St. Rose School Reopening Plan: FAQ

Does my child need to wear a mask? 
Yes. Every individual must properly wear a face mask while in the school building or on school property. Face shields are not an acceptable alternative. Please send one (1) extra, clean face mask with your child each day in case they need to switch their mask. Don’t forget to label your child’s mask with their name or initials.

Will students be expected to wear their school uniform? 

Yes. Students attending in person must be in our St. Rose School uniform. Please refer to the Uniform Policy for details. 

We have a wide range of uniforms available in our Uniform Exchange Closet and will share information with you as soon as we schedule a time for you to “shop” our existing inventory. 

How will drop-off and pick-up work? 

Students will be dropped off/picked up using our usual car line on the playground. Look for cones and staff to direct you where to drop students. Please refer to this diagram and contact the office with any questions.  

When you arrive, we will ask several screening questions, take your child’s temperature, and make sure they are properly wearing a face mask before exiting the vehicle. 

*Note: the heat level in your car can affect your child’s temperature. Please do not have the heat blasting prior to the temperature check.

Parents/Guardians/Caregivers: remember to wear your face mask while on school property at all times. This means even in your own vehicle as you will be interacting with our faculty and staff. 

Walkers/Bikers: If you walk to school please practice social distancing of at least 6ft and wear your face mask at all times. Once you are on the playground, look for signage to direct you to your screening station before getting into your class line. 

Will you be offering before- or after-school care? 

No. We will not be offering before- or after-school care at this time.

What will the classroom setup be like? 

Classroom set ups (e.g., desks) will follow ODE requirements of 35sf per student. Students will be using individual school supplies (not shared).

What will lunch be like?

Students will eat lunch at their desk. Lunch will need to arrive with your child in the morning. On site food service will not be provided at this time, nor will we accept delivery of food (e.g., GrubHub, etc). Before lunch each student will wash their hands and desk surfaces will be cleaned. 

Water bottles from home are strongly encouraged and can be refilled using our touchless bottle station if needed. The water fountain feature is not available. Please make sure to put your child’s name on their water bottle. 

What will recess be like?
The playground will be divided for class play and groups will take turns being able to use the play structure. The play structure will be disinfected with our electrostatic sprayer on a regular basis. 

What are your plans for sanitizing?

Faculty and staff will facilitate cleaning, sanitizing and scheduled restroom/hand washing breaks. Cleaning will occur regularly throughout the day. Each classroom will have cleaning supplies/equipment to use as needed. Students will clean their desks as needed during the day and will wash hands after. 

Some families have asked if they can donate cleaning wipes to the school. Yes you can! and we greatly appreciate your generosity and kindness. 

Have we made any ventilation modifications?
Yes. We have purchased air purifiers for every classroom. Windows will be kept open as much as possible. We will maximize fresh-air intake into our HVAC system and are exploring whether additional measures are needed to increase ventilation.

Do we need to bring school supplies?
Yes. Your classroom teacher will communicate about needs as your in-person date draws nearer. Please have your completed Emergency Kits ready and bring them in on the first day of in-person learning. 

Will we still have our weekly Materials Exchange?
Our Materials Exchange may change in time. We will know more once we have received in-person learning commitments from every family.  

What if we are not comfortable coming to campus right now? 

We will offer a modified distance learning option for those who cannot join us for in-person learning due to extenuating circumstances. The next opportunity to join in-person learning will be after spring break.  

What will the modified distance learning option look like?

Thanks to a generous donor, we have been able to purchase 13 Swivl units to make synchronous learning possible, even when students can’t all be in the same classroom together. 

The Swivl is a robotic mount for an iPad that is designed to track and transmit video of a moving classroom teacher via Zoom. While this will be a different level of engagement than our Comprehensive Catholic Distance Learning model, it is a viable option to provide at-home learners with the same content that their in-school classmates are receiving in real time. 
 

Will you provide onsite Covid testing?
Not at this time. According to Ready Schools, Safe Learners, Multnomah County falls in the orange zone which prioritizes “careful phasing in of On-Site or Hybrid for elementary schools (starting with younger students and adding additional grades over time).” Because we are following state metrics in this way, onsite testing is not required at this time. 

The new ODE requirement to offer access to on-site testing related to advisory metrics is in effect only if your school is located in a county that does not meet the advisory metrics. 

What if we travel?
We are asked to abide by Oregon’s travel advisory which includes the following recommendations:

If you must travel outside of Oregon, you must quarantine for 14 days before returning to in-person school. During this time, your child will join your class instruction via modified distance learning. Contact the school office and your classroom teacher if you find yourself in this situation.
 

What if my child is sick?
If your child or family member has any symptoms of illness keep your child at home. We need everyone to commit to this protocol to ensure the health and safety of our students and families, our faculty/staff and their families, as well as the greater community. If your child will be absent/not participating in instruction, always contact the school office and your classroom teacher.
 

What if we have been exposed to someone with Covid-19 or if we have Covid-19 related symptoms?
If you have been exposed to or are exhibiting symptoms of Covid-19 contact the principal to be guided through next steps according to the Exclusion Summary Chart for Covid-19. It’s critical that we learn of exposures as soon as possible to prevent spread within the school. Your information will be treated with sensitivity and confidentiality. 

What is the process if there is Covid exposure in the school? 

We will continue to follow the guidelines for health and safety released by ODE. Each scenario brings about a different plan of action. For more information on these scenarios please refer to the following links: 

Exclusion Summary Chart for Covid-19

Planning for Covid - 19 in schools 

Ready Schools Safe Learners

We encourage parents to always have a plan in the event a class or the school must move back into Comprehensive Catholic Distance Learning or quarantine. 

Can you share more information about your in-person safety protocols?

We have updated our Return to School Plan to the best of our ability at this time. (You may hear other schools refer to this as an “Operational Blueprint.”) Even in its draft form, you will find answers to many protocol questions. Note that highlighted areas are those under review. 
 

**New info as of January 28, 2021**

Why did the school make the switch from proposing 2 hours/2 days a week to full days? 

We initially thought that bringing students into the building in two-hour increments would be a logical way to “ease into” in-person learning. We quickly learned from your survey feedback that this was not feasible for most families. Our Reopening Task Force immediately began working through other scenarios that would be viable for students, parents and teachers alike. We ultimately decided that, to the extent possible, a routine with as much in-person time as possible was most beneficial. Full days give teachers and students enough time for academic work and socialization, while still allowing for the many safety protocols that will help keep us safe. Another driving factor was the timely action on the part of the governor to make vaccines available to educators sooner than anticipated.

Can you explain some of the metrics supporting the reopening?

Knowing the critical nature of in-person time with early learners and through statistical evidence from schools and regions practicing successful in-person instruction, the state of Oregon amended their metrics on Jan. 19th and as indicated in the chart Multnomah County now falls within the Orange (Elementary On-Site and Hybrid Transition) category for returning to In-Person Instruction. The State recommends starting with younger students and phasing in additional grades over time. Each expansion is permitted through successful implementation of each stage. With that, we are prioritizing the return of our kindergarten class, followed by grades 1-2, 3-5 and 6-8 respectively. 

What does “modified distance learning” look like?

Our goal has been and will always be to give every student the highest quality Catholic education possible. With our shift to in-person instruction, our focus will continue to be on delivering impactful lessons—not only for those physically in the classroom, but also for those attending class via Swivl. 

Teachers will be moving about the classroom, much like they would prior to the pandemic. Our Swivl devices will track the teachers’ movements so that students at home can see and hear what is happening throughout the room. We will do our very best to engage all of our students, but there is no escaping that it will look different than what we are providing now. 

Time will be set aside for check-ins with distance learners to make sure they are successfully following the lessons. As with any student, we will be in frequent communication and will make adjustments to the best of our ability. 

How will we get uniforms in time?

Over the years, we’ve established a tradition where families turn in the uniforms their kids have grown out of and, in exchange, are invited to “shop” our inventory for sizes that do fit. When distance learning kicked in last spring, we tripled that inventory. We are working on planning a day when families will be invited to the playground to take up to two uniform outfits per student—regardless of whether you have outgrown uniforms to turn in (i.e. new families welcome and encouraged to participate!). 

You are also welcome to order new uniforms through Dennis or Land’s End. Regardless of which route you choose, we will work with you and allow a comfortable grace period in which everyone can obtain uniforms for their students. 

Will teachers need planning days to prepare for in-person learning?

Yes. Be on the lookout for teacher planning days to be added to our calendar in advance of each group’s in-person start date. We will give you as much notice as we can, but we ask for your continued grace and flexibility as we work through this process. 
 

**NEW as of February 2, 2021**

The experiences of schools who are operating in person shows it is valuable to the younger grades (PK-5) to be in the building full-time. Instead of breaking more classes into cohorts who come to school on different days, we have chosen to bring those grades back full-time and split the class into a second classroom if needed to maintain the recommended 35sf of physical distancing space per child. For example, it is likely that second grade will be split into two cohorts—one will be in the second grade classroom while the other will be across the hall in the former Kindergarten classroom. 

After Kindergarten returns on February 8, we intentionally left a larger gap of two weeks in which to evaluate protocol and make any needed adjustments. If for any reason we do not feel confident in bringing the next wave in on February 22, we will adjust as needed. We do not anticipate this, but know that we are prepared to flex as needed. 

Prior to the vaccine release, the CDC has stated and schools have reported that the protocols of hand-washing, mask-wearing and physical-distancing are effective protection against the spread of Covid-19. Since many schools have been operating successfully pre-vaccine, we are confident in our phased approach to bringing students back into the building. Most staff will have their second dose of the vaccine before first and second grade reenter the building. 

Onsite testing is not something we have the resources to effectively manage at this time. According to Ready Schools, Safe Learners, Multnomah County falls in the orange zone which prioritizes “careful phasing in of On-Site or Hybrid for elementary schools (starting with younger students and adding additional grades over time).” Because we are following state metrics in this way, onsite testing is not required at this time. 

The new ODE requirement to offer access to on-site testing related to advisory metrics is in effect only if your school is located in a county that does not meet the advisory metrics.

 

We are asked to abide by Oregon’s travel advisory which includes the following recommendations:

If you must travel outside of Oregon, you must quarantine for 14 days before returning to in-person school. During this time, your child will join your class instruction via modified distance learning. Contact the school office and your classroom teacher if you find yourself in this situation.

 

We understand that family situations and dynamics vary widely in our school community. We are doing our very best to accommodate the greatest number of people based on the science available to us and the results of our parent survey. We built in the post-spring-break option to opt in to in-person learning for anyone who is not comfortable making the decision at this time.