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Houghtaling Elementary, Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District.

Tags: spotlight

2020 has been an unusual year as a result of COVID-19. Many districts around the state are opting for virtual learning, based on their community risk level. The COVID-19 risk in Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District (KGBSD) is currently low, so students will return to school in-person on September 14th. Their teachers and school staff are anxiously awaiting their return!

KGBSD hosts five elementary schools, including Houghtaling Elementary, which serves students in grades K-6. Ms. Jillian, Houghtaling’s music teacher, created a fun video to walk students through their new norms when they return to school.

Ms. Jillian sings “Hello there, how are you? It’s so good to see you! Let’s sing and be happy ‘cause we’re all back together again. This time for REAL!”

Houghtaling Elementary is excited to be welcoming students back in-person, with some changes to keep students safe and mitigate the risk of spreading COVID-19! 

  • Masks: masks/face coverings are required before entering the school. Teachers will have extras on-hand if needed!
  • Morning routine: the school playground and front doors will be closed before school. Students will no longer use the main entrance; each class has their own VIP entrance when arriving at school!
  • Walking traffic: Students should walk in the same direction around the school to get to their VIP entrance.
  • Entering the building: Each VIP entrance will have two adults to greet students. One will take temperatures, and the other may ask a few screening questions. Afterwards students should walk directly to their desks.
  • Leaving school: the walkers, parent pickups, and bus riders will all leave school at different times and through different doors.

A few other mitigation strategies include: adding classroom teachers and restructuring classrooms to create smaller groups, using a pod strategy for recess (Houghtaling prefers the term “pod” over “cohort” since their school mascot is a dolphin!), frequent handwashing and sanitizing, and limiting school visitors. You can read the full Alaska Smart Start 2020 plan for Houghtaling Elementary for more detailed information.

The staff at Houghtaling is excited to welcome back their Dolphins!

Thank you, Houghtaling Elementary, for the level of care and attention that has gone into preparing for a successful start to the 2020-2021 school year!