Schutz Back To School Playbook REVISED August 24 2020

Schutz American School
Alexandria, Egypt

Back to School
Playbook

2020-21
Updated August 24, 2020

Schutz Falcons!
Fly High!

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Schutz Learner Profile

Schutz Is Family! Family Keeps Family SAFE!

Resilient Integrity Compassionate
Courageous Open Minded Principled
Respect Communicator Inquirers

Knowledgeable Thinkers Responsibility
Caring Reflective Balanced

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SAS is excited about returning to school in the fall, The mission of Schutz American School
and to do so, our reopening team has develop strate- family is to provide a premier education
gies and protocols that will both ensure our communi- empowering all of our students to pur-
ty's safety and support learning. We have worked col- sue their passions as confident global
laboratively with teachers, parents, students, and gov-
ernmental agencies to ensure we understand all per- citizens.
spectives. Our strategies and protocols rely on flexibil-
ity and adjustments as we reopen.

We have adapted the physical space and adjusted
schedules/procedures to meet the physical and social/
emotional needs of our students and staff while at
school. We are using guidance from public health offi-
cials, government ministries, resources as well as from
other schools, universities, and leading businesses.

This Playbook is designed as a place for
parents to find answers about what gen-
eral and specific plans are being imple-
mented to open school and who to go to
if you have more questions.

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Information about Covid-19

The World Health Organization declared the Novel Coronavirus a global pandemic on March
11, 2020.
Precautions are necessary to protect our students and staff while maintaining our welcoming,
respectful, inclusive, and supporting learning environment for all. Extensive research on
school reopening suggest that social distancing techniques, along with careful hygiene, rigorous
health screening at home and school, cleaning, mask wearing, and pro-active Covid 19 response
planning and tracing can reduce the spread of the disease in schools. These and other facts
from the experts, WHO, CDC, Egyptian Ministry of Heath, etc are important to know and stay
updated on.

SAS can not eliminate all risk of contracting Covid 19 while on campus, but we can minimize the risk of transmis-
sion with your cooperation in following the rules and guidelines in this playbook.

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Community Health & Safety

We are following these organizations Ministry of Health guidelines, CDC,
WHO, recommendations in the following areas:

 Facility Cleaning: Cleaning and disinfection will be increased espe-
cially in common areas, on high touch surfaces, and in high traffic zones.

 Health Screening: Monitoring is in place for checking tempera-
tures and symptoms, accompanied by contact tracing when appropriate.
An isolation room has been created for use when symptomatic students
are identified during the school day.

 Health Clinic Staffing: Our Health Clinic is fully staffed with a phy-
sician, registered nurse, and aide. Our clinic staff is updating medical
records on all students and communicating proactively with families.

 At Home Health & Screening: We are asking all our families to be
extra vigilant and ensure students do not come to school who are ill or
who may have been exposed to someone who is sick. We encourage fam-
ilies to do an “at home” temperature check before leaving for school each
day. Students who are at home sick or recovering have opportunities to
learn on-line with direct support from Schutz staff.

 Social Distancing: Space-design, furniture layout, queues, and transit
within the building are configured to maintain social distancing as much
as possible. Our facilities and our overall enrollment numbers allow us
ample space to provide proper social distancing to all our students. Gov-
ernment regulations, best practices and common sense will guide our so-
cial distancing procedures. Teaching students the importance of staying
safe will be our immediate focus. Educating, practice, and self-
responsibility, not punishment for forgetting or breaking a new rule con-
cerning safety, will be our priority.

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Community Health & Safety Continued

 Hand Hygiene: Hand washing and use of hand sanitizer is institutionalized
throughout the day.

 Personal Protective Equipment: All Staff are required to wear masks . All students
are required to wear masks. Other PPE will be available when needed and appropriate.

 Travel Restrictions and Safety: All travelers entering Egypt must have a negative
Covid 19 test. Schutz is canceling ALL travel for the first semester for staff and students on
school related trips.

 Sickness Guidelines: For those who are ill or have been exposed to someone who
has been ill, we have developed clear and detailed responses. Covid 19 testing is available to
families for an additional fee.

 Campus Access: Access to campus for parents and visitors will be carefully evaluat-
ed, limited, and monitored. There are also NO afterschool activities for the first semester.

 Social– Emotional Learning: SEL programs have been adapted to support resili-
ence, reduce anxiety, improve empathy, and develop the Schutz Learner Profile.

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Schutz Reopening and Program

SAS has made physical changes and other adjustments on 3
campus. Reopening plans meet or exceed public health
guidance. Plans are communicated and easy to understand. Option 3: On-Line Learning Implemented

YES NO Schutz On-Line Learning Plan implemented. Pro-
gram will provide a full range of professional syn-
Egyptian Government/Ministries allow larger gatherings chronous and asynchronous learning experiences.
and/or schools to meet.
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YES
2NO Option : Hybrid On-Campus and On-Line
Social and physical distancing requirements are met and all
students and faculty are aware of and have practiced proce- Program
dures . The campus is open but the student body remains
divided between those who learn from home and
YES those who come to school. Government regulations
or circumstances beyond our control may require
1 splitting the student body as a safety measure.

1OPTION : On-campus Learning Implemented: We expect that the situation will be dynamic and may change multiple
times during the school year . The school and community will need to
All students and staff are able to be on campus for the be ready to move between options fluidly during the school year as
school’s learning program. Support for those students who needed.
choose to remain home and/or have to stay home due to
quarantine, health issues, or other reasons is in place.

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On August 10, 2020 the Schutz Board of Trustees voted to return to
school on August 25, 2020.

The Board accepted a set of guiding principles to provide clear priorities
for administration to make decisions about school program, safety, com-
munication, etc. for Schutz during Covid 19.

In collaboration with the Board directives on returning to school the ad-
ministration has established the following priorities to help ensure a safe
return to school.

Our plan is—Option 1 or On-Campus Learning for Elementary and Op-
tion 2 or Hybrid system for Secondary (grades 6 to 12)

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Priorities:
 Maintain on-campus learning to greatest extent possible.
 Ensure as much as possible the health and safety of our students, staff and

community.
 Continue to provide a premiere and rigorous educational experience that will

help us meet our key performance indicators (KPIs) and Schutz Strategic Plan.
 Limit the spread of the Covid-19 virus at school.
 Make sure members of the learning community do not get or spread the virus

at school

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REOPENING REGULATIONS
1. Rigorous Health Screening
2. Consistent and Proper Mask Wearing By All Students

and Staff
3. Social Distancing at All Times
4. Hand Hygiene
5. Disinfecting and Cleaning of Surfaces and Shared Spaces
6. PODS—Grouping of Students so that they DO NOT

come in close proximity to Other PODS.
7. Flexible attendance
8. Choice— On Campus or E-Learning

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Understanding the Start of School and the Schedule for Hybrid
learning.

Our first days of school will focus on establish routines and procedures for the safety of all
students and staff on campus.

Elementary
 August 25th and 26th—Half the students on campus
 August 27th and 30th—Other half of students on campus
 NO e-learning for students for these days August 25th to the 30th.
 E-learning for families who chose 100% on line for ES begins August 31st
Secondary—Grades– 6 to 8
 Temporary Hybrid system until October break
 Half students here one week—Half students here second week
 Students divided into Group A and Group B
 3 days of orientation on safety, procedures, schedule, etc for Group A - August 25th to 27th
 3 days of orientation on safety, procedures, schedule, etc for Group A - August 30th to Sept. 1
 Hybrid & E-Learning for those parents who chose 100% on line begins September 2nd.

 Schutz is Family! We are all in this together, and together we will continue to meet
all our children’s needs and provide a world class education. Please keep in mind
that we have a number of students who have significant health conditions and for
whom the consequences of getting the Covid 19 virus is very serious. It is up to all
of us to help take care of one another and support everyone in a safe, and respon-
sible manner.

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These Procedures are in place for the entire campus:

Educational  On-campul learning will be a priority to maintain
 E– Learning for students whose families request
 E-Learning to support students who are home due to illness or

quarantine.
 Flexible attendance rules and individual cases exceptions as

circumstances require

Operational  Mask wearing for all students, teachers and support staff
 Regular handwashing
 Social Distancing
 Each class is organized into a POD with designated outdoor spaces
 Daily deep cleaning of learning and shared spaces
 Ventilation procedures are windows are open, ceiling fans on, A/C

on as needed.
 Clear Arrival & Dismissal procedures to limit “clustering”
 All students must depart school at the end of each day

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Community Health &  Parents conduct morning health screenings at home
Safety before leaving for school.

Communication  Temperature checks at gate and health questions
 On site isolation room for any student who gets ill

with Covid 19 symptoms
 PCR and antibody testing available on campus for a

fee.
 Anyone in our community not feeling well needs to

stay home
 When someone in our community has a positive Covid

19 test, is suspected of having Covid-19, or is around
someone who is sick, we will follow the Center for Dis-
ease Control (CDC) Guidelines.
 Anyone in our community who is sick will receive fol-
low up by Dr. Myan and must have doctors approval
to return to school.

 Parent Forums & Surveys to give feedback and ask
questions.

 Social media updates—Facebook & Instagram
 Webpage updates and information
 Emails, weekly communicator, etc
 School Tours and visits by appointment
 Teacher email and newsletters

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Elementary Program First two days half the students
Day three and four other half of students
Day five—ALL STUDENTS in ES on campus

Educational  Schedule is designed to protect each POD. We have des-
ignated break time and transitions times.

 We are teaching, modeling, and practicing of health and
safety protocols each day

 Many grades have two rooms or access to additional

rooms to spread out and work in smaller groups.
 Young learners are supported with visual/verbal cues to

follow procedures with lots of time outdoors.

 When applicable specials teachers will come to home-
room classroom to limit transitions.

Operational  We have maximized flexible and safe learning spaces
 Each POD has its own designated room and outdoor

space.

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Secondary Program

Educational  Temporary hybrid schedule: 1/2 students here one week,
other 1/2 here second week. Until October break then all

students return to campus.
 All students review safety/health protocols each day.
 Social distancing and mask wearing are non-negotiable

and must be followed at ALL times.
 When eating and drinking no mask but social distancing

is strictly enforced.

Operational  Maximizing flexible and safe learning spaces
 Each class/HS remains with their POD with its own desig-

nated outdoor space.
 Structured breaks and transition times.
 Students help clean and disinfect their work space before

changing class to next area.
 Cleaning staff keeps all common areas disinfected and

does intermittent cleaning in classrooms during the day
and deep cleaning after school.
 ALL students must leave campus at the end of the school
day at 3:15.

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Understanding the Hybrid System

Hybrid or Blended Learning delivers learning through both in classroom and e-learning. Schutz
teachers will “blend” these two modalities of teaching to ensure your child receives a rigorous and
premier education.

Hybrid Learning will look different from grade to grade and course to course. Some classes are
synchronous and some asynchronous. Being at school and in a classroom with a teacher is our
most valuable time. We will maximize that time for student teacher interaction and focus e-
learning on instruction, assignments, and projects that allow the student to self-pace and complete
more independently.

You can count on your child's teacher checking in each regularly and to provide individual or small
group instruction

SAS has a secondary staff member identi- Each Middle and High School teacher will be sending out
fied to help facilitate and ensure the suc- specific information to the students and parents about how
cess of students who are at home. their hybrid system will work and what to expect.

Secondary—Grades– 6 to 8
 Temporary hybrid system until October break
 Half students here one week—Half students here second week
 Students divided into Group A and Group B
 3 days of orientation on safety, procedures, schedule, etc for Group A - August 25th to 27th
 3 days of orientation on safety, procedures, schedule, etc for Group A - August 30th to Sept. 1
 Hybrid Learning and E-Learning for those parents who chose 100% on line begins September 2nd.

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For Families Who Chose 100% E - Learning.
Here is what you need to know:

 E-Learning for those parents who chose 100% on line begins September 2nd.

 For families who have children with serious underlying health conditions or where students share a home with a
family member who is elderly or has underlying health conditions we are offering 100% e-learning.

 Other families can also opt into this if they have serious concerns about safety and health
 This program will be delivered synchronously and asynchronously much like last spring.
 Classroom teachers will be in touch with these families before September 2nd.
 Parents need to ensure that children have a school device or reliable computer at home, strong internet connection,

and specific place to work and with adequate space and materials. Follow a regular schedule as much as possible.
 Families interested in this option need to contact Karen.

SAS will have an elementary and a second-
ary staff member identified to help facili-
tate and ensure the success of students
who are learning on-line or may be strug-
gling with on-line learning.

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Protect The Pod

Mask wearing and Social Distancing are key to our
success and so is keeping students separated from
other grade levels or Pods.

The Pod system will allow SAS to react strategically
in case of positive or highly suspicious cases of Covid
19 at school.

If there is a positive case(s) in one Pod, that Pod will
go on quarantine, not the entire division or school.

The PODS

 PreK 4 and PreK 3 Pod

 Kindergarten - Pod

 First Grade - Pod

 Second Grade - Pod

 Third Grade - Pod

 Fourth Grade - Pod

 Fifth Grade - Pod

 Sixth Grade - Pod

 Seventh Grade - Pod

 Eighth Grade - Pod

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Entry Into School Each Day

There are detailed procedures for arrival and entry into school. Here is what you and your child need to know:
 Students will be allowed to enter at 7:50, please arrange your arrival accordingly.
 Middle and High School students need to enter from the front gate
 Elementary students need to enter from the elementary gate
 Families with mixed divisions are encouraged to use the elementary gate to ensure younger children get to where they belong

without mixing Pods.
 A mask worn properly is required before entry.
 No one be allowed to enter bringing in a drink or eating as they enter. (No Starbucks)
 Social distancing will be maintained at all times.
 Health screening at all gates—Temperature checks and health questions
 Hand washing/sanitizing
 Elementary students will be supervised to a Pod area and then taken to their classroom. Secondary students will be allowed

to go their outdoor Pod area. Social distancing must be maintained at all times.
 There is no morning recess for students.
 At 8:10 secondary students will go to their classrooms.
 Parents of Early Learning students (Pre-K and Kindergarten) will be allowed to take their children to class.
 Nannies will not be allowed inside the gate area unless escorting an Early Learner.
 Across the entire school each day begins with reminders, reflections, modeling, practicing, etc. safety and health procedures.

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Dismissal and Pick Up Each Day

There are detailed procedures for dismissal and exit of students. Here is what you and your
child need to know:
 ALL students must leave campus at the end of the day.
 Middle and High School students need to exit from the front gate and use their phones to

check and see if the driver is out front.
 Elementary students will exit out the elementary gate
 Families with mixed divisions will meet in the Covered Court to gather all family members.

We are encouraging families to exit out the front gate.
 Masks must be worn at all times.
 Social distancing will be maintained at all times.
 Elementary students will be spread out around the elementary gate in Pods.
 Parents of Early Learners (Pre-K and Kindergarten) are allowed to enter campus and pick

children up directly.
 Nannies need to wait outside the gates. Except for those who are picking up pre-k or Kg.

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Transportation Services
During the Covid 19

Transportation Services
will start the FIRST DAY

Transportation services present a unique challenge during this part
of our reopening, and we are doing all we can to meet the needs of
our families, keep our students and staff safe coming to and from
school, and in protecting the POD system at school.

What Transportation Will Look Like:
 Reduced capacity for transportation—8 students per van
 Mask and shield worn by all on van
 Home health check mandatory for all van riders
 Hand sanitizing before getting on and immediately upon exit
 Windows open and fan on during all routes
 Parents will sign a commitment lette21r to complete health checks.

Schutz Food Service During the Covid 19:
NO FOOD SERVICE FOR FIRST 8
DAYS
Food Service will begin on September 7th

 Families must provide a lunch for their children until September 7th.
We will not have refrigeration or microwaves available for students, so
please take this into consideration.

 Students are NOT ALLOWED to share food with friends or relatives.
 When Food Service resumes there will be a number of significant chang-

es.
 Pre-paid lunches (system for paying will be communicated to families.
 Students pre-order meals in morning. Meals will be delivered to specific

PODs at their lunch times with names of students on lunch bags.

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Other Things You May Need To Know:
Mask
 Masks are non-negotiable for ALL Students. Here is the link to the latest from CAC on

mask.
 Guidance for Schools for wearing cloth face coverings (mask)
 We will be taking breaks from wearing masks. We understand that we have to practice

and get used to wearing a mask.
 Face shields are available for those families who chose to wear them in addition to face mask.

Shields are not allowed to be worn by themselves unless for a specific learning activity and under the
supervision of a teacher or TA.

Parents On Campus:
 To limit the number of persons on campus we are limiting access to appointments only for parents. Ex-

ception is Pre-K families during drop off and pick up.
 Please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher(s) if necessary. A zoom or face to face meeting

can easily be arranged.

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Option 3: SAS On-Line Learning Campus  Government mandates, active & confirmed cases of
Covid 19 on campus or in our community could result
If conditions demand SAS On-Line Learning in having to shift to on-line learning for short blocks of
program will blend synchronous and asyn- time during the school year.
chronous learning using schedules and cur-
ricula that provide academic rigor balanced SAS On-Line Learning Plan continues to be updated
with well-being. In the spring of 2020 we based on professional learning and experience and will
learned a great deal from our rapid shift to guide our efforts in implementing a rigorous and engag-
on-line learning. The SAS professional staff, ing on-line experience for our students.
students, and families worked together to
implement one of the best overall on-line
learning programs in the region. As a
“reflective” school open to feedback and
continuous growth, we have listened to our
teachers, parents, and students and have up-
dated our procedures for on-line learning so
that we can implement this option even
more efficiently.

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What you need to send to school with your child.
 At least two good fitting mask
 The school will provide 2 cloth mask now and a few later on. We will also have disposable masks in

all classrooms.
 One or two small bottles of hand sanitizer for personal use. Do not send alcohol spray.
 A plastic zip lock bag to put a dirty mask in if necessary.
 A water bottle clearly marked with your child’s name
 A cold lunch. Please understand that students will not have access to a microwave or refrigerator.

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For more information or to provide feedback please feel
free to contact:

Michael Schooler
Head of School
Email: [email protected]

Dr. Myan Hamamy
School Doctor
Email: mailto:[email protected]

Karen Basmadjian
Admissions, Communication & Registrar Coordinator
Email: [email protected]
Schutz American School
51 Schutz Street
Alexandria, Egypt
+2035741435 Email: [email protected]

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