Covid-19 and the re-opening of the Saba Comprehensive School on January 14th

Message from the principal SCS:

To parent(s)/guardian(s), students and
other stakeholders of the
Saba Comprehensive School

St. John’s, January 14, 2022 Re: Re-opening of the school

Dear parent(s)/guardian(s), students and other stakeholders,
Earlier this week the SCS Team was informed by the Outbreak Management Team that schools will resume and re-open per Monday, January 17, 2022. We are looking forward to welcoming our students back in school and of course, we too are anxious about how the COVID virus will affect the day-to-day running of the school, our health and the continuation of education at large.

In order to ensure a clean, safe and healthy working and learning environment for all, we have put measures in place which are in line with the general guidelines that have been shared by the Public Entity/Outbreak Management Team. The SCS drafted a document in close collaboration with the Public Health Department which is attached to this letter which serves as our guideline.
In addition to the measures mentioned in the document (masks, extra hygiene etc), we have taken additional measures and regulations to provide a safe working and learning environment as much as possible:

• We have a designated trained person at the gate assisting with reinforcing hygiene, masks and ensuring that no sick/ill persons enter the school;
• Form 1 and Form 4 (due to their group size) will be split in two and the teaching by the teachers will continue with the assistance of a teacher assistant. This will be for the duration of the upcoming two weeks. Students will be informed Monday which group they will be in;
• We have a NO VISITOR policy, including parents/guardians unless with prior appointment. If you have an appointment, please report to the administration;
  Saba Comprehensive School | Address Thais Hill Road, St.Johns, Saba, Dutch Caribbean
  Phone (0599) 416 3270 | Website : www.learningsaba.com | E-Mail ahermans@learningsaba.com
• Please do encourage your child to either purchase food from the cafeteria or bring their own lunch/drinks from home. The SCS will not accept any food deliveries etc.
• We encourage all parents/guardians -as much as possible- to bring your child/ward to school and also to arrange pick up to avoid crowded busses. PE will continue as normal, yet with different activities, limiting contact between students;
•  Students who are registered for homework support are expected to remain at school till 4pm. Students who would like to stay after 2pm and join our homework sessions are most welcome to join. Bus transportation will be provided.
• We expect that the majority of the clubs will resume per Monday January 31, 2022, some smaller clubs will start earlier (eg. Becky’s house of Esports on Saturdays).
• Form 7V (Early childhood Education) will be taught via ZOOM, support sessions (smaller groups) will be held on campus.
• CAPE students will be taught via ZOOM for all their sessions but are also allowed to be physically in school if so desired to receive in class support.
• There will be no assemblies and house activities until further notice due to the group size.

Please be advised that the SCS will not provide masks. The SCS will provide the self-testers to students and staff which will be provided by the Ministry of Education in the upcoming days.

If you are of the opinion that your child/ward should not attend school, we request documentation from Saba Cares to support the request. Unpermitted absences will be forwarded to the truancy officer. If your child/ward is sick/ill, please do inform the SCS Administration via +599 416 3270 or administration@learningsaba.com.

To ensure a clean, healthy and safe working and learning environment we continue to count on the support of all staff members and all students to assist with the cleaning during the day of shared items such as desks / chairs / keyboards etc.

Hope to have informed you sufficiently.

Mr. Anton Hermans.
Principal

Covid-19 and the Saba Comprehensive School

Measures to Reduce risk of Covid-19 transmission
Measures in school, needed in all levels

Ventilation of class rooms
• Ventilate all classrooms at least every hour for 5 minutes by opening doors and windows. To prevent AC from overheating, turn off AC during these 5 minutes.
• Consider procuring handheld CO2measuring devices. Ventilation required as described as above, but at a minimum when CO2 levels reach 800ppm.
Hand hygiene
• All students should wash or sanitize their hands regularly
• This requires sufficient and easily accessible hand washing and hand sanitizing locations. Keep/send children and teachers with possible covid-19 symptoms home.
Symptoms include: fever, cough, sore throat, loss of taste or smell, unexplained extreme tiredness, shortness of breath.
• All children and teachers with these symptoms should stay/be sent home until 24 hours after recovery and/or until tested negative.

Encourage vaccination
Unvaccinated staff and other eligible persons can be encouraged to still get vaccinated. They contact Public Health to set up a vaccination date.

Measures in school, applicable from level 2
Physical distancing
• Space out seats where feasible
Note: in person learning is more important than physical distancing
Masks
• Level 2: indoor masking is required for students and staff in classes with a (recent) case
• Level 3: masking is required for all students and all staff.

Physical education
• No limitations

• Environmental cleaning
  • Regular household cleaning of surfaces that are touched often: doorknobs, shared computer keyboards, bathrooms sinks, and toilets
  • Once-daily household cleaning of all classrooms and desks
  • In case of a recent presence of a positive case, clean AND disinfect:
  Use Lysol or other EPA approved covid-19 disinfectant: https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2
  ▪ Alternative is a bleach solution:
  5 tablespoons (1/3 cup) bleach per gallon of water or
  4 teaspoons bleach per quart of water

Transport to schools
• Parents are encouraged to take children to school and pick them up, to allow for less crowded buses.
• Buses should be cleaned more frequently as well. Disinfectant wipes can be used between rides.
• Bus drivers and students wear masks in the bus

Contact tracing, Testing, and Quarantine in case of a COVID19 infection
If a child or teacher tests positive, public health will perform contact tracing for the possible infectious period (max 2 days before symptoms started).
The following groups can be distinguished:
1. Household contacts
2. Close contacts: more than 15 minutes within 1.5 meters of the child (indoor, without mask)
3. Other contacts: others who were in contact with the positive case, The following measures will be implemented:
• Testing:

• Persons in groups 1 and 2 will be tested on the day of notification or the following day and at the end of the 5 day quarantine period.
• Persons in group 3 will only be tested in case of symptoms. Self-test recommended on day 5 after last possible exposure

Quarantine:

•  Persons in group 1 need to quarantine for 5 days
• In case of 2 or more cases within a class within 2 weeks, the whole class needs to test and retest on day 5, close contacts will be required to quarantine.
• Masking: indoor masking is required for all teachers and students in the class of positive person until all-day 5 tests are negative.

Public Health Department Saba