Back-to-School Guide 2021-22

Back to School Guide Social Distancing and Minimizing Exposure

2 meters

2 meters

IC is taking necessary actions to help lower the risk of COVID-19 exposure on its campus.

This guide helps students and their families, as well as teachers and staff understand the health practices.

Set-up • Arrivals and dismissals of students are closely monitored to discourage gatherings and to ensure that students proceed immediately to their classes when dropped off or picked up.

• Spaces are marked 1 meter apart on the floors, including in restrooms, indicating to students where they should stand when in line or during other gatherings.

Social Distancing and Minimizing Exposure

Wear

Wear a clean mask at all times.

Wash

Wash your hands f requently for 20 seconds.

Wave

Say hi to your f riends by waving to them f rom a distance.

• Signs that indicate the maximum number of people allowed at one time are at the entrances of bathrooms and elevators.

Both areas are closely supervised.

• Directional signs, clearly indicating pedestrian movement, are placed in the hallways and on staircases to reduce the chance of face-to-face encounters.

• Students are instructed and encouraged to greet each other by waving rather than with handshakes and hugs.

• Plexi-glass partitions are installed in reception and high traffic areas.

• Lockers are not available to students at this stage.

• The cafeterias will be open and will serve a limited menu for Middle School and Secondary School students. Preschool and Elementary students will need to bring their own snacks.

• IC busses are not in service.

• Drinking fountains are disabled. Each student must bring his/her marked bottle.

Social Distancing and Minimizing Exposure

Activities • Off-campus activities, educational visits, and travels are suspended.

• PE will be restricted to outdoor activities. No contact sport will be practiced. During the session, masks must be removed and social distancing of 2.5 meters should be observed.

Sharing items • Students are asked not to share personal items, food, and school supplies.

• Students are asked to keep their items in individually labeled containers.

• If/when a school book or item is taken home, it should be disinfected before it is returned.

Meetings and Visits 37˚C

Face Coverings

• Meetings with parents are preferably held online.

• Only essential visits to the school are allowed.

• All visitors’ temperatures are being taken. Anyone with a temperature of 37.5˚C or above is not admitted to the campus.

There is growing evidence that wearing face coverings help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Students are reminded frequently not to touch their face coverings and to wash their hands.

• Preschool students are required to wear face shields inside school buildings (including in restrooms), and on school grounds.

• Elementary school students are required to wear surgical masks while indoors. They will not wear them outdoors.

• Middle and secondary school students are required to wear masks at all times inside school buildings (including in restrooms), and on school grounds.

• Students must not wear triangular-shaped masks nor masks with exhalation valves. * Students must not wear cloth masks but surgical masks. * IC does not provide masks nor face shields. It is the responsibility of parents to equip their children with the necessary face coverings.

Facemask

Private Drinking Bottle

Tissue

Hand Sanitizer

Cleaning and Hygiene

2 meters

1

2

3

Washing hands with soap for 20 seconds or using hand sanitizer reduces the spread of the disease.

Every student from elementary through secondary schools should have with him/her at all times a hand sanitizer and a small paper tissue box.

Handwashing

Private Drinking Bottle

• Handwashing awareness stickers are prominent in all washrooms and restrooms.

Water & Soap

4

Tissue

Palm to Palm

Back of Hands

5

6

• Hand sanitizers are provided at building entrances and exits, and in classrooms.

• Handwashing during key times is encouraged throughout the school day: -- before entering the classroom

Between Fingers

Focus on Thumbs

7

Back of Fingers

8

-- before and after eating -- after using the toilet -- after blowing the nose -- after coughing or sneezing -- after touching objects that have been handled by other individuals.

Nails & Fingertips

Rinse Hands

• Preschool students are instructed to sneeze into their elbows or to cover their mouths and noses with tissues - and immediately discard the tissues in the trash. Hands must be washed with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or the time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice.

Cleaning and Hygiene

Cleaning and Disinfecting • School personnel are frequently cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces (door handles, stair railings, faucet handles, toilet handles, light switches, desks and chairs, art supplies, physical education equipment, toys and games), especially after activities. In addition, they are cleaning and disinfecting the entire school premises several times a day.

• Classroom material is being disinfected between uses.

• Classrooms and high circulation areas are fogged everyday.

• Low circulation areas and offices are fogged once a week.

Back home • Students must take off their shoes before entering home.

• Shoes must be disinfected and exposed to sunlight if possible.

• Students must immediately wash their hands upon arriving home and change their clothes. It is also preferable to take a shower.

Monitoring for Symptoms

Symptoms Screening • Thermal imaging cameras and digital thermometers for daily temperature screenings are in place at the entrances to the campuses.

• Fever is determined by a measured temperature of 37.5˚C or greater.

• Students should not be given antipyretic (substances that reduce fever) before coming to school.

• Elementary through secondary school students are encouraged to self-monitor for symptoms such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath. If students develop symptoms during the day, they must notify a teacher or staff member immediately.

Monitoring for Symptoms

• Students are asked to stay home if: ◆◆They

tested positive or are showing one or more of the following COVID-19 symptoms: -

Abdominal pain Cough Diarrhea Difficulty in breathing Fever Flu

-

Headache Runny nose Vomiting Sore throat Severe fatigue

◆◆They

recently had close contact with a person with COVID-19.

Handling Suspected Presumptive Cases of COVID-19 • An isolated area, supervised by nurses, is allocated for students who show suspected symptoms such as but not limited to, having a temperature of 37.5 oC and above while in school.

Parents will be notified and must come to school immediately to take their child home.

• Students with symptoms will be sent to the isolation room until parents/guardians arrive to take their children home. The procedure is as follows: -- one primary symptom: isolation, send home, take PCR test -- one secondary symptom: go home, observe for 24-48 hours and act accordingly

Monitoring for Symptoms

Even if the PCR test results are negative, students should refrain from going back to school until symptoms disappear.

-- primary symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, loss of taste, and smell.

-- secondary symptoms include headache, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, weakness, muscle aches, flu, etc…

-- more than one secondary symptom: treat as primary symptom (isolation, send home, do PCR test) • Parents of students who have tested positive for COVID-19 need to inform the school infirmary and administration in writing.

Stay at Home

• If a student tested positive for COVID-19, the administration will report the case to the Ministries of Health and Education and Higher Education.

• Students may come back to school: -- Students who tested positive for COVID-19 may come back to school after they have quarantined for a period of 13 days from the date when the first symptom appeared.

-- Students should quarantine for 7 days and are expected to take a PCR on the 7th day. If the PCR result is negative, he/she can return to school. If the PCR result is positive, he/she should quarantine for additional 13 days and parents need to inform the school infirmary and administration in writing.

• In the case of a parent of a student who tested positive for COVID-19 and is not able to self-isolate, his/her son/daughter must stay home until the parent ends his/her quarantine. In turn, his/her son/daughter must quarantine himself/herself for 7 days after the parent has ended his/her isolation period.

Monitoring for Symptoms

• Students must stay home if they had close contact with a positive COVID-19 case such as: -- were within 1 meter of someone who has COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24 hour period beginning two days before illness onset.

-- provided care to someone afflicted with Covid-19.

-- had direct physical contact with the afflicted person (hugged or kissed).

-- shared eating or drinking utensils.

• A student who was in close contact with a positive COVID-19 case must send his/her director one of the following: -- a copy of the PCR test result of the person who tested positive, or -- a municipality certified copy of the list of people who came in close contact with the infected person, if any.

• Fully vaccinated students and those who were infected during the last 3 months and were in close contact with a positive COVID-19 case, should come to school and take the PCR test 5 days after their exposure, even if they are asymptomatic.

They should also wear a mask at all times on campus for 14 days following exposure. In the case where their test result is positive, students should quarantine for 13 days.

• Unvaccinated students and those who were not infected during the last 3 months should quarantine for 7 days and take the PCR test on day 7. In the case where their test result is positive, students should quarantine for 13 days. In the case where the student doesn’t wish to take the PCR test, he/she should quarantine for 14 days.

Vaccination

All school employees were offered the possibility to get vaccinated over the summer. We encourage parents to consider getting their children who are 12 years old and above vaccinated since the COVID vaccine is now available in Lebanon for this age group.

Communication

• Signs and posters are placed at main entrances and in key areas throughout the school buildings and facilities to remind students to use face coverings, wash their hands, and stay one meter apart (Wear, Wash, Wave). Symbols are used for preschoolers.

COVID 19

Vaccine

COVID-19 UPDATE

• The latest COVID-19 prevention and mitigation information will be shared with parents and students through the school’s official social media pages and on the website.

Returning from Abroad

In accordance with the Ministry of Public Works and Transport and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, students returning from a foreign country must abide by the following instructions: Abide by the following instructioins: ◆◆Students

must take the PCR test upon arrival at the airport and are expected to submit their negative PCR test result before returning to school

*Please be aware that processes described in this section are subject to change in accordance with the guidelines of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

Counselors’ Support

The COVID-19 outbreak has caused major disruptions to everyday life and children are feeling these changes deeply. While the return to school will not only be welcome but exciting for many students, others will be feeling anxious or frightened. Here are tips to help your children navigate some of the complicated emotions they may be facing.

My child is scared to go back to school. How can I help him/ her feel at ease?

Verbalise your own feelings in a calm way and share how you are managing your emotions. Ask them for ideas on managing their own worries or even ideas that may help you.

When you talk about the school year look at how you are expressing your concerns, rather than “you are going to learn nothing online” flip it to: “It’s not the start of the school year that we expected but together we can do it”.

Counselors’ Support

How can I encourage my child to follow precautions (such as frequent handwashing, physical distancing, etc.) at school without alarming him/her?

Build in practices at home such as handwashing, mask wearing, social distancing when you are out and discuss how they can manage them at school. When it is an everyday habit at home it can be transferred a lot easier to school.

How can I gently check in to see how my child is coping?

• Make time for your child to talk and express his/her thoughts and emotions.

• Ask him/her about his/her day and be specific “tell me something positive you experienced today or tell me about a hard task you encountered”.

• Even if you receive back minimal responses keep gently checking in. Ask a trusted family member to check in on your child if you are concerned.

• Send an email to your child’s teacher or counselor.

Is there anything I should look out for as my child goes back to school?

Major changes in behaviour that become a pattern i.e. sleep, appetite, unusual behaviour, etc.

Counselors’ Support

My child is worried about bullying at school, how can I talk to him/her about it?

• Reassure your child that you love and support him/her.

• Check in on your child, build a relationship of trust with him/her and ask him/her to report any bullying to you.

• Report the bullying to an adult at school (home teacher or counselor).

• Praise your child for reporting and standing up for himself/ herself.

• Most important, take it seriously and provide a listening ear.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact your child’s school counselor.

Mrs. Dana Taher (Head of Counseling) Email: dtaher@ic.edu.lb

Mrs. Nahed Farran (Pre-school Counselor Ras Beirut) Email: nfarran@ic.edu.lb

Ms. Maya el Saneh (Middle School Counselor Ras Beirut) Email: msaneh@ic.edu.lb

Ms. Anne-Marie Moarbes (Upper School Counselor Ain Aar) Email: amoarbes@ic.edu.lb

Ms. Roxanne Sinno (Elementary School Counselor Ras Beirut) Email: rosinno@ic.edu.lb

Mrs. Manale Dagher (Lower School Counselor Ain Aar) Email: mdagher@ic.edu.lb

*Please be aware that processes described in this guide are subject to

change in accordance with the guidelines of the Ministries of Health and of Education and Higher Education.