September 8th, 2020
Hello WTT Families,
We hope that your summer provided the perfect balance of relaxation and family time and that you and your children are geared up and excited for another year of learning at W.T. Townshend School.
It has been a very unique spring and summer as we learn to live with our new reality of Covid-19. Many of you have made the decision to have your children return to school and we want you to know we are all in this together. We have been working hard to provide a safe and welcoming re-entry for our students. We have the safety of your child and the community in mind. School is going to look different, and we appreciate your cooperation and patience as we enter into our current reality. Despite these rules and regulations implemented by Public Health, the school board and the Ministry of Education, we want to remain a welcoming and inclusive school community.
For those of you who chose distance learning, information was posted on the board website at https://www.wrdsb.ca
For In-School Families, we will be posting updates over the next few days to get us all prepared for our back to school. There is a lot of information below, so please read it carefully. Also, stay up to date by subscribing to the wrdsb website above. Please understand that the lateness of this information cannot be helped due to last minute updates from our public health, the school board and the Ministry.
We will start by re-sharing what the school board has on their website about back to school and a few details specific to WTT.
Before School
Preparing for new Public Health Guidelines
Arriving At School
- Be sure you have completed screening your child for COVID-19 symptoms. If your child is showing any symptoms, please keep your child home. Our goal is to keep Covid 19 out of the building.
- Practice proper hand washing and cough/sneeze etiquette with your child at home.
- Practice putting on, taking off and wearing a mask.
- Practice social distancing.
- Make sure your child has the items they will need for the day
- Reusable mask (well fitted and cleaned as needed)
- Morning and afternoon snacks, as well as lunch and beverages are to be packed in reusable containers (labeled).
- Lunches are now Boomerang as no recycling and composting is permitted at the school. All items your child brings to school will go home in the lunch bag.
- There will be NO food drop offs of lunches, or other items during the school day. Please ensure your child comes to school with everything for the entire day.
- There is no hot lunch/snack program for purchase at this time.
- Reusable water bottle, labelled with your child’s name on it for bottle filling stations (water fountains are not available). Please ensure that your child’s reusable water bottle is full when you send your child to school. This will help reduce line-ups at the water filling stations.
- Items not needed for school should be left at home as there will be limited space for students to store items.
- Students do not require an extra pair of indoor shoes in September.
- Have students dress for the weather so that students are able to enjoy being outside as much as possible (example: hats, sunscreen, sweatshirt/sweater etc.) Please remember to label all belongings.
- We are allowing backpacks to store lunches, water bottles, and masks. Hand sanitizer will be supplied in the classroom but students can also bring their own. Please ensure this is unscented. Some families are thinking that fanny packs might also be good to store masks. This is up to you to decide.
- When dropping off students at school, only one parent or caregiver should bring your child to school to limit the number of people at the school and to support physical distancing.
- Children who walk to school are encouraged to arrive at school as close to the start time of 8:40 as possible and they should arrive at school with their mask on.
- Children who take the school bus to school should keep their masks on when they get off the school bus.
- Children will have a pre-arranged arrival location at school.
- Teachers will greet their students in the designated area. We will post a map showing line up locations shortly. In line, children will need to have their mask on and be physically distanced. Staff will assist with this. If you child is able to enter the school property on their own, this is preferable – once again to limit the amount of people on the schoolyard.
- Before entering the school, teachers will provide hand sanitizer to students. Teachers will bring their students into the school in a physically distanced way.
- If a student arrives late, they should first check to see if their class has entered, and if yes, they should come to the main doors to buzz the office and wait to let in, adhering to the spray painted markings on the pathway
During Class
- Students will remain in their classrooms for most of the day and with their own class cohort.
- For schools like WTT with specialized teachers (i.e. for French, Music, Gym) subject teachers will be coming to the students as much as possible. In our French Immersion classes with two teachers, the teachers will change classrooms and not the students.
- Students will have access to the essential learning materials they will need for the school day (please do not send in school supplies).
- Bathroom breaks are available for students when needed.
During Lunch
- Students will have an opportunity to clean their hands before and after they eat.
- Students will eat their lunch in their classroom and at their own desk.
- Please ensure that students are able to open any food containers on their own and bring their own utensils. All items should be labelled, if possible.
During Outdoor Time
- Weather permitting; students will enjoy their outdoor time throughout the school day and with their classroom cohort.
- We are fortunate to have a large schoolyard and will make use of all areas.
- Students will not be able to play on the logjam and playground equipment in order to support health and safety.
- Outdoor time will be staggered to help minimize the number of student’s outdoors at one time.
- Students will not have to wear masks while outdoors, if able to practice physical distancing.
- Before entering the school, teachers will provide hand sanitizer to students. Teachers will bring their students into the school in a physically distanced way.
- Please do not send balls, skipping ropes, or other items for outdoor play as public health guidelines indicate this is not permitted.
After School
- During the last period of the day, staff will help students walk to the appropriate dismissal area. Students will be dismissed at 3:00.
- Parents or caregivers are asked to pick up students at a pre-arranged meeting place, preferably on the periphery of the school property after the dismissal bell rings.
- For younger children please limit to one caregiver. No dogs are allowed on school property.
- Parents and caregivers are again reminded to wear masks and ensure physical distancing while on school property and picking up children.
Late arrivals, early pick up
- If your child is arriving late, please come to the main entrance, and wait, adhering to the spray painted markings on the concrete and down the sidewalk and ringing the buzzer. The secretaries will assist you and then you will send your child into the school. Unfortunately, parents are not allowed in the school building as we have strict rules around limiting access. Please schedule all appointments outside of school hours. If you must pick up early, please follow the same process, ring the buzzer, wait and staff will send your child out to meet you.
- There are no drop offs of lunches, and other items whenever possible. Please ensure your child comes to school with everything for the day.
Thank you so much for all of your support as we launch a school year like no other. The staff is excited to get back to school and we all look forward to working with your children this school year.
Please continue to look for updates in the next few days.
Sincerely,
Lori Briscoe, Principal and Sandra Himann, Vice Principal