September 18th, 2020
Dear Jean Steckle families,
We’ve had another great week! The students were busy practicing their reading, writing, and math with lots of hand-hygiene throughout the day. Our kindergarten students are learning new routines in their classrooms and having a great time with their friends.
The parking lot remains closed to ensure our students are safe.
Thank you to our families for returning the data verification forms. For our in-school students, if you haven’t already returned the forms, please send them to school by Monday.
Thank you for your patience.
Sincerely,
Andrea Michelutti, Principal
Huron Community Association
Please join the Huron Community Association on Saturday, September 26 for the annual Neighbourhood Clean-Up Day. All members of the community are invited to meet at the park on Parkvale between 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and you will receive a pair of free gloves and garbage bags to help clean up around the pond and neighbourhood. We would love to see all of our families out in the community. Please RSVP to this event to ensure they have enough supplies hcaprogrammer@gmail.com.
Forgotten Items
At school, we have extra supplies (water bottles, food, socks, mittens) for students if they forget any items at home. Due to the new procedures from Public Health, it is very difficult for the office team to deliver forgotten items. Thank you for understanding.
Inclement Weather Procedures
Dress your child for the weather as we stagger the entry into our building each morning. If it is raining, students will remain outside so they will need a raincoat or umbrella.
During severe weather, we have our kindergarten students enter through their normal door (door 2 or door 60. For students in Grades 1 to Grade 6, students can enter through the main door or door 5. Students will sanitize their hands and transition directly to their desks in their classrooms.
Daily Student Screening Checklist
For a daily screening, please refer to the Province’s COVID-19 School Screening Tool.
- You must screen for COVID-19 every day before going to school.
- Answer the following questions to help you decide if you should or should not go to school today.
- You can fill this out on behalf of a student.
Parents’/Caregivers’/Families’ Role in Keeping Schools Safe:
Screen for symptoms EVERY morning: Use the pre-screening checklist to see if your child has any of the listed symptoms. If the answer is “yes” to any of the questions, your child must stay home from school. Families should contact their health care provider or one of the Waterloo region Community Assessment Centres to inquire about testing.
Stay home when sick or if in contact with someone who is sick:
- Feel sick or have symptoms of COVID-19
- Had close contact with someone who is ill with a cough and/or fever
- Have anyone in the household who has been in close contact in the last 14 days with someone who is being investigated or confirmed to have COVID-19
- Have travelled outside of Canada in the last 14 days
- Had close contact with someone who has travelled outside of Canada in the last 14 days and who is ill
Keep a safe distance:
Maintain physical distance between you and others when possible:
- During drop off and pick up
- When interacting with others outside of your bubble
Pick up students promptly if you are notified that your child is showing symptoms at school.
Please ensure that the school has up-to-date contact information. Alternative contacts should not be in at-risk or vulnerable populations.
What is Orange Shirt Day?
On September 30, Jean Steckle Public School and the WRDSB recognizes Orange Shirt Day as a way to honour residential school survivors, those who did not survive, and their descendants. It’s just one of the ways we support, educate ourselves and reconcile our relationships with Indigenous people. We encourage students, families and staff to wear an orange t-shirt on September 30.
Orange Shirt Day is observed each September 30 and was first launched in 2013. The origin of Orange Shirt Day is based on Phyllis Webstad’s story of entering an Indian Residential School in 1973 and having her new orange shirt removed from her and replaced with a school uniform. Her experience of having her orange shirt being taken from her is symbolic of all that was taken from Indigenous Peoples as a result of Indian Residential Schools and is the reason we wear orange on September 30.
For well over a century, Indian Residential Schools were used as a tool to assimilate Indigenous Peoples into the dominant Canadian culture. Established in 1892 by the Canadian government, in partnership with churches, Indigenous children were often moved long distances from their families and lived at the schools. Once at school, Indigenous children were forbidden to speak their languages nor practise their cultures and traditions. Living conditions for students in Indian Residential Schools were often harsh and there was often significant emotional, physical, and sexual abuse of the students.
Important Links for Families:
Returning to School: A Guide for Families
Daily Self-Screening: Covid-19 Assessment
Important Dates:
November 23: Professional Development Day
October 12: Thanksgiving
December 21 to January 1: Winter Break
January 22: Professional Development Day
February 15: Family Day
April 2: Good Friday
April 5: Easter Monday
May 24: Victoria Day
June 4: Professional Development Day
June 29: Professional Development Day