September 4th, 2020
Dear King Edward Families,
As you are aware the school board has had to adjust and update plans very recently for starting back to school. We are happy to share our return to school plan with you – both for distance learning and for in-person learning. You will receive additional important information over the next week for you to review. Please remember that this is ‘For Now, Not Forever’ as we adjust to this new way of being.
For those students participating in Distance Learning:
Please find a link to the most up to day information for distance learning here: WRDSB Distance Learning Information
For those students attending In Person:
In the past few weeks we have been planning for the arrival of your children and we want you to know that we have the safety of your children and our community in every step of our preparations.
School will look different this year and we appreciate your patience as we begin to communicate some of the changes you will see.
We will be sending more information in the form of videos and written information outlining our new school processes.
For those returning to learn at school we want to thank you for working with your children to prepare for their return. Please continue to reference the Guide for Families and the FAQ page to assist with many of your questions.
Please read the following information regarding the staggered entry for WRDSB elementary schools:
Elementary In-Person:
September 8 and 9 will now be set aside for staff to prepare for the safe arrival of students, adapt to the new environment and transition to their new assignments.
September 10 and 11, Congregated Classes for Students with Special Needs, English Language Learners in the ABLE Program, and other vulnerable learners will return to school. All other staff will be taking these two days to connect one on one with students and their families.
Junior Kindergarten students will attend school for orientation on September 10 and 11 to become familiar with their new classroom and learning environment. Students with surnames A to L will attend on the 10th and M to Z on the 11th.
All other students will attend following the schedule below:
September 14th: Group 1 attends school: Students in K to 6 with surnames beginning with the letters A to L
September 15th: Group 2 attends school: Students in K to 6 with surnames beginning with the letters M to Z.
September 16th: Group 1 (plus extended day students in the before and after school program)
September 17th: Group 2 (plus extended day students in the before and after school program)
September 18th: All students attend together.
Personal belongings:
Families are asked to send minimal items to school daily. To reduce the risk of contamination we do not want unnecessary items going back and forth from school to home and home to school.
Essential items:
- a change of clothes for younger children (in a well-labelled zip lock bag)
- water bottles labelled with your child’s name
- sun protection/hat
- food for the day
We will be providing a paper bag for your child to store his/her mask while eating.
Please make sure all items that come to school are labelled.
Boomerang Lunch: We are insisting that all items that come in a child’s lunch are returned in the lunch bag to dispose of at home. Everything that is brought to school will be returned with the students (i.e., food waste, packaging). We know that this can sometimes be messy, using baggies for containers or using reusable containers with lids will help students to minimize the mess.
Important Reminders:
Balls, books and toys of any kind may not be brought to school.
Masks are mandatory for all age groups. Please help your child get used to wearing masks as much as possible. Outdoor, physically distanced, learning opportunities will be provided so that students can have some ‘mask-free’ time during the day. We will have a supply of cotton reusable masks for our students. If your child comes home with one of these masks please wash it, label it and return it with your child to use. This mask will now belong to your child.
Visitors (including parents and family members) are not permitted in the school. Please call the school so that we can either speak with you on the phone or arrange a Google Meet for an online chat.
We are very excited to see your children back in the school. Every part of our day will reflect strict health and safety guidelines. Washing hands and using sanitizer will happen regularly. More details on this to come.
More information about classes, first day and what school entry will look like will be shared next week.
Thank you for your patience and understanding. Please do not hesitate to call the school if you have any questions.