Y3K Tutor In Your Home

Reopening Schools: Student Groups

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Traditionally in the pre-COVID world, elementary school students would mix with students from other classrooms at recess. Middle and high school students would have different classrooms for each subject and different students in each class. To address the issue of student groups, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) issued the following guidance for reopening schools:

 

To minimize the number of students who would potentially be exposed in the event of a COVID-19 event, to the extent feasible, elementary schools should aim to keep students in the same group throughout the day and middle and high schools are encouraged to minimize mixing student groups to the extent feasible. Our initial requirements and related guidance are as follows:

•Cohorts: Schools should divide students into small groups that remain with each other throughout the day, with smaller cohort sizes preferred. Schools should look for ways to isolate cohorts of students and prevent inter-group contact to the extent feasible.

•Capacity: There are no required maximums on cohort or group sizes, so long as schools adhere to the physical distancing requirements.

 

Reducing the mixing of student groups: When in classrooms, all students should have assigned seating. At the elementary school level, students should be restricted to their grade level class to the greatest extent possible. At the middle school level, students should remain with their cohort throughout the day to the extent feasible. High schools could also consider ways to cohort or cluster students, though we recognize this is more challenging at the high school level:

•Placing students in cohorts. When grouping students into cohorts, a school should consider ways to keep families/siblings together (e.g., grouping students alphabetically, while recognizing that some siblings may have different last names).

•Limiting travel within a school. High schools may try to group students into clusters in the school (a “school within a school”) to try to reduce interactions with other groups when students move to their next class.

 

Check back here soon for the 3 possible scenarios they are considering for schools this coming September.

Schools Reopening: Social Distancing

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One controversial part of the Massachusetts plan to reopen schools is the section on social distancing. Before reading the plan, keep in mind that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended maintaining a physical distance of six feet between individuals to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus.  Here is their social distancing plan for schools reopening:

 

●Distancing requirements: Schools should aim for a physical distance of six feet when feasible, and three feet is the minimum distance allowed. Schools should seek to maximize physical distance among individuals within their physical and operational constraints.

●Classroom and facility configuration: To the extent possible, desks should be spaced six feet apart (but no fewer than three feet apart) and facing the same direction.

●Alternative spaces in the school (e.g., cafeteria, library, and auditorium) should be repurposed to increase the amount of available space to accommodate the maximum distance possible. In these larger spaces, establishing consistent cohorts/classes with separation between the cohorts/classes provides another option to maximize these spaces safely.

●Additional safety precautions are required for school nurses and/or any staff supporting students with disabilities in close proximity, when distance is not possible:These precautions must include eye protection (e.g., face shield or goggles) and a mask/face covering. Precautions may also include gloves and disposable gowns or washable outer layer of clothing depending on duration of contact and especially if the individual may come into close contact with bodily fluids.

 

Although not as feasible, 6 feet social distancing is known to be safer. What do you think of them reducing the number to only 3 feet? Be sure to check here soon for the school reopening plan for how to manage student groups.

 

Schools Reopening: Masks

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The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has issued safety guidance required for reopening schools in the fall.  The 28 page Initial School Reopening Guidance is complex and reading it in full can be very confusing.  Y3K Tutor In Your Home has decided to break-up their guidance information, highlighting the issues that are important to you.

Today we will look at face mask rules. Here are the rules Massachusetts schools will require when they reopen:

Students in grade 2 and above are required to wear a mask/face covering that covers their nose and mouth. Students in kindergarten and grade should be encouraged to wear a mask/face covering. Face shields may be an option for those students with medical, behavioral, or other challenges who are unable to wear masks/face coverings. Transparent masks may be the best option for both teachers and students in classes for deaf and hard of hearing students. They may also be useful for teachers and younger students who rely on visual/facial cues.

  • Adults (including educators and staff) are required to wear masks/face coverings.
  • Exceptions to mask/face covering requirements must be made for those for whom it is not possible due to medical conditions, disability impact, or other health or safety factors.
  • Mask breaks should occur throughout the day. Breaks should occur when students can be six feet apart and ideally outside or at least with the windows open. Further guidance on mask breaks including duration and frequency will be forthcoming, as well as more information about properly removing and putting on masks.

 

Masks/face coverings should be provided by the student/family, but extra disposable face masks should be made available by the school for students who need them. Reusable masks/face coverings provided by families should be washed by families daily.

  • Masks/face coverings are required to be worn by everyone on the bus during school bus transportation.
  • Transparent face coverings provide the opportunity for more visual cues and should be especially considered as an alternative for younger students, students who are deaf and hard of hearing, and their teachers.

 

Check here soon as we take a closer look at the new social distancing requirements for schools.

Executive Function and COVID-19

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There is a special part of our brain that is responsible for executive function skills.  These skills include our ability to organize, plan ahead, and especially important in this day and age of COVID-19 . . . our ability to sense danger.  The problem is that this all takes place in the prefrontal cortex and this area of the brain does not fully develop until we are well into our 20’s.

Therefore children and teens may not sense COVID-19 danger and choose not to social distance.  It is up to us as responsible parents to monitor and keep our kids safe.  We need to make sure our teens are following social distancing. It is your responsibility as a parent to make sure they follow the rules even when they are out in public places like a field, playground, or hanging out with their friends.

Coronavirus – Limit Your Information Intake

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If you watch a news channel, you will notice that every 30 minutes you will see “Breaking News” that looks and sounds just like the “Breaking News” from 30 minutes before. Listening to the same type of hype over and over is not helpful. It will only cause fear and hysteria.  They are only reporting the bad while ignoring the good to fit their narrative.  Similarly watching the stock market hysteria is not helpful.  The market will go up and it will go down. Instead of watching 24 hours a day of panic, you need to go on with your life.

In 1940, England was being bombed 57 consecutive nights by Nazi Germany.  Every night the Brits waited for the air raid sirens. Each night they hid in fear. Then the next morning came and sun rose out into the sky. After a morning damage assessment, they went on with their lives.

It makes it a lot easier to go on with your life when you surround yourself with positive people. We all know people who look at the glass as half empty instead of half full. Now is not the time to get dragged into their anxiety. Social distancing may the perfect antidote to remain positive and filter out the negativity. If you see these “the sky is falling” people on TV, turn the channel. Too many fake news commentators now predict the end of the world and the permanent collapse of the stock markets. They have been wrong at least since 1940 England. They remain wrong today.

Important Update For Y3K Tutor In Your Home Families

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Dear Y3K Tutor In Your Home Families,

As the world and our country come together to manage through the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, We hope that you and your loved ones are healthy and safe.

In recent weeks, we have all needed to take extreme steps for the health and well-being of our shared communities. Our hearts are with those diagnosed with the virus, and our deepest gratitude goes out to the heroes of this moment, including the doctors, nurses, health care professionals and everyone on the front line across the country who are displaying incredible bravery to support the greater good. They set an inspiring example for all of us.

At Y3K Tutor In Your Home we remain committed to the national efforts in slowing the spread of the virus. We have decided to extend our temporary in-home closures, until further notice, for the health and safety of our tutors and students. While our in-home tutoring is suspended, we continue to serve the many of families who we tutor through Zoom, FaceTime, Skype and WhatsApp, 8:00 AM – 11:00 PM seven days a week, directly in your home.

We are closely monitoring the situation and will reopen in your home as soon as it is safe to do so, based on the guidance of experts, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Y3K Tutor In Your Home looks forward to you welcoming us back into your house when deemed safe to do so. We will continue to provide updates, including news of resuming in-home schedules, at Y3KTutorInYourHome.com/blog.

We want to personally thank all of our students for their willingness to adapt to the changing world around them, while preventing an educational slide during their time off from in-person learning. Also we want to thank all of our tutors that have shown incredible agility and dedication to our students.

It is fair to say that these past weeks have been among the most daunting and extraordinary that we have experienced in our lifetime. We are being tested in ways far beyond what we could have ever imagined, and yet we are also coming together with renewed purpose. All of us are finding greater strength and resilience from each other. Thank you for being a loyal Y3K Tutor In Your Home customer. At Y3K Tutor In Your Home, serving your family is our highest purpose. We look forward to seeing you back in person soon.

Please be safe and take care of yourself and your family.

With gratitude,

Y3K Tutor In Your Home

Coronavirus – Live in the Moment

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If you focus on whether you will run out of toilet paper in 30 days or not, you miss out on the joy of having enough for today. Stores may have enough by then. A treatment or cure for coronavirus could be discovered tomorrow. When London, England residents in 1940 woke up on day 58 after 57 straight nights of Nazi blitzkrieg, there was no more bombing. Enjoy each moment you have and don’t waste your energy on fears about the future.

Cold and Flu Season

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Please keep your child home from school if they have:

  • A fever of 100 degrees or more in the past 24 hours
  • A diagnosis of a communicable disease
  • A cold in the active stages: coughing, running nose, and sneezing
  • A sore throat and/or swollen neck glands
  • An undiagnosed rash or skin eruption
  • Vomiting or diarrhea during the past 24 hours
  • Acute pain that requires relief by narcotic medication

If all families did their part, the spread of disease would be greatly reduced. 

Back-To-School Shoe / Sneaker Shopping Tips

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Here are some important tips when back-to-school shoe/sneaker shopping:

 

1.  Have your kids try on shoes at the end of the day or after a workout when feet are swelled.

2.  There must be at least a half-inch of space between the longest toe and the tip of the shoes. Make sure there is plenty of room to wiggle the toes inside each shoe.

3.  Always lace the shoes when trying them on.

4.  When trying on shoes, have your student wear the type of socks they would normally be wearing.

5.  Walk and run in the shoes on different surfaces like tile or carpet to make sure they are comfortable. They should not require breaking in.

 

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