As always, I hope this email not only finds everyone but finds you all healthy and well. As you know, email on my end was plenty glitchy last week- emails didn't go through, emails weren't received and things got lost in translation. I am hoping that our IT dept has remedied whatever the issues were so things are smoother this week. If it seems you should have gotten something from me and haven't, check the old class blog at beteamawesome.weebly.com as I try and keep that updated as well.
Mrs. Farber and I are working to set things up for the children who are attending beginning next week. Our routines and procedures will be vastly different from what the children are used to. To try and ease their anxiety, and yours, we have put together a video for you to preview before next Monday. It outlines some of the expectations it would be helpful if they were familiar with before they come. View the video here. The Weekly Learning Plan has been posted on the BEST Kindergarten site here. Please also note that we have had to change our Zoom sharing meetings to Monday mornings from Thursday and it would be great if you could sign up for those by Friday afternoon so I can send out the invites that day and not scramble to do it before the meetings on Monday morning. If you have questions or concerns about anything please email me or call the school if it seems your emails aren't getting through. Have an awesome week! I will be trying to work out a schedule this week for those children who are returning to school on June 1 for 2 days/week. I will try and meet your preferences but please know that this might not be possible. To be able to lessen exposure to, well, everything, for everyone, the days children attend will be consecutive so the options are Tuesday/Wednesday or Thursday/Friday. Arrangements will be made with teachers of siblings to have the children at school on the same days. Monday is scheduled for online learning and our Zoom meetings have been moved accordingly for next week.
If you could email me your preference for your child to attend either Tuesday/Wednesday or Thursday/Friday by end of tomorrow, I will coordinate with other teachers and have a schedule for you next week. Because of the changing situation, I will be sending you a number of emails with updates and new info so you and your child can be as prepared as possible for how things are going to look when they attend in June. Sometimes emails are not getting to the recipient so if it seems like you should have received one but haven't, check the old class blog at beteamawesome.weebly.com as I try and keep posts updated there. Today is the first day some students will be joining some classrooms at schools. Things will not look the same- obviously. We are trying to work the parameters we have been given by the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education to best figure out how to keep everyone safe and healthy. Some of the things parents and students will see/ experience include keeping to the six foot social distancing radius as much as possible from each other and from staff- in the classroom, hallways, bathrooms and on the field. No sharing of supplies, equipment (including balls etc), toys or tables. As of now, playgrounds will remain closed. The 'centres' in primary classrooms (ie hands on materials, kitchen, art and science tables) will not be able to be used. Parents will be picking up and dropping off via outside classroom doors (respecting social distancing) and will be required to remain with their child until they have been checked in by the teacher and safety protocols have been completed. Frequent hand washing will be necessary and children will be discouraged from touching things outside of their designated desk/chair space and bucket of personal items/supplies. Hallway hooks and cubbies will not be used for personal items. Items from home must be restricted to only what is absolutely necessary- lunches, water bottles, coats etc. These are just a few of the protocols as there are other procedures that will be put into place to keep the children and adults in the buildings as safe and healthy as possible. As we get closer to the June 1 date of reentry to school, I will continue to keep all of you, including those parents who are choosing to keep their children at home at this time, as 'in the know' as I can so everyone has an idea of what to expect. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call the school or contact me and I will do what I can to help.
Regardless of whether your child is returning to school for two days per week or not, you will have access to the Weekly Learning plan and the other resources we have on the BEST Kindergarten blog through to the end of June. Here is the link for this week's Weekly Learning plan. Don't forget to sign up for a Zoom sharing time here. Be well. Be safe. Hello families!
School District 73 will be inviting our students back to our schools in a limited capacity within the next few weeks. At this point an exact date has not been set as we are still in the planning stages. This re-engagement with school will be on a part time basis. If you choose to have your child attend, they will be coming back two full days per week. During these days, the number of students in the class will be, at most, half of the usual class size. This will enable school staff to reinforce social distancing guidelines and better supervise appropriate hand washing to ensure kids and staff stay safe. Mondays will be used by teachers and CEAs to connect with students through the online platform that they have been using since students have been learning at home. It needs to be determined how many students will be re-engaging in school over the next few weeks. Could you please let me know as soon as possible if you would like to send your child to school based on the plan outlined above and being developed by SD73. If you choose to send your child, a schedule will be created and shared with you along with a start date and some additional considerations for ensuring a safe and healthy environment, such as drop off and pick up routines, after all parents have been contacted and the plan to move forward has been finalized. Thank you! |
Mrs. Bowden &
|