September First Day Back!
Welcome Back! September 10, 2020
Dear Parents,
We are all ready to have your children back tomorrow! The teachers and staff have been working extremely hard these last few weeks to ensure everyone is doing their best to keep all safe.
We are asking all families to complete the online safety form below prior to sending their children back. You can also print or email the COVID health Screening Form to the office,
https://forms.gle/Lyrmegvb4jUp4L418
We wish to remind parents that the single most important way to stay safe is to NOT send students to school with any of the COVID – 19 symptoms.
There have been many questions about non- related COVID symptoms.
If your child has any of these symptoms they should not return to school unless they 100% symptom free or accompanied by a doctor’s note explaining it is due to another underlining condition and it is NOT COVID related. Otherwise NO child should come to school with any flu like symptoms or they will be sent home immediately.
These symptoms include: Fever, chills, cough or worsening of chronic cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny nose, loss of sense of smell or taste, headache, fatigue, diarrhea, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, muscle aches.
Also, the incident of COVID in schools is EXACTLY the same of the incidence of COVID in the areas and local community. We are all in the OLS Community, and we will all depend on each other for keeping each other safe. We can all be safe if we take all the necessary precautions to keep COVID out of our community. So far everyone has been careful. However, as Community Spread has spiked in recent weeks in BC, (mostly due to large and uncontrolled gatherings), once school starts we need to continue to be even more vigilant. Our goal is to keep COVID out all year! We were successful in our June opening and had no cases, and I believe our amazing community will commit to the same in September. I have Faith in our parents and families that we will not put each other and our families at risk. Our staff and our students will do all that is required to keep our outside and public contacts down and keep safety first, as 99% of spread to children is through adults from known adults and families.
“Don’t worry as much about getting COVID , worry more that you will spread it.” This is the motto for the year. We must all do our part to protect each other from asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic spread. Distancing and hand- washing are key, (masks when needed) and being prepared to keep students’ home if there are any symptoms.
Parents must have child-care options for when this happens.
Let us continue to support each other in these most trying times. It also helps that we are a Faith Community, and when we feel our lowest, we can always “ Walk with Jesus our Hope”
RECESS AND LUNCH BREAKS
Primary and Intermediate grades will have different recess and lunch breaks to stagger transition times and to provide a greater amount of space between cohorts on the playground.
Primary Grade 1 to Grade 4 ( K when needed )
Recess: 10am – 10:15 am
Lunch: 11:55-12:20 p.m.
Intermediates: Grade 5,6,7
Recess: 10:15 to 10:30
Lunch 12:20-12:45
Students will need to be outside more often.
**Please ensure all students are prepared with proper jackets and footwear daily as we will also increase the air circulation in the classrooms as well. Students will need to wear sweaters and jackets more often.
*There is NO sharing of snacks or lunches or birthday food celebrations. Please ensure you are packing all necessary items in their school bags. Please include a water bottle where necessary.
STUDENT MORNING DROP OFF
As in our June re-start, we will be introducing longer drop-off times (8:30- 9:00 a.m.) and pick-up times (2:30-3:00 p.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.
*There is no- playtime outside, PRIOR or AFTER, the drop-off times. Students must go straight to classes and then straight home.
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 will be drive-through and out only!
PLEASE FOLLOW THE DROP OFF CONES AND SIGNS!
(Pre-school families will drop -off on the Slocan entrance to the Preschool. See Pre-school letter).
Thank you to those parents who completed the participation survey! We are grateful that some of the Bingo and new families have volunteered to help in the drop-offs!
PICK- UP PROCEDURES
We will be allowing parents PRIMARY (K-4) to park and pick up in the lot at 2:30p.m- 2:45 Primary parents are encouraged to park closest to their classes exit doors, i.e. K,1,2 on the south side of the lot (closer to Turner gate) and grade 3 and 4 closer to the north side (Pender side). Intermediates Gr. 5/6/7 only students must be picked up outside the gates. Intermediate students will be dismissed after 2:45 and by 3 p.m. Primary students will be walked out and released to their parents either in the lot or at the gates. Parents must remain in front or in their cars. Again, we are asking for your support to please go slow through the lot to allow cars in and out of our lot safely. Parents are asked to please wear masks outside the cars and to maintain Social distance.
AFTER SCHOOL CLUB NEWS
Thank you to all the parents who have expressed the need for our After-school club. We have now secured and will be able to offer After-school club starting Sept 14- M-F from 3-5 p.m. All parents interested, please contact the office next week office@myolosschool.ca, with the days needed.
UNIFORMS
Students will be allowed to wear summer uniform until October 13, 2020. 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 be starting uniform checks by next week. Please ensure all uniform items comply with the Uniform Policy.
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.
REMINDERS:
SEPTEMBER 10, 2020 – FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
The first day of school will be Thursday, September 10th. This will be a full day.
SEPTEMBER 16, 2020 – INDIVIDUAL PHOTOS
Students will have their Individual Photos taken by Life-Touch on Wednesday, September 16th. Please ensure your child comes to school in full uniform on this day. They must also have their gym strip under their uniform if there is gym that day. Option 4 students will have the opportunity for their photos, later on during photo retake day.
HEAD LICE INSPECTIONS
We will not be instituting the Head Lice Inspections at the time. An information package will be sent home with students to help keep parents informed.
SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 – MEET THE TEACHERS NIGHT- VIRTUAL
The first Mandatory Parents’ Meeting will be held on Thursday, September 24th. More information will follow prior to the meeting. Please mark your calendars. This will be the first Mandatory Meeting as indicated in the Policy Manual and Registration Guide!
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. 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
Again, we are all in this together,
Let us continue to be vigilant and safe.
Thank you for your patience,
Sincerely,
Pasquale Balletta
Principal