“Back to School” letter
Dear CCS Parents and Students,
It is with excitement and anticipation that I write this back to school letter in preparation for the new school year! I hope that you have had a wonderful, restful summer break with your families and that you are excited to return to school on September 7. Please make sure to take the time to read the following important items.
COVID 19: WHAT’S THE SAME AND WHAT IS DIFFERENT this September?
The following in continue in September:
Mask wearing for all K-12 staff, students in grades 4-7, and all visitors
Mask wearing encouraged for students in Grades K-3
Encouraging Eligible staff and students to get vaccinated
Daily Health Check- please refer to Appendix C in Communicable Disease Plan
Staying home when sick
Daily attendance and record keeping for students, staff and visitors
Proper hand hygiene
No whole school assemblies or indoor gatherings
School masses limited to two classes to ensure safe spacing
No parents/ visitors on school grounds unless there is a specific reason
Entrance to school by parents or visitors limited to necessary visits only
Use of surgical grade air filtration units in every classroom
The following will resume in September:
Extra- curricular activities and sports
Food service- hot lunch (TBA)
Please note that additional regional health and safety measures may be put into place by Fraser Health that could impact the start-up of these activities.
The following will not continue in September:
Cohorts/ Learning groups
Physical distancing of 2m, although safe spacing is still in effect (no physical contact )
Temporary Transition Plan/ Online learning
* Detailed information can be found in the attached Communicable Disease Plan
Communicable Diseases Plan (formerly referred to as Safety Plan)
Click here for CCS Communicable Disease Plan 2021/2022
Drop off and pick up procedures
Please be reminded that the speed limit is 10 km/h in school parking lot. Please respect this speed limit and help keep our families safe.
We are once again asking parents to refrain from entering the school property at drop off and pick up for the time being. This will minimize the number of people that are gathering on school grounds.
Drop Off:
No Drop off before 8:30am- there is no supervision until 8:30am.
ALL students will be dropped off at the main school entrance in the morning. The primary drop off area we used last year will no longer be an option. A reminder to pull up in the drive through as far as you can in order to prevent a traffic jam. This will be especially important now that all students will be dropped off here. Parking and walking your child(ren) to the gate remains an option and primary parents are strongly encouraged to do so as there can be no stopping and unloading in the drive through.
We are asking that parents drop their children at the school gates and not walk them into the school property (unless they are arriving late). Students may play on the property from 8:30am onwards and will go to their line when the bell rings.
Staff will be present in the morning to direct traffic and help things run smoothly. Please follow their directions.
Pick Up:
Students will be waiting in their line ups on the field after school. Please come to the field fence to pick up your child. We are asking parents to refrain from coming onto the school field for the time being.
Students are not permitted to wait at the parish center unsupervised, with the exception being students in Grade 6 and 7 whose parents have given administration permission to have their child(ren) wait unsupervised. The safety of our students is our priority and having students unsupervised at the parish center is unsafe. Our parking lot is busy and there are a lot of cars driving- it is easy to miss students trying to cross lane. If you prefer to have your child(ren) come to your parked car after school, they may do so once they see you pull in. Please use the parking spots in front of Father Paul’s rectory so that your child(ren) doesn’t have to cross the lane to get to the other side. We will have staff supervision outside to ensure the safety of all of our students.
Students are not permitted to hop into cars that are not parked. Parents must park before their children enter the car.
A reminder that the drive through lane is not open after school.
Students are to be picked up no later than 3:20pm. Any students who are still not picked up will be sent to the art club and parents charged a drop in fee. We understand that there are situations where you may be late due to unusual traffic or an emergency situation. If this is the case, please call us ahead of time to let us know.
entering the school building
We are asking that parents refrain from entering the school unless there is a specific reason you must be in the school (meeting with staff member, dropping something off to the office…). If your child is late, please drop them off at the office and we will accompany them to their classroom if needed.
Visitors must check in at the office prior to entering the school- this is for safety purposes. All visitors will have to complete a health screening. We must know at all times who is in the building. Please only access the school through the main entrance by using the buzzer. Parents will not be permitted to enter classrooms to drop off lunches or items to their children. These can be left at the office and we will distribute them when the time is appropriate.
School Uniforms
Please ensure that your child gets off to a good start by being in proper uniform for the first day of school. You can refer to the school website for our appearance and dress code policy. A reminder that only Top Marks items are acceptable uniform pieces.
nut aware school
We have several students with severe nut allergies. Please help us keep these students safe by refraining from sending any food that has nuts in it (please check granola bar ingredients!)
back to school evening
Given the increase in COVID 19 cases, we will not be having an in-person back-to-school barbecue or curriculum night. We will be hosting a live Zoom evening for all parents at a later date to be determined next week. Date and details forthcoming.
class lists
Class lists will be emailed home on September 3. Please be reminded that no changes will be made to any class lists.
after school art club
Our after school art club will start on September 8 for those students that are registered. Drop ins are taken based on availability. Please note that this program will run based on need. Should there be a need to cancel the program due to low enrolment, parents will be given 1 month’s notice.
September 4 Work bee
The first work bee of the year is Saturday September 4th 9am-12pm. Each family is required to complete 6 maintenance hours a year. Work bees are a great way to complete them and to meet other CCS families! Please sign up on OnVolunteer. Information about work bees is below.
Register for the work bee on OnVolunteers! If you are unable to make it please unregister to open your spot to another parent. No shows will be recorded and fees will apply after a total of three no shows for volunteer tasks throughout the year.
Please check your email and Friday memos for any suggestions of items to bring. For example when we know there are a lot of leaves to rake there will be an email suggesting to bring a rake if you have one or if there is a lot of weeding to do to bring any gardening tools you have. (For September gardening tools and gloves are needed!)
When arriving at the work bee your name needs to be written on two sheets. First sheet is a time in and time out sheet and is for verifying hours. The second sheet is to be assigned for a specific job. These sheets will be with the coordinators stationed near the playground.
During the work bee if you have any questions please ask one of our coordinators.
Children are welcome at work bees but must be supervised by a parent or guardian. Coordinators are busy answering questions and circulating and are not able to supervise children other than their own. Elementary aged children’s assistance does not count towards parent participation hours.
If children or anyone not signed up on OnVolunteers will be attending the work bee with you please email maintenance@cloverdalecatholicschool.ca. This is in case numbers need to be restricted due to COVID.
Before leaving the work bee please sign out on the time in/time out sheet.
Grade 7s
Any grade 7s wishing to attend a work bee for confirmation hours need to register for the work bee by emailing maintenance@cloverdalecatholicschool.ca. We will have limited spots for grade 7s in order to allow spaces for parent participation volunteers.
Please register on OnVolunteers for work bees by the Friday morning before the work bee and cancel registration if you are not able to attend. If you plan on being late please email. No show spots will be opened to drop ins at 9:30am. Drop ins are welcome as long as there are no COVID restrictions in place. Please register to avoid disappointment.
I am looking forward to welcoming everyone back again on September 7!
God bless,
C. Heah
Principal