The Cotswold Country Montessori School · We ask all to remain calm and increase hygiene practices....

The Cotswold Country Montessori School P O Box 13642, Northmead BENONI 1511 / 51 Dickinson Road, Benoni North A.H. BENONI Tel: 079 366 7772 / E-mail Principal: [email protected] E-mail Managing Member: [email protected]

16 March 2020

Dear parents, staff and pupils,

Update on School Procedures pertaining to Coronavirus

The President has announced that all schools are required to close on Wednesday, 18 March and may only reopen after the Easter weekend (Tuesday, 14 April). All schools are required by law to comply with this instruction and it is prudent to close The Cotswold from 18 March and contribute to preventing the spread of the Covid-19 virus. The school and all extra-murals will run as normal on Monday and Tuesday but will be closed on Wednesday. Parents have the right to keep their children at home from Monday should they feel it is in their family’s best interests. The school will consider either bringing the school holidays forward to coincide with these dates or provide lessons via email to continue learning. Please anticipate changes to the school calendar during this period of crises. This is an ever-changing situation and the school management will communicate with parents at least weekly during the closure (by email or text message) and provide you with any updates as and when we receive them. Please also communicate with us by email or text message as this is our preferred form of communication and allows the school to keep track of messages. If you do not use WhatsApp, please inform us so that we can arrange an alternative text message. We understand the frustration and inconvenience this may cause, especially to parents. However, the pandemic is unprecedented and requires us to all work together to keep our communities safe. Whilst children are at the smallest risk, our grandparents and other loved ones who are in the risk categories deserve our patience and kindness to do everything in our power to keep them safe. We will plan according to the information we receive and will take appropriate action for the school and communicate this to you. We ask all to remain calm and increase hygiene practices. We pray that our children, families, staff and all South Africans remain healthy and safe during this pandemic. Kind regards

Bev Hilder May Selkirk

Principal Managing Member


16 March 2020

Dear parents, staff and pupils, Closure of The Cotswold President Ramaphosa has declared all schools closed as from Wednesday 18 March 2020 in terms of the National Disaster Management Act, 57 of 2002, to combat the Coronavirus (COVID – 19) pandemic. After meetings between the Members and the Principal and in consultation with ISASA, SAMA and the Gauteng Department of Education, it has been decided to move our April holidays forward 3 weeks. Therefore, tomorrow will be the last day of school for the term. The whole school including Aftercare and Vacation care will close on Tuesday 17 March and will reopen on Tuesday 14 April 2020. All extra mural activities will be suspended until the second term. School photographs have been postponed to 15 May 2020. Should any circumstances change during this period, you will be kept updated via WhatsApp groups, emails and the school website. Contingency plans are being put in place should the closure extend beyond these dates. All communications regarding the Coronavirus pandemic can be found on the home page of the website. We apologise for all the inconvenience this will cause and thank you in advance for your co-operation. Please feel free to contact Bev Hilder directly should there be any concerns or queries on: 082 708 1221. Kind regards Bev Hilder May Selkirk Principal Managing Member

The Cotswold Country Montessori School P O Box 13642, Northmead BENONI 1511 / 51 Dickinson Road, Benoni North A.H. BENONI Tel: 079 366 7772 / E-mail: [email protected] E-mail Managing Director: [email protected]

7th April 2020 Dear parents, Guidelines for “Learning from Home” Introduction The response by South Africans to the lockdown, in the hope of flattening the COVID-19 curve, has been heart-warming. At The Cotswold Montessori School, we foresee that there are three possible situations which we currently need to plan for as a result of the COVID-19 situation:

1. School commences on 14 April as planned: Schools were initially placed on holiday from the 17 March until the 14 April. Thereafter President Ramaphosa announced a compulsory lockdown until the 16 April 2020. We therefor will commence Learning from Home on the 14 April 2020 and adjust the school calendar to make up for the number of school days lost due to an early holiday closure.

2. If a confirmed case of COVID-19 is detected/reported in our school community thereafter: The Cotswold School would implement a partial/full closure of the school. We are fortunate to have our well-spaced class environments. The affected environments would follow the prescribed isolation/quarantine period as recommended by health officials.

3. Extension of School Holidays/school closure: In the event that we are directed by the President or Gauteng Department of Education to extend the school holidays, or close the school after the 16 April, the School will then continue to implement a remote learning programme for pupils to undertake from home. This programme will commence where schools are forced to remain closed until we are legally allowed to reopen.

The purpose of this guideline is to outline how the School will proceed given the above scenarios: Extension of School Holidays or Schools remain closed The plan will be to implement a ‘Learning from Home’ programme. The programme will involve staff preparing weekly work for the pupils in their class. The work will be directly aligned to the Montessori curriculum but without the use of the Montessori materials. The work will be prepared for pupils at the level they are currently working. Work will be prepared for a 3 – 5 day’s work period. It will be sent out to parents via email and their class’s WhatsApp group. For the few parents who have no digital access, we will request that they collect the work packs for their children on a particular day. These will be left for collection on the school front office bench. In order to ensure that we remain within the president’s guidelines for social distancing we ask that parents only request this if they are completely unable to use emails or WhatsApps. On completion of the work for the week, parents will be able to email or WhatsApp their teacher. This plan will be regularly reviewed to ensure that we are meeting the needs of our school community. In preparation, our school staff will prepare work for students prior to 14 April and work will be sent via email and WhatsApp before 14 April. Correspondence will be sent to parents from the teachers outlining the class programme and work.

The aim during a learning from home period, as distinct from an extended holiday period, is that learning will continue – teachers will provide materials, correspond with parents and pupils, provide feedback on work completed and help to address any questions about the material provided. This is a variation to your enrolment contract as services will be delivered in a different way due to the extraordinary nature of the current situation .

Age/Grade level Programme Delivery by Responsible

Person Upper Primary School Year 6 and 7 Weekly work sent via email

and WhatsApp Teacher, Computer, email and YouTube H Fataar

Upper Primary School Year 4 and 5 Weekly work sent via email

and WhatsApp Teacher, Computer, email and YouTube N Basson

Lower Primary School Year 3 Weekly work sent via email

and WhatsApp Teacher and email J Engels

Lower Primary School Year 1 and 2

Weekly work sent via email and WhatsApp Teacher and email B Merifield

Pre-primary pupils Age 6 Bridging with a Smile and weekly work sent via email and WhatsApp

Parent and email C van Staden

Preschoolers Ages 4 and 5 Montessori Practical Life and weekly work sent via email and WhatsApp

Parent C van Staden

Preschoolers Ages 2 and 3 Montessori Practical Life and daily work sent via WhatsApp

Parent N Sebastião

Learning from Home Timeline

x 8 April 2020 - In the event that The Cotswold is required to commence with the programme of Learning From Home, staff will plan the delivery of curriculum in a home environment and prepare work for their classes on this day.

x 14 April 2020 or before – The school will communicate with parents regarding work options. x 14 April 2020 - Prepare your home working area and timetable • Complete any current tasks and homework. x 15 April 2020 - The Learning from Home programme will commence.

The manner in which this curriculum delivery is communicated and completed will depend on the age and development of the student. Flexibility will to be the key as families and staff will be faced with a range of situations during this time. Pupil responsibilities • Create daily routines for learning. • The learning area should be free from distraction and conducive to learning. • Complete the work as prescribed. • Send evidence of completed work to the class directress e.g. a photograph via WhatApp. • Do your best to complete the work and ask an adult if you experience difficulties in completing the work. You can be flexible and enjoy the work and the new routine. • Communicate with your parents and your teachers if you cannot meet a deadline. Guideline for parents/guardians We understand that there will be a range of challenges for parents in dealing with a learning from home programme and the influence it will have on the whole family. Parents are to be aware that during this period children will experience many challenges and anxieties in trying to settle into the new routine and the worry of what effect COVID -19 is having on their family and extended community. During this period of learning from home, parents should note the following: • Parents will be the key contact between the school and the pupil. Their role will be to facilitate the passing on of information to pupils/children.

• Parents will not be expected to teach pupils, but rather pass on work and give support to the pupils, encouraging them to undertake their tasks as set out. • Parents will notify the class teacher if their child is having difficulties in completing tasks or not being able to participate in the learning and the reason. • Parents may contact the teacher via WhatsApp or email to discuss work and tasks between 8:30-11:30 on weekdays • Even though many parents and staff have social media accounts, the key form of contact is the school email system and WhatsApp closed groups, not social media. Parents are to please note that the COVID-19 lockdown will come to an end and their children will experience many feelings (positive and negative) during the time. It is important that our children come out of this disturbing time positive towards their education, and appreciative of what life has to offer. Montessori philosophy encourages children to work on what interests them and to make choices. Allow them to move, carry out physical tasks around the house and provide an ordered area from which to work. A routine practising these elements of Montessori will help our children rise to this challenge. We wish our families all the best as we prepare for the most extraordinary circumstances. Bev Hilder Principal Directress


30th April 2020 Dear parents, COVID -19 Update

The school is now in its 3 week of term 2 of its learning from home programme and we are sure by now

most children are in a learning routine at home and progressing well with their schooling. We are also very

impressed with the work been completed and submitted to our teachers by our pupils. It is during these

difficult times that children show their independence and remarkable creativity in completing work around

the house. To quote Maria Montessori, “As soon as children find something that interests them they

lose their instability and learn to concentrate”. This rings true here as we notice so many of our pupils

completing work freely at home, doing more work than expected and enjoying completing tasks around the

house. Parents have encouraged and allowed this to happen.

During this period we are also very aware of the efforts and time parents are putting in to assist their

children to complete the learning from home programme. We thank you for this and remind parents that the

lockdown will come to an end and we will, over time, return to normality and look back on this period,

hopefully as a positive time of bonding with family.

We are in constant communication with SAMA and the National Alliance of Independent Schools

Associations and are been advised on the current status of developments. There are proposal, discussions

and indications that the lockdown will be relaxed in the coming weeks and that schools will be reopened

over a gradual phasing in period. There has also been a substantial amount of questions,

recommendations and concerns raised by a number of stakeholders in regards to the readiness of schools

to re-open by the suggested phasing in dates. However, these are proposed, suggested and tentative

dates. In all the communications, discussions and briefings there has been no dates for return set in

stone, nothing to this point has been finalised yet. We are aware of the uncertainty and confusion

amongst our parents. The Minister of Basic Education will hold a media conference today the 30th April

2020 to discuss the readiness and ability of departments for schools to re-open. We are hoping that

correct dates for re-opening will be made available during this discussion.

Once we get more definite instructions from the Department of Education and Associations we will

communicate to our school community how best this will be managed.

In the meantime the school is reviewing procedures and implementing recommended best practices with

the view that the school will be reopening in the near future. Some of these procedures include the control

of children been dropped and collected at school, the sterilising of hands and monitoring of children

temperatures on entering and exiting school grounds, social distancing in class and regular washing of

hands and wearing of face masks. These procedures, once finalised, will be shared with our school

parents and community.

On a more positive note we are all looking forward to seeing our families and pupils on the other side of this

pandemic and a return to a normal school environment.

Kind regards

May Selkirk Bev Hilder

Managing Member Principal Directress


11 May 2020 Dear parents,

Communication 5 - COVID -19 Update, and discount on May school fees

Communication from the Department of Basic Education was received on the 7th of May regarding a

proposed plan for returning to school. The proposed return dates for teaching staff is the 18th of May and

we anticipate students returning from the 1st of June 2020 with a phasing-in-by-levels approach. Please

note that these dates are proposed and we continue to await for confirmation.

Learning from Home Programmes The school is now in its fifth week of term 2 and our learning from Home programme. Initially the school

surveyed our parents’ home-based capabilities to ascertain which medium would best suit the majority of

our parents’ needs and we consciously introduced lessons in a format and method which could be sent to

children in the most easily understood way possible and which was easy to access by the means available

to our families i.e. emails and WhatsApp. This has worked well but, we are aware that this has placed a

huge burden on the parents to disseminate lessons and partly having to instruct and monitor their children.

We have also implemented the IXL online learning platform for most of the primary school with only years 1

and 2 still to go. Google Classroom is being investigated and if implemented will allow us to phase out the

current email and WhatsApp lesson plan and replace it with an online-streaming interactive programme.

Preparations for school reopening In preparation for school to reopen we have conducted a detailed school risk assessment identifying our

COVID-19 risks and have developed safe operating procedures to mitigate or reduce the COVID-19

transmission risk at the school. The procedures are based on the World Health Organisation’s

recommendations, those of SAMA, The National Alliance of Independent Schools’ Associations and various

governmental institutions. The procedures have been reviewed by the school’s governing body and we are

pleased to say that they have been finalised and are ready for implementation. These details will be

communicated to all parents closer to the time of reopening.

In the meantime, the school staff will undergo training on the School’s COVID-19 procedures, school

facilities will be disinfected, and supplies of sanitizer, paper towels and an infra-red thermometer will be

purchased. Parents may assist with donations of sanitizer or paper towels to the school as these items will

be required in large volumes for the foreseeable future.

Parent acknowledgement During this period we are very aware of the efforts and time that parents have spent assisting their children

in completing their Learning from Home programmes. The added costs for airtime, printing and stationery,

have all added to the burden on parents during these very difficult financial times. The school initially did

not know how long the lockdown would last and expected it to only run over the official school holiday

period. Today, we look back and are appreciative of the input which our parents have had towards the

education of our children and we thank them for their patience and encouragement over the period. The

video clips and photographs that parents have sent our teachers also show that we have very dedicated

parents.

The school would like to acknowledge our parents’ efforts by demonstrating its appreciation in passing on a

20% discount to parents on their May school fees. This discount will be reviewed next month and will

depend on the continuation of the lockdown and/or the reopening of school. This discount will only be

applicable to families who have not already received financial assistance. We thank our parents for their

loyalty and efforts and look forward to returning to normal school life at as soon as once possible.

Kind regards




20 May 2020 Dear parents,

Communication 6 - COVID-19 Update for reopening school

We were informed by the Minister of Basic Education that the return date for teaching staff is the 25th of

May and pupils will return from the 1st of June 2020 with a phasing-in-by-levels approach.

Independent schools will be allowed to phase in levels in line with the Department’s guidelines which will be

issued to us.

We will continue to update our parents as soon as we receive further information. In the meantime, staff

continue to prepare for the school reopening. We ask our parents to also begin preparing for the return to

school.

Learning from Home Programmes

The school is now in its sixth week of term 2 of the Learning from Home programme. All primary school and

pre-primary pupils have access to the IXL math and language online learning. The upper primary classes

have begun using Goggle Classroom in addition to Zoom get-togethers and we will review this method of

teaching online before further roll out. We have continued to send out lessons via. email and WhatsApp

and will do so for the foreseeable future.

Preparations for reopening school

In preparation for the reopening of the school parents will receive important information on the

requirements as laid out by the Department of Basic Education, namely:

1. Parental support during COVID 19

2. Pupils with Medical High Risks and COVID-19

3. Pupil Public Transport regulations COVID-19

Face Masks

All pupils, parents and staff returning to school will be required to wear an approved face mask while on the

school grounds. We have been advised that a reusable cloth, 2- or 3-layer mask is what is required to be

worn by pupils and staff during the day. It has also been requested by some parents that they be allowed to

purchase their child’s own face mask as a one size fits all approach may not be suitable for everyone. The

advantage of this method is that parents can select a face mask which fits their children well and children

will be in a better position to identify their own mask at school. Each pupil will be required to have 2

reusable masks which will need to be washed and ironed daily before reuse. Face masks may be sourced

from any supplier; however, the suppliers below are related to our school community and offer a

personalised service:

SKR Marketing 082 561 0382

Lindsay Bayer 084 555 7344

Daisy Davies 083 601 5660

Gray and May Décor 081 488 8893 (This company supplies lovely face shields for younger children but at

this stage legislation will not allow these to be worn to school unless the child wears a mask under them.)

School drop off procedure

1. Everyone entering the school property will be required to have their hands sanitized at the front

pedestrian gate and their temperature taken. Anyone with a temperature above 37.5 degrees will

not be allowed into the school grounds.

2. We request that as many parents as possible use the drive-through/drop off option in the mornings

and afternoons. The children’s temperatures will be taken as they disembark from the car. Parents

are requested to wait until the reading has been confirmed. This will require patience on the part of

the other parents in the drive-through queue – likely to be 10 to 15 seconds.

3. Drop off and pick up will only happen (a) via a drive-through or (b) at the entrance of the pedestrian

gate. We request that parents do not go into the classrooms unless absolutely necessary and in full

compliance of our requirements (temperature taken, hands sanitised, cloth mask on and physical

distancing maintained).

4. Everyone must always wear a 2- or 3-layer cloth mask (made according to regulations) when on the

school property.

School day procedure

1. The children and staff will be required to wash their hands every two hours, or when classrooms are

changed (in the primary building). In the 2- to 3-year old community, this will happen every hour.

Clean water and soap will be provided, and proper hand washing will be monitored for at least 20

seconds. Disposable paper towel will be used to dry their hands. Used paper towels will be placed

into the plastic bags in the COVID 19 bins.

2. School will start daily with a demonstration and/or reminder of how to sanitise hands correctly, and

how to wash hands correctly. This will be conducted by the class teacher who will monitor this daily

3. No drinking water cups will be available in the classrooms. Everyone is required to bring their own

water bottles (clearly labelled) and absolutely no sharing of food or water bottles will be allowed (this

is always our rule, but we will be even more vigilant).

4. Classroom tables, chairs, equipment, door handles, and items regularly touched will be sanitized at

regular intervals throughout the day, and thoroughly cleaned at the end of each day by class

members and school staff.

5. All bathrooms will be sanitised and thoroughly cleaned every day. Sanitising of taps, door handles

and toilet flushing buttons are to be done on a regular basis and the end of day.

6. The primary school class breaks will be staggered so that there are no large groups of children in

the playground areas.

7. Physical distancing will be enforced at play times and no hugging, hanging on each other or other

physical contact will be allowed. When sitting for group activities such as story time, children will be

physically distanced from one another.

Extra Murals, Tuck shop and Aftercare

1. Friday tuckshop will be suspended until further notice due to the exchanging of money. 2. Extra-mural activities will be adjusted and reintroduced once procedures are in place to fulfil the

requirements of all regulations and the requirements of the school. However, the decision regarding

the re-starting of an extra mural will remain the decision of the school principal. 3. The Aftercare facilities will reopen when pupils return to school. All sanitizing, social distancing and

the wearing of face mask regulations will be enforced at aftercare. Parents will need to ensure that

children are provided with food and snacks for aftercare – tea, fruit and biscuits will not be handed

out at this stage.

We look forward, with great excitement, to welcoming our pupils back to school and will do everything in

our power to minimise the risk for them.

Kind regards




28 May 2020

Dear parents

Re COVID 19 – Communication 7 – School Reopens

After weeks of lockdown, I am pleased to inform our school community that school will reopen on the 1st of June 2020

and pupils will return to school physically over the next few weeks. The plan is to phase in levels as follows:

x Year 7’s will return to school on the 1st of June

x Years 3, 5 and 6 will return to school on the 8th of June

x Years 1, 2 and 4 will return to school on the 17th of June

x Preschoolers - yet to be announced

I would like to welcome everyone back to school after a lengthy but essential lockdown. This was not an easy time for

children, parents and staff. I want to take this opportunity to thank our teachers and parents for their hard work in

preparing and supervising work for our pupils while in lockdown.

This week, our staff returned to school and have been preparing for the reopening of school. The staff are extremely

excited for the return of our children from next week and look forward to once again be able to hear the sound of

children playing and learning. The school animals, including our 2 new additions – a pair of Cameroon dwarf goats,

are dying to see and hear our children again.

I am aware that many of our parents will be cautious over the next few weeks when their children return to school. It

has been wonderful to see how involved parents have been with the children and their schoolwork over the past six

weeks. It is important to get our children back to a more normalised environment as soon as possible. They need the

structure of a classroom, a physical teacher and the social interaction with their fellow students as well as a loving

home environment, to thrive and learn.

The Cotswold Montessori School has followed all possible guidelines and regulations of the World Health

Organization, as well as the health and safety regulations of the Department of Basic Education and we will continue

to update our parents on developments going forward. The following steps will be implemented at our school:

1. School drop off times have been staggered and we ask parents please to adhere to these times as far as

possible;

Drop Off Time Levels starting 1st June Levels starting 8th June Levels starting 17th June

07:30 – 07:45 Year 7’s Year 6’s

07:45 – 08:00 Year 5’s Year 4’s

08:00 – 08:15 Year 3’s Year 1’s and 2’s

2. Every staff member, child and parent will be screened before entering the school. This will include having their

temperature taken.

3. Every person entering the school facilities will need to wear a material face mask (face shields under review).

4. Sanitising of hands will take place before entering the school, and this process will be repeated throughout the

day in the classroom, and before and after breaks.

5. Children will be required to wash their hands with soap and water during the day, at lunch and after play.

6. Social distancing measures will be in place, in the classrooms, at the toilets, and on the playground and sports

green.

7. School breaks will be staggered to ensure social distancing or pupils will play in different areas of the school.

8. Children will be trained on COVID-19 awareness as well as precautionary measures and refresher training will

be conducted daily.

9. There are demarcated areas which are out of bounds and these will be marked with red and white tape.

10. All teachers and support staff have been issued with face masks and these will be worn throughout the day.

11. All staff, including security staff, have been trained in Covid-19 awareness and safe school procedures.

12. The school buildings have all been deep cleaned and disinfected.

13. Cleaning staff will clean the classrooms, toilets and other touch points many times during the day.

14. If, in the unlikely event that a child is found to have a fever and possible symptoms of the Covid-19 virus, then

the child will be placed in our isolation room and the parents will be contacted to take the child for further

testing. It is therefore imperative that all contact details of parents or responsible people are updated at the

office.

15. Tuckshop and extra mural activities have been suspended and will only be reintroduced once we are

confident that the risk of infection is minimal.

16. The Aftercare facilities will be not initially open as we await permission from the Department of Basic

Education to do so.

17. The Learning from Home programme will be offered for identified high risk children.

Collection times - again parents are asked not to enter the school but follow the pick-up procedure which will be

similar to the drop off routine:

Collection Time Levels starting 1st June Levels starting 8th June Levels starting 17th June

13:15 - 13:30 Year 7’s Year 6’s

13:00 – 13:15 Year 5’s Year 4’s

12:45 – 13:00 Year 3’s Year 1’s and 2’s

I am left in no doubt that our staff will continue to have the best interests of our children at heart as we start a new

journey at school with social distancing in the classrooms and playgrounds. Although we will be physically keeping our

distance from one another, our teachers will ensure that every child will feel welcome and excited to be back at

school.

The revised school calendar for the rest of this year has been finalised, making up for the days lost to the COVID-19

lockdown and is attached in this email.

Kind regards

Bev Hilder

Principal Directress


5 June 2020

Dear parents

Re COVID 19 – Communication 8 – School Reopens

We are pleased to inform our school community that we received confirmation late last week from the

Department of Basic Education and SAMA, that independent schools had been given a special

dispensation for the reopening of the pre- and primary schools, provided that schools meet the required

regulations as set out by the department. Our school’s intention remains to phase in different school levels

and monitor pupils when they return to ensure social distancing is practised and protocols are enforced

while children are at school.

School Reopening

The phasing in plan is as follows:

x Year 7’s will return to school on the 1st of June

x Year 3, 5 and 6 will return to school on the 8th of June

x Pre-primary, Year 2 and 4 pupils will return to school on the 17th of June

x Year 1’s and 5-year olds will most likely return to school on the 22nd of June. We still await

confirmation about preschoolers who are not pre-primary children. In order to alleviate the pressure

on the lower primary classes and ensure a smooth and safe transition on the 17th of June we have

decided to split the year 1 and 2 starting dates.

x Provided we receive an affirmative answer to our application for deviation, 2- to 4-year olds will

return to school the 29th of June.

We were very pleased to see our year 7’s return on Monday the 1st of June and look forward to the other

levels joining over the next few weeks.

The following drop off and collection times will be practised as far as possible. We do understand and will

make exceptions for parents who have children in different grades or ages.

* Still awaiting confirmation

In order to better accommodate our pupils who are still “Learning from Home” and to ensure social distancing for

those children at school we will be finishing our school day a little earlier than before lockdown.

Aftercare

We are pleased to inform parents that The Government Gazette issued on the 1st of June has stated that

aftercare centres may open provided they adhere strictly to the rules for the prevention of the spread of

COVID-19. This means that from Monday, 8 June, our aftercare centre will be running. No juice or tea, nor

biscuits and fruit will be able to be served though and parents are asked to provide their children with

enough food and drink for the whole day if they are to stay for aftercare. Children will have to practise social

distancing and will be required to wear their masks throughout the afternoon. We also ask that parents

collect their children by 5 p.m. at the latest and inform them that our normal spot fine system will be

enforced by parents who fetch their children later than that.

Some parents have shared concerns about their children returning to school so soon and there have been

requests from some of our parents to keep their children at home for a while longer. We certainly

understand their caution and anxiety during this period, but would like to reassure those parents that we will

be following all of the regulations as laid out by the WHO and the Department of Basic Education and we

believe that the children will be safely cared for at school.

Drop Off Time

Levels starting 1st of June

Levels starting 8th of June


Levels starting 22nd of June


07:30 – 07:45 Year 7’s Year 6’s

07:45 – 08:00 Year 5’s Year 4’s

08:00 – 08:15 Year 3’s Year 2’s

08:15 – 08:30 Year 1’s

08:30 – 08:45 Pre-primary (6-

year olds)

5-year olds * 2- to 4-year olds *

Collection Time






12:15 - 12:30 Year 7’s Year 5’s & 6’s Year 4’s

12:00 – 12:15 Year 3’s Year 2’s Year 1’s

12:30 – 12:45 Pre-primary 5-year olds* 2- to 4-year olds*

Extension of Learning from Home Programme

The school will, however, continue to prepare and send the Learning from Home work-packs to pupils

who will be working from home for the foreseeable future. The following procedure will be followed while

we offer the Learning from Home programme:

x Lessons will be prepared by the teaching staff and will be emailed or loaded onto Google

Classroom or be available to be collected from school. Pupils will access these lessons via the

internet and will continue to complete tasks as they have over the past few weeks.

x We may arrange for pupils who are learning from home, where necessary, to have the opportunity

to attend a workshop or question time at school on one afternoon per week. Teachers can then

spend time going over the work and assisting pupils with their learning and assessing their

progress.

x The afternoon workshops would be conducted on different days based on grade or age levels in

various venues at the school. Pupils and parents attending the afternoon workshops will be required

to observe the COVID -19 protocols the school has in place.

x Please note that as teachers begin their class teaching, they will not be as freely available to the

children as they have been during the Lockdown. They will certainly get back to children and

parents who have queries, but this will not be done while pupils who attending school lessons. The

return of pupils to school will also change the situation regarding phone calls and Zoom lessons and

meetings that have been taking place up to now.

School Communication during COVID -19

We are aware that certain parents have not received some of the COVID-19 communications over the last

few weeks, which has been of great concern to us. In future all out-going communications to parents will be

followed up with a message informing them that communication was sent out. Parents may also view

COVID-19 communications on the school’s website’s home page under the COVID-19 Tab. These updates

on the school Website are done regularly.

School Fees

Parents should, by now, be aware that their school fees for the month of May were discounted by 20%. As

previously stated, we will review the June school fees forthwith and communicate with parents during the

month.

We once again acknowledge our parents’ efforts in assisting with their children’s home schooling during an

exceedingly difficult period and we are sure that you are looking forward to school normalising again as

much as we are.

Revised School Calendar 2020

The revised school calendar for the rest of this year has been finalised and has been sent to our parents

via email and on the WhatsApp groups. If you did not receive it you may view it on the school’s website.

The revised calendar makes up for the lost school days from term 1 during the second half of the year.

Families returning to school

We would like to draw to the attention of the families returning to school the following procedures:

1. School drop-off times have been staggered and we ask parents to adhere to these times as far as

possible.

2. Every staff member, child and parent will be screened before entering the school. This will include

having their temperature taken. We ask that parents avoid entering the school wherever possible.

3. Every person entering the school facilities will need to wear a material face mask (face shields are

under review).

4. Sanitising of hands will take place before entering the school, and this process will be repeated

throughout the day in the classroom, and before and after breaks.

5. Children will be required to wash their hands with soap and water during the day, after using the

bathroom, at lunch and after play.

6. Social distancing measures will be in place, in the classrooms, at the toilets, and on the playground

and sports green.

7. School breaks will be staggered to ensure social distancing, or pupils will play in different areas of the

school.

8. Children will be trained on COVID-19 awareness as well as precautionary measures and refresher

training will be conducted daily.

9. There are demarcated areas which are out of bounds and these will be marked with red and white

tape. Unfortunately, at this stage our pupils will not be able to make use of the playground equipment

or play with balls or other toys at school.

10. All teachers and support staff have been issued with face masks and these will be worn throughout

the day.

11. All staff, including security staff, have been trained in Covid-19 awareness and safe school

procedures.

12. The school buildings have all been deep cleaned and disinfected.

13. Cleaning staff and the children themselves will clean and sanitise the classrooms, toilets and other

touch points (including door and window handles) many times during the day.

14. If, in the unlikely event that a child is found to have a fever and possible symptoms of the Covid-19

virus, then the child will be placed in our isolation room and the parents will be contacted to take the

child for further testing. It is therefore imperative that all contact details of parents or responsible

people are updated at the office.

15. Tuckshop and extra mural activities have been suspended and will only be reintroduced once we are

confident that the risk of infection is minimal.

The school staff and I look forward to seeing our pupils return to school after this historical lockdown.

Kind regards

Bev Hilder



15 June 2020

Dear parents

Re: COVID-19 – Communication 9 – School Phasing-in

Our school reopened on 1 of June for our Year 7 pupils and has since phased in the Year 3, 5 and 6’s on

Monday 8 June 2020.

The school will continue to phase in levels according to the plan announced in Communication 8. We will also

continue to monitor our children when they return to ensure social distancing and good COVID-19 practices are

enforced while at school. We have been very pleased with the first two groups who have returned and their

awareness of social distancing and good hygiene, whilst thoroughly enjoying being back at school amongst their

friends and teachers. We look forward to the other levels returning to school over the next few weeks and

undergoing the same daily induction training.

Inspection by Benoni Department of Health

On Wednesday, 10 June the school was visited by the Benoni Department of Health to ensure compliance to the

COVID -19 regulations. The inspection included the school’s facilities, documentation and pupil behaviour. We

are pleased to inform our parents that the school was found to be compliant and conformed with all COVID-19

regulations. We were also complimented on the school’s screening documentation and the social distancing

occurring in our classrooms. We thank all our staff and pupils for following the new practices.

The school continues to wait for further developments from the Health Minister and the Department of Social

Development on the possible approval of face shields for pupils in classrooms, especially for preschoolers. In

the meantime, pupils are welcome to wear shields with their masks in the meantime.

School sustainability

Over the last few weeks there have been reports of some schools having to either close down during the

COVID-19 lockdown period and offering no distance learning to their pupils and those schools whose

sustainability going forward is in question. We would like to inform our school community that the school

members and governing body have for many years planned and made provision to ensure that the school could

sustain itself during an unforeseen event. The school has also, for a number of years, been audited by Umalusi

to ensure the school’s feasibility. The school members’ intentions are to ensure that the school continues to

offer education during this period and that our staff remain employed and paid during this unprecedented time.

We are confident that we will weather the storm and continue to offer a Montessori education on the other side

of COVID-19. That said, we appeal to our parents to continue to pay school fees during these times to ensure

that these intentions may be achieved.

COVID-19 Peace Pole and Time Capsule The COVID-19 Lockdown will certainly be remembered by our children as a historical event during their lifetime

and they will reflect on this for many years to come. With this in mind, the school would like to establish a Peace

Pole on the school grounds and bury a time capsule beneath the pole with contributions and memorabilia from

our school children to acknowledge these times. It is our intention to fill the capsule with articles, poems and

photographs from our children, and their experiences, during COVID-19 for future generations to read. We would

like this to be a positive exercise for our children to participate in, yet also allow them to respect the loss and

suffering experienced by so many around the world during this time. The Peace Pole will be used by the school

in future to promote peace, harmony and goodwill among our school community.

Further details on this project will be announced through the school staff over the next few weeks.

Mid Term Break The school’s mid-term break will begin from 12H00 on Thursday 2 July and we return on Tuesday 7 July. Our

staff have over the last few weeks worked extra hard completing the Learning from Home lessons, marking the

work, holding Zoom meetings etc. and are looking forward to this brief rest period.

School Fees As a result of the phasing-in and return of different levels to school during June, the fees will be reviewed and

any benefits will be communicated to parents later in the month. Any benefit or discount will be credited to

school fee accounts at the end of this month.

Aftercare

On Monday, 8 June, our aftercare centre was reopened, and parents began making use of these facilities.

Unfortunately, no juice or tea, nor biscuits and fruit will be able to be served though and parents are asked to

provide their children with enough food and drink for the whole day if they are to stay for aftercare. Social

distancing is been practised in this environment and we will limit the number of pupils attending to ensure

compliance. We also ask that parents collect their children by 5 p.m. at the latest and inform them that our

normal spot fine system will be enforced for parents who fetch their children later than that.

School Phasing-in Plan

The phasing-in plan remains the same as previously shared and is as follows:

x Year 7’s returned to school on 1 June

x Year 3, 5 and 6 returned to school on 8 June

x Pre-primary, Year 2 and 4 pupils will return to school after the public holidays on 17 June

x Year 1’s and 5-year olds will return to school on 22 June.

x 2- to 4-year olds will return to school 29 June.

A reminder for those returning to school on the 17 June

The following drop off and collection times will continue to be practised as far as possible. We do understand

and will make exceptions for parents who have children in different grades or ages. Preschool parents who

would like to accompany their child to class for the first few days will be required to complete the full screening

process.

In order to better accommodate our pupils who are still “Learning from Home” and to ensure social distancing for those children at school we will be finishing our school day a little earlier than before lockdown.

Parents are reminded to make use of the drive-through method of dropping and fetching their children to ensure the safety of children. Crossing the carpark in the path of moving vehicles is not advisable

Extension of Learning from Home Programme

The school continues to prepare and send the Learning from Home work-packs to pupils who will be working

from home for the foreseeable future. The following procedure will be followed while we offer the Learning from

Home programme:

x Lessons will be prepared by the teaching staff and will be emailed or loaded onto Google Classroom or

be available to be collected from school. Pupils will access these lessons via the internet and will

continue to complete tasks as they have over the past few weeks.

x We may arrange for pupils who are learning from home, where necessary, to have the opportunity to

attend a workshop or question time at school on one afternoon per week. Teachers can then spend time

going over the work and assisting pupils with their learning and assessing their progress.

Drop Off Time






07:30 – 07:45 Year 7’s Year 6’s

07:45 – 08:00 Year 5’s Year 4’s

08:00 – 08:15 Year 3’s Year 2’s

08:15 – 08:30 Year 1’s

08:30 – 08:45 Pre-primary (6-

year olds)

5-year olds 2- to 4-year olds

Collection Time






12:00 – 12:15 Year 3’s Year 2’s Year 1’s

12:15 - 12:30 Year 7’s Year 6’s and 5’s Year 4’s

12:30 – 12:45 Pre-primary 5-year olds 2- to 4-year olds

x The afternoon workshops would be conducted on different days based on grade or age levels in various

venues at the school. Pupils and parents attending the afternoon workshops will be required to observe

the COVID -19 protocols the school has in place.

x Please note that as teachers begin their class teaching, they will not be as freely available to the children

as they have been during the Lockdown. They will certainly get back to children and parents who have

queries, but this will not be done while other pupils are attending school lessons. The return of pupils to

school will also change the situation regarding phone calls and Zoom lessons and meetings that have

been taking place up to now.

Kind regards

Bev Hilder



26 June 2020 Dear parents,

Communication 10 - COVID -19 Update, and discount on June school fees

By now many schools have opened, or partly opened, especially for students in the critical years of Grade

R, Year 7 and Year 12. We are aware that some of our parents remain cautious about sending their

children back to school after our reopening. This has been particularly evident in the preschool

environment. Although parents are concerned about the possible spread of the virus, the winter cold has

also had its influence on the return of pupils. The school understands these concerns and our staff will

continue preparing the Learning from Home lessons for these children at this time.

School reopened

The Cotswold School has reopened for the majority of levels and a large number of pupils have returned.

The daily routine at school begins with all staff and pupils being screened for symptoms relating to COVID-

19 before gaining access to the school and facilities. All pupils attend daily refresher sessions of good

hygiene behaviour relating to hand washing and sanitizing, social distancing and the wearing of face masks

while at school. The school facilities are consistently being sanitised throughout the day and are

meticulously cleaned at the end of each day. School breaks are staggered and pupils are not allowed to

share stationery or materials while at school. Any material or equipment used by one child is sanitised

before another child works with it and pupils sanitise their own hands.

Learning From Home during Lockdown

The school has conducted 11 weeks of term 2 via the Learning from Home programme and a great number

of lessons and work has been completed by our pupils during this period. The IXL math and language

programme was rolled out to 132 pregraders and primary school pupils who completed over 80 000

questions online. Over 600 lessons were sent out or uploaded onto Google classroom and in excess of 250

WhatsApp video clips were sent to Pre and Primary school pupils during this period. Staff also

prepared presentations and lessons for pupils which were sent out via the emailing system. The completed

work, which was returned by our children, has been amazing and demonstrates the degree of

independence among our children. The learning and development our children experienced during this

time, whilst working with technology and completing tasks online at home has been outstanding. These

skills of independence, self-control and intrinsic motivation while conducting their work at home will stand

them in good stead for their future development.

Learning from Home after school reopens and Government expectations for Primary School pupils: Some parents have requested that they keep their children at home for a while longer and the school has

agreed to continue with the Learning from Home programme to accommodate these families for an

extended period. It is important however to draw our parents’ attention the following Government Gazette

received from The Dept. of Basic Education — Notice 343 of 2020, Disaster Management Act 2002, dated 23 June 2020 which states:

(1) A parent of a learner who does not return to, or attend, school after the phased return to school must

apply, to the Head of Department, who, in terms of section 4 of the South African Schools Act, may exempt

a learner entirely, partially or conditionally from compulsory school attendance, if it is in the best interests of

the learner: Provided that the parent makes reasonable efforts to ensure that the learner continues learning

from home in line with the learning materials provided by the school.

(2) Should a parent wish to apply for a learner to receive education at the learner’s home (home education),

he or she must comply with the legal requirements for the provision of home education, as contemplated in

section 51 of the South African Schools Act.

Section 51 of the South African Schools Act states:

51. (1) A parent may apply to the Head of Department for the registration of a learner to receive

education at the learner's home.

(2) The Head of Department must register a learner as contemplated in subsection (1) if he or she

is satisfied that:-

(a) the registration is in the interests of the learner;

(b) the education likely to be received by the learner at home -

(i) will meet the minimum requirements of the curriculum at public schools; and

(ii) will be of a standard not inferior to the standard of education provided at public

schools; and

(c) the parent will comply with any other reasonable conditions set by the Head of

Department.

Please note the above regulation does not apply to pupils in the preschool.

The Cotswold will continue to monitor the regulations relating to COVID-19 and will give our families ample

notice of our intention to end the Learning from Home programme.

Face Masks and Face Shields In the recent Government Gazette dated the 23th June 2020 section 14 (4), it states that the Provincial

Department of Education will require learners and any other person on school premises “to wear a cloth

face mask, or a homemade item that covers the nose and mouth or another appropriate item to cover the

nose and mouth.” Based on this clause the school will now allow pupils to attend school with a face shield

provided it covers the nose and mouth of the child – pupils will, however, be required to have a mask at

school as well and should enter and leave the school with a mask on.

June School fees

As previously mentioned, the school decided to review the school fees for June. We understand and

appreciate the enormous efforts our parents have made, in conjunction with the teachers, to assist our

children during this period. As the school began reopening on the 1st June with a phasing-in approach we

considered a phasing-in discount based on when the levels returned. This approach did not seem feasible

and the school management finally agreed on an overall discount of 10% for all pupils in the primary school

and a 20% discount for all pupils in the preschool. Families with children in the pre- and primary school will

receive the appropriate discounts for each child. The discounts will be credited to the school fee accounts

at the end of June 2020. This discount will only be applicable to families who are not already receiving

financial assistance.

As the period of lockdown has finally ceased and the planned reopening of the school completed, we do

not anticipate any further discounts on future school fees. All teaching staff are back in the classrooms

conducting modified Montessori lessons (to minimise the use of shared material) and the school will carry

on reviewing the risks associated with the coronavirus and update procedures accordingly. The school will

continue to offer a Learning from Home programme for non-returning pupils for the foreseeable future

however, families choosing to keep their children at home after school has reopened will need to be aware

that no further discounts will be granted on their fees as a result of home learning.

We sincerely thank our parents for their assistance during this difficult time and would like to reassure them

that our staff are thoroughly committed to making sure their children’s safety, health and educational needs

are met.

Kind regards




29 June 2020

Dear Parents,

Communication 11 - COVID -19 Update on Face Masks vs. Face Shields

There have been multiple communications and updates over the last few weeks regarding the wearing of face masks

and face shields for the various levels of children in school. Late last week we received the latest communication from

the Department of Social Development (responsible for the Early Child Development Centres and Preschools) and

their Standard Operating Procedures for the wearing of face coverings. We have thus integrated the expectations for

the Preschool (Dept. Social Development S.O.P.) and the Primary School (Dept. of Basic Education Regulations) into

the table below, making it easier for our parents to read. The table refers to the following requirements:

1. Dept. of Social Development – Standard Operating Procedures and Protocols - dated 23 June 2020.

2. Dept. of Basic Education – Government Gazette – Disaster Management Act 2002 - dated 23 June 2020.

The table sets out the expectations for pupils arriving at school, during the day and when exiting the school regarding

the wearing of face coverings.

F/M – Face Masks F/S – Face Shields

Entry to school

During Day Exiting School

Attendance Aftercare

Regulation, S.O.P or protocol

0 to 2 years old

NO

F/M or F/S

NO

F/M or F/S

NO

F/M or F/S

NO

F/M or F/S

Dept. Social Development.

Standard Operating Procedures -

23 June 2020

2- to 5-year

olds Yes

F/M

NO

F/M or F/S

YES

F/M

NO

F/M or F/S



23 June 2020

Grade R/ 6-year olds

YES

F/M

YES

F/M or F/S

YES

F/M

YES

F/M



23 June 2020

Primary Schoolers

YES

F/M

YES

F/M or F/S

YES

F/M

YES

F/M

Dept. Basic Education

Government Gazette 23 June

2020

We support the relaxation of the wearing of masks for children 5-years old and under and are happy to inform our

parents of these measures. If there are any queries, please contact your child’s class teacher.

We hope this assists our families

Kind regards




9 July 2020

Dear Parents,

Communication 12 - COVID -19 Update on Learning from Home Programme Once again, we send our best wishes to our school community and their extended families during these uncertain

times. It is encouraging to see more of our pupils returning to school each week despite the cold weather.

Learning from Home Programme The Learning from Home programme will be entering its 13th week on Monday the 13th of July. We continue to offer

this as an alternative for those parents who remain cautious about their children returning to school. Our Learning

from Home programme, which was introduced as a result of the forced lockdown in March this year to deal with the

COVID-19 pandemic, has developed over the last few months. We continue to tweak the programme to ensure that it

delivers lessons and learning for our children during this time.

The IXL maths and language programme was introduced to give our children an additional platform to complete

exercises relating to maths and language. The IXL programme was well supported and used by our pupils during

lockdown and to date over 83 000 questions have been answered on the system. However, as our school begins to

prepare and plan the return to Montessori teaching methods in the classroom and the new normal, we intend to phase

out the IXL programme for the present time. The IXL programme will be phased out on Friday the 10th July 2020.

Should the school or a portion of the school return to lockdown status, IXL will again be made available for those

affected by the lockdown.

Expectations of our Teaching staff The phasing out of the IXL programme will in part, assist our teaching staff who are currently working under huge time

constraints and expectations to assist all of our families. Our teaching staff currently teach pupils in the classroom in

the mornings, mark and conduct prep for the next day in the afternoons, develop Learning from Home lessons in the

evenings and are expected to be available for their Learning from Home pupils throughout much of the afternoons for

learning support – all of this besides meeting the needs of their own families. Our staff are certainly going above and

beyond what is normally expected of them and we realise that a return to daily school teaching is a necessity in the

future. We are very grateful for the professionalism and commitment our staff have demonstrated during these difficult

times in the interests of our children and their educational development. I am sure all of our parents will support me in

thanking them for this dedication.

The school will continue to prepare home learning lessons for our families weekly for the remainder of this term or until

the need is no longer required.

Kind regards



The Cotswold Country Montessori School · We ask all to remain calm and increase hygiene practices....

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