May 27 Update: Important Restart Information and Restart Video
Restarting In-Class Instruction at CCS June 1st, 2020
Parents and Friends of Cloverdale Catholic School,
After meeting with the staff for the past two days, CCS is on track to re-open for in-class instruction on June 1st 2020. I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the staff of the school for their openness, energy, and adaptability during this turbulent time. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it has often felt like the rules are changing and we do not know exactly who or what to follow. Our staff members have provided stability for our children through their hard work and dedication.
As we look to re-open, we have followed the advice of the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, WorkSafe BC, FISA, and the CISVA. We also formed a “Restart CCS” Committee that went through the requirements and adapted the policies and protocols to fit local needs. The locally developed Safety Plan and FAQ documents can be found on our school website.
Open for Grades K-7 Two or Three Days Per Week
We have 74 children returning to school on June 1st. The CISVA has allowed us to accommodate children in Grades K-7 for 2 days in the first week. It had previously been reported that only Gr K-5 would be accommodated 2 or 3 days, while Gr 6-12 would be one day per week. Be assured that we will host Gr K-7 two or three days per week for the remainder of the year. For the first week of school, we will host in-class instruction on Monday, June 1st and Tuesday June 2nd. The class schedule for the week of June 8th will be released by Thursday, June 4th. The number of days of instruction after Week One will depend on the number of students registered.
Children of Essential Service Workers (ESW)
Parents who are classified as Essential Service Workers may have their children at school 5 days per week. For the week of June 1st, children of ESWs will attend class with their regular classmates on Monday and Tuesday. From Wednesday to Friday, since there will be no regular classes, children of ESWs will be placed in multi-age groups.
Changing Your Mind About Sending Children To School
74 students are returning to classes on June 1st. Parents have decided, based on needs and priorities, which environment for schooling will work best for their families.
Registration is required in advance so that we can safely plan for our numbers of students. We cannot accommodate any surprises as we have arranged classes and classrooms to accommodate 74 students safely for the first week.
If you have changed your mind since the survey and wish for your child to start attending classes at school beginning the week of June 8th, please notify the school office by Wednesday, June 3rd. This will give us enough time to plan for new students.
Alternatively, if you indicated on the survey that you want to send your children but have since changed your mind, please let the office know as soon as possible.
Educational Programming
It would be impossible to ask teachers to teach two separate streams of students; both online and at school. To make this difficult situation possible, teachers will be delivering the same online content to students whether they arrive at school or stay at home. Students at school will not be receiving extra instruction and students at home will not be missing out on content.
On-Site Routines as of June 1st
School is going to look very different on Monday, June 1st. Members of the staff created a video to summarize and demonstrate the many changes to school routines. You can check it out here or at the link below.
What to Wear
In order to make it as easy as possible for students to come to school in freshly cleaned clothes every single day, students will not be required to wear full uniform. Students are encouraged to wear a CCS uniform shirt or gym t-shirt but may wear any bottoms they choose. This applies for Week One of the restart, and may be revisited for Week Two and onwards…
Morning Drop Off
In the mornings, parents are asked to drop their children off using the drop-off zone or by walking them to the crosswalk. Only staff and students will be allowed past the gate near the crosswalk.
What to Bring to School
Teachers will be sending home a list of materials for students to bring to school each day. There will be no sharing of materials at school, so everything a student needs for the day including pens, pencils, colouring tools, scissors, lunches, snacks, toys, sunscreen and clothing items must come in a child’s backpack and go home with them each day. Each child should also bring a plastic bag for their own garbage, recycling, and food waste to be brought home each day. Each child should bring a reusable water bottle. Students will not be permitted to drink from the water fountains at this time, but they will be allowed to use water bottle refill stations.
Students should bring their own fully charged iPad, Chromebook, or laptop. While it is possible to use a school device, it would be simpler and require less cleaning if we did not have to loan out devices.
Play Time
While there will be no regular “free” recess times, students will have plenty of outdoor time and fresh air. Students are encouraged to bring a toy or ball to play with as they will not be able to play with shared equipment.
After School Pick Up
The afternoon routine will be similar to the morning but in reverse. Children will be lined up on the field. Drivers may walk up to the gate or drop off zone to wave for their children. Once the teacher sees the parent, they will dismiss the child. Drivers may not wait in the car for the children to be let out. Children will only be dismissed into the direct custody of their drivers.
Conclusion
Thank you for your continued support and patience as we work through the challenge of re-opening our school. Please pray for the safety and success of everyone involved.
Sincerely,
Mr. Jason Borkowski
Principal