Masks
All students and staff at Somerset will be required to wear face masks when inside of the school building and while riding the school buses. Masks may be removed while outside when social distancing of 6 ft. or more is in effect and while eating or drinking indoors. We will spend the first few weeks of students being on site to review and practice these expectations.
All students are being provided with cloth masks from the state of MN. Additionally, all Somerset students will receive a custom Somerset cloth face masks, funded by our fabulous PTA. The masks (shown in picture) have a Somerset logo and a blank rectangle, where your student's name can be added with a permanent marker. We don't want masks ending up in the Lost & Found, we want them returned to their owners as quickly as possible. Please be sure to label ALL masks your child will be wearing while at school.
Parent Drop-off Procedures
As part of our Covid-19 mitigation efforts, parents driving their children to school at Somerset Elementary must remain in the car for both drop off and pick up. Please do not park your car and approach the school to drop off or pick up your child during our arrival and dismissal times.
Drop-Off: Parents will enter the parent loop from the South driveway of the Somerset parking lot. Follow the lane around to the sidewalk, once you are safely parked next to the curb, your child may hop out of the car and follow the sidewalk down to the main entrance. There will be stars spray painted on the sidewalk to help students visualize the 6 ft. distance while entering the school. There will be several Somerset staff members assisting with parent drop off and greeting students as they enter the building. Parents, please create a drop off routine with your child that does not involve you getting out of your car. We will need to continue to have the line of cars moving through the parking lot. In addition, to help with traffic flow, we ask that all parents plan to exit the Somerset parking lot heading South to alleviate cross traffic if at all possible.
Pick-Up: Enter the parking lot and follow the parent pick up lane along side the sidewalk. We will have students stationed 6 ft. apart as they wait for their rides. Parents will be provided with a Somerset Parent Pick-Up sign to put on your front dash. The sign will have space for your children's names, grades, and teachers. This will give our staff the information necessary to get your child to your car as quickly as possible. Again, please plan to exit the parking lot heading South if at all possible.
Bus Procedures
Students riding the bus to school must wear masks while riding the bus. Hand sanitizers will also be placed on all busses. Upon arrival at school, all students will remain on the bus until they have been dismissed by a Somerset staff member. We will space out the dismissal of busses to help with social distancing. There will be stars spray painted on the sidewalk as a social distancing visual as well.
Transportation Information & Bus Route Times will be sent out late next week. If you are unsure if you have registered for transportation and would like your children to ride the bus, please call Transportation at 651-403-8320.
Breakfast/Lunch Procedures
On-Site
Breakfast and Lunch will be consumed in classrooms this school year. Depending on the grade level, lunches will be delivered to the classroom OR students will walk with their class to the cafeteria to pick up their lunches and return to their classrooms.
We will not be able to have the fruit and vegetable bar this school year. Instead, fruits and vegetables will be pre-packaged for students. There will still be both a hot lunch and sandwich options for students each day.
We will also have a touch-free checkout system, so students will not use the keypad to type in their lunch PINs.
Curbside Pick-up
Curbside Pick-up will be available to families on the days their children are home for Distance Learning. More information regarding curbside meal pick-up will be shared soon.
Please visit the Child Nutrition website for more information on setting up a lunch account, signing up for free/reduced priced meals, and more!
Recess Procedures
Students in the Hybrid model will receive 30 minutes of outdoor recess each day. Our recess area is broken up into sections. Each class cohort will be assigned to a certain section of the playground, which will rotate on a daily basis.
Students will not be required to wear masks while outside at recess. We will have recess paraprofessionals supervising recess and helping to teach students to remain social distanced while outdoors. There will be one para outside assigned to each cohort of students.
Locker Procedures
Each Hybrid student will be assigned their own locker to use while at Somerset. Our lockers for Hybrid group A and Hybrid group B will alternate, allowing for social distancing while at lockers. There will be no sharing of lockers.
Covid Case Notification
When notified of a confirmed case of COVID-19 involving staff or children, we will follow the guidance of the Minnesota Department of Health. Their team will complete contact tracing and determine any exposure through close contact (anyone who was within 6 feet of the person who is sick while they were considered to be infectious, for 15 minutes or more, regardless of whether either person wore a cloth face covering or face shield). The individual with the confirmed case will be isolated at home for at least 10 days, and for 24 hours with no fever (without fever-reducing medicine) and improvement of respiratory symptoms (cough, shortness of breath) whichever is longer. Anyone with close contact (as defined above) will be guided to stay home for at least 14 days and monitor for symptoms.
Students in school who are demonstrating symptoms (fever of 100.4+, severe headache, sore throat, uncontrolled coughing that causes difficulty breathing, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, loss of smell or taste) will be assessed by the school nurse and directed to the “Special Care Zone," an isolated area, until being picked up; the parent/guardian will contact the office upon arrival; the school nurse or designee, wearing personal protective equipment, will escort the student to the car and strongly encourage testing for COVID-19.
