Return to School Message
In case you missed some details, below is the text from a video that was sent to families via email earlier today.
Hello Elora Families! We are very happy to be able to welcome all of our students back to the school on Monday. With the exception of our Life Skills class, our students have been away from the building for 7 weeks. That’s a long time! I’m sending a message today to review a few things with families to ensure our students return in a safe and successful manner. Please pass this video along to your children.
First of all…….daily screening for students. Please continue the routine of doing the daily COVID self-assessment at home in the morning. Google COVID self-assessment and you will find the link you need. If that assessment of your child says don’t come to school, please don’t send your child. Give us a call or an email and let us know that he or she will be absent. Continue to use the Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health website as a guide for any COVID related health concerns.
Secondly…….arrival at school in the morning. We really like all of you and love to see you at school, but please don’t come too early…try to have your kids arrive at school as close to 8:50 as possible. 8:45 ish is perfect. Students don’t have any social or play time prior to the morning bell. When they arrive with their mask on, they need to go straight to their line and find a spot that is properly distanced from other students. They did a great job with this prior to the break and we expect the same. Families and caregivers – please don’t socialize at drop off time. Sorry…..it’s pretty much a drop and go. If you have any concerns or questions for teachers, it is best to call or email please.
And…..heading home after school……very much the same. We will be asking kids to keep their mask on while they depart the school. As well, for our students who walk home, we will be reminding them to head straight home and not to congregate or hang out.
For our bus students, remember masks are worn on the bus and you must follow the seating plan. Please sit in your appropriate seat. Thank you!
Lunch and recess. We will be reminding our students that at eating time when their masks are off, they need to remain in their seats and work on a silent activity or engage in quiet conversations. Masks go back on as soon as they are done eating. One important change for recess. Students have been used to taking their masks outside but not necessarily having them on the whole time. Now, students must have their masks on outside, unless they are intentionally taking a mask break. If their mask is off for a period of time, they must ensure that they are at least two metres from anyone else. We will also be reminding our students that they must play in their specific zone at recess. I know this is unnatural and not very fun……..but these are provincial rules for our health and safety and we need to follow them.
Please remember to send one or two extra masks in backpacks. As well, proper face masks are required in addition to regular winter wear (ie. scarf, balaclava, etc).
The Minister of Education announced several things this past week. Public Health and Boards are all working on this new information. We do not have any details at this point in terms of any type of asymptomatic testing for school children. When any new information comes out we will let you know.
Finally, we have been able to help many families with the use of a chromebook during online learning. I believe between the remote school and recent online learning we have over 100 chromebooks with families. And…….we want them back. Families who received a chromebook for online learning in January, please return it on Monday. You many drop it off at the front door or send it with your child (packed carefully in the backpack). Either way, if you could please label it with your child’s name with a sticky note or masking tape that would be extremely helpful. In some cases, we will have 6 or 7 chromebooks coming back to a class at once. Thank you!
I think that is all I have to share. We look forward to seeing everyone on Monday. Don’t hesitate to email the school with any questions. If you missed parts of this message I have put a transcript of it on our website. Have a great weekend.
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