CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- It's week 7 of in-person learning in Terese Rick's 1st grade class.
"Let's do a mask check before we get ready to wish Charlie a Happy Birthday," she said. "Let's remember that our nose, mouth and chin should be tucked in."
Meadowbrook Elementary School in Northbrook is one of the few schools in Illinois that decided to go full-time in person learning when classes returned Aug. 24.
"We gave the parents a choice between either sending their children back 100 percent or keeping their kids home. In the end about three-quarters of the parents sent their children back," said Pat Thome, principal of Meadowbrook Elementary.
The K-5 school is one of four schools in District 28 that has the 100 percent in person option.
"Once we determined that we were going to come back 100 percent with about 75 percent of our kids, we then had to figure out if we had enough space, which we did," Thome said. "We had to alter the space. We had to move furniture out of the classroom and into the gym to allow 6-foot distancing between student desks.
"We had to figure out the maximum capacity. It was a labor-intensive process. We also have virtual classes at every grade level. We have 23 classrooms here now. The majority of classrooms can fit 13 to 17 kids safely."
Meadowbrook Elementary School in NorthbrookWBBM Newsradio/Lisa Fielding
Officials used the whole summer to figure out how to best separate students, utilize their outdoor space, and come up with a safety plan, he said.
"The kids are masked up all day. We're eating lunch outside. The kids have physical education outside. We set up a few tents. So far, the weather has cooperated so we've been lucky. The kids all have lockers. Arrival is very different. We had to stagger arrival in the morning," he said.
Thome said children are assigned a number or a color that determines when they can go to their locker or leave the building.
"Only three students are allowed at their lockers at a time," he said.
Recess zones outside keep children apart and limited to their zone.
Meadowbrook Elementary School 'zones'WBBM Newsradio/Lisa Fielding
"At all of our three elementary schools, you're either in recess zone 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 — so you can have 7 classes out here at the same time. So, they can't interact with each other. It's really strange. Kids are using different entrances and exits," Thome said.
Rick, the teacher, said the kids get two mask breaks a day, but for the most part they are adjusting.
"We had a lot of directions and instructions on how are you supposed to walk in the hallway, how do we use the restrooms, what is recess going to look like, P.E., the schedule? Kids are little, they love each other, were we going to be able to keep them apart? The kids are doing an amazing job of staying in their personal space," she said. "We do a couple of masks checks during the day. The kids kinda forget that their masks are on."
Meadowbrook Elementary School in NorthbrookWBBM Newsradio/Lisa Fielding
Thome said the students are adjusting well and are glad to be back in the classroom.
"It's great to be at school rather than at home," said Colt Nyren, 10, a fifth-grader. "It was crazy coming back with all the new rules and things, but it's all good."
Thome said space and resources help, but admits it was a gamble to offer 100 percent in-person learning. So far, he said, they've had no major issues and an overall healthy faculty and student body.
"We're keeping our fingers crossed," he said.
Meadowbrook Elementary School hallwayWBBM Newsradio/Lisa Fielding
District 28 has had three cases of COVID so far. Thome and his staff are already planning and making safety adjustments for the winter.
Parents will once again have the choice between virtual and in person for the next semester.
"It's great to have the kids back. It's just a building when there are no kids here. It becomes a school when they're here. It's nice to have the school alive right now," Thome said.
