Classroom bubbles will help keep students safe from COVID-19 in kindergarten to Grade 8 according to the New Brunswick Department of Education.
Bubbles or groupings will consist of about 15 students for kindergarten to Grade 2, about 22 students in Grades 3 to 5 with regular class sizes for Grades 6 to 8.
Deputy education minister George Daley says physical distancing will not be required in the bubbles.
“This means that they will be able to play, do crafts and do group work throughout the day. It will mean minimizing physical contact and shared items as much as possible,” he notes.
Music education will resume this fall and some guidelines have been unveiled for music classes.
“Singing will be permitted in K-8 groupings, however students should sing softly or increase their physical distance if indoors. Students in Grades 9 to 12 should sing outdoors – weather permitting – or in large spaces to ensure they can properly distance,” says Daley.
Musical instruments can be shared but must be cleaned and disinfected between each use.
For all grades, Daley says music classes should take place outdoors as much as possible.
All students and staff in K-8 will be required to bring two clean, community face masks to school every day unless told otherwise by a medical professional.
Masks will not be required in classroom bubbles but will be required for students in Grades 6 to 8 while in common areas such as hallways.
