Please visit our district webpage for districtwide information.
Discovery covid-19 Site safety plan
We invite you to click on the accordion to view Discovery's COVID-19 Safety Plan.
The plan features information on screening procedures for staff, visitors, and students. It also covers personal protective equipment, cleaning, and building activity protocols and practices for various aspects of the school day.
Each building is to appoint a COVID-19 Building Site Coordinator. It is the responsibility of the building’s COVID-19 Building Site Coordinator to implement the district and site safety plans and provide guidance and education for their building.
Building: Discovery Elementary
COVID-19 Building Site Coordinator: Niccole Griffin, Assistant Principal
CONTACT INFO: # 253.530.1202 griffinn@psd401.net
______________________________________________________________________________________ SCREENING
Screeners will wear appropriate face mask, face shield, and gloves (gowns are also available).
Screening stations will be equipped with gloves, hand sanitizer, no-contact thermometers, attestation forms, Visitor’s Disclosure and Release forms, and sanitized pens and a pen discard container.
All completed attestation forms get turned into the basket at the health screening table and kept on file for 28 days.
Directions and training for screeners will be provided by Covid Site Coordinator
Staff Screening:
Only enter through the front doors of the building
Staff Screening station will be manned starting at 8:00 a.m. each morning at the front entry
Any arrivals before 8:00 a.m. will need to conduct their own health screening
Health Screening Process if Arriving Before 8:00 a.m.:
Put on gloves prior to signing in and taking temperature
Take temperature with the “no touch” thermometer
Put completed attestation form and/or release form in the basket
Use a “clean pen” from the marked cup to sign in and put the “used pen” in the marked cup after
Throw soiled gloves in garbage can
If there are not any gloves available, please sign in and disinfect the “used” pen and put in
the “clean” cup after
Attestation forms have been provided for staff to keep at home or in their car. Extra forms are on
the health screening table, if needed.
Student Screening:
All students will be screened prior to entering class.
Students will turn in a completed attestation form and have their temperature taken.
Kindergarten students will be screened in/at the auxiliary gym at GHHS for students
riding the bus and at the Kindergarten doors in the front of the building for parent drop off students.
1st grade students will be screened in at the auxiliary gym at GHHS for students who ride the bus and at the main entrance to the school for parent drop off students.
All completed attestation forms get turned into the basket at the health screening table and kept on file for 28 days.
Directions and training for screeners will be provided by Covid Site Coordinator
If a student’s temperature check registers 100.4 degrees or higher, discreetly ask the student to
follow you outside and request for secondary screening support on the radio. Escort the
individual to the isolation room (maintain social distancing) and wait for secondary screener to
arrive.
Isolation room(s) are located in the office to the right of the music room and in the event that additional spaces are needed we will use the PE office and the AP office.
Visitor Screening: Main entrance will remain open for district staff and limited visitors.
There will be minimal visitors entering the building (UPS or Amazon deliveries for example will
place deliveries just inside the front doors/vestibule area of the building).
The building is closed to all non-district staff, except for those meetings that cannot be done
remotely. There are no walk ups. All non-district visitors must make an appt. by calling the
main number. They must wear a face mask that covers their nose and mouth. The staff member
they are meeting with will meet visitor(s) at the front door, help them sign in, get screened and
escort them to an appropriate meeting space using social distancing.
All visitors should sign in on the visitor's log in the main entrance lobby. Visitors must complete the health attestation form AND Covid-19 Disclosure and Release form prior to accessing the building. Staff will be responsible for escorting their appointment to appropriate meeting space.
If a visitor answers YES to any of the screening questions or temperature check registers 100.4 degrees or higher, follow the district guidelines indicated on page 2 of the District COVID Safety Protocols document.
Personal Protective Equipment
All staff will be issued PPE appropriate to their contact with students. If you have specific needs,
concerns, or supplies are getting low, please contact Covid Site Coordinator.
PPE may include:
Cloth masks
Disposable paper masks
Adult clear mouth masks (for SLP/language needs)
KN95 masks
Face Shields
Non-latex gloves
Disposable gowns
Cleaning
Custodians will be cleaning restrooms and common areas routinely several times throughout the day. Cleaning schedules will be posted.
Custodians will clean and disinfect each classroom nightly, with emphasis on "high touch" areas. The custodian will initial and record the time that each cleaning was completed and will be posted near the classroom door.
Employees are responsible for cleaning/sanitizing their personal workspaces daily. Each classroom will be outfitted with a "safety kit", with a labeled spray bottle of soap and water, paper towels, and sanitizer, for daily cleaning of their workspace. Gloves are not necessary to wear when cleaning work space but staff may request a box (S,M,L, or XL) from Site Coordinator. Do not throw away hand sanitizer bottles. If they are empty, custodial staff will refill them for you.
Workroom, common rooms: Cleaning supplies- wipes, soap/water spray bottles, and papers towels - will be available in each common area. It is the responsibility of each person using the space to clean the materials they handled. Staff are encouraged to use stylus they were given to minimize contact with shared screens.
DO NOT bring personal cleaning supplies beyond what has been approved for district use.
ALL staff are required to wear face coverings over their nose and mouth at all times unless working alone in room with a closed door.
Staff will be provided appropriate PPE based on their job duties, work environment.
Strive to maintain a 6-foot distance from others at all times.
Wash your hands frequently and keep your hands away from your face
To reduce the spread of aerosolized saliva, staff should refrain from talking while eating due to the need to take off face coverings.
Staff may eat in their classrooms/offices
If sitting in the staff room, staff must face away from the food prep area(s) and tables must be sited as far away as possible.
If staff sit in a large open space to eat, they must maintain 6 ft. distance and no socializing/talking while masks are off.
“Maximum Occupancy" Signs have been placed throughout the building and need to be adhered to.
Health and Safety Reminder Signs are placed throughout the building.
Student Specific Safety Protocols:
Students are to remain in their classroom/pods/cohorts and not intermingle with others as much as possible.
All students age 5 years and older, must wear cloth face coverings (or other acceptable alternatives) in K-12 settings unless under the age of 5 or meet the few exceptions allowed. Pre-K students will be encouraged to wear masks. If you have concerns, speak with the Covid Site Coordinator.
Students must keep a safe distance of 6 feet away from others. Floors have been marked to help in areas of potential congestion.
Minimize sharing of items between students. Student manipulatives should be stored in individual containers for the student to use for the week. At the end of the week, these can be cleaned for return for use by another student.
Drop off/Pick-up
Parent drop off 1st grade students will be escorted to the front entrance in small groups where they will be screened. Small groups will then be escorted by staff to their classrooms.
Kindergarten students will be escorted to the Kindergarten doors to the left of the main entrance in small groups where they will be screened and escorted to class.
Parent pick-up students will be escorted in small groups/pods to parent pick-up
Restrooms
Students are to remain in their classroom/pods/cohorts and not intermingle with others as much as possible so bathroom use will be restricted when possible to minimize cross traffic.
Restrooms have been designated with maximum occupancy signs and students should be instructed to adhere to this and maintain 6-foot social distancing when in the restroom.
Recess
Students will maintain 6-foot social distancing and wearing of their masks during recess.
Recess areas will be divided into 5nzones, with one class per zone at a time. Zones will rotate daily.
Students will wash their hands, or use hand sanitizer under staff supervision, after recess.
Classroom Feeding
Staff will assist students in making sure their eating area is clean for lunch.
Staff will spray each desk with soap and water from labeled bottle provided and student may wipe dry with paper towel.
This will be repeated after student has finished and discarded their waste.
1. Staff, First Grade (Parent Drop off), and Visitor Entrance and Health Check
2. Kindergarten Drop off Entrance and Health Check
3. Bused student Health Check (GHHS Aux Gym)
4. Isolation Rooms
a. Office
b. PE Office
c. AP Office
d. Ship
All students will need to arrive at school with an attestation form filled out and signed by their parent or guardian. This form is your students entry ticket into the building. Students without a signed attestation form, will not be allowed to enter the building and parents will be called to come to the school to sign the form.
It is with great pleasure that we welcome everyone to the 2020-2021 school year!
All of us here at Discovery have been diligently preparing for the return of our Crew and we are excited to set sail for another year of excellence. Our teachers have been engaged in professional learning opportunities to support teaching in an online platform, and our amazing custodians have been meticulously cleaning and disinfecting our building to be ready for the new school year. While we know this school year will be different than previous ones, it will not damper our spirits nor our dedication to provide a top-notch education to our students!
Students are scheduled to begin the 2020-2021 school year on September 8. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and as required by the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, students will start the school year in a remote platform. We look forward to returning to school for in-person learning as soon as possible using a dialed approach.
As done in previous years, families will still be able to meet the teacher. Our Meet the Teacher event will be held virtually this year. More information will be forthcoming. Please visit our webpage for supply lists, the school schedule, student meals, and other pertinent information.
Communication between home and school is critical, especially during a time when circumstances can change overnight. We will provide information to families via text, email, and our school webpage, so please ensure your information is updated in the Parent Portal.This school year will be a new journey for all of us, but please know we are committed to keeping our students, staff, and families healthy and safe while we navigate together through this sea of opportunity.
We look forward to a great year with you and your student!
Sincerely,
Delonna Halliday, Principal
Niccole Griffin, Assistant Principal
Daily Schedule for Remote Learning
Blocks of instruction include instruction via Zoom, independent work and group work. Direct instruction will be available live via Zoom and as recordings or in slide deck form for students to access at a later time. There will be days when a teacher may need more time to explain a concept and need to extend the direct instruction beyond the times shown in the example below or days when a lesson might not last as long. Discovery staff will be working in grade level cohorts to provide a consistent learning experience throughout each grade level to support all of our students.