Important Information – Sept 21, 2020

Dear Ray Lewis Families,

I want to start off by thanking students, staff and caregivers for a great first week.  The energy in the school was amazing as we welcomed our students back into the building and got the learning started in our classrooms for the first time since March Break.  As I scanned the school yard, walked the halls and visited classrooms it was wonderful to see smiles on the faces of students and staff.

 

Looking ahead, I would like to share some information to help make the next few weeks go smoothly.

 

Beginning and End of the Day

Students and parents are asked to continue to time their morning arrival as close 8:55am (first bell and start of the school day) to limit congestion on our school yard, help with physical distancing and maintaining of student cohorts.

 

With pick up at the end of the day, students will be brought out by their classroom teacher and lined up in their classroom/cohort zones and dismissed at 3:30pm to parents and/or to walk home on their own. Kinders will be picked up at the front of the school at 3:20pm.

 

We ask that caregivers at both drop off and pick up times, wait on the grass portion of school yard (Grades 1-8) or outside the kinder pen to help with congestion.

 

Safety Protocols

Last week students in all grades did a fantastic job following our safety protocols.  Students particularly did a great job wearing masks inside the school and remembering to put them back on when entering the building after Nutrition Break. It was great to see all the different designs and colours student have on their masks.

 

During Nutrition Break, I want to remind students that they need to remain in their cohort areas and maintain physical distancing with their peers, even those in their cohort.  I understand this is difficult, but its an important step to keep everyone safe.

 

All HWDSB schools are trying to limit traffic in and out of the school. To help with this, we are asking that communication with the school be done using electronic tools such as phone, email, HWDSB’s Parent Portal and School Messenger. Please email your child’s teacher directly with questions about classroom program or email [email protected] with general school inquiries.

 

On Your Calendar

This week, there are a few calendar items I would like to share with our parent community.  This Wednesday September 23, we will be practicing our first of the three fall Fire Drills. Rather than a mass exit from the school, throughout the day individual classes/cohorts will practice evacuating the building in an orderly fashion after hearing the fire alarm.

For Parent Council meetings, It is still to be determined whether meetings will be held at the school or virtually. If you would like to be part of the Parent Council please email our school address Ray [email protected] indicating your interest.

 

Wednesday September 30^th is Orange Shirt Day.  This day is in honour and memory of Residential School survivors.  It’s an important day to remember mistakes in Canada’s past and to celebrate Indigenous culture.  I hope your child can participate by wearing orange.

 

Borrowed iPad from the Spring

Families that received school iPads during remote learning in the spring, are asked to send them back to school with any accompanying accessories (chargers, keyboards) so the devices can be put back into classrooms for student use.  During April and May our school loaned out a significant amount of devices and not having them in classrooms is impactful.

 

Parent Permission and Information Forms

At the beginning of any year, schools typically send home permission and information collection forms. This year some of those forms have been transferred onto HWDSB’s Parent Portal and can be submitted electronically. The media consent form, intended for all students can be completed within the Parent Portal. Parents of students in Grades 7 & 8 can give their child permission to go home for lunch during second Nutrition Break by completing the form that was sent home with students.

If you have medical information about your student that you feel we should know please email our school’s Vice Principal Ms. Urbanczyk.

 

If you have any questions or need more information please call me at school or send me an email ([email protected]). I’m happy to get you the information you need.

 

Have a wonderful day!

Jenn