No change rooms, lockers, or foodservice: here’s what class will look like for the 2020-21 school year

CALGARY (CityNews) – Parents and students now have an idea of what Calgary schools will look like once the first bell rings next week.

Media were invited on a guided tour of Henry Wise Wood High School to see how some CBE schools are preparing for the start of the year amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kids headed back to school will notice a lot more visual cues around their campuses, including signs on tables limiting how many people can sit there and arrows on the floor to direct traffic through the hallways.

There will also be hand sanitizer stations around the school so students can practice good hand hygiene throughout the day.

Common areas–such as courtyards and cafeterias–will have limits to how many people can be there at a time.

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Another big change students will notice is in the bathrooms: teachers will have a washroom break sign out sheet to make contact tracing possible for anyone who crosses paths in the bathroom. Only three kids will be allowed in the bathroom at a time.

Some water fountains have been equipped with a bottle-filling tap.

Students are being asked to bring their own reusable bottles. Foodservice has been suspended and kids are being encouraged to bring their own lunches. Vending machines will also be out of service.

One of the questions asked during the tour was whether students have assigned entrances and what happens if a student is late?

Kids headed back to school will notice a lot more visual cues around their campuses including signs on tables limiting how many people can sit there and arrows to direct traffic through the hallways. Watch our live stream w/ CBE here: https://t.co/mb32sH5ntj #yyc

— CityNews 660 Calgary (Inactive) (@660news) August 28, 2020

According to the CBE, doors are locked at the beginning of class so late students will have to go through the main entrance.

When it comes to the classroom, hand sanitizers will be used at the entrance and teachers have been removing unnecessary furniture to try and spread desks out as much as possible, allowing for physical distancing.

If I was in a class with @LucieEdwardson I could reach out and touch her. Without being able to physically distance it’s masks up all the time in this Henry Wise Wood High School classroom. https://t.co/HJADtObiBb

— Crystal Laderas (@CrisLaderas) August 28, 2020

Some schools will be trying to take advantage of using the building’s windows and allowing for more fresh air to move throughout the classroom.

Students will be able to take off their masks when learning within their cohort when physical distancing is possible.

As for science classrooms, which can be more hands-on, most students will work in partners or groups and share equipment.

Schools are working out what labs are still possible to do and which might need to be skipped. Sanitation is also key as kids will be washing and sanitizing hands at the beginning and end of class and equipment is washed at the end or between classes.

Students will have to cart around all of their textbooks, notebooks, water bottles, and lunch for the day as there will be no lockers available to store extra items.

And if gym class is on the schedule, students will need to wear their comfy athletic clothes to school–there will be no change rooms available for before and after P.E.