Central Weekly Update – Monday, April 11-14, 2022
Dear Central families,
Although the number of self reported covid cases has declined over the last few days at Central please be sure to continue to complete daily screenings and have students stay at home if they are ill. We are also strongly encourage that masks continue to be worn on by all individuals on site. We continue to encourage hand hygiene, conducting lessons outdoors where possible and have been sending students that become ill at school home as soon as possible.
A reminder that there is no school this Friday, April 15 (Good Friday) and on Monday, April 18, 2022 (Easter Monday). We will return to classes on Tuesday, April 19, 2022.
We acknowledge that Ramadan began on the evening of April 2, 2022. Please be sure to reach out to your child’s teacher or the school office (905 522-9690) if there is anything that we need to take into consideration as many individuals/families approach this holiday differently and we are more than happy to support with any accommodations needed . Thank you.
Due to our limited space we will continue to ask all visitors to buzz in at the entrance and wait for one of our office staff to come to greet you. Those that need to enter are not required to wear masks, but will be offered a mask upon sign-in and strongly encouraged to wear one while in schools in order to align with Board of Trustees direction. Visitors include anyone who is not a staff member or student: volunteers, spectators, third party service providers, and contractors.
Please note that under current federal regulations, all individuals exempt from quarantine who are returning from international travel continue to be required to wear a mask in all public spaces for 14 days after their return to Canada.
Masks are also required under certain conditions under the updated screening rules, and families are reminded to continue screening daily.
Summary and Supports Other covid protocols will be gradually lifted as we move through this transition. As comfort levels regarding the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions continue to evolve, we ask our communities members to be kind, respectful and compassionate during this period of change. Families looking for additional support are encouraged to explore our existing mental health and well-being resources.
As measures are lifted, activities such as fundraising, volunteering, excursions, events such as open houses, assemblies be resumed in a thoughtful and gradual way. Adjustments to classroom setups or use of shared materials and spaces will be determined at the school level after the March Break. A full list of changes and unchanged measures can be found on our blog.
Additional Communications
- Letter to Families – March 11, 2022
- Chair’s Statement on Extension of Mask Requirements
- Lifting Health and Safety Measures in Schools
- Letter to Medical Officer of Health Regarding Mask Requirements in School
- Letter to Ministry of Education, Lifting of Health and Safety Measures in Schools
- COVID-19 Travel – Government of Canada
A reminder that our School Council meets regularly and all parents/guardians are welcome to attend. Our next meeting is Tuesday, May 3rd, 2022 at 7:00pm and will be on MS Teams. Please contact the school at 905 522-9690 or email the school at [email protected] to request an invite to the meeting.
The school council is comprised of the principal, teacher, parent, and community representatives. The purpose of school council to discuss any updates and plans regarding school programming and operations. This includes updates from the principal and the teacher representatives. We also discuss the current goals of the school council, including fundraising initiatives, school improvements etc. Elected members of the school council are allowed to vote on decisions being made, but anyone is welcome to attend meetings in order to stay informed on what is happening at Central. This is also an opportunity to give feedback, ask questions, or raise concerns regarding the overall operation of the school. If you have a specific question you would like to ask or would like to be discussed at our next meeting, please email the principal to have this item added to the school agenda, or contact one of the school council representatives listed on the website.
Please note, school council meetings deal with broad curriculum, operational, and facilities issues. We do not deal with concerns related to specific situations or concerns related to individual students, staff etc. If you have a specific concern about an individual or a particular situation, please speak to your child’s teacher directly, or contact the school at 905 522-9690 to discuss your concern.
We would like to invite all parents the option of attending the remaining school council meetings for the 2021/2022 school year. The remainder of the meetings will be held on MS Teams on the following dates:
Tuesday May 3, 2022 – 7pm
Please contact the school at 905 522-9690 or email the school at [email protected] to request an invite to the meeting.
If you are unable to attend the meeting, minutes are posted on the school website https://www.hwdsb.on.ca/central/school-council/
Please continue to check your emails for updates from the school and register t0 receive updates on our school website at https://www.hwdsb.on.ca/central/
To protect our school community from COVID19, our emphasis going forward will be on rigorous screening. The updated screen is attached and linked here:
Please follow the directions provided in the COVID-19 school and Child Care screening and stay home if your child is sick.
Please reach out to your child’s teacher or call the office at 905 522-9690 if you have any questions or concerns.
Thank you to all families for ensuring safety and exercising caution in our parking lot which becomes a very busy area during arrival and departure. As we have families that need to park in our Accessible Parking spots to drop off students please be sure to not park in these designated parking spots and do not block other vehicles in. If you are dropping off or picking up students please be sure to do so as quickly and safely as possible. Drive in from Bay St. and make an immediate right turn and follow a circle around the parking lot as it is one way traffic only. Drop/pick up students, make sure that they get to the playground/to your vehicle safely and then circle around the parking lot to exit on Bay St.. Please avoid backing up as this creates a lot of congestion and can be unsafe as many students enter the school through the Bay St entrance. Dismissal is at 3:05pm so please be sure to be at the school to pick up your child or children on time.
Please contact the school using SafeArrival (click for instructions) to report student absences or if you need to pick up your child from school early for an appointment. If you require assistance accessing the SafeArrival app please contact the school at 905 522-9690. We are unable to release students before the dismissal bell unless you have entered the dismissal in Safe Arrival. Thank you to Ms. Gaston, our office assistant for all of her support with monitoring student attendance and calling families to ensure the safety of all of our students on a daily basis. This is a big job and takes up a lot of time in the morning so please assist us by using the Safe Arrival app or phone number to report absences. Contact the school if you require support with this. Thank you.
A reminder that our school day starts promptly at 8:45am. If students are arriving late they must enter at the parking lot doors by ringing the doorbell and waiting for a staff member to escort them to class. If you are late, please do not send children in without calling the office and do not drop off in the Kindergarten area as we must ensure supervision of all students at all times and we do not want to disrupt the learning of the other classrooms or take staff away from their supervision and teaching responsibilities. Our protocol remains in place indicating that parents/guardians are not permitted into the school due to covid restrictions. Thank you,
Thank you,
Mr. Carey, Principal Central Elementary
Updated on Sunday, April 10, 2022.