Dear Families,
We look forward to welcoming your child back to school this week. I know that the return to school comes with a range of emotions in this unusual year, but I want to assure you that we are committed to supporting every student as we start this new school year together.
We have spent the last several weeks working hard to prepare our school for start-up, and I am writing today to share some additional information to support a great start later this week.
If you have reached out to request a graduated/gradual return to school for your child (including the possibility of initial remote learning support due individual family circumstances), you will receive additional information later this week once the school district coordinates and puts in place the necessary district-based supports.
SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 8-11 AND CLASS PLACEMENT NOTIFICATION:
- 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
- 9: Elementary parents and caregivers will receive a School District No. 42 Parent Portal message from their child’s school by 9 am on Wednesday, September 9. The message will clarify if your child will be attending mornings or afternoons on September 10 and 11. This message will contain important information regarding your child’s teacher, COVID-19 school-specific safety measures, as well as pickup and drop-off locations. Please contact your school as soon as possible if you do not have a Parent Portal account.
- 10 and 11:
- September 10 and 11 will be dedicated to orienting students to their class group and to Stage 2 health and safety procedures
- 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
- Group A classes/divisions will attend both Thursday and Friday from 8:30 to 10:30 am
- Group B classes/divisions will attend both Thursday and Friday from 12:20 to 2:20 pm
- 14: Regular daily attendance for all class/division groups from 8:30 am to 2:20 pm will begin on September 14.
REQUIRED DAILY HEALTH SCREENING:
You will have received Daily Assessment Health Consent form through the parent portal last week. Please ensure this consent is completed BEFORE your child attends school this Thursday. Parents/guardians must conduct a daily health assessment of their child(ren) each school day before sending them to school. Daily Health Assessment Checklist.
As noted on the checklist:
- If you answer “YES” to any of the questions and the symptoms are not related to a pre-existing condition (e.g. allergies), your child MUST NOT come to school.
- If you answer “YES” to questions 2 or 3, use the COVID-19 Self-Assessment Tool (https://bc.thrive.health) to determine if you should be tested for COVID-19.
- If any of your children are experiencing any symptoms of illness, contact a health-care provider for further assessment. This includes 8- 1-1, or a primary care provider like a physician or nurse practitioner.
REUSABLE CLOTH MASKS:
You will have received a notice through the parent portal last week regarding reusable cloth masks. As outlined in the BC Center for Disease Control Health and Safety Guidelines, masks are not recommended for elementary school students due to the increased likelihood they will touch their face and eyes, and because they require assistance to properly put on and take off their mask (requiring increased close personal contact from school staff).
The wearing of reusable cloth masks, however, is respected as a personal choice of families. The school district will provide up to two reusable cloth masks to elementary-aged students. If you haven’t already, please complete the parent portal message consent form to indicate if you will require a reusable cloth mask for your child(ren).
SCHOOL DAY AND ENTRY/EXIT PROCEDURES:
Starting September 14, the daily school day at c’usqunela and all other SD 42 elementary schools for all class/division groups will be 8:30 am to 2:20 pm. As mentioned in my message last week our school will have a staggered entry/dismissal procedure to allow for controlled entry and exit into Pods and classroom. Your classroom teacher will share more of these specifics in the days ahead. Parents will receive a message through the parent portal by 9:00 am this Wednesday morning indicating their child’s assigned teacher/division and specific drop-off/pick-up locations.
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. Should you 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.
WHAT SHOULD YOUR CHILD BRING TO SCHOOL ON SEPTEMBER 10 AND 11?
Please ensure that your child brings the following items to school:
- a morning or afternoon snack.
- personal water bottle.
Please also ensure that your child is dressed appropriately for the weather as we will be going outside to review health and safety protocols, as well as entry and exit procedures for recess and lunch. Please ensure that your child does not bring any toys to school at this time.
Attendance/Reporting Absences: If your child is not attending due to illness or any other reason, please contact us using the school website link, or at 604-466-6231 to report the absence. Attendance will be taken by staff daily and we will follow up with parents on all absences not already reported to the school.
We look forward to welcoming students back to school later this week. Please do not hesitate to contact me at 604-466-6231 if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Mr. Wheatley