ES Nests

In light of the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak globally, schools around the world spent a great deal of time meeting, planning, brainstorming and looking for the safest means available to reopen schools. It has been  a hard decision for  schools, and parents alike, to decide whether it would be best to continue with E-learning or to go back to the much needed and anticipated daily interactions between students and their classmates back on campus. 

This question is especially important for the younger students, who have a bigger challenge learning online, as much of their learning depends on their daily face to face interactions. Mrs. Jackson-Jin, the ES principal worked tirelessly over the summer break to create a new system, carefully and meticulously tailored for our younger ES students; ES Nests. 

The eagle, being the CAC mascot, that the students relate with the most, gave her the idea of creating “nests” where students can learn in a safe and healthy environment back on campus. NEST, also also stands for Nurturing Environment for Students and Teachers. 

First of all, the ES division is now completely separate from the rest of the school in that only ES students and staff are allowed to enter this area. Each classroom has been split into two Nests, with each nest containing a maximum of 10 students. Apart from swimming or PE, teachers, aides and specialists go to each Nest to teach. The students learn, eat and play  within their nests and only mingle with the same group of people all the time. They have the option to be indoors or outdoors. All classrooms contain air purifiers, and the doors and windows remain open for proper circulation. 

Following this new system, in case of a positive case of Covid-19, the whole nest can easily be traced and isolated to avoid any spread of the virus. 

Everything the students need is provided for them within their nests, including stationary, paper towels, washing sinks and water coolers. Everyone brings their own packed lunch to school, and they can enjoy their lunch safely in their nests, with a teacher accompanying them all the time to ensure all safety measures are being met. 

Additionally, arrival and departure times have been staggered for each student who are each assigned a specific gate to enter and leave from, to ensure that there is no congestion at the gates. Needless to say, temperatures are taken before entering campus, and everyone on campus is required to wear a face mask all the time. 

The ES Nest system is such a huge success, as it provides the perfect learning environment for the students where they can interact with one another, but within safety measures. It has been a huge success with the students who have expressed their happiness being back on campus and getting to meet their teachers and friends again after a long time. Today we are happy to say that CAC students are distant but not apart! 

By: Diana Shanaa