Principal’s Corner – June 2020

It is hard to believe that it’s June! The past few months have not gone the way any of us could have ever expected. I want to take some time to acknowledge and recognize the hard work of our students, parents and staff as we have navigated these challenging and ever-changing times. The Norwood community is resilient. I’m proud of how well our community has come together to support each other.

Please be sure to visit the HWDSB’s blog to stay up-to-date with the information about school procedures in regards to the COVID-19 response. The blog is updated frequently.

SchoolMessenger

SchoolMessenger is an important communications tool the HWDSB utilizes to contact families about important announcements and updates. The board has been using this tool to provide updates during the school closure. To be sure you’re not missing any of these communications, please be sure to update the school when your contact information changes. You can find instructions to set your SchoolMessenger preferences here.

Picking Up Personal Belongings

Starting tomorrow, Thursday, June 4th, students will be able to visit the school to collect their personal belongings. Please visit the Norwood Park website to book your appointment to access the school building.

The HWDSB has worked closely with Public Health to establish the health and safety guidelines for safe access to our buildings. Please review the points in this document before coming to the school.

Important points to keep in mind:

• Please arrive at your booked time. Remember you will have 15 minutes
• Enter and exit through the front door of the school, it will be unlocked (Off of Terrace Drive)
• Read the signage posted on the front door before entering the building
• Only one parent and one student may enter at your booked time
• There will be a hand sanitizer station setup as you enter the school. Please sanitize your hands upon entry
• Report to the Check-In table
• Please maintain social distancing when you are in the school building
• Please note that washrooms are for emergency use only

Grade 8 Graduation

This is certainly not the way we had hoped to wrap up the 2019-2020 school year, but we remain committed to recognizing and honouring our graduating grade 8 students. The HWDSB has now provided direction about what our graduation celebrations may include and our Grad Committee is using this direction to create a plan. We have met with our Student Council, School Council and Home and School Association to discuss the plan and seek input for what our grade 8 graduation will look like.

Our graduation will include a recorded virtual ceremony that will be available on secure HWDSB platforms, awards and special messages celebrating our graduates. Our grads will receive their graduation certificates which will be mailed directly to their homes.

The HWDSB has worked with Edge Imaging and we are offering families the chance to purchase a graduate composite created using the fall photos. Our grade 8 teachers shared this information with their classes last week. The composite can be viewed on the Edge Imaging Website and purchased via SchoolCash Online. The deadline to order the composite photo is June 10th. Further questions please check with your child’s teacher.

We have had some suggestions from members and the community about the possibility of arranging drive-by parades or grad lawn signs. While we appreciate the spirit and generosity of these suggestions, we must follow directions from the HWDSB to mitigate risks, including privacy and safety.

This has been a challenging time and we appreciate your patience and understanding as we learn how to navigate the specific challenges brought about by the school closure. Though we are unable to get together in person to celebrate our grade 8 graduates, graduation is still an important milestone for our students and we look forward to celebrating and honouring them.

If you have any questions, please reach out to your child’s teacher. We will be sharing more information over the next week as we finalize our plan. Please be sure to check our website and Twitter page for updates.