Pre-existing Factors That Mitigate Risk
International Student Readiness
As an all-boys boarding school, Robert Land Academy is uniquely situated on 168 acres in rural Ontario with controlled student interactions with the surrounding local population. With on-site amenities such as lodging, mess hall, fitness facilities, and basic health services, the Academy offers a self-contained academic setting for both domestic and international students.
Robert Land Academy has strict COVID-19 protocols and procedures in place to keep all our staff and students safe. Our International Student Readiness Plan has been approved by the Ministry of Education, enabling in-person teaching or instruction for international students in the 2021-22 school year. View our Parent Information Package.
With the uncertainty surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Robert Land Academy’s first priority remains the safety of our students, families, staff and wider community. We continue to follow or exceed the guidance of Public Health Canada and the advice of our two registered nurses and our consulting physician.
With such a fluid situation it is vital that we plan for all eventualities, and are ready to modify protocols as the situation evolves. While it is impossible to eliminate all risks, the risk of exposure to Covid-19 can be greatly reduced by non pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) based on up-to-date, evidence-based research. With this in mind, we have made numerous changes to the admissions process and the implementation of the program. It is likely that there will continue to be changes in the coming months. In line with provincial guidance Robert Land Academy is planning for different scenarios.
Our Response
As a residential program, we were considered an essential service. Some boys remained on campus during the March Break while others were unable to return. Google classroom was quickly set up. On-site staffing was immediately reduced to operational staff only. Teaching staff were instructed to teach from their homes. Students off-site, and those that remained at the academy were taught via video lessons following a structured schedule and offered tutorial assistance.
Campus Preparation
Personal Protective Equipment
- All staff will be issued with medical-grade face masks. Wearing masks is encourraged, the academy is mask friendly.
Sanitation
- Good hand & respiratory hygiene practices will continue to be promoted throughout the academy.
- Virus grade hand sanitizers will be located in all classrooms.
- Campus buildings will continue to be cleaned on an increased schedule and will be sanitized regularly with an electrostatic sprayer to ensure all student areas and high-touch surfaces are clean and sanitized.
- Industrial grade misting sanitizers will be used to deal with classrooms, washrooms and barracks.
Testing/Screening
- Visitors who comes on campus, will be screened on a daily basis for COVID-19 symptoms using an electronic screening questionnaire.
- Staff will monitor themselves using the Ontario screening tool.
Modifications to the campus
- Senior barracks have been renovated to allow for greater spacing of living and sleeping quarters.
- Barracks spaces have been reconfigured to create barriers to airflow and create greater separation between students.
- One building has been designated for any boys exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms.
- One building has been renovated with the creation of additional showers and washrooms, and designated for any boys should they test positive.
- Social distancing floor markers have been installed to control foot traffic in areas where appropriate.
Scheduling
- All meals will be staggered in two cohorts to allow for increased social distancing.
- All classrooms will be limited to less than 15 students and social distancing will be observed.
- All published dates on the schedule of events are subject to change pending responses necessitated by the fluid nature of circumstances.
Leaves and Stand-downs?
- All leaves and stand-downs will be subject to circumstances prevalent at the time.
- Boys who stay at the Academy during leaves and stand-downs may be permitted to substitute Skype calls for phone calls.
Academic
- The Academy continues to offer remediation in numeracy and literacy, designed this year to specifically address students who have not completed the school year.
- Academic programming in the junior division will address, where needed, work missed or not completed in order to support grade-level performance.
- Standardized academic testing will be used to establish grade-level functioning in numeracy and literacy.
- Google Classroom live video lessons will be implemented again, in the event that we enter another lockdown scenario.
Mental Health Services
- Section Officers will continue to discuss worries and concerns of students in and around the COVID-19 pandemic.,
- We continue to provide the guidance and counselling of our visiting psychotherapist.
The Robert Land Academy
residential program offers provisions for the safety of you and your family in these changing and challenging times. Located on 168 acres in Niagara Region, RLA’s isolated rural setting, paired with the structured and supervised environment, provides a unique advantage for the school to minimize exposure to the virus on campus.