Dear Parents,
I wish to thank you for the amazing start up these last 2 days! Parents have followed all the rules of drop- off, wearing masks in the playground, and social distancing outside the gates.
Our Students are showing excellent behavior and flexibility with the new routines and following our safety rules.
I wish to give a few updates for next week based on some of the emails we have received
When does Option 4 start?
As we are only 2 days into the new year, most of these days have been about establishing the new routines. Teachers will be contacting their classroom students who have chosen Option 4 by Monday, September 14th. Homework packages will be prepared by Friday, September 18th for pickup which is based on the same work the in-class students are receiving. Teachers will arrange discussion times for their classroom Option 4 students who require help and to answer questions about their assigned work. The Official start for Option 4 – CISVA system wide is Monday, September 21st .
School Pictures for Option 4 students will be on October 19th. More information will follow in the weekly newsletter.
Are masks necessary in the school buildings and parking lots by parents and guests?
Yes, we are following all public health guidelines as any other public area or business. Students do not need to wear masks in their cohorts unless they wish to or when they are moving to different areas throughout the school. Thank you to all families who have complied with our safety measures.
Drop-off clarifications
Thank you to all those Parents who moved into drop-off supervision. Morning drop-off has been a dream and I wish to sincerely thank all parents for going slow through the drop-off areas. We wish to remind parents to NOT walk in from the Pender gate as that is an enter/exit gate for cars. If you wish to come from the north side, please use the Church steps or playground gate into the playground.
Pick-up times
All Primary parents are able to enter the parking lot through the Pender gate from 2:30 to 2:45 and park in a stall. Primary kids (K-4) will be dismissed through their exit doors.
Dismissal is every 5 minutes, starting with Kindergarten to help stagger the crowding. Staggered Dismissal Times are as follows:
Grade K – 2:30
Grade 1 – 2:35
Grade 2 – 2:35
Grade 3 – 2:40
Grade 4 – 2:40
Grade 5 – 2:45
Grade 6 – 2:50
Grade 7 – 2:55
We understand that primary parents may have to wait in the lot for 5 – 10 minutes for all siblings to appear. We ask that all children wait in their cars for safety, as cars will be exiting at different times. Please be patient as we are attempting to align the best times for each family with multiple grade siblings.
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.
Our staff, teachers’ aides, office staff and PEC have all worked hard at our return to school phase 2 plans and I wish to thank them all for their careful diligence as we return to in class learning with the utmost care for safety!
Again, I wish to congratulate all our families for such a great start! Please continue to send emails to the school and ensure you keep up with all weekly updates!
Please continue to follow our COVID-19 School Safety Plan found on the school website, and to also daily screen for symptoms as no students with any of the flu like symptoms are to attend. Again, provisions are being made for allergies or other medical conditions provided they are accompanied by a recent doctor’s note.
Thank you to all of YOU for your continued diligence at keeping our OLS community safe! You are amazing!
Sincerely,
Pasquale Balletta
Principal