Dear Parents,
Happy October! The crisp, cool air and the gorgeous hues of golden autumn leaves remind us of the miracles of God. At St. Mary, I am blessed to be working alongside an incredibly dedicated staff and respectful, kindhearted and very special students. We’ve had a great start to the school year given the circumstances and I attribute this to the passion and resilience of all St. Mary Mustangs. October promises to be a busy and fun-filled month.
Happening this week:
Monday, October 5 – World Teachers’ Day
Tuesday, October 6 – 3:45pm-4:45pm Yearbook Distribution to Remote Learners and to Graduates
Wednesday, October 7
Thursday, October 8 – Thanksgiving Food Drive
Friday, October 9 – 9:15am Virtual Thanksgiving Liturgy
A few reminders:
Thank you to all of the parents who are following our re-entry plan protocols:
- No parking in the kiss ‘n ride of the school parking lot
- Wear masks on school property
- Do not congregate by the gate. It is very important that we all remain socially distanced at school and that includes parents/caregivers, too
- Ensure your child(ren) arrives on time so that they enter the building with their class.
- Send students to school with lunch and snacks
As you know, the Board sent out communication about the Ministry’s updated COVID-19 screening guidance for schools. This was done in consultation with the Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health and provides additional information about symptoms to help parents make decisions about whether or not their children should attend school.
The York Catholic District School Board has revised its protocols to align with this new provincial guidance and will use this to determine when students who present with symptoms will need to be sent home from school and what actions will need to be taken by the parents. The updated screening guidance contains two sets of questions about symptoms, and information on when to consult a health care provider or get tested for COVID-19.
The first set of questions asks about symptoms such as fever or cough. Students and children with any of these symptoms are still advised to stay home until they are able to consult with a health care provider and receive an alternative diagnosis or a negative COVID-19 test.
The second set of questions asks about other symptoms that are commonly associated with other illnesses, such as a runny nose or headache:
∙ Students and children with only one of these symptoms will be advised to stay home for 24 hours, after which they can return to school or child care if their symptoms are improving.
∙ Students and children with two or more of these symptoms will be advised to stay home until they are able to consult with a health care provider and receive an alternative diagnosis or a negative COVID-19 test.
In addition, based on the latest public health guidance the symptom list for children in school no longer includes abdominal pain or conjunctivitis (pink eye).
The new Ontario screening guidance and screening tool can be found at COVID-19 Screening Tool for Children in School and Child Care on the provincial government website.
Yearbook Distribution
On Friday, 2019-2020 Yearbooks were distributed to students. On Tuesday, October 6th from 3:45pm-4:45pm, remote learners and St. Mary 2020 graduates are welcome to come to the school to pick up their yearbook.
Thanksgiving Food Drive
We will be holding a one day Thanksgiving Food Drive on Thursday, October 8th. Students are welcome to bring non-perishable food items to school and place them in the bins at the front of the school. At the end of the day, the King Food Bank will pick up all items and distribute the food to needy families in King Township. Thank you for helping the less fortunate in our community this Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving Virtual Liturgy
On Friday, October 9th at 9:15am, staff and students will participate in a virtual Thanksgiving liturgy prepared by Mrs. Liegghio and Mr. del Rosso’s students. We’ll be maintaining physical distancing while engaging in prayer and reflections of thanksgiving and gratitude.
Email Access for Kindergarten to Grade 6 Students
The York Catholic District School Board is pleased to offer email access to students in kindergarten to grade 6 students. In addition to the wide range of Google tools that YCDSB students currently use to support their learning, kindergarten to grade 6 students now have access to a board-issued Gmail account. This will allow students to communicate and collaborate with other students within the YCDSB. Since student Gmail accounts are internal, students are restricted to sending and receiving emails from individuals within the ycdsbk12.ca domain. The YCDSB uses a variety of robust filtering tools and makes every effort to block any inappropriate content.
Since students already have an existing G Suite account that allows them to access a variety of Google tools, they are already familiar with the email address and password that will be used to access their Gmail account.
Catholic School Council Nomination
As a parent/guardian of a child at St. Mary Catholic Elementary School, you are eligible to self-nominate or nominate another parent/guardian of a child at this school for one of the executive positions or to be a voting member of Catholic School Council. Please click on the Google Form below if you are interested in declaring your candidacy for one of the positions or if you would like to nominate someone.
Nomination Form: St. Mary Catholic School Council Nomination Form
Please ensure that you complete the nomination form before 4:00 pm on Tuesday, October 13, 2020. A description of each of the positions is included in the attachment.
Parents will be able to access information on each candidate by visiting the school website on Thursday, October 15, 2020.
If necessary, elections will take place online on Friday, October 16, 2020 and all votes must be submitted before 3:00 pm. Electronic Nomination Ballots will be forthcoming.
PLEASE NOTE: The Catholic School Council Meeting will take place virtually on Wednesday, October 21, 2020 at 6:45pm
Curriculum Night
This year, Curriculum Night will take place virtually on Thursday, October 22nd. Classroom teachers will share information and the link to the Google Meet in the near future.
Monday, October 5th is World Teachers’ Day
I want to take this opportunity to thank our teachers on World Teachers’ Day. Teachers are certified members of the Ontario College of Teachers. They have degrees in both education and another area of specialization. Some staff have multiple degrees and additional qualifications. Many of our staff continue their learning and training in a wide variety of ways throughout the year. I cannot capture the full extent of the work of a teacher. It is complex work that I have the honour of witnessing unfold each and every day. Here are but a few of the aspects of a teacher’s work:
- Believing that all students can achieve given the right time and the right supports,
- Planning a program for our students based on the Ontario curriculum and reflections on their own practice,
- Assessing, evaluating and reporting on student achievement throughout the year,
- Committing to ongoing professional learning,
- Creating safe, positive and supportive spaces for all learners,
- Collaborating with students, parents and guardians and each other
- Offering their personal time to extra curricular activities to support student engagement.
Again, this is only a small sampling. I thank the teachers at St. Mary for the incredible work and commitment they have already started several weeks ago. They are true superheroes.
Wishing you a great week!
Mrs. D’Andrea