I didn’t assume I’d be including to my “Again to College” sequence till subsequent yr when my oldest goes to Scuola Media (Center College). Nevertheless, Covid-19’s plans to completely screw up your complete world means I get to doc one other thrilling second in our lives.
February 21, 2020 was the final time my women have been bodily in class. The final time they sat at their desk. The final time they ate lunch. The final time they heard that bell ring and for some, it was the final time they noticed their associates and academics in particular person. Each week we have been informed that faculty would solely be postponed by just a few days till finally we have been in full lockdown after which realized that going again in particular person was NOT taking place.
It’s been 7 lengthy months however the Italian authorities made it clear that youngsters HAD to return to high school. All of us suffered throughout lockdown however the children in all probability had the worst of it. As circumstances went down and lockdown restrictions have been lifted, folks slowly went again to work. Our children didn’t. They needed to proceed doing Didatica a Distanza (Distance Studying). As summer season got here and the power to journey grew to become a actuality, circumstances began going again up and worry of not going to high school began up. Mandates began up that between the hours of 6pm and 6am, when everybody could be out having fun with nightlife, you needed to have your masks on.. as a result of “We should get these circumstances down. Kids want to return to College.”
So right here we’re, the final weeks of summer season and but no information of what we have to do or what is anticipated. Not like the US, our Covid guidelines and laws come from the Minister of Well being and is for your complete nation. It then trickles down and every faculty has to place all the things into place. Some imposed extra guidelines than others. Whereas I do consider they’re doing the best factor, we must be practical and since it’s Italy, issues are all the time altering and guidelines won’t ever be completely adopted by.
Usually we might have gotten our faculty provide record in June when the academics handed our report playing cards or on the finish of August. Nevertheless, even the academics didn’t know what was happening or what they wanted to take action our lists have been obtained in 3 methods:
third grade– I obtained it over the last week of August whereas we have been on trip.
fifth grade– 1 week previous to the beginning of college.
2nd grade– Friday evening we got a brief record which was additionally confirmed on Monday once they obtained dwelling from faculty.
I did my greatest and obtained most of their supplies like pens, pencils, markers, and so forth.. earlier than hand as a result of that’s commonplace faculty stuff. Their books had been ordered and we have been ready for his or her arrival and principally simply wanted to find out about notebooks and their hygiene baggage.
In my earlier posts, I’ve written about every child having a bag with a change of garments, simply in circumstances accidents occur. This yr, Covid has modified issues up.
Hygiene baggage now embrace:
- Your individual private roll of bathroom paper
- Your individual private cleaning soap * third & fifth grade solely
- Hand gel * fifth grade solely
- roll of paper towels *fifth grade solely
- Sanitizing wipes *2nd grade
- Hand towel *third grade
The tough half is that each instructor needs one thing completely different and in several baggage. Some say a material bag is ok, others need these nylon drawstring baggage. As somebody who likes to be proactive and put together forward of time, this was giving me main nervousness.
On Saturday, September twelfth, 2 days earlier than faculty was to start out, we had been despatched 28 pages of guidelines, laws, protocol and kinds to learn. Sure, TWENTY EIGHT PAGES. I counted. Included within the pages have been protocols on what to do when your baby will get sick at dwelling vs. faculty. The nervousness of pondering of what we have been speculated to do was all an excessive amount of. We have been initially informed that anybody who had any sort of signs that might be associated to Covid must get clearance by a Dr and current a medical certification to be allowed again to high school. By the top of the week, we had a brand new kind.
Now, when a baby has any sort of symptom that might be related to Covid, our first step is to name the Dr and decide precisely what’s going on. Just a few weeks in the past, Valentina and I had participated within the Torino Picture Marathon. The climate was sunny and breezy however by the subsequent morning, Valentina awakened with a stuffy nostril. Not desirous to have academics name me the subsequent day, I stored her dwelling. I referred to as the pediatrician and was informed that as a result of she had “chilly” she must keep dwelling 48 hours after her final symptom. Monday evening she was again to regular. She by no means had a fever, cough, sneezing or every other symptom, nonetheless she nonetheless needed to keep dwelling and miss 3 days of college. On Wednesday, I needed to name the pediatrician once more and go over all the things once more. I used to be then given the okay to make use of the ‘Autodichiarazione’ or ‘Auto declaration’ kind so she may return to high school.
One other change is that EVERY. SINGLE. MORNING. I’ve to take the women temperature, fill out a kind and provides it to the academics. Which means one other added expense and shopping for a thermometer gun.

As a substitute of dwelling on what we will’t change, we simply must take a deep breathe, transfer ahead and snort at what appears to be probably the most insane, surreal and unforgettable moments of 2020.

*Me after having participated within the faculty assembly and having heard the brand new Anti Covid guidelines*
This publish is a component 5 of an on going ‘Again to College’ sequence that I began to match faculty within the U.S and in Italy. In case you’d like to take a look at the earlier posts, click on beneath:
Again to College: Italy vs USA- College Provides
Again to College: Italy vs USA- College lunch
Again to College: Italy vs USA- The Extras
Again to College: Elementary faculty
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