Dear Ryerson Families,
Welcome to 2022 on the hill! We look forward to our doors reopening tomorrow and returning to learning, exploring and having some fun with our students!
As we welcome students and staff back to start the New Year, we continue to prioritize the health of our school communities and the importance of safely keeping our schools open.
As we return to school tomorrow, I want to share mitigation strategies that will continue to be in effect to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our KHR students and staff:
- We will continue to require students to wash their hands upon arriving at school, prior to eating snacks and lunch and before and after recess.
- Hand sanitizer stations will continue to be accessible to students and staff in classrooms and in other areas throughout the school.
- We will continue to have students sit 3 ft. apart from other classmates throughout the day.
- We will continue to require face masks to be worn throughout the day with ample mask breaks provided to students (scheduled and upon student request).
- We will continue to require students to have their own face masks. Parents/guardians are asked to remind students to wear masks over their nose and mouth at all times when inside the building.
- We will continue to provide students with face masks should a new one be needed during the day. As always, parents are encouraged to provide a spare face mask packed in their child's backpack.
- Student traffic patterns throughout the building will continue to be in one direction to reduce congestion and crowded hallways. Students will continue to be encouraged to walk in the hallways with their peers distanced 3 ft. apart.
- Teachers will continue to hold PE classes outside as much as possible. Students should plan to dress accordingly for the colder weather.
There are some additional mitigation strategies being put in place at Ryerson Elementary School. In an effort to keep students and staff safe, the following procedures have been revised effective Monday, January 3rd:
- Individual classes will eat lunch and snack time in their classrooms only.
- Individual classes will only have recess with their classmates. Grade levels will not have recess together until further notice.
- Clear plastic desk/table shields will be used throughout the instructional day.
- Winter Workshops planned for January will be postponed with a tentative start date of Thursday, January 20th.
- Visitors will not be allowed in the building during the school day.
As always, all school community members are reminded that face masks are required to be worn properly (covering mouth and nose) when inside a school building before, during, and after school hours.
Families play an important role in these efforts. As the district has shared, please keep students home if they are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. Common symptoms include:
- Fever
- Coughing
- Difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle, body, or headaches
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea/vomiting and diarrhea
Please inform the nurse, Mrs. Fortsch, if your child has been diagnosed with Covid 19. Mrs. Fortsch can be contacted at fortsche@madison.k12.ct.us or at 203-245-6442. Also as more children have received vaccinations, please inform the school office and send in proof of vaccination.
I thank you for your cooperation and again, appreciate your understanding as we work through the challenges of this school year with optimism and dedication.
Stay healthy and safe,
Kelly K. Spooner