September 4th, 2020

Dear Jean Steckle families,

I hope you have had a chance to enjoy the summer under the current circumstances.  We understand that there are many emotions regarding what is going on in the world and our community, we have them too.  We want you to know that we have the safety of your child and our community at the front of our minds.  It is no surprise that things are going to look different, and we appreciate your cooperation and patience as we enter into our current reality.  Things will look different, from the first day of school to daily routines and everything in between.

Thank you in advance for the work that you have done with your child at home to prepare them for this.  Please continue to reference the Guide for Families to assist with many of your questions.  We are in this together, and we appreciate your continued support.

Please note that if you have chosen Distance Learning for your child, communication will be coming out to you shortly from the Distance Learning Team.

What to expect on the first day of school…

Please arrive promptly at our bell time of 8:30 A.M. All teachers will be outside on our field holding up a sign with their name and room number on it. A map will also be shared on School-Day next week indicating your child’s entry/exit door. If your child is old enough, please allow them to enter the school grounds independently to reduce foot traffic and support social distancing.  Your child will locate their teacher and line up in the space provided allowing for 2-metre distancing.  Students will then be masked and brought to their classroom through different entrances practicing proper hand hygiene upon entry (i.e., hand washing/hand sanitizer).  

Please make every effort to have your child be at school on time. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate this new process for managing student arrivals and keeping everyone safe.  

Please make every effort to book appointments outside of the school day to reduce the amount of exposure, movement and contacts in the school.  Due to this new reality, we cannot guarantee the speedy service we have had in the past as there are protocols in place that may hinder timelines.  

At the end of the day, please arrange a pickup spot with your child away from the main building on school grounds when possible.  If your child is in Kindergarten, meet them near their exit door.  Please remember social distancing at all times.  Please note that we cannot dismiss students until the bell. We request that families leave school grounds immediately after meeting their children. We ask that you do not socialize on the school grounds. 

We will be staggering the entry for students to transition gradually back to school.  This will provide students and staff with a more focused time for the necessary teaching, learning and practicing of the health and safety protocols, in smaller groups of students.

Junior Kindergarten students will attend school on September 10 or 11 to become familiar with their new classroom and learning environment. The school day begins at 8:30 a.m. An email will be shared with families where your child’s entry door is located.

The staggered start will mean that half of every class, from Kindergarten to Grade 6, will attend on alternate days:

September 10 – Junior Kindergarten students with surname A-L

September 11- Junior Kindergarten students with surname M-Z

September 14 – Group 1 (Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6) surname A-L

September 15 – Group 2 (Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6) surname M-Z

September 16 – Group 1 (Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6) surname A-L (as well all students who attend before and after school programs)

September 17 – Group 2 (Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6) surname M-Z (as well all students who attend before and after school programs)

September 18 – All students A-Z (including all students who attend before and after school programs)

Personal belongings

Families are asked to send minimal items to school daily.  This can include a change of clothes for the younger children, water bottles, sun protection, and their food for the day. Families are encouraged to remember to pack cutlery and napkins which they may need. At this time, students will not be wearing indoor shoes. 

Parents should provide a baggie for students to place their masks in while eating or for outdoor play.  All items should be labelled.  Due to the risk of contamination, all lunches will now be a “boomerang lunch”.  This means that everything that is brought to school will be returned with the students (i.e., food waste, packaging).  We know that this can sometimes be messy, using baggies for containers or using reusable containers with lids would be appreciated. 

Please do not send balls, toys, or any other object from home as per the Region of Health.  

Just some quick notes to help us all transition safely to in-school learning – Please read the Returning to School: A Guide for Families for more in-depth details.

  • Schedule time in the morning before school to do the Covid-19 assessment
  •  The school’s parking will be closed as students will be entering the school using all doors. We are looking for a parking lot monitor (8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.). If you are interested in this paid position, please email andrea_michelutti@wrdsb.ca 
  • To maintain physical distancing measures, classrooms will be entering/exiting doors that may differ from the past, classes will enter at different times 
  • All students remain at school for lunch
  • At this time, there will be no indoor shoes
  • Supplies will be provided individually for all students
  • Lunches will now be boomerang – this means that all food waste and garbage will be returning home
  • Develop a pickup plan if your child is ill – they will be isolated until you arrive
  • Promote wearing a mask at home to get accustomed to it 
  • Label all of your child’s personal belongings and their mask
  • Teach them what social distancing looks like – no hugs, no sharing items
  • Parents are not permitted in the building. We are discouraging the drop off of items during the day. Please send your child with everything they need for the day
  • Dress your child for the weather as we stagger the entry into the building each morning.  They will be outside, so if it’s raining they need a raincoat or umbrella
  • Practice handwashing at home, sing happy birthday twice while washing hands
  • Have your child practise lining up
  • There will be no school hot lunch programs for time-being
  • Please do not send toys/balls, etc. from home
  • Please do not send a scented hand sanitizer (as there are scent sensitivities in the school)

At the forefront of all we do, is the health and safety and well-being of all of our students and staff.  We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we work through these uncharted territories.   Let’s all work as a community to ensure everyone’s safety.  If your child is feeling ill (please refer to the Daily Screening Student Checklist in the Guide for Families), please keep your child at home so that we can continue to keep everyone safe. 

We look forward to working with you and your child again this year.  We truly appreciate all of your support and cooperation.  Despite things looking different, our community is a wonderful place to learn and grow.

Sincerely,

Andrea Michelutti, Principal