The Arts Conservatory COVID-19 Safety Guidelines

The following policies are in place for the general facility, inclusive of ALL Arts Conservatory Programs (School of Music, School of Visual Arts, and School of Dance).

As a child-care and educational facility, our main goal is to ensure the health and safety of all our employees and students in our care. We play a key role in protecting children from and minimizing the spread of the novel COVID-19 virus. This document details the steps we’ve taken to create as safe of an environment as possible for continuing our programs and classes, both in our general facility and in each of our Arts Conservatory departments (School of Music, School of Visual Arts, and School of Dance).

These guidelines have been informed by the BC Ministry of Health, specifically the COVID-19 Public Health and Guidance for Child Care Settings, and Worksafe BC’s Protocols for Performing Arts and Fitness Centres

COVID-19 Safety Procedures for the Facility

  • •Parents of students are now permitted to enter the building during drop off or pick up. Please limit your time indoors.
  • •Physical distance markers are set up at drop off/pick up areas, and parents are encouraged to stay 6 feet apart.
  • •If your child shows any signs of illness, your child will be sent home.
  • •Everyone must wash or sanitize their hands upon entry of the building.
  • •Any visitors who must enter the building for any reason are required to wear a mask (Please see individual program sections for mask policies per department).
  • •Posters throughout the building will educate staff and students on physical distancing, and other safety measures •recommended by WorkSafe BC.
  • •Signage has been posted to remind people not to enter the building if they are sick.
  • •All common areas will have occupancy limits posted on the doors.

COVID-19 Illness & Travel Policies

  • •Caregivers are asked to assess their children daily for symptoms before sending them to class/care.
  • •If your child or anyone in your family/bubble has been exposed to COVID-19, we request that you keep your child home for 14 days to monitor for symptoms.
  • •Anyone showing any symptoms of COVID-19, cold, or influenza (fever, cough, runny nose, etc) are asked to stay home for 10 days from the onset of illness or until symptoms resolve (whichever is longer).
  • •If a child becomes sick during class time, they will be immediately separated from the group to a designated quarantine area and an immediate pickup request will be issued to caregivers.
  • •Families must inform the school of any International travel plans. All parents, children, and staff who have travelled outside of Canada be instructed about isolation/testing on a case-by-case basis.
  • •Families are requested to avoid non-essential travel outside of the Province.

COVID-19 Department-specific Safety Plans

In addition to the Facility, Illness, and Travel Policies, the following policies are in place for each of the Arts Conservatory departments.

School of Music

  • •Students will be directed to wash or sanitize their hands before and after their lesson.
  • •Teachers will sanitize pianos and other high-contact surfaces between each lesson.
  • •Kelly Kirby Students should bring their own colouring/cutting tools to their lessons to reduce the sharing of tools between students.
  • •Due to the nature of private music lessons sometimes making physical distancing difficult, school-aged students aged 5+ and teachers are required to wear face masks for the duration of their lessons.
  • •As a preference, certain teachers may request for students age 4 to wear a mask for the duration of the lesson as well.

School of Visual Arts

  • •Students in grade 4 and higher are required to wear masks in classes.
  • •Parents of the Open Studio students are not permitted to enter the centre during drop off and pick up to reduce the amount of people entering the building. Students will be assigned a drop off/pick up window to spread out the flow of traffic.
  • •Licensing guidelines support leaving our class sizes and teacher/student ratios the same as they were before the pandemic.
  • •Staff will maintain physical distance from each other when possible.
  • •Staff will encourage physical distancing from children and between children when possible.
  • •Desks will be spaced apart to avoid large groups or gatherings.

School of Dance

  • •All students and teachers are required to wear masks at all times while inside the building. Masks should completely cover the nose and mouth and fit snugly against the sides of the face without gaps. Masks may be removed during breaks for drinking water.
  • •Dancers must arrive dressed and prepared for class as dressing rooms are closed.
  • •Teachers will escort students to and from the dance studios upon drop off and pick up times. Parents should arrive a few minutes earlier prior to pick up time.
  • •Dancers will enter and exit the studios one at a time leaving a safe distance between one another to ensure physical distancing.
  • •Students will be directed to wash or sanitize their hands before and after their class.
  • •Students should use the washroom at home before arriving. If a student must use the washroom during class time, they will be asked to use hand sanitizer upon returning to the studio to ensure hands were cleaned properly.
  • •Ballet barres, door handles, and other commonly touched surfaces will be cleaned between each class.
  • •Class schedules may be modified to ensure time between classes for cleaning and safe passing of students in hallways.
  • •Class sizes will be controlled to ensure physical spacing is possible within the studio.
  • •Physical distancing will be observed by using floor markings to show students where it is safe to move. 6 ft markers will be placed on the barres for proper spacing during ballet classes.
  • •Students will be reminded not to touch one another; no holding hands or partner work.
  • •If a studio has an exit door to the outside of the building, it may be opened for flow of fresh air.
  • •Fans will not be used in closed spaces to avoid greater dispersion of droplets.
  • •The sharing of dance props will not be allowed. Students must provide their own if props are required in class (Therabands, ribbons, etc).
  • •Water bottles will be kept in each dancer’s own space along with their dance bags and outdoor shoes to reduce walking through the space unnecessarily.

Thank you for reading!

Please contact the appropriate department manager if you have any questions.

Our COVID-19 Policies may change as further information and directives are released by BC Health Authorities. Please be sure to stay up to date on any notices sent out from our office with COVID-19 related updates.

In the meantime, please continue to be kind, be calm, and be safe!