Braemar Bulletin
September 21, 2020
Braemar Mission Statement
Settling into September!
Dear Braemar Families,
It has certainly been a busy few weeks since we welcomed students to school on Thursday, September 10th! It's been wonderful to see students getting back into the routines of our new normal. We truly appreciate your support as we continue to navigate through the coming weeks and months. School does look different, and it feels different. That said, the positive energy from staff and their commitment in working together to ensure that our school community stays healthy has been instrumental in starting the school year on a positive note!
Staffing Updates:
During the summer, we have had some additional staff changes and additions:
- We wish Ms. Kelly Munro much success in her new role as school counsellor at Norgate Elementary and Westview Elementary.
- We welcome Ms. Stephanie Hirose as Braemar's school counsellor. Ms. Hirose is excited to work with Braemar families this year.
- Welcome to Ms. Sabrina Turnbull who will teach with Ms. Ham, Vice Principal, in the Grade 6/7 classroom.
- Welcome to Ms. Chelsea Uphoff, who is currently teaching our Grade 7 Late French Immersion class.
- Welcome Mr. Russell Mayert, and Ms. Rupinder Johal, our new Learning Support Teachers.
We have just a few reminders and updates:
- We remind all adults to please physically distance from other adults and families when on the school grounds – please stay 2 metres away from others’ children and other adults during drop off and pick up time, as we work towards keeping our school community healthy! We request that once an adult(s) have dropped off and or picked up and or their child(red) they leave the school grounds as quickly as possible.
- Families who have selected the school district’s Transition Support Option (“option 4”) for their children will have received an email on Friday, September 18th with more information – please check your inbox! If, by Monday, you have still not received an email, let the office know.
- Please read your bi-monthly bulletins. We try to keep them succinct with important information that you need to know about!
Our key theme this school year continues to be "I Belong, You Belong, We Belong." Teachers have begun speaking to students about these powerful words and ways that the uniqueness of self, and the acceptance of others, can enhance our understanding of how to live together with compassion, and mutual respect.
Until the next bulletin!
Sandra Singh, Principal & Cheryl Ham, Vice Principal
Please Keep Our School Community Healthy!
We request that as parents and guardians, and role models for our children, please:
• Continue to reinforce our messaging around proper hand, respiratory and personal hygiene.
• Practice physical distancing when you are on and around our school grounds.
• Assess your child’s health daily and keep them home if they are ill.
With respect to the last point, and as alluded to by Dr. Mark Lysyshyn in the September 9th town hall, the BCCDC (refer to page 23) has updated the daily health check to bring additional clarity to whether your child should attend school for the day. The North Vancouver School District has updated the daily health check accordingly. Futhermore, through the Ministry of Education, daily health checks are now available in multiple languages (available on our website, HERE). As a reminder, the daily health check serves as your personal review of the signs and symptoms of illness; it is not necessary to submit the checklist to your child’s school.
Additional information:
BCCDC Guidelines for K-12 schools:
“When a person is confirmed as positive for COVID-19, significant efforts are undertaken to determine if they are part of a cluster of cases or part of a local outbreak, and whether others in close contact with them are at risk for infection. Not everyone who has been in contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case is determined to be a close contact. Public health determines who is considered a close contact.If a staff or student in a school is confirmed by public health as positive for COVID-19, public health will work with school administration to determine what actions should be taken, including if any staff or students who have been in contact with that person need to self-isolate, and if other staff and students’ families should be notified.
Schools will not provide notification to staff or students’ families if a staff member or student becomes ill at home or at school, including if they display symptoms of COVID-19, unless directed to by public health.
Please Keep Braemar Students Safe!
MS TEAMS
Parents/guardians are asked to re-familiarize themselves with the MS Teams platform that we were using in the spring, as this will be how teachers will communicate directly with families and students, and will be the instructional delivery platform if the provincial COVID-19 response requires schools to move to either Stage 3 or 4 of B.C.’s Five Stage Framework for K-12 Education.
The other reason for the use of MS Teams is to provide a means for students to continue with their learning if they are at home with an illness. We expect there will be an increase in absenteeism due to the need to stay home when any symptoms of illness.
Knowing this will be the case, teachers will begin posting a brief weekly summary with some at-home learning activities on MS TEAMS every week. Teachers will not have time to provide online instruction. Children at home can follow along somewhat with the class learning plan with some independent, self-directed learning tasks that align with what the students would be doing at school.
Information regarding MS Teams can be found HERE.
Good Morning Braemar!
Message from School Office
Additionally, please remember to use the school's call back number in the event that your child is ill or may be late. Connecting with the school using call back enables office staff to ensure accuracy with attendance records and following up with families if needed.
If you need to pick up your child during the day, please remember to touch base with the office before signing your child out.
Message from Mrs. Ross, Your Friendly Teacher Librarian!
Hello Braemar families,
It was so wonderful to see so many smiling faces during the first full week of school. I look forward to connecting with all students as I start my brand-new travelling library program. The library is currently closed but I will be going into each classroom once a week to introduce books and to teach lessons. I will be delivering a variety of books to teachers that can be used in the classroom. At this time, individual students are not able to sign out books. I will let you know as soon as this changes.
A number of students still have overdue books from last year. I am reminding students to look for these books and will send a notice home if they are not returned by the end of next week. Books can be returned to the classroom teacher who will pass them on to me.
If you have any questions about the library, please do not hesitate to contact me at lross@sd44.ca. I also encourage you to check out the Braemar Library website for updates and activities.
Warm regards,
Mrs. Ross
Terry Fox Run
This year events to celebrate Terry Fox's 40 year legacy will look different.
This year we will celebrate Terry's amazing legacy during the week of September 28-October 1st. Students are requested to contribute $2 (Twoonie for Terry) towards cancer research during this week of 'Celebrating Terry at Braemar.' Each class will have the opportunity to participate in different events rather than a school-wide run during the week of September 28th.
Orange Shirt Day Wednesday, September 30th, 2020
During the coming weeks, Mrs. Ross Teacher Librarian, will work with students in both primary and intermediate grades to develop further understanding about Orange Shirt Day and related concepts such as: inclusion, belonging and acceptance.
For K-3 classes Mrs. Ross will use the book Amik Loves School: A Story of Wisdom as an anchor for discussion.
For grades 3/4- 7 classes, Mrs. Ross will lead a discussion about residential schools and will encourage students to think about how it would have felt to have been at a residential school. She will use When We Were Alone or The Orange Shirt Story as an anchor book.
Stay Connected with your Braemar Parent Advisory Committee (BPAC)!
The Braemar Parent Advisory Council (BPAC) would like to welcome all the students and families (back) to Braemar. Our main goals are to enhance communication, build community, and help support our teachers, parents and students.
Volunteer Opportunities: We are looking for one parent volunteer from each classroom to be a Class Representative. Class Reps help with communication between the BPAC, parents, and teachers in each classroom.
We need Class Reps for the following classes: E02 (Ham/Turnbull), E07 (Pedersen), E08 (Lee/Hinze), E09 (Carruth), F01 (Catalano), F03 (Hebert-Wong), F05 (Beck/Lee), and F02L (Callow/Ho). If you would like to volunteer for one of these classes, please contact Carmen at classrepbpac@gmail.com.
Stay tuned for more information regarding our BPAC Annual General Meeting.
BPAC Contacts/Links
BPAC Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dgU089
BPAC Email: braemarpac@gmail.com
Facebook: @braemarpac (Ecole Braemar Elementary PAC)
We Are a Nut Aware School
NUT AWARE SCHOOL – NUT ALLERGIES
We have a number of students who have a life-threatening allergy to NUTS and exposure could result in severe sickness or death. To help reduce the risk of accidental exposure, we need your cooperation in order to provide a safe and secure learning environment. The following are respectfully requested:
1. Students do not bring food to school that contain peanuts or nut products (i.e. peanut butter, muffins/cookies with nuts, granola bars). Please read ingredients on purchased and packaged food items included in your child’s lunch and snack.
2. If your child enjoys peanut/nut containing products at home, please ensure that your child adds hand washing to their routine before coming to school. Even a small amount of peanut oil or dust from a friend’s hand can easily be transferred to crayons, books or playground equipment that can pose a risk for the allergic child.
3. Discuss with your child the importance of not trading or sharing food.
The above items will also be discussed with all the students in the classroom setting along with ways to help their allergic friend stay safe.
We hope you will appreciate the seriousness of this condition and that you will assist us in our efforts to create as safe an environment as possible for all students. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to call the school office, or contact Community Health at 604 983-6700.
Mark Your Calendars!
Dates to note:
Friday, Sept. 25: School Based Pro D SCHOOL CLOSED
Tues. Sept. 28 to Fri. Oct. 1: Terry Fox Toonie Drive
Mon. Sept. 30: Orange Shirt Day
Fri. Oct. 2: District wide Curriculum Implementation Day - Schools closed
Mon. Oct 5: Next Braemar Bulletin
Tues. Oct 6: Student Photos
Mon. Oct. 12: Thanksgiving: Schools closed
Mon. Oct 19: Next Braemar Bulletin
Fri. Oct. 23: Provincial Professional Day - Schools closed
Braemar administration welcomes your comments and feedback!
Braemar staff acknowledges that we live, work and play on the unceded and traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples – sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh). We value the opportunity to learn, share and grow on this traditional territory.
Website: https://www.sd44.ca/school/braemar/Pages/default.aspx
Location: 3600 Mahon Avenue, North Vancouver, BC, Canada
Phone: (604) 903-3720
Twitter: @BraemarElem