Dear Parents,
Congratulations to everyone on completing Week 3 of our 2020/2021 school year! It has been so wonderful to watch new friendships forming, see students engaging with new activities both in and out of the classroom, and to top it all off, we’ve had nothing but beautiful weather each day!
In the Primary Division, we are continuing to encourage proper hand washing, social distancing and making sure we are kind to each other. The students are adapting to the new safety protocols and we are so proud of all of them for being so mindful of these protocols both in the classroom and outside during recess. Parents, please review with your children the importance of correct hand washing: wet hands, apply soap and lather generously (with no water) making sure the thumbs are included, for as long as it takes to sing “Happy Birthday”, and then wash off the soap with water before drying hands.
In the Junior Division, we have begun our Fill Up with Mrs. Fuller sessions focusing on how to fill our various types of “buckets”. We discussed how we all have a wide variety of needs to feel good; we need to make sure we fill up our physical, emotional, social and mental buckets. Students brainstormed their own bucket fillers, and how to get creative when our buckets are feeling depleted.
We are looking forward to an exciting week next week, filled with some extra special events. On Tuesday we will have our first Pizza lunch, and Toonie Tuesday. We can’t wait to see everyone in their own styles! On Wednesday we will participate in our Terry Fox Run. While it will look a little different this year, the spirit of perseverance and resilience will be felt more strongly than ever! Wednesday and Thursday evening at 7pm, we look forward to our first ever ZOOM Curriculum Night. Please keep a lookout for your child’s teacher to send their ZOOM link next week.
Thanks again for your cooperation with all our new routines and protocols. We feel the year is off to a wonderfully smooth start, and we look forward to continuing to work together to make this year a success for everyone!
Please see below for a reminder of our Absence/Remote Learning Protocols:
Absence/Remote Learning Protocol
- If a child is exhibiting any of the COVID symptoms listed on the attestation letter, students must stay home until:
- They have a Dr.’s note clearing them to return to school
- They have a negative COVID test
- They have been symptom free for 24 hours
- Parents should communicate all absences to both the homeroom teacher and to Grace as early as possible
- If students are away for MORE THAN 24 hours due to illness or self isolation, students may join their class for ZOOM learning
- It is important for parents to give teachers as much notice as possible so they can arrange materials and plan lessons to accommodate the student learning from home
- If your child is absent for any other reason, they should not expect to join into the ZOOM learning as that is only reserved for the above circumstances
It is extremely challenging for teachers to adapt to this hybrid model of teaching with both in class and remote learners. Please support your child’s teacher by following the above protocols, and clearly communicating your child’s symptoms and absences with as much transparency as possible.
–Amy Fuller, Jr. Principal & Sharon Liebenthal, Primary Principal
