Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Prior to the School Closure, Barrie School put into effect many School-wide Preventative Measures.

During times of widespread illness or outbreak, Barrie’s infection control standards are reinforced and heightened to help reduce the spread of illness throughout the school community. Due to the rapid spread of Coronavirus globally and nationwide, we took increased preventative measures to protect the health and safety of all students and staff.

In the weeks leading up to the closure, our community members were reminded to:

• Wash hands frequently or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not readily available
• Wash hands before and after participating in gym or sports
• Try alternative greetings instead of shaking hands or high-fiving:
  • hand over heart
  • foot tap
• Wipe down tables in common areas with Lysol wipes and/or soap and water, and at the end of each class or end of day, clean and disinfect door handles, keyboards, and shared equipment
• Abide by intensified school-wide cleaning procedures
• Attend lessons on hand washing and and proper respiratory hygiene presented by School Nurse, Kirstie Abernathy RN
• Discuss provided educational material about Coronavirus at an age appropriate level with children
• Keep children at home if sick or are experiencing any of the symptoms associated with the coronavirus as listed on the CDC website
• Speak with students about not discriminating against others based on their nationality, ethnicity, or their family’s past travel plans
• Modify classroom activities during pandemic illness 
  • Minimize intermingling of classes
  • Serve food to students (shared fruit time or snack time) - rather than having students “self serve”
  • No pot lucks or community food sharing 
  • Use toddler hand rope for walks rather than hand-holding

Parents and students should be prepared by:

1. Ensuring reliable internet access at home
2. Confirming how your child will access email and web-based activities and assignments
3. Planning for how your family will manage childcare and provide appropriate academic supervision for students of all ages.
4. Reviewing the appropriate Barrie Educational Plan:

Montessori (12 months - Grade 5) 

• Parents or guardians should take the Montessori Technology Access Survey, which has five questions and takes about a minute. This will help us understand which families have access to computers and reliable internet at home and which do not.
• For Lower and Upper Elementary students, we held in-class training in Google Classroom that students will need for remote learning in preparation for a possible school closure.

Prep (Grades 6-12)

• Parents or guardians should take the High Speed Internet Access Survey, which has two questions and takes less than one minute. This will help us understand which families have access and which do not. 
• All programs can be accessed using a student's Chromebook and charger. If a student's Chromebook or charger does not work or is missing, please contact the Tech Department immediately.