COVID – UPDATE!
Again, I wish to congratulate and thank ALL our families who are taking our COVID Motto seriously. “worry about spreading it” and doing our best to keep our school community safe. As we read the news daily, the weekly updates from Dr. Bonnie Henry and Public Health (https://www.citynews1130.com/2020/09/21/school-covid-cluster-outbreak/), we know that cases are rising. There is a real possibility that parents will contact the virus through work or other means. We also know that 99% of all cases in schools are due to adult through children spread first, as the rate of direct school COVID contact is exactly the same as the incidences of COVID in the surrounding community (assuming people are not traveling outside of their community) we are asking for the following procedures:
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
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/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, 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 are receiving 2 masks to use at school if they do not have their own. We have been using the disposables until all our masks arrive, as they were on backorder. Today all primary students have received them, and our intermediates will hopefully be receiving them later this week.
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. 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 spreading fluids at school. But we cannot stop COVID from entering the school community without your help. Vancouver Coastal Health will NOT be publishing reports of COVID in their schools at this time. This may change in the future and we will 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 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.
SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 – VIRTUAL MEET THE TEACHERS NIGHT- 6:45 p.m.
The first Mandatory Parents’ Meeting will be held virtually on Thursday, September 24th. This meeting will be led by the classroom teachers and will have special appearances by Father Richard and our PEC. Classroom teachers will send each classroom their zoom links Wednesday in preparation of Thursday’s meeting. If you do not receive the links please contact the school. As parents may have multiple grades, each parent may wish to attend both separately and pick one of the classrooms. Preferably of the oldest grade student. Please remember that all parents can see your screens so please ensure you have a quiet area without interruptions for this quick meeting. This will be the first Mandatory Meeting as indicated in the Policy Manual and Registration Guide!
SEPTEMBER 27, 2020 – PEC ELECTIONS
As mentioned in our September Update, there are 4 positions up this year for PEC election. Cidalia Pashalidis (Chair), Roger Gil (Treasurer), Tony Medeiros (Maintenance) and Gino Matino (Bingo). These four are also standing for re-election as well. If anyone else wishes to run for PEC they must be able to stand for election and voting this Sunday, September 27th. As it is difficult to arrange signing of nomination forms, we have included the PEC Expectations on the school website (a family must be in the school for a minimum of 2 years prior to applying). If you are interested in running in the election for this year, please read the guidelines for PEC on the website, and either print a copy or make an arrangement to pick one up at the Parish office of the nomination form. Please let the office know that you are coming prior to by calling 604-254-0691 and bring to Father Richard to sign (you must be a Parishioner in good standing!). The deadline for receiving the form by the Parish office is 4 p.m. on Wednesday, September 23rd. If you are planning to drop off a nomination form at the Parish office, please email our nominating committee: lmannella@youachieve.com as well. Thank you.
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 must be worn by parents in all public places, 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 – NEW FALL PROCEDURES!
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 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 a 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 the 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!
Dismissal is every 5 minutes, starting with Kindergarten to help stagger the crowding. Staggered Dismissal Times are as follows:
| Grade K – 2:30 p.m. Grade 1 – 2:35 p.m. Grade 2 – 2:35 p.m. Grade 3 – 2:40 p.m. |
Grade 4 – 2:40 p.m. Grade 5 – 2:45 p.m.Grade 6 – 2:50 p.m. Grade 7 – 2:55 p.m. |
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.
PLEASE CONTINUE TO KEEP YOUR SOCIAL DISTANCES OUTSIDE THE GATES or wear a mask when waiting close to the gates and closer than 6ft with others.
Thank you for staying safe and diligent!
INDIVIDUAL PHOTOS – OPTION 4 STUDENTS
School Pictures for Option 4 students will be on Monday, October 19th. More information is to follow.
UNIFORMS
Students will be allowed to wear summer uniform until Friday, October 9th. This is to allow students to wear gym strip when needed. We ask all parents to also send in their regular uniform daily as well, as students will need to change to adapt to the daily weather. Please read the Policy Manual, which is included in the students’ agendas. See Page 5, Item #5. Teachers will continue to do uniform checks every next week. Please ensure all uniform items comply with the Uniform Policy.
*Sweaters are mandatory for all school functions such as Masses, School Assemblies, Para liturgies, and Fieldtrips when representing the school.
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
SEPTEMBER 19 & 26, 2020 – FIRST COMMUNION
Thank you to Father Richard, Father Testamar, Mrs. De Amaral, Mrs. McKenna, and Mrs. Ciulla for the wonderful first week of First Holy Communions! Congratulations to all our students who were so well behaved and all the families for their support at keeping it a safe and special community event!
Please remember to visit www.olos.ca for all Parish masses and updates!