2021/2022 COVID-19 Policies & Procedures
These COVID-19 Policies and Procedures reflect the latest guidance for schools from the New Jersey Department of Health (dated August 31, 2021) and the New Jersey Department of Education (dated September 1, 2021) and are subject to change as further guidance is issued.
Please read the following carefully for the information you will need in order for your child to attend in-person classes at the school.
LOWER SCHOOL (Arrival and Dismissal)
(Toddler, Primary/Kindergarten)
Regular Sign-In
Toddler Students: Toddler 1 Door, 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
Primary 1 Students: Primary 1 Door, 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
Primary 3 Students: Primary 3 Door, 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
Students will be signed in by a staff member.
Extended Day Sign-In
All Students: Primary 1 Door, 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.
Students will be signed in by a staff member.
Sign-In Procedures
The Daily Health Screening must be completed for all students prior to arrival.
Students and parents will line up, socially distanced and masked, outside the drop-off point.
Students will be admitted one at a time.
Students will have their temperature taken.
Students will be signed in by school personnel.
When they enter the school premises, students will step into a disinfection bath to clean their shoes. No indoor shoes or shoe changing will be required or permitted.
Students will sanitize their hands.
Students will place all outside materials in a bin that has been assigned to them. Students should not bring more than a water bottle and small items to school. No backpacks or other bulky items can be stored on site.
A.M. Only Student Pickup
In good weather: WFM Playground Gate, 11:30 a.m.
In inclement weather: At their respective classroom door.
Students will be signed out by a staff member and released to their parent or caregiver.
Full Day Student Pickup
In good weather: WFM Playground Gate, 3:15 p.m.
In inclement weather: At their respective classroom door.
Students will be signed out by a staff member and released to their parent or caregiver.
Extended Day Student Pickup
Primary 1 Door, any time after 4 p.m. up to 6 p.m.
Students will be signed out by a staff member and released to their parent or caregiver.
UPPER SCHOOL (Arrival and Dismissal)
(Lower El, Upper El, Middle School)
Regular Sign-In
All Students, 150 Warren St. Lobby Entrance, 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
Students will be signed in by a staff member.
Please note that no late arrivals will be permitted.
Extended Day Sign-In
All Students, Upper School Second Floor Entrance, 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.
Students will be signed in by a staff member.
Sign-In Procedures
The Daily Health Screening must be completed for all students prior to arrival.
Students and parents will line up, socially distanced and masked, outside the dropoff point.
Students will be admitted one at a time.
Students will have their temperature taken.
Students will be signed in by school personnel.
When they enter the school premises, students will step into a disinfection bath to clean their shoes. No indoor shoes or shoe changing will be required or permitted.
Students will sanitize their hands.
Students will place all outside materials in a bin that has been assigned to them. Students should not bring more than a water bottle and small items to school. No backpacks or other bulky items can be stored on site.
Students will be asked to wash their hands upon entry to the classroom.
Full Day Pickup
Lower and Upper Elementary: Art Room
Students will be signed out by a staff member and released to their parent or caregiver at the following times:
o 3:10 p.m. sharp: Lower Elementary
o 3:20 p.m. sharp: Upper Elementary
o Students who have not been picked up during the dismissal period for their class will be relocated to the 150 Warren St lobby for pickup. Students will not be returned to the school premises.
Middle School: 150 Warren St. Lobby
o Middle School. With parental permission, Middle Schools students may self-dismiss through the lobby doors. Students who are being picked up will be picked up at the 150 Warren St. lobby door.
Classroom Teacher Assignments
Toddlers: Ms. Audrey, Ms. Tania and Ms. Lulu
Primary 1 Mornings: Ms. Nanuli and Ms. Evelyn
Primary 3 Mornings: Ms. Sarah and Mr. Richie
Kindergarten Afternoons: Ms. Sarah and Ms. Evelyn
Primary Afternoons: Ms. Nanuli and Ms. Audrey
Lower Elementary: Ms. Susan, Ms. Aecha and Ms. Alex
Upper Elementary: Mr. Henry and Ms. Susan
Middle School: Ms. Alisa, Ms. Nusrat and Mr. Jonathan
The school reserves the right to change classroom teacher assignments as necessary to accommodate changing regulations, directives and/or conditions in the classroom, the school and/or the surrounding community.
OTHER COVID-RELATED POLICIES and PROCEDURES
Daily Family Health Screening Submission
All students who will participate in activities in WFM facilities need to complete the Daily Family Health Screening questionnaire electronically in ParentSquare prior to the students’ time of entry to the school facilities.
Upon submission of the Daily Family Health Screening questionnaire, the screening app will tell the parent(s) whether their child is cleared to attend school activities that day or not. Unless the app clears the child, the child will not be admitted to the school.
WFM will continually monitor responses to the screening questionnaire.
If the Daily family Health Screening questionnaire has not been submitted, or the screening app has flagged a child as ineligible to come to school, Waterfront Montessori will deny entry to the premises to the student.
Please note that, given the need to ensure the safety of other students, staff and families, there will be no exceptions to this policy under any circumstances whatsoever.
To prevent denial of entry to the school for a child, parents should download the ParentSquare app onto their phone so that they can submit the Screening from the sidewalk outside their child’s drop-off door on days they forget to complete it at home. Although ParentSquare is fully accessible from a computer and the Screening can be completed there, our experience is that everyone forgets to do it in advance at some point. We regret that our version of the app does not allow us to submit the Screening for you.
To complete the Daily Family Health Screening:
Open up your ParentSquare app or login to ParentSquare on your desktop computer or laptop. A new Daily Health Screening form will appear on the app as an orange banner on the bottom of your screen. On a computer, it will appear on the top right corner of your screen.
Open the form and respond to each question. All answers should apply to any COVID-19 related symptoms experienced by anyone in the household in the 24 hours prior to submitting the Screening.
Take your child’s temperature and enter the exact temperature that the thermometer displays.
Attest to the validity of your statement by entering your name and clicking Submit.
If your child is cleared to attend school, you will receive a GO message.
If you receive a STOP message, do not take your child to school. Next steps will be provided. Please proceed accordingly.
Please do not submit the Daily Family Health Screening if your child will not be in school on a particular day.
Weekly PCR COVID Testing
PCR testing of all students is mandatory and will take place mid-morning on Mondays and Thursdays during class time.
Any student who is absent on a Monday must arrange to provide to the school, prior to the student’s arrival at the school on Wednesday, evidence of a negative PCR COVID test administered in the prior 72 hours.
Any student who is absent on a Thursday must arrange to provide to the school, prior to the student’s arrival at the school the following Monday, evidence of a negative PCR COVID test administered in the prior 72 hours.
Testing will be conducted via cheek swab collected by, a teacher (for Toddlers), a teacher or a registered lab technician (for Primary and Kindergarten students), a teacher, a registered lab technician or the student themselves (for Lower El), or by the student themselves (for Upper El and Middle School). Families will be required register their child(ren) in a custom BackToWork Solutions portal specific to WFM.
Families may opt out of in-school testing. However, any family that opts out of in-school PCR testing must, each Wednesday and Monday, provide to the school, prior to the student’s arrival at the school on those days, the results of a privately arranged PCR COVID test administered in the prior 72 hours.
Additional information about the COVID testing program and how to set up an account has been provided separately.
Denial of Entry into the School
Entry will be denied to students who have not:
submitted the Daily Health Screening prior to arrival at school, OR
provided evidence of negative PCR COVID test via the school’s BackToWork Solutions testing program or through a private provider on the required days.
Response Protocols for COVID-19 Infection or Exposure
The document, WFM Response Protocols for COVID-19 outlines the response to, and requirements of, both the school and parents in the event of student or staff infection or exposure to COVID-19. The document is based on the latest guidance from the New Jersey Department of Health and will be implemented as described with guidance from the City of Jersey City Health Department. Parents should become familiar with the document and the responsibilities of parents in the event that their child shows symptoms of COVID-19, tests positive for COVID-19 or is a close contact of someone diagnosed with COVID-19.
Classroom/School COVID Rules
Students will wear well-fitted N95, KN95, KF94, M94 or double masks consisting of a 3-ply surgical mask under a cloth mask at all times.
Parents will wear a mask when dropping off and picking up their child.
Students may only remove their masks inside the school at the times permitted (snack, lunch, drinking water, COVID testing, nap time, etc.), and then only with express permission from the supervising adults to do so.
Students must bring their own water bottle to school. Water from student water bottles should be delivered via a straw so that the student can sip it under a mask, if necessary.
Social distancing will be observed in the classroom. When all students are fully and properly masked, students will be required to maintain, as best possible, a minimum of three-foot distancing in the classroom. When students are unmasked, six-foot distancing will be enforced in the classroom.
Student freedom of movement will be somewhat restricted. Students may have assigned seating in the classroom and have to adhere to rules about when, how and to where they may move.
Bathroom use will be by express permission only. In Upper El and Middle School, use of the communal bathrooms will be restricted to one student of each gender from each class at a time in order to maintain distancing.
No outside persons, visitors or parents will be allowed inside the school while students are inside.
If there is a COVID-19 outbreak in the school, the Jersey City Health Department may require us to temporarily close the classroom or the school and families may have to quarantine.
Dismissal from In-Person Learning
The school reserves the right to require a student to attend class virtually if:
The student is unwilling or unable to follow the school and classroom rules
The student is consistently late to arrive at school
The student is consistently picked up late
The student, a parent or a caregiver behaves in a manner that does not respect the health, safety and welfare of any member of the school community.
The family will not actively collaborate with the school in maintaining the safety of each and every member of the school community.
Classroom Teacher Assignments
Toddlers: Ms. Audrey, Ms. Tania and Ms. Lulu
Primary 1 Mornings: Ms. Nanuli and Ms. Evelyn
Primary 3 Mornings: Ms. Sarah and Mr. Richie
Kindergarten Afternoons: Ms. Sarah and Ms. Evelyn
Primary Afternoons: Ms. Nanuli and Ms. Audrey
Lower Elementary: Ms. Susan, Ms. Aecha and Ms. Alex
Upper Elementary: Mr. Henry and Ms. Susan
Middle School: Ms. Alisa, Ms. Nusrat and Mr. Jonathan
The school reserves the right to change classroom teacher assignments as necessary to accommodate changing regulations, directives and/or conditions in the classroom, the school and/or the surrounding community.
Parent Health and Safety Pledge
As a parent, I agree to the following for myself and for any approved parent, guardian or caregiver that takes my place:
I will not enter the school building or playground.
I will only bring my child if the child and everyone in our home is healthy and symptom free, with no known exposure to COVID-19.
I will not give fever reducers to my child on any day of attendance, regardless of reason for the fever reducer.
I will arrive at WFM for drop off and pick up at my child’s designated drop off and pick up time.
I will make sure that my child is wearing clean, uncontaminated clothing and a clean mask on arrival.
I will wear a mask, wait my turn and practice proper social distancing while dropping off or picking up a student.
If my child shows signs of illness during care, I or another approved parent or guardian will retrieve my child within 30 minutes of being notified that they are ill.
I will explain the drop-off and pick-up procedures to my child ahead of time.
I will inform the school 24 hours in advance of any changes to the person designated to pick up my child.
COVID-19 Related Form Submission
In order for a student to attend school, the school must receive a physical signed and dated copy of the 2021/2022 COVID-19 Pledge, Waiver and Release prior to the first time the student arrives at school.
COVID-19 Documents for Signature
All parents must submit for each student the following signed documents:
A signed copy of this document; AND
The 2021-2022 COVID-19 Pledge, Waiver and Release.
Parents may either:
Download and sign both documents and submit them to the school physically on the first day of school;
OR
Sign this document below, but download, print, sign and submit the 2021/2022 COVID-19 Pledge, Waiver and Release in physical form on the first day of school.
Parent Acknowledgement of Receipt and Acceptance
Please select the button below to sign the
Parent Acknowledgment of Receipt and Acceptance
PDF copies of the documents to which this page refers can be found at these links:
2021/2022 COVID-19 Pledge, Waiver and Release