September 10th, 2020
Dear Parents / Guardians:
Welcome to the 2020-21 school year here at Centennial PS! We are all very happy to be having our students return, and to make our school look and feel somewhat as it should: busy, noisy and full of learning.
I am a retired administrator having enjoyed a wonderful career as a WRDSB principal, and am pleased to be back at Centennial for a period of time again this year as we head into the fall. Our amazing VP, Ms. Romanowski, and I are excited to assist families in any way we can to make this transition to school as smooth as it can be. Greetings also from Ms. Kuhl and Ms. Krywko in the main office, Mrs. Spoltore in Guidance, and from this quite incredible staff. We all have the kids at the centre of a successful opening.
I can’t even begin to express how much work has gone into preparing for our students at all levels of our organization, from senior administration to teacher working groups to board department and secretarial and custodial support, to say nothing of individual teachers preparing to teach in a very different way. It has been remarkable to know that the entire board has pulled together as a team to support what is best for kids; that they can return as safely as possible to their schools.
As you are well aware, this historic return-to-school will look very different from those of the past. The following messages have many important details which I ask that you read very carefully for your own understanding, and also take the time to communicate carefully to your child before they show up on their first day. I will put out another message next week with additional information. There is simply too much for one message! But we wanted you to know today’s communication sooner than later so you have a better idea of the planning that has gone into return.
First, I’d like to reference the board-wide messages which are available on wrdsb.ca. Please take the time to read these.
https://www.wrdsb.ca/wp-content/uploads/GUIDE-FOR-FAMILIES.pdf
We have been getting some calls about changing what you originally specified in terms of what learning model your child will be engaging in and whether you can change it now after the deadline has passed. Here is that information for you:
From In Person → Distance
- All families requesting the change from In-Person learning to Distance Learning after August 28th may do so at the end of the Progress Report in Elementary.
- If families wish to transfer to the distance mode of learning, they will be asked to contact their home school principal by October 16, 2020 to transition on November 10 (for elementary).
- In the interim, these students have the option of participating in their in-person class via D2L/Brightspace or Google Classroom from home, or accessing resources on the WRDSB@Home site.
From Distance → In Person
- All families requesting the change from Distance Learning to In-Person learning after August 28th may do so after the Progress Report in Elementary.
- If families wish to transfer to the In-Person mode of learning, they will be asked to contact their home school principal by October 16, 2020 to transition on November 10 (for elementary)
If there are extenuating circumstances, parents will need to fill out an Out of Boundary request and submit it to the Principal.
So, if you registered for In-Person learning but want your child to work from home, please call the main office and let us know. Then the classroom teacher will deliver a program through one of the distance platforms, not in real time, but as Asynchronous Learning.
Please read the following Centennial PS-based procedures very carefully. Please understand to what extent the Health and Safety Department at WRDSB has worked with a number of science-based organizations including Ontario Ministry of health and Waterloo Public Health to come up with this set of procedures. These are board-wide rules and not just the decision of this school alone.
You will be aware that a board-wide staggered start has been announced to allow for a calmer return and adjustment to all the safety protocols. Some students will attend days where your last name begins with A – L, and some with your last name beginning M-Z. Please read the full details of the staggered start plan at:
https://www.wrdsb.ca/blog/2020/08/31/wrdsb-revises-staggered-start-of-the-school-year/
If your child is returning to in-person learning here at Centennial:
- The first day your child can attend school is:
- For congregated classes: (ACE Class, Enrichment Class) Thursday, Sept. 10
- For last Name A-L (both grade 7 and 8) -Monday, Spet. 14
- For last Name M-Z (both grade 7 and 8) -Tuesday , Sept. 15
Your student must not come to school on the opposite days.
PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU STUDENT DOES NOT ARRIVE UNTIL 8:20 AT THE EARLIEST. SO THAT STAFF CAN BE IN PLACE TO ASSIST.
- ALL STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO WEAR A MASK.
- While the choice of masks is up to families, we want you to be aware that the single layer gator type of face covering is not considered the most effective on it’s own to prevent the broadcasting of particles. Kids do like this type, however, and that is important too! We suggest students may wish to wear it over top of a surgical type mask underneath. It’s important that whatever the choice, our students be comfortable in them as they have to get used to wearing them most of the day. Obviously they need to remove their masks to eat and staff have been apprised of our protocols and procedures to facilitate this. Once outside for either gym class or nutrition breaks, and once distanced for those activities, they can remove their masks. Upon getting ready to re-enter the school, they would put them back in place. If a child wants to keep their mask on outside or for any activity, of course that is just fine. We ask that you include a paper bag (the recommended method of mask storage, not plastic) in your child’s backpack with their name on it as a clean storage device for their mask should they decide to remove it at appropriate times.
- PARENTS ARE TO MONITOR SYMPTOMS IN THEIR CHILDREN EACH DAY BEFORE THEY ARRIVE. WHAT IF SYMPTOMS HAPPEN AT SCHOOL?
- We will not be taking temperatures when the students enter our building. Please err on the side of caution and keep your child at home if they present with any of the symptoms of COVID (see link below for symptoms checklist)
- There is a very extensive protocol for students who may display potential COVID symptoms during the school day. They will be put in a waiting room with PPE and you will be called to pick them up with further instructions and recommendations about next steps which may include going to a testing centre. The Regional Health Unit will be involved and give direction if cases of Covid 19 present in our building.
Link for Symptoms Checklist: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VBDkWwiaHvAXxfDTGVVyXmGpj2h9tPhVaeEZ2WbLHG4/edit
- STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO STAY ONLY WITHIN THEIR CLASS COHORT WHILE AT SCHOOL, WHETHER DURING INSTRUCTIONAL TIME, WHILE GATHERING BEFORE SCHOOL, AND DURING NUTRITION BREAKS. HOW DO I KNOW WHAT CLASS COHORT MY CHILD IS IN?
- This very basic requirement is because we must keep the contact group of each child within the maximum of 50 (including adults). So this will feel very different for our students. For example, their cohort has been assigned a particular area of the outdoor grounds, they must walk in one direction following arrows and distance markers in the halls, each cohort has scheduled washrooms breaks, there is no in-person sharing of materials including chromebooks. Much of the first several days of school will be devoted to acclimatizing the kids to this new reality. Whether your child is a bus student, driven to school or walking, they MUST gather in their designated class cohort line-up before being directed into the school with their period 1 teacher. The line up areas will be marked clearly with their class number. We ask that you do not allow your child to arrive at school too early. Arriving between 8:20 AM and 8:30 AM is ideal.
- ON FRIDAY SEPT. 11 AFTER 5:00 PM, YOU CAN LOG ON TO SCHOOL DAY TO FIND OUR YOUR CHILD’S HOMEROOM. It is much calmer if your child already know their homeroom number when coming to school, but we will have a desk set up for those who do not.
- STUDENTS DO NOT TRAVEL THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL:
- All students will stay in their homerooms and other subject teachers will rotate to them. They will eat their lunch in their homerooms. Outdoor learning is encouraged and we have a plan for teachers to take their classes outside within certain areas for fresh air and learning.
- BACKPACKS ARE ESSENTIAL!
- Lockers will not be used in this phase of re-opening, nor will the kids be allowed to gather and socialize in hallways. Therefore, everything they need for the entire day must be in their backpacks to be kept with them at all times. Think about including all the food your child will consume in a day (no food will be sold), a filled water bottle (which may be refilled at our water stations), an extra mask, a labelled paper bag to keep mask clean if your student decides to take it off during appropriate times outdoors, hand sanitizer (although there will always be some in your child’s classroom), writing tools and paper, and perhaps something your child can take outside and sit on during nutrition breaks or outdoor learning periods. We also recommend each child has a novel they are interested in to begin the school year, as the library will not be open for book selection.
- SOME SUBJECTS WILL NOT BE DELIVERED IN THE SAME WAY
- For example, Science and Technology will not have labs or wood shop use in this stage of opening. Students will not be using the changerooms for gym, nor is most shared sports equipment allowed to be used, so those physical activities will be adjusted accordingly to provide some individual fitness-focused content without the risk of close contact. Instrument sharing is not allowed in this phase, and will not be a part of the music program initially. Art will have to adjust to smaller scale projects more easily done at individual desks without sharing of supplies.
- CHROMEBOOKS PROTOCOLS:
- If you borrowed a chromebook during the school shut-down last spring, have your child return with it. Chromebooks have been sanitized and are ready for student use. They will not be sharing these, or any equipment in the school.
- PARENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO COME INTO THE SCHOOL.
- Access to the inside of our school is very limited. If you need to pick up your child during the school day, simply buzz and we will send them to you outside. If your child arrives late, they buzz and gain access through the main office, the classroom is notified, and they go directly to that class.
We know these changes represent a real shift in the school experience for both students and their parents, but we also know that the safety of our kids and of our school community is worth it. Thank you so much for the support we have heard from our community as we prepare to welcome our Centennial Lions!
Take care.
Barb Brown, Principal Erika Romanowski, Vice-Principal
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