Welcome Back 2021-22 – Startup Information

Dear Community,

We hope that your summer finds you all safe and well.  We know that the return to school will create many feelings for our students, staff and community.  The staff at Ridgemount and HWDSB have worked very hard this past week getting ready to make the return to school safe and supportive.

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself.  My name is Michael Castellani and I am the new principal at Ridgemount Elementary.  I am excited to be a part of this school community and have heard great things about it!!  I will be out on playgrounds before and after school, please feel free to connect with me.

You will find attached to this message Ridgemont’s Site plan which details the safety protocols still in place.  While the Ministry of Education has set out guidance for reopening, HWDSB and Public Health Hamilton are always ensuring that we respond to local conditions.  Hamilton currently has the 2nd highest infection rates and we are still behind in our vaccination rates as compared to other major cities.  Because of this, we are continuing with many of the protocols we had last school year such as keeping cohorts separate even at recess.  The Site Plan details the rest of the protocols we have in place to keep everyone safe.  Please review them so students are prepared for school.

All parents/caregivers will now need to sign stating that they have screened their child(ren) before coming to school.  Information was sent from HWDSB regarding this change.  You will find a calendar in agendas that are sent home the first day.  This needs to be done daily.

Your may find out your child’s classroom teacher and code by logging into the Parent Portal.  The first day of school we will support students and families finding their teacher.  We will have stations setup on the back paved playground.  Please find your appropriate station (gr 1-3, grade 4-6 and gr 7-8)  We will then direct you to the grass field where your class is.

On the parent portal you will also find all the forms you need to fill in, such as Nutrition Break requests to leave property, attestations, contact info updates ect.  Please call the office if you are unable to log in.  There is a new app called Powerschool that can be used with phones/ipads/tablets.  I’ve used it for my kids, seems to be simple to use so far.

site plan 2021

More information will come.

Looking forward to getting to know the wonderful students and community of Ridgemount!

Mr. Castellani