Fairfield Elementary School Update
January 24, 2022
We are so proud of the Fairfield students and community! This has been a challenging January and you have navigated it beautifully! As a staff, a school, and community, we have been and always will cheer for you, our students! Keep going Falcons!
Short Term Remote Learning & Elementary Virtual School
The Limestone District School Board understands some families may seek some flexibility before sending their elementary students back to in-person learning at this time. Because of class size limits and our inability to reorganize the whole system, space is limited in our LDSB Elementary Virtual School. To help accommodate families as best as possible, the board is collecting information via a short survey .
The survey is intended to collect elementary family interest in either:
- engaging in/extending elementary short-term remote learning beyond February 3, 2022, with the intention of returning to in-person learning later this school year or;
- enrolling in LDSB Elementary Virtual School for the remainder of the school year (transition to take place at the beginning of term two, on February 3, 2022)
The survey will be open until Monday, January 24, 2022 at 4 p.m.
If you are a family who plans to continue with in-person learning, or have a student in secondary school, you do not need to complete the survey.
Secondary students who wish to transition to LDSB Secondary Virtual School may register at the end/beginning of a Quadmester if there is course availability and space. Students who wish to do this should contact their home school.
In the meantime, families who wish to have their elementary or secondary student continue with remote learning beginning January 18, 2022 should go into the SchoolMessenger app or SchoolMessenger website and enter their student’s attendance daily as “Short-term Virtual,” or call your student’s school directly. This initial period of short-term virtual learning will be supported by students’ current teachers and will be mostly asynchronous learning.
Rapid Antigen Tests
Masks
We ask that you ensure your child's masks fit well. All well-fitting masks should: be large enough to completely and comfortably cover the nose, mouth and chin without gaps and not allow air to escape from edges. It should fit securely to the head with ties, bands or ear loops. Buffs and gators are not sufficient at this time because they are usually only made with a single layer of fabric. They can also be loose and fall down easily. According to guidance from the Public Health Agency of Canada, it is recommended that face coverings are 3 layers which include a middle, filter layer.
All parents and guardians are required to wear a mask while on school property please. Thank you for keeping us safe!
Covid School Protocols
There have been some updates to the covid school protocols in the last month. Families are encouraged to become familiar with these protocols at:
https://www.limestone.on.ca/cms/One.aspx?portalId=352782&pageId=32609981
All staff and students must continue to screen for symptoms each day, and isolate when indicated: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/school-screening/ (Please see detailed graphics below about the protocols that need to be followed if your child develops COVID-19 symptoms either at home or while at school)
Updated Screening Tool
There is a lot of information on the LDSB website about the daily active screening for staff and students. Information about daily screening can be found at:
https://www.limestone.on.ca/cms/One.aspx?portalId=352782&pageId=28780697
Please see the information below about screening and next steps.
Public Health Survey
KFL&A Public Health is gathering information about local families’ choices whether to vaccinate their 5 to 11-year-old students against COVID-19 via a short survey. Please use the following link to participate: https://s-ca.chkmkt.com/?e=256607&h=A9B1BF08671DCA4&l=en
School Clothing Orders
Important Upcoming Dates
Wednesday, January 26th: Bell Let's Talk Day
Thursday, January 27th: Family Literacy Day
Holocaust Remembrance Day
Saturday, January 29th: Day of Remembrance Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action Against Islamophobia
Kindergarten Registration
https://www.limestone.on.ca/cms/One.aspx?portalId=352782&pageId=639821
A Few Reminders!
A few reminders please for families and students:
- Please have a change of shoes for indoors
- Don't forget a water bottle every day. All of the fountains are water bottle filling stations so students need to have a water bottle please
- Students are to wear masks both inside and outside. Bringing a change of mask might be helpful!
- The covid screener is to be done every day for every student. Please see the information in the updated covid screener: COVID-19 School & Child Care Screening Tool
- Students will remain in cohorts for learning and recess. Students are to go directly to their line up at the beginning of the day please. Parents/guardians please remind your child of this.
- We go outside for 2 recesses each day - rain or shine. We go outside even if the weather is cold so students need to be prepared for outdoor play. We follow Public Health guidelines for cold weather and extreme temperature alerts.
Tech Return - WOW!
Thank you for your assistance in returning technology promptly! We appreciate it!
School Year Calendar Survey
Planning for the next school year has begun and the Limestone District School Board is seeking feedback from families on the proposed 2022-2023 school-year calendar.
The calendar is prepared in consultation with the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board and Algonquin Lakeshore Catholic District School Board stakeholders, as we share busing.
Families in our district are invited to take a few minutes to provide input via an online survey. 2022-2023 School Year Calendar Survey
If families would prefer a paper version of the survey, please contact your school and a hard copy will be provided.
The survey is open for responses until January 26, 2022.
Your input is important to us and we appreciate your time in submitting your comments.
For more information, please visit the school year calendar page on the LDSB website which also provides a link to the Ministry of Education website.
Safe Arrival - How to Report An Absence
How to report your absence:
1. Toll-free telephone
- Call 1-855-257-9349 toll-free to report an absence using the automated phone system.
2. School Messenger App
- Use your mobile device to download and install the free SchoolMessenger blue app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store, the SchoolMessenger website portal, or from within the LDSB mobile app.
- The first time you use the app, you must select Sign Up to create your account. Please ensure you use the same email address your student’s school has on file. If you do not use that same email address, you will not be able to create an account, or may not be able to see the "Attendance" option. You may have already created an account when we introduced the Communicate broadcast system.
- Select Attendance, then select Report an Absence and follow the prompts.
- Visit the SchoolMessenger website portal.
- The first time you use the app, you must select Sign Up to create your account. Please ensure you use the same email address your student’s school has on file. If you do not use that same email address, you will not be able to create an account, or may not be able to see the "Attendance" option. You may have already created an account when we introduced the Communicate broadcast system.
- Select Attendance, then Report an Absence and follow the prompts.
Stay Up To Date! Please check the following regularly...
Fairfield ES Twitter https://twitter.com/fesfalcons_ldsb?lang=en
Fairfield ES Website https://fairfield.limestone.on.ca/
LDSB Website https://www.limestone.on.ca/
LDSB Twitter https://twitter.com/LimestoneDSB
LDSB Facebook https://tinyurl.com/wbhjtku
LDSB Instagram https://instagram.com/limestonedsb?igshid=1epyma6c0g5qd
Fairfield Elementary School
Email: frfld@limestone.on.ca
Website: https://fairfield.limestone.on.ca/
Location: 59 Kildare Avenue, Amherstview, ON
Phone: 613.389.2636
Twitter: @FESFalcons_LDSB