NORFOLK, Va. — Many private schools across the Commonwealth are transitioning back to in-person classes. The Catholic Diocese of Richmond is no different.
They announced schools will start face-to-face instruction on Monday. Thirteen Catholic schools in Hampton Roads fall under the Diocese.
Christ the King Catholic school teachers in Norfolk are busy preparing every corner of their classrooms.
“I'm very excited that they are coming back,” said middle school teacher Jan Mislan.
Mislan is also the assistant principal and said she is anxious to get her students back in the groove.
"Explaining that they are not coming back to the same school they left in March,” Mislan said.
Students in Pre-K through eighth grade will attend school in-person classes, five days a week.
Masks are required inside. They can be taken off in classrooms if six feet of social distancing is possible. Students, teachers, and visitors will have their temperatures checked each day, before they can enter.
School Principal Kim Callahan said they have about 180 students enrolled. Ten of those students are starting the year virtually.
Class sizes will be smaller, and desks are spaced out.
"Depending on the size of the room and the number of students, we've been offered a three-foot variance from the state,” Callahan said. “We want six.”
Students will get two extra breaks during the day, on top of recess.
"They can go outside, remove their masks, walk around,” Callahan said. “We have a sanitation specialist that is going to come into that classroom, open the windows, wipe down chairs and seats."
Every move is calculated to limit contact.
"We have a schedule among grades five through eight, precise times on who moves, where they move,” Mislan said.
The school even installed touchless water refill stations.
Signs and hallway traffic markers are posted all over the floors and walls to keep the rules in mind.
Callahan said there is a computer for every student. If a student must quarantine, Callahan said the transition is seamless.
“That's a lot of learning time missed,” Callahan said. “So, we call it pivoting. We can just pivot right into online learning at any time."
Callahan said they had an influx of signups for the fall. She said they are welcoming about 32 new families. They want to keep enrollment around 200 students to maintain proper social distancing, but she said they do have spaces left.