Dear Parents,
The first week of the school year at St. Mary was very successful. We’re happy to report that first day jitters are gone and students in Grades JK-3 have adjusted well to their new classes. It was so great to meet many parents during drop off and pick up times on Thursday and Friday. We enjoyed meeting all of the amazing little Mustangs, too! They did great! We hope your child has shared some positive reflections from his/her first day(s) at school. Be sure to ask them about our safety protocols:
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Line up physically distanced
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Washroom routines- only two students in the washroom at a time
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Outdoor play expectations- play with students in your same grade
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Hand hygiene – wash hands with soap and water or hand sanitizer whenever you enter or leave the classroom and before and after snacks and lunch
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Students are encouraged to wear a mask in grades JK-3 and mandated in grades 4-8
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Follow the directional signage in the hallway and while waiting to use washrooms or water filling stations
On Monday, we welcome our Grade 7 and 8 students and on Tuesday we welcome our Grade 4, 5 and 6 students. On Tuesday, our entire St. Mary family will be reunited together when all staff and students will be in the building. Please note that Junior and Intermediate students can expect an email confirming their teacher’s name on the eve of their first day.
Heartfelt gratitude is extended to all parents for your support and cooperation when following drop off and pick up routines on the first few days of school. Thank you for finding a parking spot and walking your children to the school gate. It is important that we continue to follow these protocols to ensure the safety of all of our students and community at large. Only those drivers who have an accessible parking permit should park in the handicap parking spots. By-law officers will be enforcing this law throughout the year. We will continue with our staggered exit times at the end of the day. Kindergarten and Grade 1-3 students should be picked up at 3:20pm and students in Grade 4-8 will exit the building at 3:30pm. We hope that this will alleviate some of the congestion in the parking lot and allow for better social distancing.
If your child borrowed a chromebook or textbook for distance learning in the spring, we kindly ask you to return in on Monday. Students in Grades 4-8 are encouraged to bring their own device (chromebook or laptop) daily so we can minimize sharing of devices at school. All classroom teachers have created their own Virtual Learning Environment through Google Classroom. Lessons, activities and/or assignments will be posted to the Google classroom each day. This will allow for continuity of learning for all students including those who are absent from school.
Bus seating plans will be finalized this week. We are using the data collected from the Parent Survey to create our bus lists. If your situation has changed since completing the survey and you wish for your child to take the bus, please send a note to your child’s teacher. For safety and security reasons, if your child is riding the bus, the expectation is that they ride the bus daily unless they are being picked up by a parent/guardian. This consistent protocol will support our bus safety measures in place.
This week, your child will bring home a copy of their Emergency Form, Freedom of Information Form, and Walking Permission Form. Please review the Emergency form and ensure that all of the information is accurate including your contact email address. Sign all forms and please return them to school by Friday, September 18th.
This month, all classes will focus on the Catholic Virtue of “COURAGE”. All of our students will demonstrate courage as they take responsibility for reaching their full potential, for facing challenges, fears and difficulties with fortitude and for standing up for what they know is right and just!
We pray for continued good health and a positive school year for the entire St. Mary community.
Sincerely,
Mrs. D’Andrea Mrs. Crocitto
Principal Vice Principal