Safer Studio Guidelines

SYMPTOMS AND WELLNESS CHECKS

Based on the COVID-19 Alberta Health Daily Checklist, participants should remain home if their parent/guardian answers YES to any of the following questions:

  1. Does the attendee have any new onset (or worsening) of any of the following symptoms?:
    • Fever
    • Cough
    • Shortness of Breath / Difficulty Breathing
    • Sore throat
    • Chills
    • Painful swallowing
    • Runny Nose / Nasal Congestion
    • Feeling unwell / Fatigued
    • Nausea / Vomiting / Diarrhea
    • Unexplained loss of appetite
    • Loss of sense of taste or smell
    • Muscle/ Joint aches
    • Headache
    • Conjunctivitis (commonly known as pink eye)
  1. Has the person attending the activity/facility been investigated or confirmed to have a case of COVID-19?
  2. Has the attendee or anyone in their household travelled outside of Canada in the last 14 days?
  3. Has the attendee had close contact* with a confirmed case of COVID-19 or someone who is ill** in the last 14 days?

* Face-to-face contact within 2 metres. A health care worker in a occupational setting wearing the recommended personal protective equipment is not considered to be a close contact.
** ‘Ill/symptomatic’ means someone with COVID-19 symptoms on the list above.

Parents will be asked to sign a waiver that indicates that

“Every time the student attends the school, it is an acknowledgment that their parent/guardian has answered NO to all the questions in the daily checklist above”

This waiver is in lieu of signing the health checklist every time a student enters the school. It is valid for the whole season from September to June (as long as we are in a COVID-19 pandemic)

The daily checklist will be posted at the entrance door as a reminder

MASKS AND FACE COVERINGS

Based on the most up-to-date information regarding masks, and taking into consideration that the City of Calgary mandates that face coverings be worn in indoor public spaces and public vehicles (with some exceptions), the following are the guidelines regarding masks:

  • LPDS staff and volunteers are currently required to wear a mask at all times.
    They may remove the masks when working alone in a room or when eating and drinking
  • We are asking all students to wear masks inside the school when they are not dancing
  • At this point we are not asking student to wear masks during class. If students feel they would like to wear a make during class they may do so, but please let us know about it ahead of time.
    Participants who are unmasked MAY BE considered in direct contact if someone in their class becomes COVID positive and may need to quarantine for 2 weeks.
  • Any masks (cloth or disposable) left behind will be disposed of in the trash at the end of the night.
  • LPDS will have disposable masks for purchase at $2.00 each

DROP-OFF

The following are the guidelines for student drop-off:

  • Students must be dropped of at the entrance to the school. Only dancers who are registered to class can enter the building
  • Students are asked to wear a mask when they enter the school and keep them on until they enter the studio (see MASKS AND FACE COVERINGS section above)
  • Students should come to the school between 5-10 minutes before their class.
    If you arrive early, we ask that students wait in the car until that time
    Students should not come into the school earlier than 15 minutes before their class start
  • We strongly recommend they use the restroom at home before coming to the school

PICK-UP

The following are the guidelines for student pick-up:

  • Students will be released ON TIME though the studio exit door one by one and they should be picked up outside the studio
  • Parents should arrive before the end of the class for pick up as there is no waiting area with physical distancing for waiting after class
    Parent should either wait in their car or socially distanced just outside the studio but should be easily seen so we can release the students
  • Students with multiple non-consecutive classes in the same day will need to be picked up as we cannot social distance between classes
    We have done our best to prepare the schedule to avoid this scenario
  • If a parent is not available for pick up, we will have one or two socially distanced spots within the studio (depending on the next class size)
    However our studio is small and this will inconvenience the next class

We ask parents TO BE ON TIME FOR PICK UP!

BATHROOMS

  • The bathroom by the waiting area will be closed and unavailable
  • The bathroom inside the studio will be available but should be used for emergencies only
  • Bathroom cannot be used for changing
  • Bathroom sanitization will be done frequently but we cannot guarantee that it will be done after each use

Remember to use the bathroom at home before coming!

STUDENT PROTOCOLS WHILE AT THE SCHOOL

  • Children must sanitize hands as they enter the school
  • Students are asked to come dressed and with their hair done ready for class
    Obviously due to the weather, student should come wearing street shoes and a proper jacket or other cover up
  • Students should bring their dance shoes and a bottle of water and any other items required for class.
    Do not to bring any other items
  • Once in the school they will be provided with a basket to put their outdoor shoes and jacket.
  • After sanitizing the hands and putting their things in the basket, they will proceed to the waiting area inside the school until they are called into the studio.
    While in the waiting area they must stay in one of the marked spots to maintain physical distancing, There they can put their shoes, get ready for class.
  • Once called into the studio they will enter one by one, put their basked in their designated spot, proceed to their marked area in the studio and can remove their masks
  • When class is done, one by one will retrieve they basket, put their jacket and change their shoes by the exit and proceed to exit the studio.
  • Students with consecutive classes will rest and take a break in their spot inside the studio

OTHER SPECIAL PROTOCOLS

  • Any participants that develop symptoms during class (Headaches, tummy aches, sore throat, cough, runny nose, fever, and the common “I don’t feel good”) will have their parent or guardian called to be picked up.
    Participants who are sent home need to be symptom free for at least 72 hours before returning to class.
  • Only register dancers can enter the building.
    If somebody else needs to come in or talk to any of the LPDS staff in person they will need to make an appointment

SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS AT THE SCHOOL

  • All furniture have been removed from the hallway and the dressing room
  • We will be keeping one way traffic within the school.
  • The hallway bathroom will be closed. We will use only the bathroom inside the studio
  • The floor will be marked to separate students as they are waiting to start their class
  • Dance studio will have tape on the floor to help with the social distancing during class
  • We will be having a lot extra cleaning and sanitation
    All main common contact areas (e.g. door handles), ballet bars and other areas in the school will be sanitized between classes
  • Class sizes have been reduced
  • Each student will have their own basket and storage area to store their belongings while at the school

CHECKLISTS

Please check our handy Safer Studio Checklists page

VIDEO

Click here to se a short video of the safer studio guidelines

VIRTUAL CLASSES

To ensure that dance education can continue during COVID 19, we will be setup to make all classes available through Zoom. Links will be made available to the students in each class.

This way we can accommodate students and families in the high-risk population. It will also allow kids in quarantine or kids that are sick to attend they regular classes from home (students can still dance with their classmates from home)

  • Not every class will be automatically broadcast online.
  • If a dancer cannot attend due to illness or quarantine they should send and email to the school so the teacher can enable the Zoom broadcast
  • If you are a high-risk family please contact LPDS so we can setup a full virtual dance program

If for any reason a class cannot be held at the studio, for example because of a closure order by the government, we will send an email notification and the class will automatically convert to online learning as we did at the end of last season. Class will be held at the same time and have the same duration as the class at the studio.

COMMUNICATIONS

We will communicate any changes and issues through email so make sure your contact emails are up to date and check them regularly.
Make sure to check email before each class for last minute changes.

Also visit our website regularly to check the COVID protocols and any news.

LINKS

Government of Alberta COVID-19 information

Government of Alberta information on the Masks

Government of Alberta Symptoms

City of Calgary COVID-19 – Face Coverings Bylaw

COVID-19 Alberta Health Daily Checklist