Dear Families,
The start of the school year is fast approaching and we look forward to welcoming students back for the
2020/21 school year.
As follow up to the communication that you’ve received from the school district and the conversations
that Mrs. Bruce and I have had with individual parents, you will be receiving a survey from the school
district later today to further help us with our planning. The survey will be open until Tuesday,
September 1, 2020 at 4:00 pm. I appreciate you taking the time to complete this important survey.
At this time, I’d like to provide you with some additional information regarding school procedures for inschool instruction.
Cohorts/Learning Groups:
While Provincial Health Officer guidelines state that learning groups in elementary schools can be up to
a total of 60 students/staff, SD42 elementary schools will begin the school year with learning cohorts
organized as single class/division groups of students with their classroom teacher and, where
appropriate, other support staff to a maximum of 30 people.
Students will continue to be provided with the support services they need. District staff not part of the
student’s learning group but providing this necessary support will use physical distancing, a transparent
physical barrier, or a non-medical mask (or non-medical mask and face-shield) as appropriate to the
situation. Staff interactions with students will be guided the Ministry of Education procedures.
School Day and Entry/Exit Procedures:
Starting September 14, the school day at c̓ əsqənelə will run as usual from 8:30 am to 2:20 pm for all
class/division groups. We will implement tightly controlled entry and exit procedures as we did in June
and I will send more details on these school entry and exit routines next week.
Each morning, teachers will greet their class at their POD entrances and supervise controlled entry into
the school and their classroom. The same daily procedure will be followed at 2:20 pm for dismissal to be
greeted by parents/guardians. Entry into the school building by individuals other than staff and students
will be restricted. Visitor and parent entry into the school will require authorization by office staff
following COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
Recess/Lunch and Hand Hygiene:
Play time during recess and lunch breaks will be outdoors as recommended by our Provincial Health
Officer. Supervision procedures for morning start, recess, lunch, and dismissal will be the same to
ensure orderly entry and exit.
Teachers will supervise hand washing before/after meals and before/after breaks to ensure proper hand
hygiene. This year, recess and lunch break times will again be staggered to allow for primary and
intermediate play times. This means that only half of the classes are playing outside on the grounds at
any given time. This measure is due to our student enrolment, building design, and the play space on
our grounds.
Schedule for the week of September 8-11:
• Sept. 8 and 9: students will not attend school on these days as staff complete health and safety
training and prepare for the return of students
• Sept. 9: each family will be advised of each child’s class/division placement and will be advised
of the line-up area for each class/division group. This notice will also include the September 10
and 11 attendance schedule.
• Sept. 10 and 11:
o These days will be dedicated to orienting students to their class group and Stage 2
health and safety procedures
o To best ensure a positive return and orientation to procedures, half of the
classes/divisions will attend in the morning on these two days, and the other half will
attend in the afternoon; class/division groupings will be identified as Group A and Group B
o Group A classes/divisions will attend Thursday and Friday from 8:30 to 10:30 am
o Group B classes/divisions will attend Thursday and Friday from 12:20 to 2:20 pm
• Sept. 14: regular daily attendance for all class/division groups from 8:30 am to 2:20 pm will
begin on September 14.
I hope that this additional information will be helpful to you and that it will give you a better sense of
what our school procedures will look like in Stage 2 before you complete the district survey.
As you can imagine, the summary I have provided here captures only some of the very detailed health
and safety procedures that will be implemented across our schools. All procedures are implemented in
alignment with the direction set by the Provincial Health Officer, Ministry of Education, and
WorksafeBC.
Please do not hesitate to contact me at the school next week (604-466-6231) if you would like to discuss
programming needs and learning options for your child(ren) further. I will be following up with further
start up details next week.
Sincerely,
Mr. Wheatley