THE COVID-19 pandemic has been extremely stressful for everyone in our community and we have all been affected in different ways. Highbury has strived to be a pillar of support to our families over this time and we have encouraged a sense of community and connection through our online school and through social media, from blogs by Dr Sia Rees to online Chapel services with Paul Bushell to #highburyhelps articles and so many more ways.
To ensure each boy knows the safety protocol at school, and is prepared for a positive return to school, Highbury published a video to help our learners understand the rules and regulations and what is required of them. The video was made to help set expectations and to be positive about the situation we find ourselves in. In this video, we covered physical distancing, signage and what it means, requirements to wear a mask, how to safely say hello to friends and teachers from a distance, the importance of hygiene (including handwashing and sanitiser), sanitiser stations, temperature taking. Our psychologists have advised using the term ‘physical distancing’ rather than ‘social distancing’ for children as we want them to know they can still be social while staying physically apart. You can watch our video on YouTube.
How many learners are you expecting to have back in the two grades that are allowed to return to classrooms?
On our first day back, Monday 1 June, 48 out of our 58 Grade 7s returned to school (84 per cent of learners).
What measures have been implemented by the school to ensure that social distancing is adhered to outside of the classrooms?
We have placed decals on the floor in high traffic areas so that the boys know where to stand. There are markers outside classrooms, at the sandwich station for tea time, outside the sanatorium, in the Dining Hall and various other places around the school. Teachers and boys have been fully briefed on the importance of social distancing and teachers will ensure that boys are complying with social distancing rules.
What measures have been implemented by the school to ensure that children have easy access to hand sanitiser?
Each boy is given his own bottle of sanitiser when he returns to school. Boys are also encouraged to bring their own sanitiser to school as it is helpful to have one in a pocket, one on your desk and even one in your bag. There is a large sanitiser in each classroom and in key points around the school.
Will the school be providing masks for the children who cannot afford their own?
Yes, we have a stock of masks available but, so far, we have found that boys prefer to be able to choose whichever type of mask that they find most comfortable.
Will online learning continue, alongside classroom lessons, for the children who are not in good health to return to classrooms?
Highbury has run an excellent online schooling programme from the first day of Term 2, called Highbury@Home. Our boys from Grade R to 7 have progressed through the curriculum in the same way as they would have done at school, using tools such as Google Meets, Google Classroom, Flipgrid, Book Creator and many more. Our Highbury@Home programme will continue to run in parallel as school reopens as we respect families’ choice to continue to learn from home if they prefer.
Will children remain in one class the whole day to ensure that children are not exposed to another child’s germs?
We will be continuing our curriculum but we have minimised the movement of boys between classes. We have a detailed safety protocol in place to clean desks in between classes when boys need to move and have mapped their walking routes around school to minimize overlap between Phases.
What other measures have been put into place by the school with regards to the Covid-19 pandemic?
Every morning before leaving for school, parents will need to enter information on the schools administration system ADAM declaring their son’s temperature and Covid-19 symptoms.
Each boy is then temperature checked again in their car once they enter the school and anyone with a temperature of 37.5 C or higher will be asked to go back home. If parents plan to get out of their car, then they are temperature checked too.
Each boy will have his own sanitiser at school. There is also sanitiser in each classroom and at various stations around the school. Desks are cleaned between classes and at the end of every day with an effective disinfectant.
Paper towels have been supplied for every bathroom to eliminate the need for regular towels. Boys are required to wear a mask at all times except when they are eating or drinking.
Desks have been spaced further apart in each classroom to allow at least 1.5m between each boy. Signage has been placed around the school (attached examples). Boys will be distanced in the dining hall when eating lunch and there will be no touching of shared objects, for example, sauces can also be given by staff wearing gloves.
Do you feel the children will be able to continue with the current curriculum having only done home school for two months?
Yes. Our comprehensive online programme, Highbury@Home, has been a huge success and we have been able to continue with the curriculum as planned. Once boys are back at school, they will carry on from where they left off online.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
Dear reader,
As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.
Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).
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