Reopening Plan

Lower School Reopening Webinar (YouTube)

Lower School Carpool Map (PDF)

Lower School Carpool Videos

Classroom and Instructional Procedures

●      Students will be organized by grade level neighborhoods that can allow six feet of distancing and limited mixing all day.

●      In classrooms with desks, desks will be spaced six feet apart and assigned.

●      In classrooms with tables, students will be spaced six feet apart.

●      Assigned chairs will not be stacked but rather left at each student’s assigned space or desk.

●      The importance of social distancing will be taught explicitly to all students and practiced. Pool noodles cut in six-foot lengths and other measured tools will be used to help students gain the understanding of “six feet”.

●      The importance of frequent handwashing and instruction on how to do so effectively will be directly taught to staff and all students to include soap and water washing for at least 20 seconds with a rinse thereafter. Water cannot be shaken from the hands, and anytime a restroom door is closed, a paper towel should be used to open it and it should be discarded in the classroom trash can.

●      Tissues will be in all student desks, and small personal hand sanitizers will be in each student space for grades 1-5.

●      Trash can lids will be removed from all trash cans throughout the Lower School for no touch use.

●      All snacks and meals will be consumed in the classroom or outdoors during nice weather when six feet of distancing can be assured.

●      All snacks and meals consumed during the school day will be brought from home with two exceptions:

o    School served pizza lunch on Fridays will be delivered to classrooms prior to mealtime. This lunch will be plated for delivery and serving purposes.

o   Individually pre-packaged birthday and classroom celebration treats may be shared with students by the teacher.

●      Students will have individual STEM kits, supply kits, and art kits to eliminate the need for shared manipulatives and typically shared classroom tools. Some tools will be washed, disinfected, and shared after they are washed. Anything not able to be washed will not be shared.

●      Each student will have a materials bin located at their desk with their personal belongings to eliminate the need to go to cubbies, and to eliminate the need to store them in common areas. Students will be able to access all they need right in their own space.

●      Students in grades 1-5 will have a device that they use in the classroom and will be able to use daily and take home for online/remote learning in the event they need to isolate individually, by grade level, or if we are moved to a phase where we are not able to be on campus. Students and parents will be instructed and given time to learn and discuss how remote learning will be conducted and how the iPads, Chromebooks and software will be used prior to any remote instruction.

●      Teachers of art, music, technology, library, and foreign language will Zoom into prekindergarten, and junior kindergarten classrooms for instruction.

●      Teachers of art, music, technology, and library will teach classes in kindergarten through fifth grade classrooms. Foreign Language will Zoom into these classrooms for instruction.

●      Students in all grades by classroom will have P.E. classes outdoors, weather permitting, or in the gym during inclement weather.

●      Grade levels will have designated restrooms in the building

●      PK, JK, and first grade will use their classroom restrooms.

●      Teachers will use the faculty restroom and the restroom in the early childhood hall or their grade level restroom when not in use by students.

●      Staff will use the faculty restroom and the restroom in the early childhood hall only.

●      Outdoor spaces have been cleared and new spaces created for frequent outdoor breaks and teaching spaces. Outdoor handwashing stations are installed to allow for hand washing before entering the building.

●      Shade sails have been purchased and installed in outdoor areas to allow for shaded spaces for instruction, meal consumption, or outdoor exercise opportunities.

●      Playgrounds will be cleaned/disinfected after each use and before a new group uses them.

●      P.E. instruction will be moved outdoors as often as weather permits. All P.E. instruction will follow social distancing recommendations and shared material restrictions. Any items touched will be washed before the next use.

●      Parents will no longer be allowed to volunteer in or visit classrooms or learning areas.

●      Field trips will be limited to outdoor trips only.

●      All bus guidelines will be followed, and masks will be worn while on the bus or when six feet of distance cannot be maintained.

●      All singing including music will require students to wear their face covering

●      Guest speakers will visit virtually.

●      Lower School Assemblies will be virtual.

●      Online instruction will be provided to any student who for personal or family health issues cannot attend live instruction on campus. Video cameras and video conferencing software will be available to classrooms that have a student learning remotely. Students will access learning through their home computer, or school iPad or Chromebook.

Hallways

●      Halls will be designated and clearly marked one-way only wherever possible.

●      Floor tiles will be marked with six feet spacing markers throughout the Lower School to assist with social distancing while students travel to restrooms, the school clinic, or to enter the building in the event they arrive late or leave early. Teachers will work differently at individual grade levels on developing this skill. Teachers will accompany students if they leave the classroom to assure distancing

Middle School Reopening Webinar (YouTube)

Middle School Carpool Map (PDF)

Middle School Carpool Video

Grade Level Home Base (HB) Areas

●      Each grade level (6-8) will be assigned a common space known as the Home Base Area (HB). The sixth-grade home base will be the Middle School MPR. The seventh -grade home base will be the Middle School Commons. The eighth-grade home base will be the Middle School Library.

●      In each HB, students will be provided with a designated individual student station, socially distanced set at least 6 feet from the nearest student. Students will use this as their workspace during study halls, before, and after school, and during lunch periods. They may use individual stations to space to store study and classroom materials in addition to their lockers. Stations will remain for the individual and not be touched by other students throughout the school year. 

●      HB stations will be organized around MS FAmily groups. During HB time, students would remain seated at their socially distanced stations while advisors check in and take attendance. Students may study quietly, listen to music, chat quietly with nearby friends, etc. Students may take off masks while seated at their stations. Any time students get up -- locker, hands, bathroom, etc. -- they will have to put on their mask.

●      With teacher permission, students will be allowed to visit their lockers while visiting their HB areas. Individual visits will be allowed providing social distancing can be maintained. During periods when the entire class needs to visit their lockers, visits will take place in teams, ensuring adequate distance between students while gathering materials.

Classroom Neighborhoods

●      Each grade level will have a “neighborhood” of 3-4 classrooms in which their classes will take place. Students will travel from home base areas to these specific grade level classrooms only during the class day. Middle School classrooms are located in the Middle School building only, eliminating the need for Middle School students to travel across campus.

●      All classrooms will be set up with social distancing in mind. Students will be assigned seats by the teacher for each course, and these seats will remain theirs for the duration of the course. While in the classroom, students will keep their face coverings on unless permission is offered by the teacher to remove. During class discussions or at any point students are moving about the classroom, students must keep their masks on.

●      Entrance into and exit out of the classrooms will be organized to ensure social distancing is maintained. During transition periods when students arrive at their classroom, it may be necessary for them to wait in the hallway in order to manage entrance into the classroom. Students in the back of the classroom must enter the room first, followed by students in the middle and so forth. When exiting the classroom at the end of class period, students closest to the door will exit first, followed by those in the middle, and so forth.

●      Any exiting of the classroom, for visits to the nurse, division, head, water filling station, restroom, etc., will be documented on the classroom sign out sheet to ensure proper contact tracing throughout the day.

●      At the end of any class period during which there is a student group transition, teachers and students will ensure that classroom surfaces, desks and chairs in particular, are clean and disinfected for the next class.

●      With the exception of visits to the restrooms or water filling stations, students should only be traveling hallways between their home base areas and classrooms.

●      All Middle School Halls will be marked with “baselines” (lane identifiers) and directional markings. In general, when traveling through the halls, students will remain as far to the right as possible, travel in socially distanced single file lines, and follow the “rules of the road,” which include:

○       Students must walk only while in the hallways. No running allowed.

○       Students must walk along halls utilizing the right-hand lane and remain as far to the right as possible.

○       As much as is possible, students should remain in single file lines, socially distanced, in and out of classrooms and home base areas.

○       Passing traffic on the hallway is only allowable if there is no traffic (moving or stopped at lockers) in the left side lane.

○       Physical contact with other students is not permitted. No bumping, no horseplay. 

○       When feasible during classroom transition periods, teachers will monitor doorways (classroom and building) to ensure they remain opened for student movement, diminishing surface contacts.

○       Lockers will be staggered (one empty locker at minimum between lockers in use) and access to lockers will be staggered and controlled throughout the day.

Upper School Reopening Webinar (YouTube)

Upper School Carpool Map (PDF)

Upper  School Carpool Video

Home Bases

●      Each grade (9-12) will have a Home Base (HB) in which students will have an assigned seat, which will be organized in grade-level advisory groups and at least six feet from the nearest student and will not be used by any other student. Students will use this as their work and personal space during some classes, study halls, before and after school, and during lunch. Students may store academic and personal items at their assigned seat.

Neighborhoods

●      Each grade will have a neighborhood made up of their home bases and three to four classrooms in all which their classes will take place. Students will travel in their neighborhood in set patterns to minimize the mixing of grades. With the exception of Spanish I and Studio Art, Upper School classrooms are located in the Upper School building only.

Classrooms

●      All classrooms will be set up according to social distancing guidelines. Students will be assigned seats and these seats will remain theirs for the duration of the course. While in the classroom, students will keep their masks on unless given permission by the teacher to remove them. During class discussions or at any point they are moving about the classroom, students must keep their masks on.

●      Any unscheduled departure from class will be documented on a sign out sheet to facilitate contact tracing.

●      At the end of class, teachers and students will clean and disinfect the room.

Hallways

●      With the exception of visits to the bathroom or the nurse, students should only be in the hallways between their home base and classrooms.

●      Travel patterns, including which stairwell to use and direction to travel, will be marked

●      When in the hallways, students must:

■ Be socially distanced

■ Walk single file

■ Stay to the right

●      As much as possible, teachers will monitor and guide travel.

● Students and teachers will be expected to bring cloth face coverings, surgical style masks, or other CDC recommended face coverings to school each day, and are encouraged to bring additional face coverings in case of need/emergency. Note: Fredericksburg Academy will have a supply of face coverings available in case of need to ensure that all students and teachers have face coverings.

● Students and teachers will be expected to wear face coverings throughout the day, unless noted below or given specific permission to do so by a teacher/administrator.

● At the discretion of the teacher and providing social distancing can be maintained, students may be allowed to remove their face coverings while in a class session or engaged in an activity outside the school building. Face coverings must be carried and available at all times and must be put on before re-entering the building.

● Cloth face coverings will not be placed children younger than 2 years of age or on anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the cover without assistance.

●      Until circumstances permit, no hot lunch service will be provided on campus for the 2020-2021 school year with the exception of our Parent Faculty Association’s Pizza Lunch Fridays. The school store (Falcon’s Nest) will not be available during the opening months of the school year for any food purchase. Students must bring the food and snacks they will need for the school day from home each day.

●      On pizza lunch days, pizza will be delivered to the school via no contact delivery. Parent volunteers will undergo health screenings and temperature checks. Parents will wash hands before handling food. Parents will wear masks the entire time they are on campus and wear gloves while handling food. Parents will work in a space away from students and plate and cover food. Food will be delivered to classrooms for students.

●      Microwaves and refrigerators will not be available for student use during the school days, so all food brought from home must be ready to eat and should be carried in a suitable lunch container.

●      Students will bring snacks from home and snack time be held in their classroom, outside, or in their home base. will be allowed to have a snack when in their home base and when time permits.

●      Students will eat lunch in their respective home base seats, classrooms, or outside as weather permits. To eat lunch students will need to remove their masks but should be sure not to engage in activity such as singing or shouting that would otherwise require them to wear a mask.

●      Weather and available supervision permitting, students may eat lunch outside so long as they maintain social distance.

●      Students must remain seated during the lunch period but will be able to visit the restroom if needed with teacher permission. If at any point a student needs to leave their assigned seat during lunch, they must wear their face covering.

●      Students must bring a reusable water bottle to school each day and carry it with them to class. Students will be allowed to drink from their water bottle rather than to visit the drinking fountains. Water bottle filling stations are available in each building.

● Teachers and students will be encouraged to take advantage of outdoor spaces during class periods and study halls throughout the day.

● If going outside, students and teachers will be expected to follow all the standard guidelines.

● Social distancing remains an overarching rule even with outside play. Play that requires or may result in physical contact will not be allowed. Play that requires or may result in students coming within six feet of each other will require masks to be worn. With permission from a teacher, students will be allowed to remove masks outside providing their play will allow for proper social distancing at all times.

● Outside play will take place on the Playscape, Activity Field, and athletic fields. Each grade will be assigned designated areas in which to play. Play with students in other grade levels will not be permitted at this time. Space on the activity field must be yielded to other grades, who arrived first or to academic/PE classes in session.

● Playing games and other activities without the use of equipment will be encouraged and preferred. Supervised play with balls, etc., will be allowed with teacher permission providing all equipment is cleaned prior to play and again after play is finished. Students will be encouraged to play utilizing kicking rather than the use of hands.

● Students will be allowed to bring their own equipment for outside play from home, providing they keep this equipment for themselves and it is not shared with other students.

● At the conclusion of outdoor play, students will return any school equipment to its place for cleaning and will return to class spaces or home base areas, listening to teacher instructions on hand washing. All students will be expected to wash hands when returning to the building, or minimally use hand sanitizer if hand washing is not available.

● Students will be encouraged to use the restroom during their study halls.

● Each grade will be assigned a bathroom.

● To denote use and the users’ gender, all students will be given a color-coded magnet, which they should carry with them at all times. A student needing to use the bathroom will first check the bathroom door frame for any other magnets and proceed or wait accordingly. If the bathroom is empty and has available space according to occupancy and gender, a female student will place their magnet on the right side of the door and a male student will place his magnet on the left side. In the “boys” bathrooms, only two students of a single gender will be permitted in the bathroom at any given time and will use the stalls marked for their gender.  In the “girls”, only three students of a single gender will be permitted in the bathroom at any given time and will use the stalls marked for their gender. If the bathroom has already reached max capacity, students must wait and stay socially distanced from others until the bathroom is available.

●      To facilitate contact tracing, visits to the bathroom will be logged.

●      Students will be expected to wash their hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds before leaving the bathroom (need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice).

●      Students will be encouraged to wash their hands and use hand sanitizer frequently during the school day.

●      Students will be expected to wash hands and/or use hand sanitizer whenever returning to their HB area from a classroom or outside. Students will be directed to wash hands before and after lunch.

●      Where possible, students may visit the restroom to wash hands or utilize the sinks in classrooms or kitchen areas to diminish traffic to restrooms.

●      Students will wash hands prior to eating lunch or snack

●      Students will wash hands or use hand sanitizer after sneezing or coughing

●      Students will wash their hands before going to carpool pick up

●      Older students (MS and US) can bring own hand sanitizer provided it contains at least 60% alcohol

●      We will follow proper hand washing procedure (based on CDC guidelines):

○ Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.

○ Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.

○ Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds(sing Happy B-Day 2x)

○ Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.

○ Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

Per the decision of the Virginia Independent School Athletic Association (VISAA) and the Delaney Athletic Conference (DAC), which FA is members of, we will not offer any interscholastic sports this fall.

We will continue to collect and require athletic physical forms for all student athletes. Students will have the option to take part in sport clinics, fitness classes, yoga, and other physical activities which will be held outdoors after school. All activities will follow physical distancing protocols. Participants will not wear a mask while participating in these activities but will wear one while walking to the location of the class. All students will bring their own filled water bottle to these activities. Students will not be allowed to share any equipment and must bring their own specified gear. FA will follow all protocols and strategies for health mitigation as outlined below. Any coaches who are not members of the faculty and staff during the school day will be required to undergo health screenings each day once they arrive on campus.

No decision has been made at this point regarding when or if the winter or spring seasons will take place. Should there be a winter season, FA will submit mitigation plans and a strategy to start sports safely.

As part of FA's COVID-19 Health Mitigation Plan, students must register online by the posted deadlines in order to attend Falcon Club. If you do not pre-purchase a Half or Full Year plan, online registration closes every Wednesday at 11p.m. for the following week. 

Falcon Club will follow all guidelines and policies of FA’s COVID-19 Mitigation Health Plan. Students will remain in their grade level rooms or designated outside spaces. In the event of low Falcon Club enrollment for certain grades, students of different grades may be combined in a larger space on campus, such as an MPR, the gym, or outside on the Activity Field. If this occurs, physical distancing greater than six feet will be maintained between different grade level groups.   All Virginia Department of Social Services instructor to student ratios for childcare programs will be followed.

Falcon Club drop off and pick up will take place in the same location as the drop off and pick up for the student’s grade level.

Any Lower School or Middle School students dropped off at FA before their classrooms / home bases are open (prior to 7:50 for Middle School and 8:15 for Lower School) must be pre-registered online for Falcon Club and will be escorted to Before-school Care in the appropriate location.

Drop Off: Parents/guardians should remain in their vehicle until a Falcon Club staff member approaches. If a staff member is not outside, parents will call the school and alert Falcon Club they are on campus to drop off their child. For morning drop off after the health screening is conducted, an adult must sign the student in. The Falcon Club staff member will then escort the child from the vehicle to the appropriate room. At this time, staff are not able to open vehicle doors or trunks.

Any Lower School or Middle School students remaining on campus after carpool and not participating in a supervised afternoon activity must be pre-registered online for Falcon Club and will be escorted to After-school Care in the appropriate location.

For afternoon pick up, parents/guardians should remain in their vehicle until a Falcon Club staff member approaches. If a staff member is not outside, parents will call the school and alert Falcon Club they are on campus to pick up their child.

Parental Admittance: as part of FA's COVID-19 Health Mitigation Plan, parents and guardians are not allowed in the buildings on campus until further notice.

All after school or weekend Enrichment programs will now be offered only by grade level. Enrichment programs will follow all guidelines and policies of FA’s COVID-19 Mitigation Health Plan. Non-FA students are currently ineligible to enroll in these programs.

Through an open vehicle window, using a no touch forehead thermometer, faculty and staff will take the temperature of students. A student will not be permitted to attend school if they have a temperature of 100.4 or higher.

Wellness questionnaire:

●      Have you been in close contact with a person who has been tested for, or diagnosed with, or quarantined as a result of COVID-19?

●      Do you have a cough?

●      Have you had any shortness of breath?

●      Have you had any loss of smell or taste?

●      Have you had any of the following:

○       Chills

○       Headache

○       Muscle Pain

○       Sore Throat

○       Congestion or runny nose

○       Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea

●      Have you taken Tylenol or Ibuprofen in the last 24 hours? 

As outlined in each Division Plans above, the following physical distancing measures will be implemented throughout campus:

●      student workstations will be six feet apart in home bases and classrooms

●      hallways and stairwells will be marked with directional signage

●      restrooms will have signage and markings to promote six feet of spacing

●      where lines of students typically form, markings will be provided to illustrate where to stand to stay six feet apart

●      All meetings and staff gatherings will be virtual or in areas where social distancing is possible. No gatherings above the numbers recommended by CDC will take place.

●      FA’s cleaning service will also clean and disinfect all bathrooms, sinks, doorknobs, and handrails throughout the school day. Desks and chairs will be cleaned/disinfected during the day when classes change (MS and US) and after lunch and at other times in the LS.  Desks, tabletops, and chairs will be cleaned/disinfected each evening. The cleaning service will use the school’s electrostatic sprayer to disinfect classrooms on a schedule provided by the school.

●      Buses will be cleaned and disinfected after each use.

●      Cleaning and disinfection supplies will be in each learning space in a secured cabinet away from the students

●      Trash can lids will be removed for no touch trash disposal

●      Frequency of routine cleaning and disinfection of touched surfaces such as door handles, light switches, railings, desks, and tables, as well as restrooms and shared objects, has been increased in all areas.

●      All desks and work surfaces will be cleaned every day after the school day ends.

●      Tape will mark the floors in hallways to indicate six feet of distance. Hallways will be marked for one-way traffic only whenever possible to deter students and staff from passing in halls.

●      Any space occupied by a student or staff member suspected to have COVID-19 or sent home with symptoms will be cleaned with soap and water. Once the room has been cleaned the room will be disinfected with our electrostatic sprayer.

The School Nurse has PPE supplies available for her use (gowns, masks, gloves, face shield, and shoe coverings. Each quarantine room has surgical masks to be provided to those who need to be isolated and examined by the school nurse.

Faculty will be given N95 surgical mask to use if they would like to have one (many are using masks which are most comfortable for them while still offering the necessary protection). Face shields will be provided to those who want them. Gloves will be made available to faculty for use in their classrooms.

Please see the Student-Parent Handbook for both normal and COVID-19 protocols.

The following procedures will apply when riding an FA Bus:

●       Prior to boarding

o   Handrails and high touch areas will be wiped down

o   All passengers will

▪         answer the health screening questions

▪         have their temperature taken with a no touch forehead thermometer

▪         wash hands or use hand sanitizer

●       All individuals, including the driver, will wear a mask while riding in the bus

●       Passengers will have assigned seating

●       Passengers will be seated six feet apart

●       Only one passenger per seat

o   Exception: immediate family members may sit together

●       Windows will be partially open to allow for additional air flow, if weather allows

●       Upon entering, students must fill in seats starting at the back of the bus                           

●       Upon exiting, students exit from the front to the back, with spacing

Carpool Maps:

• Lower School Map
  • Lower School Videos
• Middle School Map
  • Middle School Carpool Video
• Upper School Map
  • Upper School Carpool Video

Carpool Procedures:

● Students may not enter the school until they have passed their health and safety screening according to the school-wide process. All students who travel on the bus will be screened prior to being allowed on the bus. Student drivers will be screened once they arrive on campus, prior to parking.

● Screenings will include temperature checks with a no touch forehead thermometer and verbal competition of a health questionnaire.

● Students will enter their respective buildings at designated locations to avoid large numbers of students at any one area. (4 points of entrance for Upper School, 1 point of entrance for Middle School and 7 points of entrance for Lower School).

● Students will be expected to wear masks from the time that they are being screened until they leave school unless a faculty member or administrator has instructed the class or individual that it is ok to take their mask off.

● Parents will not be allowed to escort their child into the building.

● All students will use hand sanitizer or wash their hands prior to entering their classroom or home base.

● All students who arrive late to school must call the main office before entering the building. A member of the administrative team will meet the student outside to conduct the health screening.

●      Per CDC guidelines all faculty/staff, parents, and students are asked to avoid high risk travel (international, cruise ship, hot spots in the United States, etc.) and report such travel to the school administration. Anyone choosing to travel may be required to quarantine per recommendations of the Rappahannock Area Health Department (RADH).

●      For the foreseeable future (through the end of the 2020 calendar year), Fredericksburg Academy will not sponsor any trips that require an overnight stay, travel out of state, or internationally.

●      Local field trips to outdoor locations may take place during the school year. Bus protocols will be followed as outlined above on these trips.

Point Person:  Karen Moschetto, Head of School

• Christopher Stec, Director of Auxiliary Programs
• Carmen Mims, School Nurse
• Patricia Estes, Head of Lower School
• David Fischer, Head of Middle School 
• Tony Durso, Head of Upper School
• Eyal Fierst, Director of Athletics
• Matthew Dawson, Director of Facilities

RAHD Contact Person: Alyce Finch    

Health Monitoring: Carmen Mims

Absenteeism Monitoring: Division Heads