Coronavirus Update from Mathnasium of Waldorf

Dear Mathnasium Parents,

I would like to take a moment to update each of you on our efforts at Mathnasium of Waldorf to address the concerns each of us may have regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19) as it relates to Mathnasium as well as actions we are taking to minimize the impact this virus may have going forward.

First, I ask that if your child is sick or exhibiting any signs of being sick, please keep them at home and do not send them to Mathnasium. If we see a student exhibiting any sign of illness, we will have to isolate the child in the center and call a parent to pick the child up as soon as possible.

What are we doing to keep the learning center a healthy place?

Starting today, Saturday March 14^thwe plan to begin using enhanced cleaning procedures in the center. Specifically, we are currently doing the following:

• Check-in.  We will check students in ourselves, instead of each student themselves.
• Waiting area. In the interest of reducing the number of extra people in the center, we are asking that parents drop off and pick up only. If a conference with our Center Director is required, please schedule an appointment with Miss Samiesha.
• As each employee comes in to work each day, they are required to wash their hands with warm soapy water for at least 20 seconds.
• We are encouraging each employee to wash their hands again right before they leave for the day as a way to help protect the employee and their loved ones.
• In addition to wiping each table surface with either Clorox or Lysol disinfecting wipes at the end of every day as we have always done, we are also now wiping down all chairs, student binders, shelving and other commonly touched surfaces. We are doing this primarily as a preventative measure.
• We have procured a multi-week supply of these wipes and have identified a source from which we will acquire hydrogen peroxide to use in cleaning our environment if and when our supply of disinfecting wipes runs out.
• Beginning next week (Monday, March 16^th), we will be removing all common use pencils and erasers from the student tables. We are asking that each student bring in their own pencils and erasers and that they take them with them when they go home. In the event a student does not have a pencil to use when they arrive, we will provide a brand new one (with eraser) and encourage the student to store that pencil in their binder when they leave so it is available the next time they come in.
• Games/Manipulatives - Use of games will be limited to those games that can be sanitized after use.

What we are doing should it become necessary for students to stay home

Beginning late last year, Mathnasium began a North America-wide roll out of a new distance teaching system for delivering the Mathnasium experience and instruction at home over the Internet. This new system has been aptly named Mathnasium @Home.

We were originally scheduled to receive this new capability in late spring or over the summer. However, in light of this situation, Mathnasium has decided to accelerate the deployment to all Mathnasium centers throughout North America, and is in the process of doing so now.

At Mathnasium of Waldorf, we are preparing to implement this new system and train our staff on its use as quickly as possible.  We are expecting it will take us a few weeks to do so. Once that is done, we will provide additional guidance on how we can use the system to provide web-based Mathnasium instruction to your children through the new system, if necessary.

Should schools close for an extended period of time due to Coronavirus, we will also look at extending our Mathnasium @Home hours to allow all of our students the opportunity to continue with their education at Mathnasium during the school day and evening.

I also want to stress the Mathnasium @Home system is not intended as a replacement for students coming in to Mathnasium on a regular basis. We still believe the best overall experience for students is achieved in the center with the buzz of a strong educational environment surrounding them. 

However, we recognize that with emergency situations such as  dealing with Coronavirus, it may not be possible, or the healthiest choice to be around larger groups of people. 

Additionally, Mathnasium @Home will also provide opportunities for students who travel out of the area over the summer and at other times throughout the year to continue their work and progress at Mathnasium.

We hope you and your friends and families will all remain healthy as we work through this challenging time. As always, please do not hesitate to give us a call with any questions or concerns.

On behalf of Miss Samiesha, Miss Zalia and myself, thank you for taking the time to read this message in its entirety and for your consideration of our efforts to protect the entirety of our Mathnasium family.

Best Regards,

Jena Harris

Franchise Owner