Dear families,
I am sending you some additional information tonight about what families, and children, can expect next week to ensure a positive start to our part-time in-class learning.
We are looking forward to welcoming your child(ren) beginning the week of June 1 for in-class learning as part of the school district’s implementation of Stage 3 of the K-12 Education Restart Plan. Our implementation of Stage 3 will be guided by the Public Health Guidance for K-12 School Settings document prepared by the Ministry of Health and the BC Centre for Disease Control. This document will guide us in best ensuring the health and safety of staff and students.
We ask that you take the time to review the Public Health Guidance for K-12 School Settings document carefully and review the following sections with your child(ren):
- staying home when not well
- hand hygiene/washing
- cough/sneeze etiquette
- sharing of toys/items
- minimizing physical contact/physical distancing.
Staff supervising your child(ren) will, of course, provide this same instruction and on-going reinforcement.
In the section that follows, you will find information about the daily/weekly schedule, details about drop-off and pick-up, required daily health screening, the reporting of absences, guidance on what your child(ren) should bring with them to school, as well as the anticipated shape of the day.
Daily/Weekly Schedule:
With more than 50% of students returning in several classrooms our school will run two “in class” learning groups as explained below. To ensure we can provide the best level of support for ALL children, families with siblings within the school, and children of Essential Service Workers will be prioritized for attendance within the Tuesday and Thursday groupings.
Mondays: students enrolled in grade 6, 6/7 and grade 7 classes opting for part-time in-class instruction will attend this day from 8:30 am to 2:20 pm. There will be a second grade 6/7 grouping on Wednesdays for some students to ensure maximum safety.
- Tuesdays and Thursdays: [Group 1] students enrolled in kindergarten to Grade 5/6 classes opting for part-time in-class instruction will attend these two days from 8:30 am to 2:20 pm. Note: Grade 6 students in grade 5/6 combined classes will only attend Tuesdays.
- Wednesdays and Fridays: [Group 2] students enrolled in kindergarten to Grade 5/6 classes opting for part-time in-class instruction will attend these two days from 8:30 to 2:20 pm
- Monday to Friday: Kindergarten to Grade 7 aged children of Essential Service Workers (ESWs) that have been registered with the school will attend Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 2:20 pm.
Drop-off/Pick-up:
Parents are asked to ensure physical distancing during the busy drop-off and pick-up times. To reduce traffic, and pedestrian congestion, around the school during pick up and drop off times we are using a soft start and soft finish approach. There will be a 15 minute window each morning between 8:30-8:45 and 2:05-2:20 for parents to drop off and pick up students. Teachers will contact parents if there are any additional routines for individual PODs once we know how many students are returning to each teaching space.
Consistent with recommendations from public health, entry into the school building will be limited to students and staff. Should you have a need to enter the school building, please first call the office between the hours of 8:00 am and 3:30 pm to speak with staff.
Students are to continue to use their usual POD entrances except for the Gr.3/4 Wolf POD (Brinkert, Borghardt, and Graham). We ask that these Gr. 3/4 students please wait on the grass and paved area near the field at the West end of the school to reduce congestion along the laneway at the rear of the school. For all other POD entrances, we expect that there will be sufficient space along the school walkways for students and parents to enter safely with this soft start and finish approach. Once children have entered into the school classroom teachers will coordinate how students can most easily access cubbies, classrooms, and wash hands.
Required Daily Health Screening:
You must assess your child(ren) every morning before sending them to school. All students who have any of the following symptoms must stay at home and parents should follow up with their health care provider or call 811:
- common cold
- influenza (flu)
- COVID-like symptoms
- any other infectious respiratory disease
If any family member or close contact of your child(ren) is showing COVID-like symptoms or has been confirmed to have contracted COVID-19, your child must stay home and you should contact your health care provider or call 811.
If your child becomes ill while at school, we will follow the advice set out in Public Health Guidance for K-12 School Settings and contact you to come to the school right away to pick up your child.
Attendance/Reporting Absences: If your child is not attending due to illness or any other reason, please contact the school at 604-466-6231 or using the c̓əsqənelə email button on the school website to report the absence. Attendance will be taken by staff each morning and we will follow up with parents on all absences not already reported to the school.
What Should Your Child Bring to School?
Please ensure that your child brings to school the following items:
- a morning and afternoon snack and a lunch
- their personal or school district loaned computer/iPad
- personal water bottle (school drinking water fountains have limited access)
Please also ensure that your child is dressed appropriately for the weather as we will be incorporating time outside on the school grounds both during supervised break times and as part of educational programming. Parents are asked to ensure that children are not bringing personal toys to school at this time.
Shape of the Day/Playgrounds:
While in-class days will start at 8:30 am and end at 2:20 pm, recess and lunch breaks will continue to be split by age and grade to permit maximum space for student to play outside during break times. Students will be permitted to use playground equipment under supervision of staff followed by hand washing with soap.
Again, we look forward to welcoming your children to school next week. Please do not hesitate to contact us at the office number (604-466-6231) or by email on the school website if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Jon Wheatley