EC Montreal is set to reopen on August 31, 2020. We are so excited to welcome our students back! We have missed them so much! We cannot, however, ignore the fact that we are still living in uncertain times and the threat of the covid-19 virus is real. EC is an organization that cares and our priority has and always will be the well-being of our students and staff. For this reason, our reopen will be different from what our students are used to.
The most important safety feature is coming back gradually and to a blended learning format. This means that part of the students’ lessons will be face to face and the other portion will be online. This is to limit the physical time spent at the school and commuting by public transportation. This is also to ensure that our staff has the time to thoroughly clean the classrooms and reception area.
Our students will also notice that students will only have access to their assigned classroom and restrooms. All common areas will be closed off to discourage social gatherings. This means that welcome talks, presentations and orientation sessions will remain online to avoid large groups of students in the classroom or student lounge. EC Montreal will not offer any in person social events. Instead, we will offer online social and academic events. We will also be providing students with recommended tourist attractions that have a safety protocol and where social distancing can be practiced.
When you enter the building, EC Montreal staff will be checking students’ temperatures. If anyone tests above 37,2 degrees, they will be asked to go home. At the entrance there will be a hand sanitizer station where students will be asked to clean their hands with a reminder to also wear a mask. Any student who doesn’t have a mask will be given one disposable mask for free with a reminder that they need to get their own mask. EC Montreal will also have washable EC branded masks for sale.
The reception desk is equipped with plexiglass to protect both staff and students. In the province of Quebec, it is mandatory to wear a face mask in all indoor spaces and in public transportation. We have placed markers to help our students with their physical distancing. We have removed furniture from the classrooms and have only left desks that can be six feet apart from each other.
We will be encouraging virtual office hours to limit the number of students in the office and all staff will be wearing both masks and face shields. Teachers will be wearing face shields so you can understand them better when they speak and you can see their lips move.
We have also installed vacant/occupied signs on the restrooms to limit the number of people in the restroom to only one person at a time.
There will be hand sanitizers placed throughout the school and in all the classrooms as well as sanitizing wipes.
A reminder that all new arrivals in the country need to be in quarantine for 14 days. This is important to ensure that new travellers are not infecting anyone around them.
All of these safety measures are to ensure that our students and staff remain healthy during these difficult times. We don’t know when things will go back to “normal” but until then, we want everyone to know that we are here for you and will do everything we can to help you achieve your language goals.
We look forward to our reopen on August 31 and until then, we are loving teaching English and French online with EC Virtual.
