Health and Safety
During the first wave of COVID-19, KOBILS went online for preschool and Kindergarten, Elementary and Afterschool/Saturday School. This page updates you on our online programs and future plans, as well as the current Corona-related hygiene and safety precautions at KOBILS. Should we be hit with another wave of COVID-19 later this year, we plan to take these programs online again.
Watch the video to get a little taster of our online classes!
How will we take our classes online again?
If Kobe City once more recommends school closure, we will take our classes online after one or two days of preparations as follows:
Elementary:
We have a one-to-one iPad program so all children have an iPad at home. All lessons for all curriculum areas go online. As a guideline, students have three Zoom – synchronous interactive teacher-led lessons a day comprising one each of Math, English and Japanese. Content is additionally posted online at Seesaw, an interactive learning management system (LMS). Students submit work by taking photos and videoing their work through Seesaw too. There is a weekly Social Studies and Science project, PE lessons, book readings and optional activities, such as music and art. We send home a packet of physical worksheets and activities to supplement textbook and online content.
Kindergarten:
Children have smaller group Zoom – synchronous interactive teacher-led lessons for level-based learning time two times a week for English. Other content is posted daily in Seesaw (an interactive learning platform) in the form of teacher-led videos for Circle Time. Children can join in circle time, learning time, Japanese, PE as well as access some supplementary games and book readings. We also have online pianica lessons. Children access and submit work through Seesaw. Children receive a package each week with additional worksheets, craft materials and instructions.
Afterschool (evening):
Older students have a 90 minute live interactive class online with Zoom (real time video conferencing) at their usual scheduled time.
Saturday School:
Saturday School children are strongly encouraged to have an iPad for this program. Saturday School reduces to one session (no Science/Technology class is offered) in the event that we go online with fees adjusted. Students have one 40 minute plus Zoom lesson each Saturday at scheduled times in a small group. Additional content is posted on Seesaw, an interactive learning platform, in the form of teacher-led videos and explanations of how to do homework. Games and book readings are additionally posted.
Note: All children (except JHS and up) have access to RAZ-Kids (an online level-based reading program) and Spelling City (online games-based spelling program) as well as online textbook material. Elementary students are also enrolled in Mathletics.
Shokibo Hoikuen:
Staff may send home a craft activity and make a video magazine for singing along with staff and watching story time.
Summer School:
Summer School will be fully refunded if we are forced to close due to COVID-19 (either because Kobe City recommends or because we have an outbreak of Coronavirus at school).
Hygiene and Safety Precautions from June 1 2020
(these may be updated and may vary a little by program):
Curriculum Changes:
Elementary Clubs for June/July: none. Usually we have all the children together for clubs but this is difficult right now, so clubs are planned to restart in September. Pick up and bus drop time will be the same every day as Friday.
Pianica/Recorder: We will not hold lessons in which children blow into instruments in June but will reintroduce them in small groups in July. Violin: Lessons will be held but not in the small music room. They will be held in a larger classroom with better ventilation.
Singing: We will conduct singing lessons outside (if we decide to have them) and children will be distanced and in smaller groups.
Elementary Lifeskills: We will not visit our older friends at the day center in June or July for Elementary and we will not mix children across grade levels for these classes.
Shioya Country Club: Shioya Country Club is open from June 1 for external guests which includes our children. Elementary students will start soccer, tennis and swimming lessons. Fun Day Swimming days were cancelled.
Ganba: Ganba sports club is on for Kindergarten and Elementary. Children visit Ganba once a week for professional gym instruction. The area is quite large and children will be spaced for activities. Staff will wear masks but children will not. Of course children must wear masks for commuting by school bus.
Play time: Children will be split in two groups for play time at Elementary and on Saturday so the @-playground is not over-crowded.
Updated Sanitation/Hygiene Practices:
Washing hands: When staff and children arrive in the morning, they wash their hands with soap and warm water. Hand washing is encouraged throughout the day. Children use paper towels not air dryers or towels to dry hands. Alcohol spray is also on hand.
Temperature checks: Please check your child’s before they leave home. We will also check at school. Children higher than 37.4 will wait in the rest area to have their temperatures retaken. If they go down under 37 they will be allowed back to class. If they are between 37 and 37.3 on initial check they will be followed up again in class.
Good ventilation: All classrooms in all programs have double sets of windows that enable thru air flow.
Air cleaners: All classrooms have air cleaners and new or almost new air conditioners with cleaning built-in.
Alcohol spray: We have ample supplies thanks to donations from parents plus our own sourcing. Children can spray hands frequently.
Cleaning: We wipe down tables, door handles after each session. We have check off sheets for this purpose. For the moment we have removed all carpets from the classrooms but we may introduce them for winter. By that time the research should be clearer about surfaces and unsafe practices and areas.
Lunches: Teachers serve school lunch wearing aprons, and masks and new gloves that are discarded after each use. There are no lunch helpers. Children sit apart from each other and not opposite. We have lunch and play times in two shifts, so there are never more than 20 children in a room together.
Masks: Children in grade one and over are encouraged to wear masks, but they can remove them for outside play if they want to, as well as for PE and lunch. Kindergarten children must wear masks on the bus but may remove them at school. For lunch children will not wear masks but sit either spaced and diagonally or have screens between them.
Teachers will wear masks and/or face guards except when eating lunch and supervising outside play.
Bus/Public Transport: Children must wear masks on the school bus and should, of course, be wearing masks when commuting to school by public transport. Windows will be open on the school bus as much as possible.
Heat stroke: Due to the possibilities of hear stroke we are not enforcing mask wearing outside or during PE. WE are also encouraging children to drink lots and they must wear their KOBILS cap when playing outside.
What are we not doing?
There are several things we are not doing and it is important to understand these again to make an informed decision about sending your child to school but also to understand the position of the school. There is always more that we could do; it is never-ending. As much as we think possible and important, we are constantly updating practices.
In general, we have arranged desks so children are not sitting opposite each other so much, but they will have class discussions at times. We are not enforcing social distancing as rule. We think the mental costs of social distancing outweigh the hygiene benefits and we want teachers to teach, not constantly be policing children for normal child-like behavior.
Apart from some distancing at lunch, for the most part children play normally. We think it is unreasonable to expect children to be here for 6-8 hours or more a day and not play WITH each other. If you are worried about your child playing with other children, you need to keep your child home. Obviously there is some risk involved.
We are assuming that we may have cases of Coronavirus in the school. There is always that risk. So we are behaving in a way to limit infection as much as possible and under the assumption that should we have a case of the virus both our habits inside and outside school as staff members and children, and our safety and hygiene practices inside the school will be investigated. As such we are taking precautions not just for the health of the staff and children, but thinking about how well we could stand by our decisions should the worst happen. We cannot, however, guarantee that your child is safe from Coronavirus at KOBILS.
We think the risks associated with school attendance are acceptable especially when balanced against the negatives of staying home for emotional well-being and continuing to develop social skills, but parents need to decide for themselves if this is true. Additionally, as mentioned above, we have balanced safety and hygiene with mental health concerns. We think it is important that your child enjoys coming to school and does not collapse from heat stroke due to mask wearing! We hope you will agree that our policies are balanced and sensible.