Parent Peek at the Week
Week of January 25th, 2021
A note from Mrs. Sampson.....
As you are aware by now, the provincial government announced school re-openings for the City of Peterborough. We look forward to seeing everyone again on Monday, January 25th. The return to school brings with it several new safety protocols. We will also be spending time this week reviewing the protocols that have been in place since September. For more information, please see the article below.
We understand the struggle to balance home / work / learning obligations during the extended school closure. Thank you for all your support at home during the period of virtual learning. While challenging for everyone - it was amazing to see our students learning in real in authentic ways, our teachers dedication to their own professional learning and teaching in so many new "technological" ways, and our families who supported every step of the way.
As always, please contact the school with any questions or concerns.
Stay safe, stay kind, stay hopeful!
Mrs. Sampson
Important Dates
Monday, January 25th - Day 3
- Back to face-to-face instruction!
- Welcome officially to Ms. Tourloukis (Grade 1) and Ms. Hutchinson (CYW)
Tuesday, January 26th - Day 4
Wednesday, January 27th - Day 5
Thursday, January 28th - Day 1
- Bell Let's Talk Day
Friday, January 29th - Day 2
- Fabulous Dance Part Friday
- Cougar Courage awards
NOTE: Monday, February 1st is a PA Day - students do not attend school on this day, as teachers and staff are completing report cards.
Enhanced Safety Protocols
- All students in Grades 1 - 6 are required to wear masks at all times inside, except when eating their lunch.
- All students in Grades 1 - 6 are required to wear masks outdoors, where we can't guarantee 6 feet distance at all times. Because this is impossible with children, the health unit has advised us that students should wear masks outside at all times. If they would like a mask break, we will be teaching them to find a quite spot away from people and take a mask/people break at the same time. Once they finish their "break" they put their mask back on and rejoin their friends.
- Students in Kindergarten are highly encouraged to follow the same masking protocols as students in Grades 1 - 6. If parents send their Kindergarten child to school wearing a mask, we will assume you would like us to encourage your child to follow the protocol.
NOTE: Because wearing masks outside causes lots of condensation, we anticipate students will need more than one mask to wear during the day. Please send your child with several extra masks in their school bag to that they can change them as required throughout the day.
Screening Tool
Yard Area Changes
Beginning Monday morning, the new areas will be as follows:
JUNIOR:
Pavement - Landry
Upper Hill/Shade shelter - Ross
Far Yard (baseball diamond) - Howson
Far Yard (tree/hill) - Baker
PRIMARY
Pavement - Rutherford
Upper Hill/Shade shelter - Beaton
Far Yard - Tourloukis
Parent Reaching Out Grant
This year we are hosting a Virtual Family Paint Night on April 13th - open to all our face-to-face AND virtual students. Our project will be spring pussy willows - see below. I hope you'll consider joining in! Paint kits will provided to all participants.
Look for more information coming soon.
Kindergarten Registration
- Junior Kindergarten – your child is four years of age by December 31, 2021
- Senior Kindergarten – your child is five years of age by December 31, 2021
The registration process has begun, and it's very important for our staffing that we know as soon as possible the numbers of students we can expect. This then helps to determine our staffing. If you have a child who will be 4 or 5 by December 31st, 2021, please go to the following link to register:
https://www.kprschools.ca/en/our_schools/resources/elementaryprograms/kindergarten.html
You will find lots of great information about Kindergarten at this KPR site. In addition, we have links to some Kawartha Heights Kindergarten resources (as well as lots of other great school info - just click on any image!) on our virtual school office. This can be found on our school website or at: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vQIoJmz_mjqbpLADfMAkc-nG_LjQxA6Z3Mpbh6oJFoIe3lUem7qf_eKNt-w7caKDsI4mqC3Y7vAf3_3/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000
If we can help in any way, please give Mrs. E. or Mrs. Sampson a call at the school at 705-742-7521.
From the KPR Board Office
This message follows up the provincial announcement on the dates students can return to school for in-person learning.
For KPR elementary and secondary schools, this means:
• Schools located in Northumberland County and in Peterborough City and County will reopen January 25 for in-person learning.
• Schools located in the Municipality of Clarington remain closed to in-person learning. We will inform families of any potential return to school date as soon as it is provided to us by the province.
The start dates for each region of the Board were identified by the province based on COVID-19 rates in each Health Unit’s jurisdiction.
Students in stand-alone Learning and Life Skills (LLS) classes in all areas of the board will continue to participate in face-to-face learning at their home school with their teachers and support staff during this period. LLS classes in Peterborough and Northumberland regions will resume their normal dismissal and bus schedules, effective Monday, January 25. However, LLS classes in Clarington will continue with the shortened day and modified bus schedule until all students in that region return to in-person learning.
Learning in our Virtual Elementary and High Schools will continue as usual, regardless of where students live.
New Provincial Requirements
As students return to school, it is extremely important that our students and staff comply with COVID-19 precautions and protocols. These include the following new requirements from the Ministry of Education:
• Mandatory masks for Grades 1 through 12 students. For Kindergarten students, masks are highly recommended, but not mandatory.
• Masks are required for outdoor activities where physical distancing of at least two metres is not possible.
In addition, students are reminded to refrain from congregating in groups before and after school, and at breaks such as lunchtime. Students should arrive shortly before the start of school, and return directly home after school.
COVID-19 Protocols
We continue to ask all students and staff to self-monitor for signs and symptoms of COVID-19. Every morning before heading to school, please complete the daily self-assessment for symptoms, available at https://covid-19.ontario.ca/school-screening/
Schools also will continue to follow all public health and provincial directions, including thorough cleaning and disinfecting of all areas; frequent and proper handwashing by everyone in the building; wearing masks; maintaining physical distancing to the fullest extent possible, and following any other steps directed by the local health units.
Busing
Bus transportation will resume for students who are returning to in-person learning. Routes and stops will remain the same as they were in December, before the shutdown of schools. Please visit stsco.ca for further information.
Reminder: January 22 Virtual Elementary School (VES) deadline
We also remind families of elementary students of an important deadline. If you would like your child to attend the Virtual Elementary School (VES) when in-class learning resumes, you must register by 9 p.m. today (Friday, January 22) at http://optout.kprdsb.ca/. The first day of virtual classes for new VES students will be Tuesday, February 2, 2021.
Monday, February 1 is a PA Day, so there will be no classes on that day.
School Closures on Snow Days
Finally, we remind families that KPR schools will be closed on inclement weather days to protect student health.
• If ALL buses are cancelled across the entire board, ALL schools will be closed for the day.
• If ALL buses are cancelled within a specific region, schools in that region only will be closed for the day
• If ALL buses are cancelled for a specific school or group of schools, only that school or group of schools will be closed for the day.
• If only some buses are cancelled or delayed, schools will remain open.
Stay tuned to local news or social media, kprschools.ca, stsco.ca or emails/texts from SchoolMessenger for updates early in the morning.
Protect yourselves, protect your children, help us protect our KPR community.
Other important tidbits of information.....
2. Nut Safe School: Just a little reminder as we head into 2021, that peanuts and other nut-based items cannot be included in snacks or lunches. We have several students with severe allergies - and we appreciate your support in keeping them safe!
3. Indoor Shoes: A reminder to bring indoor shoes back to school on Monday, January 25th.
4. Snow days: A reminder that if all school buses to a school are cancelled, the school will be CLOSED to students for the day. Check www.stsco.ca for cancellation information. Learning will then happen online, in the class Google Classroom. The good news is - all students know how to do this now!