Community

Overview | Introduction

Armbrae’s school reopening planning is informed by recent evidence and by observing the experiences of Public Health and Education sectors in jurisdictions in Canada around the world.

As such, the plan will evolve and we will continually update the information that we share with you in this space.

The 3 Scenarios

The 2020-21 school year began on Tuesday, September 8th. In May, a community letter from Mr. Clarke and Board Chair – Jill Hennigar – outlined 3 possible scenarios for reopening.

• In Scenario 1 – there is a full return to classes under “near normal” conditions, with additional health and safety protocols in place;

• In Scenario 3 – all schools are legislated to remain closed, and learning will take place at home.

• However, Scenario 2 – assumes that we can reopen with age-appropriate physical distancing, as well as additional health and safety protocols. And, this is the scenario we are focused on.

We have been working with our National network of CAIS partner schools, we’ve been meeting regularly with our counterparts at our fellow CAIS Halifax schools, and we have been consulting with both the Department of Education and Public Health.

Armbrae’s Focus - Scenario 2

Our goal is to ensure that all Armbrae children can attend classes - safely, full-time, Monday to Friday in September. In order to achieve that goal, we will be adopting a layered infection prevention and control strategy from the healthcare industry - the Health and Safety Control Framework.

The sections of the plan that follow this, all assume we are re-opening with Armbrae's version of Scenario 2 as defined above. The addition of the Coburg Campus will enhance our ability to deliver a robust and fulsome programme.

To Think About

Reopening Armbrae is of paramount importance. In addition to getting back to learning, the social, emotional, and physical development of our children will benefit from being at school with friends and teachers.

For parents, the peace of mind and security that comes with their child(ren)'s full time attendance at school is immeasurable.

We do understand that this is an uncertain time for families, and that parents are concerned. However, there are three major factors that confirm we are all making the right decision:

1. The current status of COVID-19 circulation within Canada and within our community. Simply put, there is little to no community transmission in Halifax.

2. This disease has limited effects on children. The Globe and Mail released the following statistic on Tuesday, August 11th: only one Canadian under the age of 20 has died from COVID-19, and only 26 have been admitted to hospital. In 2018, 179 young people were killed in car accidents, and 1200 were admitted to hospital.

3. We know there are three tools that work to combat COVID-19: physical distancing, wearing a mask, and regular hand-washing. If we all use these tools we can prevent the spread of the virus.

The Bottom Line

Armbrae is re-opening so that we can partner with you to support the long term wellbeing of your child(ren) and your family. We will work with you to do this safely, with the proper precautions in place.

1. Daily screening of students. The recent Guidance for School Reopening from Toronto's SickKids Hospital indicates that taking students' temperature each day is not necessary. However, Armbrae is beta testing a procedure for doing this that will mitigate the need to slow down the check in process. In addition, if you think your child may have a fever, you can take his/her temperature at home before coming to school.

2. Physical distancing will be priority one. Again, the SickKids report indicates that keeping students 6 feet apart is ideal, but, for example, there is also value in keeping 3 feet apart.

3. Cohorting. Keeping students in their classes or grades will prevent them from mixing with other students in other cohorts. This helps to prevent spread, and also aids in contact tracing.

4. Class sizes. There has been a lot of conversation around the world about class sizes - but especially in Canada as each province rolls out its back-to-school plan. Frankly, there is no magic number that guarantees child safety, so we are not committing to a specific "cap" for class sizes. Rather, we are trying to find the best fit between the number of students in a class and the physical size of the room. In addition, we are splitting grades when we feel the numbers are too high.

5. Spreading out divisions. In addition to #3 and #4 above, we are spreading out Armbrae's three divisions across three separate floors or buildings: Lower School in the Lower Level of the Oxford Campus, Middle School in the upper floor of the Oxford campus, and Upper School at the Coburg campus.

6. Coburg Dining Hall. We are also changing lunch routines for Grades 6-12 by staggering lunch periods and by providing students with a place to eat lunch where they can physically distance. The gymnasium on the Coburg campus will become a dedicated dining hall that can accommodate up to 125 students - physically distanced.

7. Masks. Again, who should wear masks and where they should wear them has also been widely debated. There is also no clear medical evidence to provide clarity on an approach for schools. But there is no debate on the general effectiveness of masks in preventing the spread of the virus whenever social distancing cannot be maintained. At Armbrae, we want EVERY child to come to school each day ready and able to wear a mask. That way, we can edit our approach as needed. For now, we have stated that all children will be required to wear a mask when travelling between classes and in common spaces. Stay tuned for updates to this approach as we get closer to opening day.

8. Cleaning. Finally, regular hand washing, daily cleaning of surfaces, and proper ventilation are the final set of precautions that Armbrae has in place in order to reopen safely.