Holy Name of Mary Welcome Back!
September 2021
Dear Holy Name of Mary Families,
The staff of Holy Name of Mary (HNOM) would like to take this opportunity to welcome both our new and returning students and their families to the 2021 - 2022 school year. We begin the year with optimism that we will accomplish great things as we persevere through the challenges we continue to face as a result of the pandemic.
We will continue to ask for your patience as we determine the best procedures to keep all members of our community safe. We will keep you informed as we have new and updated information.
We are happy to welcome Mrs. Dunham as our new Grade 4/5 and 3/4 English teacher and Mrs. Soares as an ECE with Ms. Moore. Sadly, we have said goodbye to Mme. Lewis, Mrs. Simpson and Mrs. Baldwin who have moved to other schools for this school year. We wish them all the best in their new positions.
Sincerely,
Caroline LaBelle
Principal
WHO IS MY TEACHER??
On Tuesday and Wednesday, we will be allowing parents (wearing a mask) to accompany their primary children to the yard to help find their teacher. Please maintain social distance and keep the goodbyes short and sweet for the safety of our staff, students and families.
TOGETHER WE CAN DO ANYTHING!!!
IMPORTANT COVID INFORMATION FOR PARENTS
Cohorting and General Protocol
Masks are required for students in grades 1-8, and strongly recommended for JK/SK students. All students will be encouraged to social distance as often as possible. Students will be required to wear masks on the bus and will be asked to keep their masks on through their transition into the classroom in the morning. Students will be permitted to remove their masks while eating/drinking and going out for recess.
Parents are required by the Ministry of Health to complete a COVID screening each day. For the first 2 weeks of school, parents will be required to sign daily a form indicating that they have completed the screening tool for each child in the household. An email was sent to all families earlier this afternoon with more details.
Hand hygiene will be practiced all day within the classroom, specifically upon entering and exiting the classroom, school, after sharing equipment or learning materials and before and after meals.
Students will remain with their classmates all day in the same classroom with teachers rotating as scheduled. Students will be following a schedule for recess and lunch independent of other classes in the school. Students will play at recess time in a designated part of the yard on a rotating basis.
Grade 7/8 students are not required to remain in cohorts for the recess time, however they are reminded to keep distanced while outside.
A reminder that staff vaccination status is personal and private
WHAT SHOULD I SEND WITH MY CHILD?
- Agendas will be provided to communicate with the classroom teacher.
- Personal items for completing assignments (pencils, pencil crayons, sharpener etc.).
- Kinders are encouraged to pack a change of clothes in a labelled Ziploc bag.
- Packed Lunch - At this time all students will need to arrive with a lunch in the morning as parents will not be permitted in the school to drop off forgotten items.
- Water bottle that is refillable using our water filling stations. Fountains will not be accessible.
- Personal device (the school is not responsible for lost or stolen devices).
- Students are asked to have a pair of indoor shoes which will remain at school.
- Masks (grade 1-8 students) are required. Students are encouraged to bring extras as needed throughout the day. We will provide a mask if a student forgets to bring one.
VOLUNTEERS
TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM
If a child needs a device at school, computers and iPads will be available and will be cleaned after each use.
If you are interested in buying a device, Dell is currently offering a special price for HNOM. Attached is the link: www.dell.ca/cdsbeo.
KISS AND RIDE - BUS - WALKERS - BIKERS
We have many people opting to drive their children this year and expect that the Kiss and Ride at the front of the school will cause an increase in backlogs on Paterson Street.
ALL JK - Grade 2 students will be using the Kiss and Ride at the front of the school. We ask that parents of Grade 3-8 students dropping off and picking up do so at the Harold Street gate. If you have children in both panels please pick-up at the front of the school.
Please note that we are asking that parents using Kiss and Ride remain in their cars and pull up to the front of the school as the cars in front of them move forward. Please be patient. This is a great system but takes a few days to get parents familiarized with the tempo and teachers familiarized with who is picking the children up.
Walkers, please when able, enter the school yard from Don Maynard Park or Harold Street, otherwise students will access the front doors of the school.
There are bicycle racks in front of the new Daycare as well as at the entrances on Harold Street. If you are a biker please lock your bike.
NEW MORNING BELL TIME - SCHOOL BEGINS AT 9:15 a.m.
BELL TIMES - LATES - PICKING UP EARLY
Lunch hour will be between 12:00 pm and 12:50 pm with cohorts alternating between going outside and eating. At this time we will only be allowing regular walkers to go home for lunch. Grade 7/8 lunch privileges will be re-examined as the school year progresses.
Dismissal will be at 3:35 pm. Please note: the end of the school day is extremely busy at the office and therefore it is difficult to answer the phones at that time.
We understand appointments and family commitments can fall within the school day. We do ask that because of the excess numbers of families driving, should you need to pick up your child before the end of the day, that it is before 3:00 pm. It is essential that you have communicated your intent to pick up early with your child's classroom teacher. We will be unable to allow parents in the school at the office and therefore will need more time to prepare children for early dismissal. Please wait at the front door and your child will be brought out to meet you.
If your child is arriving late, please inform the school beforehand. When you arrive at the school, please call the front office and someone will greet your child and complete morning hand sanitizing etc. upon entering the building.
UMBRELLA PROJECT
This year we will continue to empower our students to anticipate and prepare for life’s rainy days!
The Umbrella Project is a teacher-led curriculum and school based program created to help teachers, students and parents reframe our perception of challenges and strengthen the skills of well-being to positively cope with the everyday stresses of life.
We are looking forward to introducing the Umbrella Project to our school Community this fall!!!
More information will follow.