hard to develop a reopening plan for our students and staff. The health and safety of everyone is the driving force behind the plan, so unless we are as safe as possible, we will not reopen. The entire building has been disinfected, atomized and ozone treated. Fast forward to the 2020-2021 school year-no one needs temperature and symptom checks every time they enter the building. Masks are not transferable. Each teacher is equipped with gloves, rags and a bottle of detergent on each surface after each class. The tables have been replaced by tables that must face the same direction; all extra furniture and personal touches have been stored.

Returning to school requires approval of a 30-page plan, which has been submitted to our local health department. It includes procedures and procedures for screening, cleaning, movement of the entire building, catering services, ventilation, physical evacuation, exposure or positive testing.

Our school information system has developed a daily symptom checker and contact tracking report in case of contact. We have a special COVID-19 phone number to report symptoms, exposure and positive test results, which must then be reported to the local health department. Every adult has received training on cleaning protocols, and every student has received training on what the "new school" looks like.

According to the law, we must provide 100% virtual teaching options, and about one-third of families choose this method. The remaining students are divided into two queues according to their last names. Our 1,000 buildings in Xixitling are usually very quiet and can only accommodate 250 people at a time. Each teacher teaches three times in each part of the class: AK in the same class, LZ in the same class and virtual peers.

When students enter the classroom, they wash their hands or use hand sanitizer every time. Industrial fans hum to maintain air circulation. Colored tape covers the floor and helps physical distance. Stagger the time of class/get out of class to limit the number of people in the corridor at a time.

Every student comes to our building twice a week, and the first half of the class is longer than usual. A few days ago, they went to school elsewhere, hoping to be at home, sometimes virtually connected, and sometimes working independently. Office hours are reserved in the afternoon and late Friday for students who need additional guidance or assistance. On Fridays, there is also time for staff meetings and teacher planning.

I have learned more about Zoom than ever before: how to create a video of a presentation video in an empty classroom, and how to use a cumbersome smart board that can only be used when it feels right. I am exploring available online resources and evaluating content that may be helpful to my students. Each of my classes has a chat room where students can ask questions and help each other, just like when we can be together.

COVID-19 is still very

: The positive rate in my area is four times the acceptable level. We must be ready to switch to 100% virtual teaching for the entire school. This means finding a space that can be enlarged, keeping all the teaching materials at home, and maybe there are many other things I haven't thought of yet.

Teaching in this way is definitely more difficult. I like the interaction and vitality in the classroom. I like being able to read the faces of students to see if what we are doing makes sense. I hope to be able to answer questions in real time. I like to be able to use all my classroom "toys" and apply theory to practice. Since the weekly contact time is limited to one hour-and the distance is at least 6 feet away, there is almost no other time except for speech 

And hope to understand.

Also, I check the mental health of everyone. The month after month that I refuse to call the "new normal" has caused social and emotional losses, which is especially difficult for young people. Although adults miss daily activities and routine activities, including some very important activities and routine activities, we have more coping skills than children and adolescents. I watched my students mourn the so many passing ceremonies brought by high school-activities and events that couldn't be completed virtually.

Yes, we will still have a "spiritual week", but there will not be any gatherings to see which teacher/administrator will get new compliments for the student fundraising event. Graduation is likely to become a movie-style movie again, and every family watches pre-recorded videos of honors and good wishes in the car, because the staff wearing masks and gloves will provide tight diplomas.

Throughout the school year, I found myself wondering how I would respond if I was exposed to the virus and forced to quarantine. Will I blame me? Will I waste energy trying to figure out "who did this to me", or will I accept the quarantine zone to remember that this is to ensure people's safety and health? I don't know, hope I don't know.

I also want to know that I am infected! Even with all the safety procedures in place, there are only a few hundred people a day, which makes my risk of contracting COVID-19 higher than average. There are many horror stories about the impact of this disease on the human body and spirit, and many general unknowns about this disease and its long-term effects. That is not a comfortable living space for me.

Good-hearted people told me that I need to believe in God. easy to say, hard to do. But with a face mask and mask, gloves and a bottle of detergent, and the risks of exposure and illness, I returned to the classroom. I go back every day because I am a teacher. I am a teacher who happens to be in the COVID-19 era.

[Jane Marie Bradish is a member of the sisters of St. Francis School in Milwaukee. Her department has been receiving secondary education. Currently, she teaches theology and is an academic programmer at a large urban multicultural high school. ]

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Roanoke, Virginia (WDBJ)-This week in Roanoke, thousands of middle school and high school students returned to the classroom for the first time in months.

Officials say this is part of the reopening plan for the third quarter, and it is progressing well so far. According to the plan, it is hoped that middle school students who go to middle school can return to class two days a week, Monday to Tuesday or Wednesday to Thursday. The school district stated that it has been able to maintain a six-foot social distancing and installed plastic protective panels around student desks.

Data released at the school board budget seminar on Tuesday night showed that just over 1,800 high school students chose to return to class, about half of the number of students. The rest remain virtual.

At the last minute, about 300 students switched from face-to-face learning to virtual learning. Officials speculate that this is due to the increase in COVID cases in the region, but there is no hard data to support it.

A few students switched to another way.

William Fleming High School principal Archie Freeman said: "This situation changes every day because some people are still looking for what is best for them."

The return of more students face to face requires the transfer of teachers from the area and the redesign of bus routes. Chris Perkins said that since January 22, Durham School Services, which is responsible for transportation in the area, has "performed nearly 600 bus replacements." Perkins is the chief operating officer of the region.

But as the students return, some staff are moving away. Currently, 123 staff members have been provided accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

"90 is a teacher. In the second nine weeks, there were 12 more." Perkins said.

Perkins said that 207 workers have taken protective measures under the Family First Coronavirus Response Act, which requires employers to provide accommodation during the pandemic, such as emergency paid sick leave.

At the meeting on Tuesday, regional leaders said that they are also looking forward to this summer, preparing multiple programs, including summer schools, to help lagging students.

"We have to deal with the loss of learning," Archie Freeman said.

As more and more RCPS students and staff test positive for the virus, the academic burden is heavy.

In the past two days, the school district has reported that 16 students and 12 faculty and staff have tested positive.

The principal, Roberto Cantu, put on a plastic face mask and greeted students when he jumped off a bus at Poplar Bridge Elementary School in Bloomington on Tuesday morning. Each student carries a backpack full of items, including tablets, art supplies and books, which were used for their home study.

Cantu said: "It's just like our fourth day of school." He was referring to the school's switching between distance learning, blended learning and current face-to-face learning so far this school year.

Tuesday was the first step in bringing many elementary school students back to school buildings in Minnesota. In addition to Bloomington, this week also welcomes kindergarten and first- and second-graders from various regions, including Anoka-Hennepin, Osseo, Southern Washington County, Elk River, Robbinsdale, and Wayzata. February.

Such a large number of schools is a major shift in the state, and the state's decision to transfer between distance learning, blended learning and face-to-face learning mainly depends on the spread of the coronavirus in the local community.

Governor Tim Walz allowed all elementary schools to reopen within this week, as long as they comply with the state's safety guidelines.

State officials said they changed elementary school curricula because the first few months of the school year gave people a better understanding of how the virus spreads in school buildings. They also cited the impact of distance learning on the mental, emotional and physical health of scholars and students.

Compared with middle school, elementary school students usually live with a group of students and a teacher all day, so the risk of virus outbreak is lower than in middle school.

Minneapolis and St. Paul’s schools will bring back elementary school students in February, even though the teachers’ unions in both areas are in

And requested that the implementation of additional safety regulations be postponed, and more educators can use the vaccine.

Walz announced on Monday that teachers will be eligible to participate in the expanded COVID-19 vaccination program. However, so far, the supply of materials is limited, and priority is given to teachers in elementary schools or other in-person teaching. For example, Osseo School assigned 47 doses, Anoka-Hennepin School assigned 80 doses, and Bloomington School assigned 18 doses.

Heidi Jo Servaty, a first-grade teacher at Elm Creek Elementary School in Maple Grove, said she would rather be vaccinated before returning to class on Tuesday. But when she saw the whole classroom, she felt very excited and excited.

Sevati said: "I didn't cry, but I feel okay." "It's amazing to get my team together for the first time."

Families can still choose to let their students continue their distance learning instead of sending them to face-to-face classes. Spokespersons for the Anoka-Hennepin and Bloomington school districts estimate that approximately 30% of elementary school students will continue to study online at home.

School districts have also noticed that more parents leave school instead of sending them on the bus.

Crystal's Kari Swenson was one of the last parents to abandon their children at Sonnesyn Elementary in New Hope on Tuesday.

Her son Avery is 4 years old and a preschooler. He did not participate in distance learning. The morning was his first day in the classroom.

Swenson admitted that she did not choose to teach in person at first, but went on after participating in a video chat with the principal.

Before going in, Avery stopped to put on the "first day" photo in the mask. "He is very excited," Swenson said.

On Tuesday morning, many teachers at Yangshuqiao Primary School helped their students understand the new routine and why certain parts of the school might look different.

According to state guidelines, it is "strongly recommended" that teachers and other staff wear masks and transparent face shields at the same time, and install plexiglass barriers in areas where teachers cannot maintain social distance from students. Employees will be tested for COVID-19 every two weeks.

The meals at Bloomington Elementary School are very popular now, and most students eat in the classroom.

In the kindergarten classrooms, a transparent plastic shower curtain is hung from the ceiling to provide a barrier between students sitting on the same table. In other classrooms, students are assigned responsibilities such as "desk checkers" to help ensure that desks are kept 3 feet away from each other.

Nevertheless, the energy for students to return to the building did not become dull by repeated reminders of the epidemic.

When Ruth Haugstad called the kindergarten students to start a new day, one of the boys writhed in his seat and blurted out: "My mother said we are going to class for five days."

Haugstad smiled and assured him that his mother was correct-the class would be able to learn in person on site every working day.

Erin Golden, the writer behind the scenes, contributed to this story.

Mara Clark 612-673-4440

Anthony Langtry 612-673-4109

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