HOLY NAME OF MARY SCHOOL
November 16, 2020
Dear Families,
We started the month off by pausing to remember on Remembrance Day the men and women who fought to keep our Country free. This year our Remembrance Day ceremony took place virtually on November 11th. A huge thank you to Mrs. Reid and the Grade 7/8's for honouring our Veterans so well.
Looking ahead at the month of November, we have School photos, our November Virtual Mass and Spirit Wear sales. Before long, we will be talking about snow and Christmas break, but until then, we continue on our exciting journey of learning here at Holy Name of Mary. Thank you for being a part of this journey!
Sincerely,
Caroline LaBelle
KISS & RIDE ZONES
Our two Kiss & Ride Zones (at the front of the school and on Harold Street), while very busy, are working effectively and all students using these zones are reunited with their parents/guardians within 10 minutes of our 3:35 pm dismissal.
A few reminders to ensure that the Kiss & Ride Zones continue to run smoothly:
remain in your car; staff will assist your child(ren) to your car
move up when a spot becomes available
do not block the entrance/exit to the Bus Loop or entrances/exits to the School
do not park in the Kiss & Ride Zone; if you need to exit your car, please park in a parking spot
respect any direction given by staff who have been asked to enforce these rules
in the morning, supervision is provided starting at 9:10 a.m. If you are using the Kiss & Ride Zones, your child must remain in your vehicle until our staff members start their supervision duty. This is to ensure students are following COVID protocol and safety measures.
Please drive slowly through the School parking lot. There is a lot of movement at the start and end of the School day with a large volume of students walking or using the Kiss & Ride Zones.
EARLY PICK UP
END OF DAY ROUTINE
Please inform your child’s teacher of any end of day changes prior to 9:00 am through TEAMS. After 9:00 am, please call the School office as teachers do not check their TEAMS platforms throughout the School day. All calls regarding end of day changes must be made before
3:00 pm. The office staff do not answer phone calls between 3:00 - 3:35 pm as calls into classrooms regarding early pickup or changes to end of day routines are disruptive to the teacher, to other students and to the subject matter being taught.
Please note that students will not be dismissed from 3:00 to 3:35 pm.
Spirit Wear
CATHOLIC SCHOOL COUNCIL
Elections for the School Council Executive were held during HNOM’s first Catholic School Council meeting in earlier October. The representatives for this year are: Chair: Erin Wark; Secretary: Crystal Newman and Treasurer: Tara Miller, Parish Council Rep: Kristy Mulvihill.
The next Catholic School Council Meeting will be Tuesday, November 24th at 6:00 pm. This will be a virtual meeting and all parents/guardians are welcome to attend through our TEAMS platform. If you are interested in participating in the meeting, please e-mail Caroline LaBelle at caroline.labelle@cdsbeo.on.ca. before 2:00 pm on Monday, November 23rd to receive an invite to the meeting on TEAMS.
ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION POSTER & LITERARY CONTEST
PROGRESS REPORTS & PARENT/TEACHER INTERVIEWS
If you have changed your e-mail address recently, please contact the School office to ensure that we have your most current on file.
If a Parent/Teacher Interview is required please contact your child's Teacher to set up a time for a telephone meeting.
SCHOOL PHOTO DAY (PhotoVisions)
Individual school photos will be taken on November 23rd. To ensure that social distancing is observed, there will be no class photos this year. Appropriate COVID protocol will be observed during the taking of School photos to ensure the safety of students and staff.
REMINDER: PhotoVisions will provide your child with a personal online code on photo day. Parents will need this code to review and order their child's photo online. Please ensure you look for this document in your child's backpack on Monday, November 23rd.
MASS
November 25th and December 16th. To view, please check the following link after 10:00 am on the two dates mentioned: https://hnomalmonte.ca/mass-videos/
NOVEMBER PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY DAY
INCLEMENT WEATHER (STEO)
Please see below for information on STEO’s new transportation app. The app will send a notification directly to your phone if your child's bus is delayed or cancelled. This app and STEO’s web page steo.ca are updated frequently so parents can check to ensure that their child’s bus is running on time with no delays.
SCHOOL WEBSITE & FACEBOOK
SNOW DAYS
Winter will soon be here! A few reminders regarding snow days:
Please send your child to School on snow days dressed for the winter weather. Snow days are like any other School day. Children will be going outside for morning, lunch and afternoon recess.
If your child is walking home by themselves on snow days, please inform the teacher through TEAMS or the School office, so that we are aware.
ONLY the front Kiss & Ride Zone will be available on snow days for end of day pickup. This is to ensure safety for our students and staff during inclement weather.
There will be NO pizza or sub lunches provided on snow days. Please ensure your child comes to School with a lunch.
REMINDER: If your child routinely walks to School, please ensure you call the office on snow days if your child will be staying home. The office needs to be aware of your child's absence to ensure the safety of all our students.
REMINDERS
Indoor Shoes - Children will soon be wearing winter boots. Please remember to have your child bring indoor shoes with them to School for the Winter. The shoes will remain at School in their designated location.
Dress for the Weather - Students are outside for morning, lunch and afternoon recess. Please ensure that your child is appropriately dressed for the daily weather conditions.
Drink/Water Bottle - As students do not have access to water fountains this year, we would like to remind parents to pack a drink or water bottle for your child each day.
Sanitizers - If you send a hand sanitizer to School with your child, please ensure that it is fragrant free so as not to interfere with any allergies that may exist in the classroom.
Lost & Found
SCHOOL CASH ONLINE
We will be offering our sub and pizza lunch program again at HNOM starting in December, along with white and chocolate milk. Families will place orders for these lunch programs using School Cash Online. Instructions on how to register for School Cash Online were e-mailed to families earlier this Fall. Please contact the School if you have any problems registering your family.
NOTE: We will only accept payments through School Cash Online this year to ensure that we follow COVID protocol. Cheques and cash will not be accepted.
These items will be available to order later this week through School Cash Online.