HOLMES BEACH – The first day of school is Aug. 10 and it looks like the environment at Anna Maria Elementary will be much like it was before the COVID 19 epidemic. All students will be learning in the classroom, enjoying recess, eating in the cafeteria and getting to know their new principal.
According to the School District of Manatee County, school will open with a voluntary face mask/covering policy. Updated COVID-19 protocols for the district include:
- Empowering families to make their own informed choices regarding the use of face masks/coverings and vaccines.
- Continuing thorough cleaning and disinfecting of all schools.
- Maintaining ample supplies of hand sanitizer, continued emphasis on handwashing protocols and having additional COVID-19 protection materials in stock and available.
- Continuing to inform students, families and employees regarding accessibility for COVID-19 vaccinations.
- Maintaining the District Operations Center (DOC) to manage and coordinate the response to COVID-19 in our schools with the Florida Department of Health Manatee.
- Continuing to provide the community with updates regarding positive cases in our schools.
Principal Michael Masiello says the school hasn’t received many phone calls regarding the COVID policy, citing only one call from a concerned parent. This is Masiello’s first year after taking over for Jackie Featherston, who retired at the end of the 2020-21 school year.
“Our hope is that we get back to some normal routines,” said Masiello, speaking of what this year will be like for students. “In the past, they’ve had a play for each grade level every month and we’re looking forward to getting back to that and other extracurricular activities. We want to be able to do everything we did pre-COVID.”
Anna Maria Elementary will host a back-to-school night on Aug. 5, when parents and students can come to the school and meet with teachers and staff, explore the school and see improvements that were made to the facility during the summer break. This was done virtually last year, so the staff is excited about the return of this annual event.
Renovations to the school include new flooring and the installation of smart boards in the classrooms. The smart boards are large screens that display anything a teacher needs from their computer, including the internet, but can also be written on like traditional chalk or dry erase board. Masiello is confident that students and teachers will enjoy the refreshed new look of the school.
