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With face-to-face classes resuming for a number of public schools this week, principals have revealed that many of their students have been excited to get on campus, in particular those in the grades 7 and 8 cohorts, many of whom have been looking forward to experiencing their high school grounds for the first time.

Though a large number of students turned up at each of the schools, the principals with whom Our Today spoke said not all returned, as parents were either concerned about the recent spike in COVID-19 cases or were hesitant due to multiple previous delays to plans for the reestablishment of face-to-face learning.

While some schools, such as the Hampton School for Girls and the Excelsior Primary and Infant School officially opened on Monday (January 3) and today (January 4) respectively, other institutions including the York Castle High School and the Immaculate Conception High School for Girls opened their doors to students this week only for orientation. The latter institutions mentioned, reported that they would officially open for face-to-face learning come next week.

Our Today gathered that schools have now implemented rotation programmes in an effort to prevent or hinder the spread of the virus. The students who are not physically on campus will still be accommodated for classes in the online space.

Karen Smith, who spoke with Our Today from Immaculate Conception High School for Girls, said the lower and upper school would be engaging in face-to-face classes in alternating weeks, while fifth-form students will be present each as they prepare for their upcoming Caribbean Education Certificate examinations.

“…Come Monday morning, face-to-face teaching across the board. Lower school next week and the following week, upper school. [However], all grade 11s, which are upper school, they will be here all through. They will mix with both groups, as they are the sensitive ones right now,” Smith said.

The representatives of each of the institutions said the necessary protocols have been put in place with each school properly informing students of the expected behaviour, encouraging mask wearing, having grade supervisors ensure social distancing is maintained, and the implementation of several sanitisation stations across the campus.

Mahvell Charlton-Brown, principal of the Hampton School for Girls, said various safety measures have been put in place at the school.

“We have a number of hand washing stations and sanitiser dispensers across the compound. We have about 15 hand wash stations and there is a triple station just at the top of our drive way… . To accommodate the influx of students in the morning we have a station that has three hand sinks, three dispensers, etc. We don’t want the students to gather in long lines at the gate.”

Charlton-Brown added that the institution has also encouraged students to take personal responsibility for sanitising.

“We have also advised and encouraged the students and parents to ensure that students come to school with their personal supplies of travel size hand sanitisers, [and], extra masks in case anything happens to the one they are wearing or it becomes saturated.

Although there were some parents who did not welcome the idea of their children returning to the physical school space, others eagerly embraced the long-awaited day.

Each of the school representatives who spoke with Our Today said the institutions have been in communication with parents, with some noting that the various cohorts have WhatsApp groups and parents are able to contact teachers or other school officials directly.

Oliver Holness, principal of Excelsior Primary School, said that, coupled with several meetings, the institution created a manual it issued to students and parents describing what to expect.

“I am in constant discussions with my parents. They have direct contact with me. We have an effective communication aligned with our parents, because we utilise the emails. In addition to that, we have an active WhatsApp group. So there is a a school wide WhatsApp group for each grade and individual classes [have a] WhatsApp group that some parents monitor along with teachers. So you have the parent rep.”

Holness noted that some parents were pleased with the resumption.

“Parents are pretty happy… parents that came out, they observed, and they were pretty comfortable. Before we even opened… we also created a face-to-face manual for our parents which we emailed so that they know exactly what is expected of them and also what is expected of the students and what it is that we are going to do.”

Not only were some parents happy that physical learning resumed, but students and teachers as well.

Raymond Treasure, principal of the York Castle High School, described the students’ reaction to being back as “happy”, detailing that they now have the opportunity to once again engage in extra-curricular activities and will also be able to develop themselves in leadership capacities.

“A number of them were happy to be here. Remember things like clubs and sports and all of these things, those would be on hold. Now they will get an opportunity to engage in those things. They’ll be able to develop their leadership once again, because remember prefects and head boys…were not able to operate online. The band, the choir, all of these activities, were basically placed on hold for almost two years. So this for them is an opportunity to develop holistically,” Treasure shared.