More masks and more space, Regina Catholic School Division opens doors ahead of classes

Back-to-school is a time-honoured tradition but when kids return to classrooms in Regina next week, it’s going to be a lot different than it was when they left six months ago.

The Regina Catholic School Division opened the doors to St. Gregory School in the city’s Uplands neighbourhood to media on Tuesday to give a sense of what things will look like.

Upon reaching the front door, change was apparent, with a sign telling visitors that masks are required in the building.

The signage continues throughout the hallways and classrooms, telling people where to walk and reminding them to wash their hands and stay home if they’re sick.

There are lots of signs up reminding kids (and adults) where to walk and what to do pic.twitter.com/F7uXq8XwyV

— Lisa Schick (@LMSchickler) September 2, 2020

In the classrooms, it’s not necessarily what’s inside that’s different. The school division’s Twylla West said it’s more about what’s missing.

“A kindergarten teacher would often use a rug to show kids where they sit … that’s all gone because it can’t be easily disinfected,” explained West.

In recent years, many classrooms have moved to “flexible seating” with some students sitting on cushions or in groups. West said they had remove soft seating since it’s difficult to disinfect and because all the students have to be front-facing.

“It is a big change for many of our teachers (returning) to a more traditional classroom setting with desks and with kids lined up kind of in rows,” she said.

Mr. Matlock has taped out 7.5hft for his teaching space up front pic.twitter.com/d4X21Dyt0v

— Lisa Schick (@LMSchickler) September 2, 2020

The desks are separated as far as possible but in some classrooms, the number of students doesn’t allow for the recommended two metres of physical distancing.

“But (the desks are) further apart than they have been in any other time that we’ve opened,” said West.

Brett Matlock’s classroom looks almost normal at first glance – there are posters on the walls, a bookcase full of board games, and rows and rows of desks.

However, he said they won’t be able to use the board games this year and in a normal semester, he would have the kids clustered in groups.

And the school has an isolation room where kids will be if they start to feel sick and wait for someone to come pick them up pic.twitter.com/YOPdJJDeS3

— Lisa Schick (@LMSchickler) September 2, 2020

Matlock has bottles of disinfectant and sanitizer lined up at the door and he has used tape to mark off a 7.5-foot space for himself at the front of the classroom.

“So I can teach students so that they feel safe and they don’t feel like they’re uncomfortable in any capacity while in the schools,” he said.

With all the changes this year, Matlock said he feels like a new teacher all over again.

“You’re getting your feet wet, there’s a lot of stresses and anxieties that go along with that. ‘Am I doing it right? How do I do things properly?’ And I’m not necessarily sure that I am, but you don’t know what you don’t know at this point,” said Matlock.

As for the school day itself, routines will be different depending on the classes and the school students attend. Different classes will be assigned different entrances, and recess and lunchtimes will be staggered so there will be fewer kids on the playgrounds and in the hallways.

“Everywhere that we can find throughout a school day that we can look at and find a way to reduce the risk of transmission, we’ve taken all those chances and made that as safe as we can,” said West.

The school already has its isolation room set up, a small room near the main office. That is where kids who have any COVID-19 symptoms will wait until their parent or guardian comes to pick them up from school.

This week St. Gregory is holding small tours of the school and classroom for parents and students who want to get a look at what they’re dealing with before the first day.

“I don’t know if it’ll be jarring, we hope not,” West said. “We hope that with all the supports that we have available, that students will feel as comfortable as they did if we can rewind back to February and remember what that was like.”