Welcome Back Message to Central Families

Monday, September 5th, 2022

Dear Central families,

We are excited to welcome students back to class – in person and remote learning – for the 2022-23 school year! We know that the past two years have been challenging, and we are thrilled to see students, staff and families again. Each new year is a great new opportunity and our staff are all looking forward to a great school year!

A friendly reminder that the first day of school will be Tuesday, September 6, 2022.

First Days of Kindergarten

All children new to kindergarten and/or the school will be invited for a short visit with a caregiver on Tuesday, September 6. We will contact families to arrange visit times and share details. The first day of kindergarten classes will be Wednesday, September 7. Families will meet their educators outside of the fenced in kindergarten area located just off of Park St at the East end of the school. Parents will pick students up at the same location at the end of the school day (3:05pm).

Grades One to Five Students

Families with students in Grades one through to five will gather on the playground and then seek out one of our teachers to help locate their teacher. Teachers will be holding up signs with their names on them and students can join their class. We have supervision on the playground from 8:30am until entry at 8:45am and then again at the end of the day from 3:05 until 3:20pm. Please be sure to pick up your child from the playground at the end of the day. Students not picked up at 3:05 pm will gather in the yellow box by the entrance off the parking lot. If not picked up by 3:20pm students will be escorted to the office where phone calls will be made to alert parents that their child has not been picked up.

Students in grades 4 or 5 that have permission to walk home must have a letter signed by their parent/guardian indicating that they are able to walk home.

We know that many families remain concerned about safety, and we are too. We continue to take COVID-19 precautions, such as doing daily COVID-19 school and child care screening and staying home when sick or instructed within the screening tool.  As we move through the pandemic, we will continue to update families on important developments. We know that families may have a lot of questions.

We also invite families to keep up with communications from HWDSB by subscribing to email updates by going to our school website at [email protected] or following HWDSB on social media. Please reach out to our school at 905 522-9690 if you have any questions.

Here are some important points to remember as students prepare for the start of the school year:

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 do not block the driveway (either park in a spot or drop off and then exit as soon as possible. Please 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. The alternate is to park on Park St. as there is a 10min drop off zone.

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.

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. Please be sure to connect with your child’s teacher if there are any concerns about your child while at school. You can do this by setting up an appointment with your child’s teacher in person, through email or by contacting our office at 905 522-9690.

Supporting a Positive Return to School

HWDSB will continue to offer a wide variety of mental health supports for students, knowing that the pandemic has impacted student well-being. This is especially important during the return to school, which can be stressful for some students. See some supportive tips on our recent web post. Explore our We Help web page for more evidence-based and timely school-based mental health services and supports.

Across HWDSB, we are also reintroducing a welcoming, inclusive initiative to help students as they return to school. Reimagining Wellness 2.0 is a series of activities and lessons which address needs arising during the pandemic. Watch for details in the days ahead.

COVID-19
Most health and safety guidance from the province is unchanged from the end of the 2021-22 school year, but here are some items we want to bring to your attention:

It is still recommended that staff, students and visitors continue to self-screen every day before attending school using the COVID-19 school and childcare screening tool. We no longer verify student screening results in schools. Please stay home if you have COVID-19 symptoms or are waiting for test results after experiencing symptoms.

• HWDSB is a mask-friendly environment. We continue to support the wearing of masks in schools, administrative buildings and buses, as an effective public health measure. We will continue to offer free masks for students and visitors to our schools. Although masks are not required, our schools, offices and buses are respectful, welcoming and inclusive environments where individuals can choose to wear or not to wear a mask.
• HEPA filter units are installed in every occupied kindergarten class, in all occupied learning spaces without mechanical ventilation, and in mechanically ventilated learning spaces without MERV-13 level filters. HWDSB will continue to deploy HEPA filter units in learning spaces in a manner that maximizes their benefit. We will continue to publicly communicate ventilation measures on our website.

Elementary Remote Learning and Transitions

Elementary families interested in switching between in-person and remote learning will have an opportunity to register their student starting Monday, August 29. The Remote Learning Registration (2022/2023) form will be available on the Parent Portal from 8:00 a.m. on Monday, August 29, and will close at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, September 7. Families can complete this form if they wish to:

• transition from in-person to remote learning, or
• transition from remote learning back to in-person
• Families selecting a new learning option will be choosing this for their student for the full 2022-2023 school year. Students will begin attending their new classes when the re-organization process in early October takes place. Only families looking to switch their learning options are required to complete this form.

Please contact our school if you have difficulty accessing the Remote Learning Registration (2022/2023) on the Parent Portal under the “Remote Learning” section.

Addressing a Concern

Students and families with classroom concerns are encouraged to contact their student’s classroom teacher. School-wide concerns can be addressed by the principal. Addressing a Concern (PDF).

We know the return to school, especially for those who had been learning remotely, can be stressful for some students. We are here to support every student. If you think your child might struggle with school, please let your child’s teacher / DECE know.

Sincerely,

Mr. G. Carey

Principal – Central Elementary School