DEAR PARENTS
Thank you for your attendance at our recent virtual Meet the Teacher Evening! It has been a wonderful start to the year, and we are excited about the already amazing parent volunteer and participation at our school. As mentioned in the meeting, we appreciate all your generosity in volunteering for our students. Volunteers help to keep our school running well and help us in offering more for every child. As our September opening procedures have gone well so far, we will be starting with some regular programming for October (with cohort modifications) so students have greater opportunity to participate fully in our OLS yearly school events! Thanks for your support of all we do! Our students have been amazing!
COVID – UPDATE!
Thank you for your diligence of keeping sick kids home. Again, as we approach the “regular” cold and flu season, it is important to note that any sick child will not function well at school. However, we acknowledge that it is OK to send kids to school if they have only mild cold type symptoms and not any flu like symptoms. Please review the screening form.
1. Daily screen your children (see screening form). Please do not send kids to school ill. There has been a revision to the screening symptoms wherein an isolated sore throat or cold like occasional sneezing and runny noses are not a definite symptom of COVID.
http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/about-covid-19/symptoms
*This does not mean to send your kids to school sick! The recommendation is to wait 24hrs to see if other symptoms appear. Fever, persistent cough, or other flu like symptoms.
2. If there are NO other symptoms, and there is ONLY mild sneezing, or common cold or noted allergy symptoms, and you have waited the 24-hr period, you may send the child to school. Please notify the teacher that no one in your family or a direct family member has tested positive or have any symptoms of COVID. Students may be asked to wear a mask or to keep distance and clean-up their areas to stop from spreading their colds.
As per our OLS Safety plan, all students have access to masks to use at school if they do not have their own.
3. If a Direct family member (same household, or babysitter etc.) tests positive for COVID, the recommendation from http://www.vch.ca/covid-19 is to also keep children isolated at home. This would involve your school aged children for 10 days, or if they develop symptoms as well. If you are unsure you may call 811 and ask for the procedure. Again, this is the hard part. We all understand that staying home is difficult for many. It is possible that your child does not have any symptoms after the quarantine period, however, we kindly ask that all direct contacts be tested PRIOR to returning to school. This is a safety precaution for all, so that we can rule out pre-symptomatic spread. We of course do all we can at school to stop the asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic exposure; cohorts, safety distancing, washing hands and surfaces frequently, and watching for any child who may develop symptoms or be spreading fluids at school. But we cannot stop COVID from entering the school community without your help. Vancouver Coastal Health has changed and started to announce schools impacted. We will continue to update you weekly of any changes to the procedures or to the screening forms.
Thank you to all our parents and families who have followed all our safety first protocols! Let us continue to do our part to keep COVID spread out of the OLS School Community! Please continue to contact the school office with any questions or concerns or leave a message for me to contact you privately. Thank you for your diligence and care for one another!
SEPTEMBER 27, 2020 – PEC ELECTIONS
We wish to announce that Cidalia Pashalidis (Chair), Roger Gil (Treasurer), Tony Medeiros (Maintenance) and Gino Matino (Bingo) have been re-elected for PEC for another 2 year term. Thank you to all our hardworking PEC for all you do to help administer our school!
OCTOBER 1-31, 2020 – READ-A-THON
Please refer to the notice that was sent home with students for further details. Reminder, ALL reading records need to be in on Friday, November 1st by 3:00 p.m. to be eligible for prizes.
OCTOBER 2, 2020 – SWEATPANTS AND SWEATSHIRTS ORDERS DUE
The ordering deadline for OLS sweatpants and sweatshirts is Friday, October 2, 2020. No late orders will be accepted.
OCTOBER 8, 2020 – TALE OF THE TAPE
The first challenge of the year “Tale of the Tape” will take place on Thursday, October 8th. Items will be weighed, measured, and totalled as in previous years; however, this year each grade will have the challenge as opposed to the House Colour Teams. The real winner will be our local food bank, where all items will be donated. *Please note our student leadership committee will be sending home information this week. Thank you to Mr. Basso and the Grade 4’s for co-ordinating!
OCTOBER 12, 2020 – THANKSGIVING DAY – NO SCHOOL
There will be no school on Monday, October 12th. Happy Thanksgiving to all!
TERRY FOX RUN
Mr. McCloskey has sent home our annual Terry Fox Run letter. The dates of this year’s run are Thursday, October 1st for Grade 5, 6 and 7 and Friday, October 2nd for Primary. We ask that all students give a minimum donation of $2.00 on this day. If you wish to make a larger family donation, you may follow the link: http://www.terryfox.ca/OurLadyofSorrows and donate directly on our School Home Page. Thank you for your support of this great and historic cause for Cancer.
OCTOBER 13, 2020 – UNIFORMS
Please note Tuesday, October 13th is the start of regular school uniform. Summer uniform will no longer be accepted. Also, please ensure that students have all items in good order and bring all items of their uniform including proper shoes and sweaters to school daily. This includes extreme haircuts, hair colouring and non-standard jewellery.
Pease read the Policy Manual, which is included in the students’ agendas. See Page 5, Item #5. Teachers will continue to do uniform checks after this date. Please ensure all uniform items comply with the Uniform Policy.
*Sweaters are mandatory for all school functions such as Masses, School Assemblies, Paraliturgies, and outings when representing the school.
INDIVIDUAL PHOTOS – OPTION 4 STUDENTS & RE-TAKES
School Pictures for Option 4 students and those that wish to do a retake will be on Monday, October 19th. Please have your child dressed in full uniform on this day. The Office will be contacting the Option 4 families by email to set up times. All other students are receiving their photos today. The Return date for orders is Tuesday, October 6th. If you wish your child to have a retake on that day, please let your child’s classroom teacher know.
OCTOBER 21, 2020 – VIRTUAL LIVING ROSARY
Students are expected to be in full uniform this day.
OCTOBER 23, 2020 – PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY – NO SCHOOL
There will be a Professional Development Day for OLS staff on Friday, October 23rd. There will be no school for students on this day.
OCTOBER 31, 2020 – COLOUR DAY
Students may come to school dressed in Halloween costumes or colours (e.g. orange and black) on this day. More info will follow from the Halloween Committee.
REMINDERS!
AFTER SCHOOL CLUB – 24 HOURS NOTICE REQUIRED
Due to our new health regulations, effective immediately, we require a minimum of 24 hours- notice for all children attending After School Club. We will no longer be accepting same day attendance requests.
All parents interested, please contact the office (office@myolosschool.ca) with the days needed.
STUDENT MORNING DROP OFF
We have introduced longer drop-off times (8:30- 9:00 a.m.) to prevent crowding. Masks are required all public places and, on our lots, and in the pick-up and drop-off zones when physical distancing cannot be accommodated.
All school students will enter from the West lot doors and sanitize prior to entering the building. Parents can walk them through the Turner or Slocan gates; however, the Pender gate is drive-through and out only! If you wish to come from the north side, please use the Church steps or playground gate into the playground.
PICK- UP PROCEDURES – FALL PROCEDURES! – NEW TIMES!
PLEASE SEE THE NEW TIMES BELOW!!
| Grade K – 2:35 p.m.
Grade 1 – 2:35 p.m. Grade 2 – 2:40 p.m. Grade 3 – 2:40 p.m. |
Grade 4 – 2:45 p.m.
Grade 5 – 2:45 p.m. Grade 6 – 2:50 p.m. Grade 7 – 2:50 p.m. |
Thank you all for your patience during the new drop-off and pick-ups. As we are entering the fall and soon the rainy seasons, the parking lots and roads become slicker for braking. The morning drop-offs are excellent and thank you to all our parent volunteers!
There has been a slight modification to the afterschool pickup.
All Primary ONLY parents are able to enter the parking lot through the Pender gate from 2:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. and park in the 1st row stalls. Primary kids (K-4) will be dismissed through their exit doors.
We are asking the Primary parents with other multiple grade students, to park in the second and third rows back from the school as they wait for the intermediate siblings. We are trying to reduce the amount of kids walking through parked cars and in-between the rows as cars maybe exiting at the same time. We appreciate all the parents being careful and waiting their turn to exit. Back row cars may move forward when clear if there is space in the front row closest to the school. This will be a factor as the days get wetter and darker. Thank you for following all our safety protocols!
We have extended the safety zone for kids so they may walk behind the cones to their parked cars. Parents from the back 2 rows may exit their cars and wave or walk up to cones to escort their kids to their cars. Again, we ask that you wear masks in the parking lot and stay 6ft apart outside the gates! All parents not wearing masks must stay by their cars for pickup.
We have also created a drive through exit marked by the cones. Traffic parents will direct you through those zones. To indicate you wish to leave, either move forward slowly, or FLASH your car lights until noticed and waved through by the Traffic attendant. Thank you for moving slowly and safely through the pick-up zones!!
There now only 15mins maximum wait time so PLEASE REMEMBER TO BE PATIENT and wait to be cleared, AS WE ARE INCREASING THE TRAFFIC THROUGH THE PICK UPZONES!
Intermediate parents only (Grades 5-7) must arrange for students to be picked-up outside the gates. Please arrange your pick-up areas in advance and please be patient in the lots. The exit doors for Grades 3-7 are the north doors, and Grades K-2 are the south doors next to the Turner gate. Again, we do not wish parents to walk through the Pender gate as there will be cars moving through this tight area, which is dangerous. Please use the Church stairs or the Slocan playground gate. Thank you for staying safe and diligent!
OFFICE HOURS
Please note that our office hours for the 2020-2021 school year will be as follows: 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Our after-school supervision ends at 3:05 p.m. No gatherings are allowed in the playground.
VISITORS
All visitor contact must be by phone, email, or appointment due to COVID screening protocols.
For the safety of our students and staff, all visitors and parents are required to report to the school office upon arrival where a “Visitor” tag will be issued if needed. We ask that all parents/visitors only use the Main School entrance on Slocan Street to enter the school. During instructional time, parents are not to go to their child’s classroom. Any supplies or lunches (labelled with child’s name and grade) are to be left at the office. It is your child’s responsibility (not the office staff) to retrieve their lunch or supplies from the school office. We also wish to restrict calls home for supplies and lunches, so please have your child review daily routines and help them to prepare for their day prior to bedtime. We encourage your children to bring all necessary items to school daily including school sweaters! Thank you.
ABSENTEES
It is very important that you call the school by 8:30 a.m. if your child will be absent or late. This will save time calling you to check if your child is home. Upon your child’s return to school, you must send a note to the classroom teacher explaining the reason for the absence. Please also include all dates absent. If you have more than one child, we require separate notes for each one. This information is required for our annual Attendance Audit which determines our Government funding for the year. We ask that all notes be written at home, not last minute at the school office. Absentee notes may also be emailed to the following email address: office@myolosschool.com
Please remember to visit www.olos.ca for all Parish masses and updates!