How Austin's Sumner Elementary Is Reopening With In-Person Learning This School Year
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Sumner Elementary School in Austin is one of the first schools in the state to reopen for the new year.
Students at this public school have been in class for two weeks.
Right now, based on the amount of COVID cases in Mower County, schools can have in-person elementary learning and hybrid for secondary.
WCCO's Marielle Mohs traveled about two hours south of the Twin Cities to see how this school is implementing safety changes -- what's working and what's not.
Recess is the only time during the school day these 1st through 4th graders get to be mask free.
"At recess, they're allowed to take it off and have a little bit of a break," teacher, Alyssa Bachman said.
Alyssa Bachman teaches fourth grade at Sumner elementary. She said so far her students are complying very well to all the new safety changes.
"They're so willing to do what we're asking because they're so happy to be back," Bachman added.
While recess looks pretty normal, you start to see the changes as soon as the kids get ready to re-enter the building -- lining up on stars painted on the ground to indicate six feet apart.
And each grade going only in and out of one assigned door.
"When we're in the building, all students and staff have to either have a mask or a face shield on," Principal Sheila Berger said.
In a normal school year, there'd be four students sitting around a table. This year though, they've cut that in half, with one student sitting at each end -- measured six feet apart.
Principal Sheila Berger says of the 207 kids that go to Sumner Elementary only 26 opted for distance learning. She's also capping all classrooms at 50% capacity.
"We don't use the cafeteria, so students eat their breakfast and lunch in their classrooms," Berger said.
Principal Berger says keeping the shared devices -- like the classroom iPads -- sanitized between each use, has proven to be the biggest challenge.
English is a second language for over 50% of the students here at Sumner, with Spanish being the most common first language.
"We felt really strongly about getting them back in class and helping them retain those new language skills," Berger said.
This school year is already proving that to lead a school, you'll have to do so much more than just teach.
"As a leader and staff, we set the tone of the building, so if we're exhibiting signs of high anxiety, that will rub off," Berger explained.
Sumner Elementary operates on a modified year-round schedule. They started July 28 for 45 days, then will take a three-week break.
Once the rest of the Austin Public School District gets back in the fall, they may reevaluate things.