School starts on Thursday, August 27th, 2020, and we will provide 100% “On-Campus Learning.”   For the families who choose to stay at home still with their children, we will have a flexible attendance policy for “Remote Learning.”  You can have “Remote Learning” for a brief or extended time.  The cost is the same.  It is the parent’s choice of how they want to educate their child at G.C.D.S.

GLENWOOD COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL’S
PRECAUTIONS FOR COVID-19

Glenwood Country Day School never closed one day during the pandemic.  We were able to continue teaching our children in our community due to our strict precautions that were given to us by the CDC (Center for Disease Control.)  We will continue to implement safe practices based on the current CDC guidelines.  They are listed below:

• Drop-off and Pick-up times are pre-arranged via sign-up genius the Tuesday before the following week.  We implement staggered arrival/departure times in order to implement health checks.  When the parent drops off, you must be here at your scheduled time. At your pick-up time, the parent will have a 10-minute window.     

         Drop-off Procedure

1.  The parent pulls their car up to the arrival tent.
2. A teacher will come to your car to watch the parent take their child’s temperature with their own thermometer and it is recorded into our school log. As the temperature is being taken, the teacher asks the CDC (Center for Disease Control) questions about COVID-19. If the child has a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher, the child is unable to stay at school.
3. The child is then escorted by our teachers to wash their hands.

       Pick-up Procedure

1. Parent pulls their car up to the tent at their scheduled pick-up time.
2. A designated teacher will escort the child to the parent’s car.

• What Does My Child Bring To School?
• To prevent the spread of COVID-19, our children bring their own paper bag lunch that contains also snacks and drinks for the day. Their lunch will be inside their backpack.
• A complete change of clothes in a gallon zip bag which will be in your child’s backpack.
• Children older than the age of 2 need a mask in their own zip-lock bag.  The mask needs to be worn inside.
• Our Staff
  1. When a teacher arrives at our school, the Director takes their temperature and asks them the CDC questions in regards to COVID-19. If the teacher has a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher, he/she is unable to stay at school.
• Illness due to COVID-19
  1. Any teacher or child exposed to a person diagnosed with a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19:
     1. May not work or attend school until they have completed self-quarantine following the CDC guidelines.
     2. Persons who have recovered from COVID-19 must be cleared for release from isolation according to CDC guidelines.
  2. If a class has a teacher or child that is found to have a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19 at the facility:
     1. The class shall quarantine following the CDC guidelines.
     2. Individuals may not work at or attend until completing self-quarantine and obtaining clearance from an individual primary-care physician.
     3. Follow-exposure plan in the school’s health program.
     4. Communicate with the health department.
     5. Based on consultation with the local health department, the entire facility may be closed based on the level of contact and potential exposure.
     6. Wait 24 hours, then complete extra cleaning/disinfection of the facility, all areas not just high touch surfaces, and wait at least 5 days to bring in the next group.
  3. If a staff member or a child develops symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough, shortness of breath) during school, safely isolate the person and place a mask or face covering in our Isolation Room. Contact the youth health supervisor and the parent/guardian immediately of any case of COVID-19 while maintaining confidentiality in accordance with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and arrange for safe transportation to a healthcare facility or home. Advise those who have had close contact with a person diagnosed with COVID-19 to stay home, self-monitor for symptoms, and follow CDC guidance if symptoms develop.
  4. If your child becomes ill while at school, you will be notified immediately for your child’s prompt dismissal. If your child is sent home with a fever of 100 degrees, diarrhea, vomiting, etc., your child may not return to school for at least 24 hours after the symptoms have stopped. We will notify you promptly in the event of an emergency. Unless otherwise instructed, your child will be transported to the nearest hospital.
  5. Every child will stay with 1 very small class that has the same teacher all day. This model helps in preventing the speed of COVID-19. When our teachers rotate to different learning stations outdoors, on our 40 acres, the teachers will immediately disinfect touchable surfaces before going to the next learning station. The teacher will also model for her students the importance of washing their hands between our learning stations.
• Further precautions to prevent COVID-19 

1. Each classroom has a Germ Guardian Air Purifier with HEPA filter and UVC
2. Each child has their own Montessori washable mat that they will use to put their daily work on.
3. Each child will have their own storage space for their computer, etc.
4. Each child will be assigned an area in the classroom to do assigned activities.
5.  Individual plastic school containers with their own supplies in it.
6. For an extra layer of protection in each classroom, we replaced our normal filters with MERV13 filters.  They contain commercial, industrial, and medical-grade MERV13 material that protects against airborne particles.  MERV13 air filtration material cleans and protects schools, offices, warehouses, and medical facilities

• Outside Learning – The children will continue to learn outside just as they did during our camp season.  We will have stations throughout our 40 acres for the children to learn, collaborate, create, and play.  We will also keep our VIP potty’s and hand-washing stations.

**Glenwood Country Day School has been open for “essential” and “non-essential workers” during this pandemic without missing 1 day of child care.**

1. COVID-19 Updates
   1. Coronavirus Outbreak (Maryland Department of Health)
2. Talking With Your Children
   1. Just for Kids: A Comic Exploring the new Coronavirus
   2. Coronavirus Video (Brainpop)
   3. Talking To Your Kids About Coronavirus (The Child Mind Institute)
   4. Talking To Children About COVID-19 (National Association of School Psychologists
   5. Talking With Children About Coronavirus (CDC)
   6. How To Talk To Kids About Coronavirus (NYT)
3. Parenting and Home Resources
   1. Are your kids suddenly regressing? Yes, it’s the pandemic. (AHA! Parenting.com)
   2. Preparing your Home for COVID-19 (CDC)
   3. Resources for Households (CDC)
   4. Coronavirus and Parenting (NPR)
   5. What are the Rules for Play Dates and Coronavirus (NYT)
   6. Parenting During COVID-19 (Psychology Today)
   7. 12 Ways to Effectively Parent during Crisis (Psychology Today)
   8. Virtual Museum Tours (Travel and Leisure)
   9. Just for Kids: A Comic Exploring the New Coronavirus, (NPR)
   10. 10 Solutions To Save Your Sanity During the Coronavirus Pandemic School Closures (AHA! Parenting.com)
4. Emotional Support – We understand that many students and families may feel anxious during the time of risk and uncertainty. Our school has some great resources to support your families emotional needs.
   1. How to Keep the Greater Good in Mind During the Coronavirus Outbreak (Greater Good Magazine)
   2. 10 Tips for Dealing with the Stress of Uncertainty (American Psychological Association)
   3. Supporting Kids During the Covid-19 Crisis (Childmind.org)
   4. Five Ways to View Coverage of the Coronavirus (American Psychological Association)
   5. Children and the News (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry)
   6. Explaining the News to Our Kids (Common Sense Media)
5. Teaching Tolerance
   1. Coronavirus threat escalates fears — and bigotry (American Psychological Association)
   2. Countering COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Stigma and Racism: Tips for Parents and Caregivers (National Association of School Psychologists)