Welcome Back

Please make sure that everything that comes to school is labelled clearly with your child’s name.

• Backpack: Every child will need a labelled backpack where their lunch, face masks (when needed), refillable water bottle (we are limiting the use of water fountains), ziploc bag of extra clothes (that will stay in their cubbies) .

• Masks: Students can wear masks as parents choose. Please send extra masks in your child's backpack so that they can change them when necessary if they are wearing them regularly.

• Kleenex and hand sanitizer. There will be kleenex in the classroom for emergencies and hand sanitizer for students to use throughout the day and before/after many activities

• "Indoor” shoes: Please send your child with indoor shoes that are easy to put on and take off independently. We ask that you send your child in rubber boots when needed too.

• No "Show and Share" or "Home Toy" Days: We know students love to talk about their favourite toys, activities, keepsakes, etc. but we need to minimize the number items travelling between home and school at this time.

• The great outdoors: Your child will be going out in all weather and therefore needs to be appropriately dressed each day. This applies to before school, outdoor play, phys. ed., community walks, etc. They will be outside in sun, rain, snow, sleet, hail, and cold temperatures. The only times that we will definitely move students inside is if there is thunder (indicating an electrical storm) or when the temperature is -20 degrees.

• Communication: As much as we can, everything will be sent home to you electronically, so your child will not carry a zippy and communication book back and forth. For example, you can expect to see first day forms arriving in your inbox rather than coming home in your child’s backpack. If you need to let us know any information about your child's day please send us an e-mail. We will check in the morning and mid-day for any messages. Please ensure we have the email address you regularly check.

• Late arrivals: Please use the School Attendance procedure to indicate that your child will be late. This is not new. However, once you arrive, you will bring your child to the front door, buzz in, and the secretary will make arrangements for your child to walk to the classroom with their classmates or staff member.

• Dropping off things: Please make sure your child is prepared with everything they need. If for some reason they forget something, parents can arrange to drop it off on a table outside of the office - a staff member or students will come and get it.

• Lunch: Students will be eating lunch at their tables as per usual. Teachers will supervise the washing of hands or the use of hand sanitizer before students eat. Children’s lunches will be boomerang lunches. Everything they bring to school in their lunch box will be brought home (wrappers, packaging, containers etc.). Also the easier you can make it for your child to eat their lunch without help from an adult the better. Have packages slightly cut open and do not send things your child finds hard to open.

• Drop off/Pick Up: Drop off is between 9 -9:15 a.m. and Pick up is 3:30 p.m. Kindergarten classes dismiss 5 minutes before the bell for the older grades so that parents can get in and out of the parking lot and pick up older children at other school entrances. When you drop your child off at school, direct them to the Kindergarten area assigned to their class, wave goodbye and head home. When picking your child up, please wait outside the fence. If you are picking up your child early, please call the school in plenty of time so that we can arrange to have your child packed up and ready.

• Supervision: Supervision starts at 9 a.m. in our playground. Please do not bring/send your children early to school.

• Handwashing. Students will be encouraged to regularly practice good hand hygiene. Teachers will schedule in regular handwashing or hand sanitizing opportunities in the day in addition to sanitizing before coming into the school, after going in and out of the school, at lunch time, and as part of washroom routines.

• Kiss n’Ride. If you are using the Kiss n’Ride to drop off your child, your child MUST be able to get out of the seat themselves, exit safely on the right hand side of the car, and walk to their entry area. If children cannot get out of the car on their own, please park, and walk your child to the yard then quickly return to the car. There are many places in our community to park for a few moments. There are side streets across from the school and there are streets off of Churchill and both areas have wonderful crossing guards.

• School Bus Protocols: Bus students will be walked to and from the buses with an adult. Tags will be attached to their backpacks to identify their bus stop.

• Lost and Found. We no longer have a Lost and Found. Items with names on them that are identified as belonging to a student will be set aside for the student to take back home. We can’t say enough how important it will be to have labels on your children’s belongings.