Hybrid Back-to-School Guide

Back to School Guide Hybrid model

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

Social Distancing and Minimizing Exposure

2 meters

2 meters

This guide helps students and their families, as well as teachers and staff understand the health practices that will be in place when the campuses reopen. In addition, each school will send you a guide detailing the specific processes pertaining to the school.

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.

• Students are divided into two groups: A and B who attend school on alternative days.

• Each class is made up of a maximum of 15 students only.

Classes are not allowed to mingle during recess.

• Spaces are marked 2 meters 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.

• 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.

• In secondary and middle schools, students are seated according to a seating chart.

• In preschool, two students instead of four, share the same table and are seperated by plexi-glass partitions.

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

• Equipment, such as slides and monkey bars in playgrounds at preschool and elementary school, are cordoned off.

Wash

Wash your hands f requently for 20 seconds.

Wave

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

• Lockers are not available to students at this stage.

• The school cafeterias on both campuses are closed. Students are asked to bring lunch boxes. Students must have their snacks at their desks.

• Busses are not in service.

• Drinking fountains are disabled. Each student must bring his/her marked bottle. Small water bottles are also available in classrooms for students.

Social Distancing and Minimizing Exposure

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

• Performing arts will resume online.

• Stretching excercises will take place in the classrooms.

• PE classes are suspended until further notice.

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, 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.

Library • Students are not able to sit nor study in the libraries.

• Students may reserve books through an online library catalogue.

• Returned books will be set aside for 7 days.

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 2448 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)

Stay at Home

• Parents of students who have tested positive for COVID-19 need to inform the school infirmary and administration in writing.

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

• If a student tested positive for COVID-19, all students of the same class will be asked to quarantine for 14 days.

• Students may come back to school: -- After 14 days from the date he / she took the test -- and haven’t shown symptoms including fever, during the last 72 hours without the use of fever reducing medication.

• Students who tested positive for COVID-19 and are asymptomatic may come back to school after they have quarantined for a period of 14 days.

• If severely ill or has a weakened immune system, he/she: -- will not be allowed to return to school until up to the 20th day (as prescribed by his/her doctor) from the date he / she took the test and

Monitoring for Symptoms

-- haven’t shown symptoms including fever, during the last 72 hours without the use of fever reducing medication.

-- In addition to providing the school with a medical certificate from the doctor who treated him/her.

• In the case of a parent of a student who tested positive for COVID-19, 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 14 days after the parent has ended his/her isolation period.

• Students must stay home if they had close contact with a positive COVID-19 case such as: -- were within 2 meters 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.

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 quarantine themselves for 72 hours.

◆◆Students

coming from the UK and Brazil must take the PCR test upon arrival in Beirut and repeat the test after quarantining for 5 days.

◆◆Students

may be exempted from home quarantine if:

-- They were infected and cured from COVID-19 within 90 days from their departure to Lebanon.

-- They have an IgG positive test showing the percentage of those antibodies in the blood above the required rate. ◆◆All

students are requested to submit their negative PCR test results 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.

Academic Program

The school is adopting three types of learning: • Online • Face to face • Hybrid Each school will send to parents and students a detailed class schedule for each model before it is being implemented.

In line with the guidelines of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, the learning will then move to the hybrid model as per the following schedule: (IC will slightly modify the schedule followed by the MOEHE) Wednesday April 21st:

Wednesday May 5th:

Monday May 17th:

Grade 12/Terminale

Grade 9/3ème / Preschool/PS/GS

All other classes

*Students must not attend school if they had close contact with

a positive COVID-19 case (refer to “Handling Suspected and Presumptive Cases of COVID-19 Cases” section of this guide) during the previous 14 days of their scheduled return to school.

* Please note that these dates are subject to change in accordance with the Ministries of Health and of Education and Higher Education.

Academic Program

Hybrid learning alternates online learning with real-life classroom instruction.

• Classes are divided in half - Groups A and B. • The A/B rotation is based on households so all children within a family are placed on the same schedule.

ONLINE EDUCATION MATH SCIENCE PHYSIC BIOLOGY HISTORY

• Learning will alternate between face-to-face and online every other day. Over a period of two weeks, each student will have covered five days of online learning and five days of face-to-face learning. ◆◆

Model for Preschool and Elementary schools:

The learning program will have synchronous and asynchronous opportunities with more relationship building activities so that our learners can better engage in a virtual environment. We will also be focusing on more parental support and more opportunities for realtime communication so as to build on the collaboration with home and school. ◆◆Model 2 meters

for Middle and Secondary Schools Students:

Learning will be a mix of synchronous and asynchronous opportunities throughout the hybrid model, combining face-to-face instruction and Zoom meetings.

Academic Program

IC is ready to alternate simultaneously from one model to the other according to the situation.

Parents who do not wish to send their children to school during the hybrid model period must have their children follow classes online and should inform the relevant school director.

Please be aware that students who do not come to school as part of the hybrid teaching model will not benefit from the same enriching learning experience as the students who follow the full hybrid model.

Communication

COVID-19 UPDATE

• 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 two meters apart (Wear, Wash, Wave). Symbols are used for preschoolers.

• 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.

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”.

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.

Counselors’ Support

My child is not part of the same class group as his close friends and is feeling even more isolated. How can he/she feel more connected to the classroom and his/her friends?

Let the teacher and counselor know if this feeling continues after the first few weeks of school. Encourage him/her to make connections with him/her friends outside of school time. Having different groups of people that you interact with can help to build resilience.

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 and online, how can I talk to him/her about it?

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

• Help your child step away from the screen or electronic devices and take a break. Act brave, walk away, and ignore the bully.

• 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 (Secondary School Counselor) Email: dtaher@ic.edu.lb Ms. Diala Itani (Middle School Counselor Ras Beirut) Email: dsitani@ic.edu.lb Mrs. Jodi Nielsen (English section Elementary School Counselor Ras Beirut) Email: jnielsen@ic.edu.lb

Email: amoarbes@ic.edu.lb Ms. Ikbal Habib (French section Elementary School Counselor Ras Beirut) Email: ihabib@ic.edu.lb

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

Mrs. Nahed Farran (Pre-school Counselor Ras Beirut) Email: nfarran@ic.edu.lb Ms. Anne-Marie Moarbes (Upper School Counselor Ain Aar)

*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.