COVID-19 Planning

Level Green 

Limited Risk 

Level Yellow 

Caution 

Level Orange 

Restricted 

Level Red 

Critical 

Open 

No restrictions 

Open with full occupancy Cohorts required for distancing 

Students with pre-existing health concerns will register with the Manitoba Remote Learning Center rather than returning to in-class learning. 

Blended Learning 

Higher level of restriction 

Smaller Cohorts required for distancing 

Students with pre-existing health concerns will register with the Manitoba Remote Learning Center rather than returning to in-class learning. 

Closed 

Remote learning except for K-6 children of critical workers and for students with pre-existing health concerns who have been given this advice from their family doctor. 

Layer 1: Building and Maintenance Preparations 

• Classrooms have been configured to allow for 1 meter or more distancing between each student 
• Signage will be placed throughout the building and outside the building reminding all people to social distance. 
• Signage and floor markings to manage flow of common areas such as hallways and washrooms 
• The School library will be re-purposed as an isolation space for students who exhibit symptoms during the school day 
• Stop signs will be placed outside all washroom facilities 
• Signs will be placed in every hallway, entrance and classroom reminding people to adhere to social distancing practices. 
• Proper Handwashing instructions will be posted in every washroom and classrooms where there is a sink 

Layer 2: Sanitization of the Facility 

• We have purchased an Anolyte fogging system which allows us to disinfect areas in a timely manner in order to eliminate air-borne pathogens. Anolyte is eco-friendly and is safe for people, animals and plants. 
• Additional maintenance staff has been hired 
• Bathrooms will be sanitized 3 times per day 
• High touch surfaces such as stairway guardrails, door handles, etc. will be disinfected frequently throughout the day 
• Shared spaces such as the science lab will be sanitized between cohorts. 
• The gym will be sanitized before the first scheduled class of the day. 
• Homeroom teachers will sanitize manipulatives such as Lego after use in the cohort. 
• Student desks and all classroom surfaces will be sanitized daily 
• Chairs will be pulled out at the end of the day so the Anolyte disinfectant will reach all surface areas of chairs 
• Chairs will be labelled with the student’s name so they use the same chair throughout the school year. 

Layer 3: Personal Protective Equipment  

• Non-medical masks are now mandatory in all grades until March 15, 2022
• The school has procured a large supply and homeroom teachers keep them handy in the classroom at all times. 
• Our school still has a vulnerable population; our nursery to grade 6 students have not had the opportunity to be fully vaccinated.  
• All adults will wear masks at all times when 2 meters of distance cannot be maintained. 
• The school has hundreds of adult size and pediatric masks medical masks in stock 
• Visitors will only be permitted to enter the building via the School Office Entrance. 
• No visitor will be permitted into the school unless they are wearing a mask. 
• Plastic face shields have been purchased for all staff who choose to wear them 

Layer 4: Cohorts 

• Students will remain in the homeroom classroom for French and Music  
• With the exception of Physical Education, Specialists will move from classroom to classroom to avoid cohorts mixing in hallways 
• Specialists will use hand sanitizer between classrooms  
• Students will only share materials within their classroom cohort 
• Students will attend Physical Education classes. Physical Education will take place outside or in the gymnasium. When used, the gym will be sanitized between groups. 
• Students will not change for PE classes in order to maintain social distancing that cannot be monitored in the change rooms. 
• Schedule for PE will be staggered to ensure that students are not utilizing the same hallway at the same time 

Technology  

• The computer lab use will be limited due to constraints of sanitizing all devices between use 
• Bring Your Own Device will be policy wherever possible 
• If a student is unable to bring a device when there is a classroom need, the school will provide a device  
• If a student borrows a device, they will be sanitized by school staff before they may be used by another student 
• Special sanitizers will be used to protect devices  

Library 

• Classes will be allowed in the library in small groups while respecting social distancing standards 
• Teachers will select resources from the library for classroom use 
• Teachers will be responsible for signing books in and out of the library for the cohort 
• Books will be quarantined for 48 hours before being made available to another cohort 

Music 

• Choral activities allowed if 2 meters of distance can be maintained between singers 
• Each student will be given a coffee tin with several rhythm instruments for individual use 
• Focus on theory 
• Cohorts will use larger school instruments on a rotational basis and instruments will be sanitized between cohorts 

Physical Education 

• Classes will be held outdoors as much as possible 
• Shared equipment within each cohort but not between cohorts 
• Equipment will be sanitized daily following use by cohorts 

SHOPS (applies to grade 7 & 8 only) 

• Students will resume Industrial Arts classes at Kelvin High School every Day 4

Secondary Cohorts: Recess and Lunch 

• Lunch hour will be supervised by Educational Assistants 
• Teaching staff will supervise outdoor recess  
• Outdoor Recess cohorts may not exceed 75 students. 
• Two classes will be combined into a Recess Cohort  
• In order to limit contact between classroom cohorts, when outside, each cohort will be assigned an area. For example, grade 1 on the play structure, grade 3 on the field and grade 5 on the basketball court. 

 Tertiary Cohorts: Before and After School Program 

• Students will maintain a 2 meter distance between each other. 
• Nursery and Kindergarten will be located in the nursery school. 
• Grades 1 – 2 will be in the multi-purpose room 
• Grade 3-6 will be in the French room and Science lab 

Additional Important information for Before and After School Program  

Before School 

• Before school will begin at 7:30 a.m. 
• All students will enter through the main school entrance 
• Parents who accompany their child into the school must wear masks at all times 
• Students from grades 4 – 8 must wear their mask into the building. 

After School 

• Depending on our numbers, students will be assigned groups and rooms. 
• No snack will be provided due to current Public Health Guidelines 
• Due to this, the after school cost is reduced to $7.00/day for this school year 
• Please pack your child an additional snack for after school. 

Please note that our student numbers for Before and After School must be limited this year due to constraints in staffing and spacing. 

Parents are expected to pick up children in a timely manner. Emergency drop in spots are extremely limited. 

Layer 5: Health Screening 

Parents may request Rapid Antigen Test Kits if needed.

According to Dr. Brent Roussin, the most important thing that we, as a community, can do to support each other throughout the pandemic is to self-screen at home.   

It will be absolutely imperative that staff and students experiencing symptoms stay at home until they can confirm the symptoms are not COVID related.   

If at any time, students show symptoms of illness while at school, the following will occur: 

• Administration will be notified 
• Student will be asked to wear a medical-grade mask and will be isolated from their peers in the school office with adult supervision 
• Parents will be contacted for immediate pick up 

Isolation Requirements: Guidelines for St. Ignatius School 

If your child has any cold or flu symptoms, such as a runny nose, cough, fever, headache or sore throat, they must stay home. Parents should complete the on-line screening tool in order to find out if you/they must get tested for COVID-19.  

The screening tool will indicate whether or not you or your child(ren) should be taken for a COVID test.  

If you complete the screening tool and it directs you/them to have a COVID-19 test and you choose not to, then you/they must self-isolate for 14 days. (longer if symptoms persist)  

I have compiled a set of guidelines, based on the current Public Health information for St. Ignatius School to follow. Please note, some of the guidelines from Public Health are very general and are not specifically for families with young children. Here is a summary of isolation rules for St. Ignatius School families to follow: 

Close Contact / Family member of Close Contact 

• If you or your child is named as a close contact of a confirmed case of COVID-19, you/they must self-isolate. 

• Exemptions may be given to those who are fully vaccinated or have had COVID in the last 6 months. You should still isolate until you hear otherwise from Public Health. 
• In a school context, school administration, in conjunction with advice from Public Health, will determine the level of risk of transmission.  Identifying if the risk of exposure is high or low will depend on many things. If it is determined to be a low-risk of exposure, staff and students will be asked to monitor for symptoms but will not need to self-isolate as long as they remain symptom-free. If it is determined to be a higher-risk, then individuals, or potentially entire cohorts, will be expected to self-isolate. In this instance, the teachers of that cohort will move to remote learning 

• There are many factors to consider before indicating which classmates or cohort-mates would be named as close contacts, or if an entire cohort would be moved to remote learning. Some of the factors will depend on the developmental stage of students. Some factors are: 

• Consistency of wearing a mask properly 
• Use of medical or non-medical masks 
• Ability to maintain physical distance 
• Hand hygiene compliance 
• Vaccination status  

• Household members of the close contact do not need to self-isolate as long as the close contact remains symptom-free. However, in families where maintaining physical distance is not possible, then members should wait until a negative test result is received before returning to school. 
• If the close contact develops symptoms of COVID-19 then all household members should self-isolate until the test result comes back. 
• If you choose not to be tested, the family must self-isolate for 10 days, followed by 4 days of self-monitoring for symptoms since their last exposure to the symptomatic close contact. 

• You may receive an exemption if you are fully vaccinated or have had COVID in the last 6 months. 

Covid-19 Symptoms – No known Contact & Family Members 

• Complete the on-line screening tool at: https://sharedhealthmb.ca/covid19/screening-tool/