PORT TOWNSEND — Swan School students will spend most of their time outdoors this year.
Volunteers and teachers are creating new outdoor classroom spaces on the private school grounds at 2345 Kuhn St., preparing them for the Aug. 24 start date, said Emily Gohn, Head of School, in a press release.
Students at the small school will spend at least 90 percent of their school days outdoors, doing child-centered activities while still taking precautions against COVID-19 by being masked (for children from 1-6 grades), distanced, and outside in the open air, Gohn said.
“This greatly reduces the risk of transmission and, combined with Swan School’s small class sizes, daily screening of all children, and Jefferson County’s low-risk status, is the safest possible scenario for students returning to an on-site school,” Gohn said.
Jefferson County’s low infection rate has it determined to be a low-risk county.
New outdoor learning spaces for the preschool-through-sixth-grade school include a sound wall, science exploration, physical education options, water play during appropriate seasons, building areas, dramatic play, math challenges, and weights and measures.
“These hands-on learning stations will integrate directly into the curriculum and rotate throughout the year,” Gohn said.
The regular schedule of classes from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. five days a week will have a few adjustments, such as staggered arrival and dismissal times and a field experience/early dismissal day on Wednesdays.
All adults and visitors who are on campus for more than 15 minutes will need to be masked.
The recess schedule will continue normally, with masking and as much physical distancing as possible in place, Gohn said.
Preschool and elementary school children will be in separate groups, with no mixing.
“We are sorry for this because we love our constant multi-age contact, but right now there is not a way to do it safely,” Gohn said.
Enhanced cleaning and disinfecting procedures will be in place for all shared spaces.
“Swan School is uniquely positioned to offer safe, responsive, child-centered classes during this high-anxiety time,” Gohn said.
“Emotional security and a connected community have always been central tenets of our program, and now it’s more important than ever that our students experience them every day.”
For more information, call the school at 360-385-7340 or visit swanschool.org.
