Dear Parents/Guardians,
On Tuesday, Premier Legault made an announcement regarding the return to school for elementary school students. He also noted that we remain in a RED ZONE. While in the red and orange zone, the following measures must be followed. These measures have been dictated by the Provincial Government, Public Health and the Ministry of Education. Below are the requirements for schools in our area including a few new measures.
Procedural Masks
- Kindergarten students do not have to wear face-coverings or procedural masks.
- Cycles 1, 2 and 3 (grades 1-6) will wear a procedural mask at all times, including in class, in all common areas and on the bus.
- Students are required to wear a mask while outside at recess unless they can maintain a 2m distance from one another. Because of the free play nature of recess and the difficulty ensuring distancing of 2m, students will, as a general rule, be required to wear a mask outside. If they would like to take the mask off, children will need to find a place in which they can be 2m from other students and will be permitted at that time to remove it.
- If teachers take their students outside for lessons and a 2-meter distance can be maintained, students will be permitted to remove their mask.
- The school will be providing two procedural masks per day to each student. Please note, face coverings alone are not permitted in the RED ZONE (or in the ORANGE ZONE). Parents can provide their own procedural (medical) masks if they would prefer. (A cloth mask can be worn over/under the procedural mask if desired.)
- Once a week, we will also provide masks to be worn in the mornings (for arrival or on the bus) and place them in your child’s schoolbag. Please do not remove these masks from your child’s bag. We strongly recommend sending baggies or containers with your child to store their mask while eating.
Daycare
Daycare will continue to operate as it has this year. The only change is the requirement of procedural masks for all students in grades 1-6 while we are in a RED or ORANGE zone.
School Items
Please remember to send your child back to school with his/her indoor shoes, water bottles, pencil case, learning materials (workbooks), etc.
Pick-up and Drop-off Procedures
Pick-up and Drop-off Procedures remain unchanged. This is a reminder that parents are required to wear a face covering on school property, including pick-up and drop-off. Social distancing measures remain in effect.
Technology Return
The school will not be collecting borrowed technology (iPads, Chromebooks, laptops, Mifi sticks) at this time. We will be setting up return dates very soon. Resource teachers have called the parents of students who have exam conditions to make arrangements for device return.
REMIND Notifications
REMIND is the platform used to convey all important information. Please visit our website to sign up for REMIND. If you have signed up in previous years and have not been receiving messages, please remove and then re-add the class. This should work to fix your issue.
Attendance
We would like to remind parents that unlike last May, attendance at school is compulsory. Teachers will be continuing to work through essential curriculum skills and knowledge to ensure students are prepared and equipped for next year.
Symptoms of Illness
If anyone in the household is showing symptoms of illness, all members of the household must remain home and contact public health for recommendations.
Everyone living at the same address (household contacts) as a person showing symptoms and who is waiting for a test result must self-isolate until the result is obtained. Once the result has been received, residents living at the same address must follow the public health directives that apply to their situation.
If a student shows symptoms of illness while at school, parents will be called to pick up their child and his/her siblings. This measure also includes siblings that attend other schools. Parents will then be instructed to call public health for direction.
Ensuring a Safe Return
Finally, we would like to assure parents that the measures outlined above have been reviewed with our teachers, daycare, office and special education support staff. The safety protocols will be reviewed with the children in the same way we did back in August to make sure everyone learns about them in a safe and positive manner. Thank you for your continued support and collaboration during the past five weeks. We look forward to seeing our students return on Monday.
Respectfully,
Eldon Keon, Principal Julia Horner, Vice-principal