Home Page‎ > ‎Announcements‎ > ‎

Getting Ready for the New School Year

posted Jul 16, 2020, 12:46 PM by John Rouse

The first day of school at Potomac School District #11 for the 2020-21 school year will be August 26th. As you are aware, these are unusual times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the month of June, the administration, staff members, and school board members, spend a great deal of time developing some policies and procedures that will provide the framework and guidance for us as we prepare for the opening of our new school year. At this point in time, most of the decisions regarding the reopening of schools have been left up to local school boards working within some parameters from the governor's office and the public health department. The governor recently issued a directive requiring the wearing of face masks in public settings. At this time, this directive does not apply to schools.
We are planning to begin our school year with our regular classroom instruction in place. We will be practicing social distancing to the extent possible in our school facilities and at school functions. There will be some adjustments in how we provide our meals in the cafeteria and how we provide for library and recess times to allow us to spread our students out.
Some of the steps we will take to provide a safe environment for our students and staff members will include:
  • checking the temperature of students, staff members, and visitors when they enter the building using non-contact thermometers;
  • providing frequent opportunities for students to wash their hands and use hand sanitizer when appropriate;
  • adjusting hallway traffic flows to avoid crowding;
  • restricting access to some playground equipment that does not allow for social distancing and/or frequent cleaning;
  • reducing or eliminating the sharing our classroom supplies (ie- scissors, pencils, pens, and computers); and
  • providing for daily cleaning and sanitizing of of classrooms and frequently touched surfaces.
We are still awaiting updated information regarding athletic events and other larger group gatherings from the appropriate organizations and agencies.
For those families who need to keep their children at home rather than send them to school due to health concerns for the student or a family member, provisions will be made to allow the opportunity for the student's learning to continue at home. These situations will be addressed on an individual basis upon request from the family. We believe that our flexibility and our small class sizes allow us to serve the needs of all students in the Potomac school district.
Should you have questions regarding how the school can address any special needs of your child, please contact John P. Rouse, principal, anytime at jrouse@potomacschoolmontana.us or call 406 244-5581 extension 201 beginning August 3rd.
Comments