Dear KMS Families,
I am writing to inform you of our
intent to reopen all programs on campus in September
with minimal impact to the normal operating hours. The KMS Leadership Team, along with a Fall Planning Committee, is working to outline our detailed safety plan to resume onsite childcare and instruction, which we will communicate in the coming weeks along with information about phase in days, staggered pickup and drop off times, and potential changes to aftercare.
The health and safety of our students, staff and families will remain our top priority as we proceed with our plans and follow the required guidance of DHHS, DOE and CDC. We are watching closely for updates on these guidelines and conferring with our medical advisor as well as other Maine schools and Montessori schools throughout the country. As our guiding principles express,
our work is driven by the needs of the whole child (social, emotional and cognitive).
We will continue to nurture each important aspect of your child’s development as we continue to focus on their health and safety. We have identified concrete processes and procedures to support our goal of providing a safe on campus experience, it is our hope that all students will join us on campus this fall.
Safety Framework
Our approach to providing a safe and quality experience at KMS will focus on people, places and procedures. As we continue to develop specific procedures in a forthcoming KMS COVID-19 Handbook, we will develop integrated plans to support all three of these areas while preventing health risks. Critical measures will include physical distancing, facial coverings, handwashing, air quality, sanitation and providing remote learning opportunities as necessary (see “distance learning,” below).
The KMS Advantage
As a small independent school with both indoor and outdoor learning spaces, we are confident that we can meet many of the current health and safety guidelines without significantly disrupting the experience of our students. Our classrooms provide sufficient square footage for each student to physically distance as well as separate bathrooms and sinks to support individual classroom cohorts. We are identifying opportunities to maximize our learning spaces and promote additional physical distancing with the potential to provide classroom extensions into the outdoors and alternative indoor spaces. During this challenging time for schools, we are fortunate to have spacious indoor facilities, 14 acres of outdoor space and a team of staff who are dedicated to meeting the needs of students and families.
Health and Safety at KMS
In addition to physical distancing, we will emphasize frequent and proper handwashing as well as mask wearing at all times indoors by all staff and students. Our philosophy emphasizes care of self, others and the environment, and we will work as a community to implement these procedures and promote a safe learning environment. Montessori schools throughout the country are adapting lessons of grace and courtesy as well as practical life to help children be successful with these important health procedures. Other important daily elements of the Montessori experience such as communal snacks will need to be suspended. Teachers and staff will be working to identify risk control measures for their classroom environments as we work collaboratively to develop detailed procedures for keeping everyone safe while providing the authentic Montessori experience we take pride in delivering.
KMS is working to address indoor air quality and enhanced sanitation of surfaces and materials. We are working closely with our maintenance and janitorial personnel to ensure that we are addressing these key areas daily.
KMS will implement health screening procedures before the start of each day and require anyone not well to stay at home. Details of these screening procedures as well as requirements for quarantine and isolation will be outlined in the KMS COVID-19 Handbook. It is critical to recognize that we must work together as a school community to minimize health risks on our campus.
Our ability to keep students, staff and families safe while on campus depends on the actions of each community member and their dedication to safety within the community at large.
Guidance
As you are aware, the COVID-19 situation in Maine remains fluid, which requires our response as a school and childcare facility to remain flexible. Our Primary Program must follow guidance from DHHS and our Elementary Program must follow guidance from DOE. We are required to follow guidance from the CDC as it relates to all programs, which will inform procedures to promote safety within our Before and Aftercare Programs (which may lead to abbreviated hours). It is worth noting that DHHS has been focused on supporting childcare facilities to remain open through the remainder of the pandemic, while DOE is still grappling with its decisions on how to proceed. (I encourage you to share your feedback with the DOE in its
Fall Survey
regarding reopening). While KMS, like other schools and childcare facilities, may be forced to transition to distance learning in response to guidelines during the school year, we intend to keep programming onsite as much as possible. It is also possible that we may receive different guidance from DHHS and DOE, which would allow us to operate some programs, but not others, onsite.
Distance Learning
In the event that any or all programs must transition to distance learning for a period of time or if individual students or cohorts are required to quarantine, KMS will offer a smooth transition to distance learning. The team at KMS is identifying opportunities to improve our online learning experience and to maximize our ability to remain nimble and flexible in this changing environment. KMS is enhancing its technology to promote more synchronous learning opportunities and promote efficiencies for teachers who may need to manage a hybrid model of onsite and distance learning for their students. While it is our hope that all of our students will return to campus in the fall, we recognize that some families may be uncomfortable with this option in response to unique health concerns. If your child is considered high risk and you would like to discuss distance learning as a potential solution, please email me at
erika@kennebecmontessori.org
by July 17th to set up a meeting.
KMS COVID-19 Response Summary
KMS is planning to open in person in September 2020 with students and staff wearing facial coverings, and practicing physical distancing. We will implement new health screening procedures and improvements in our physical environment and offer distance learning to students as needed throughout the school year to support educational continuity. Look for a detailed handbook explaining new policies and procedures before the start of school. Our ability to keep students, staff and families safe while on campus depends on the actions of each community member and their dedication to safety within the community at large.
We understand and empathize with the desire for clear directives in looking toward the fall. Please know that we are working diligently within our control to identify plans to return and offer your children a quality care and education experience. Details regarding class placement for new and advancing students as well as the school calendar are impacted by the development of our plans in response to COVID-19; we anticipate sharing these announcements in August. We will adapt to enhance safety procedures and hope to be provided with more definitive guidance from government agencies soon in order to solidify our plans. In the meantime, we feel gratitude for the resources that our campus and community naturally holds and look forward to a safe experience with you all on campus in the fall.
Warm Regards,
