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Williamsburg Montessori School
450 Kent Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11249
718.384.3400
Manager of Business : Becky Simkhai beckys@wmsny.org
Capacity: We will phase in our students starting on September 8, 2020, with proper social distancing and safety considerations applied.
Social Distancing: All students, faculty and staff will maintain appropriate social distancing, which means six feet of space in all directions between individuals or use of appropriate physical barriers between individuals (may include strip curtains, cubicle walls, or other impermeable divider or partition) unless safety or the core activity (e.g., instruction, using an elevator, traveling in common areas) requires a shorter distance or individuals are of the same household. Students, faculty, and staff will use face coverings and PPE when not social distancing.
PPE and Face Coverings: PPE and face coverings will be used when social distancing is not being practiced. Students, faculty, staff, and other individuals will be directed to use facemasks and appropriate signage will be placed throughout the building.
Before and Aftercare Programs: All social distancing policies and procedures that apply to our regular school program will apply to our before and aftercare programs as well.
Vulnerable Populations: To the greatest extent possible, we will make accommodations for vulnerable students to allow them to participate in educational activities which may include extra PPE or social distancing for the particular student or teleconferencing and/or distance learning, when appropriate. Vulnerable faculty and staff will be encouraged to wear extra PPE such as gloves and/or face shields as appropriate.
Extracurricular Activities: Extra curricular activity will be minimized and when they will occur, proper social distancing and/or face coverings will be required.
Field Trips: Field trips will generally be limited. When field trips will occur, students, faculty and staff will be asked to social distance and/or wear appropriate face coverings as the situation dictates. Visitors will be limited, and facemasks will be required of visitors as well as temperature checks.
Transportation: WMS does not provide transportation.
Food Services: All Students will bring their own meals and will eat in their classroom. Appropriate social distancing will be maintained and measures to protect students with food allergies when providing meals. Students will perform hand hygiene before and after eating by washing their hands. Appropriate hand hygiene will be promoted through signage and teacher reinforcement and the sharing of food and beverages will be discouraged through the same means.
Emergency Drill: Fire (evacuation) Drills and Lockdown Drills will be conducted without exceptions.Mental Health, Behavioral, and Emotional Support Services and Programs:Teachers will be trained to observe for signs of mental, behavioral, and emotional issues with students. Such students will be referred for evaluation and proper next steps will be taken.
Communication: There will be timely emails/newsletters sent out to parents and staff with updates and applicable instructions. Teachers and students will be trained in proper social distancing and hygiene protocol. Appropriate signage will be placed throughout the building and informational material will be kept for distribution in the main office.Head Of School Becky Simkhai will be the designated coordinator and the main point of contact upon the identification of positive COVID-19 cases and will be responsible for subsequent communication. They will be responsible for answering questions from students, faculty, staff, and parents or legal guardians of students regarding the COVID-19 public health emergency and the plan implemented by the school.
Attendance Taking: The school will collect and report daily teacher/student engagement or attendance, regardless of instructional setting via email and/or direct contact between the teacher and principal.
The facilities have been properly disinfected and appropriate signage and disinfection stations have been set up throughout the building. Furthermore, we have procured the proper amount of PPE and face coverings for our students, faculty, and staff. Hygiene Cleaning and Disinfection: School wide cleaning and disinfection will take place on a daily basis with cleaning products approved by the CDC for use against COVID-19.
Monitoring Health Conditions at School
Screening: Health screenings, including temperature checks, of students, faculty, staff and, where applicable, contractors, vendors, and visitors will take place daily. Individuals will have their temperature checked each day. If an individual presents a temperature of greater than 100.4°F, the individual will be denied entry into the facility or sent directly to a dedicated area prior to being picked up or otherwise sent home.
We will use a daily screening questionnaire for faculty and staff reporting to school and periodically use a questionnaire for students. Remote health screening (e. by electronic survey, digital application, or telephone, which may involve the parent/legal guardian) before an individual reports to school, will be implemented if and when appropriate.
Testing Protocols: Staff and students will be referred to their primary care physicians for diagnostic testing for COVID-19, in consultation with local health department officials, when needed. Symptomatic individuals, close contacts of COVID-19 suspected or confirmed individuals and individuals with recent international travel or travel within a state with widespread transmission of COVID-19 as designated through the New York State Travel Advisory will be encouraged to be tested by their primary care physician before such individuals return to school.
Testing Responsibility: The local health department will be the community organization primarily responsible for referring, sourcing, and administering testing.
Early Warning Signs: We will follow the metrics signs established by state and local health departments that will serve as early warning signs that positive COVID-19 cases may be increasing beyond an acceptable level.
School Health Offices: If an individual develops symptoms of COVID-19 during the school day, he/she will be isolated from everyone and, in the case of a student, arrangements for the child to be taken home quickly will be made.
Isolation: Individuals who screen positive or those who become symptomatic while at school will be isolated and, in the case of a student, arrangements for the child to be taken home quickly will be made.”
Collection: Parents or guardians will be contacted and told to pick up their child. They will also be instructed that the child see a health care provider.
Infected Individuals: Individuals that have tested positive must recover and cannot transmit COVID-19 will be allowed to return to in person learning. This will be conducted in coordination with the local health department.
Exposed Individuals: Individuals who were exposed to the virus must complete quarantine before returning to in-person learning. This will be conducted in coordination with the local health department.
Hygiene, Cleaning, and Disinfection: We will adhere to hygiene, cleaning, and disinfection guidance set forth by DOH and CDC.
Contact Tracing: We will support our local health department in contact tracing efforts.
Communication: We will share protocols and safety measures with all relevant parQes, including but not limited to, emails, newsleeers, mailers etc.
Closure triggers: In consultation with state and our local health department, we will identify conditions that may warrant reducing in-person education or closing of the school, and we will plan for an orderly closure with them.
Operational Activity: Operations will be decreased and ceased via phases and milestones as the specific situation arises and determinations as to appropriate closures or partial closers will be done in consultation with the local health department.
Communication: All changes and updates will be communicated to staff and parents and all other relevant individuals via emails, mailers, posters, signage, text messages, phones calls and our school website, as appropriate.
Continuity of Learning: Our school will ensure learning will continue throughout the coming school year. Primarily, we will prepare for in-person instruction and will allow for remote instruction, such as teleconferencing, if the need occurs. Hybrids of the two will also be made available when appropriate. There will be clear opportunities for instruction that are accessible to students. Students and their families/caregivers can contact the school and teachers with questions about their instruction and/or technology via the main office number.
Williamsburg Montessori is committed to the principles and practices of diversity.
We welcome students, families and staff of any race, color, sexual orientation national or ethnic origin.
We promise to treat all applicants equally in the administration of our admissions, educational and hiring practices.