Welcome Back Letter!

Eastdale Elementary School
Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board
99 Lincoln Road
Stoney Creek, ON L8N 3L1
TEL:  905-594-0001  FAX:  905-664-4387

Principal: R. Bratuz

Vice-Principal: S. Waseem

September, 2021

Dear families,

We are excited to welcome students back to classes – in person and through remote learning – to the 2021-22 school year. The last year was an unusual in many ways, and we know families may be feeling anxious about returning to classes this September.

We appreciate that families may have a lot of questions as they prepare to send their children back to classes and are committed to sharing updates as we receive new information. We also invite families to keep up with communications from HWDSB by subscribing to email updates or following @hwdsb on social media or Eastdale’s school website [email protected] or on our Twitter account@EastdaleES .

A friendly reminder that the first day of school will be Wednesday, September 8. We understand that this falls on the last day of Rosh Hashanah, and will be working directly with families who require accommodation for this day. Please reach out to the school if you have any questions.

We know that safety is on the minds of every family sending their child/ren back to school. We are taking many actions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our classes while giving our students meaningful experiences which focus on both their physical and emotional well-being. Here are some important points for families to remember as students prepare for the start of the school year:

First Day Wednesday Sept 8^th

Teachers will be on the back playground to greet their classes.  We will have pylons indicating the teachers name and grade.  Support staff will be on hand to help direct students.  Masks will be required for anyone on the school property.  Please make sure to social distance as well.  School begins at 9:15 AM and dismisses at 3:35 PM.

If it is a rainy start please come to the front doors of the school and we will direct your child to their class.

 Gradual Entry after first day

Students will not line up, on the back playground.  When the 9:00 am bell rings there will be staff on the back doors and the students will be able to enter the building and hand sanitize. The bus students will enter through the front doors to lessen the numbers on the back playground and the portable students will go directly to their classroom.   The gradual entry, will eliminate the number of students in the hall with less chance for groups of students.  It also helps start our day more efficiently with more instructional time in class and not spending a lot of time in the hallway!

Exit

At the end of the day at 3:30 pm, parents are welcome to enter the playground and wait on the blacktop. Students Gr.1- 8 will be dismissed to parents from their outdoor designated class location.  Upon dismissal, students must leave school property in a timely fashion.

Adults must wear face coverings while on school property and must adhere to physically distancing (2m) from other families/staff while on school property.

Kindergarten students

JK Visits are being held on Wednesday September 8^th and ALL kindergarten students (including SK’s) come to school for the full day on Thursday September 9^th

We are also opening a 5th Kindergarten class and are working hard at getting things settled as soon as possible.  I would like to thank our kindergarten families in advance for their patience!

The Eastdale parking lot is for staff only.

Parents cannot park or drive through to drop off or pick up students.  Please park on a side street and walk your child to the playground.

Buses

School buses will load and unload at the front of the school on Lincoln Rd.

Students riding the bus will have a designated area to line up and wait in the school for dismissal, following all public health guidelines and distancing. Children riding the bus will have a seating plan for the bus. They will sit with their cohort and/or siblings. Masks must be worn on the bus for the duration of the ride.

If buses are late then follow the Eastdale twitter account @EastdaleES as updates will be provided for parents on this site.

Courtesy Transportation will not start until October.

We will continue to send updates as we receive added information and thank you for being proactive in following communications from HWDSB.

Learn more about COVID-19 precautions at HWDSB at www.hwdsb.on.ca/covid19.

If you have any questions, or think your child might struggle with school, please let me know.  More information about Eastdale’s site plan is also found on the website.

Sincerely,

Richelle Bratuz

Principal, Eastdale