News from the Principal's Office

Hello Fern Families. 

We've completed our first 2 full weeks of school, and what a 2 weeks they have been. We welcomed October this week with windy and chilly weather. It's so nice to see all the smiling faces of our students , staff and families each day! Considering that we have and are facing unprecedented obstacles and completely new processes, we are making things work thanks in large part to your help , understanding , patience and co-operation. Your words of support and offers of help have been much appreciated. We truly are that "village" that works together to raise our kids. Thank you! 

Quarantine
On Friday, October 2nd , we welcomed back staff and students from quarantine. We are so thankful and grateful that they are all healthy and well. 

All Weather Gear: 
As we are going to be spending more time outdoors this year, as well as have classroom windows wide open daily, students are going to need to bring clothing that is appropriate for the weather of the day and season. This means students may need to bring rain boots, a rain coat, umbrella, mitts or gloves, indoor shoes, and warm clothing as we will be outside in ALL weather for our morning entry and ALL recesses and lunches too. If your family needs assistance with these items, please connect with your child's teacher or the office as we can and want to help. 

Staffing / Occasional Teachers: 
A BIG thank you to our staff and community for their patience and understanding during our staffing shortages this past week. We hope it will improve next week. 

Virtual School: Asynchronous (Independent) Learning Activities 

Some of our Families have selected to not have their child attend school In-Person as they await TDSB Virtual School classes to begin online on Tuesday, October 13, 2020, or are awaiting a TDSB Virtual School Teacher to be assigned to their child’s class. In these cases, we would like to ensure that all Students receive access to TDSB Asynchronous (Independent) Learning Activities, which can be accessed at home each day by all Students. While Parents/Guardians can assist their child with these activities, they have been designed to build independence for Students. These learning experiences are connected to the Ontario curriculum, with a focus on Numeracy and Literacy. 

Please click/tap HERE/ for resources and learning activities organized by grade level that can be completed independently and at each child’s own pace. 

Every student in Virtual School will be required to have a device- for those students without a device, please contact the office and Ms. McGovern will be able to complete a device request for your child. 

Reminder - Class Cohorts/ Designated Zones: 
In order to maintain appropriate physical distancing between students and cohort groupings, our lunch is from 12 noon to 1pm . NO students will be eating in their classes from 11:30 to noon as previously mentioned. All students will be escorted to their zones by their teacher where they will eat their lunch and enjoy outdoor play . All students have been reminded multiple times through both AM and PM announcements that they are to stay in their designated zones for the duration of recesses and lunch. Although the majority of our students are following this new protocol (which has been designed to keep students, staff and our families safe as designated zones contain each class/cohort and limits interaction between students/classes), some students still require reminders to stay in designated zones and to not move across other zones. 

Masks/Face Coverings Outside: 
Although students may choose not to wear a mask/face covering while outside, if students are less than 2 metres apart/ where physical distancing is not possible, students are required to wear a mask/face covering- please discuss this important health and safety protocol with your child. 

Join School Council: 
School Council plays a vital role in the education system in Ontario. They provide a forum through which parents and other members of the school community can contribute to improving student achievement and school performance. The Principal and the Board of Education consult with each school's council on matters that affect children (eg school improvement, organization, budget, safety). 

The next school council meeting is October 22nd from 6:30-8:30 via Zoom

Daily Screening Reminder: 
Families are reminded to monitor signs and symptoms of COVID-19 in your children and to complete the Self-Assessment for School each morning before sending your children to school.  

On-Line Platforms: 
Thank you to our staff for creating their online classroom platforms to support our in-school students.

Yours in partnership, 
R. Sardella Principal/Directrice

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