Greetings EMMSOTA Parents and Guardians.
Our school is getting ready to welcome students back to school in a safe, controlled manner. The Ministry of Education announced that BC schools will be open and students are expected to attend full time. The first day of school is Tuesday, September 7th. You can read more here: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2021EDUC0058-001663
We have worked under the guidance of public health authorities and the Ministry of Education to develop a plan so that students and staff can learn and work together safely. We are ready to welcome your child back to school. Below is a brief summary of some of the actions taken to safely restart school this September.
Health and Safety
- Students in Grades 4-12 must wear a mask when they are in all indoor areas of the school and on school buses.
- All staff must wear a mask when inside school.
- Although physical distancing (2m apart) is no longer mandated, students will be encouraged to minimize involuntary contact. Classrooms will be set up to maximize space usage and decrease student physical contact.
- Daily health screening check for students (completed by their parents) and staff before arriving at school. You can find the Daily Health Check on the district and provincial websites:
- Students who are ill (cold, flu or showing Covid-19 symptoms) must stay home. If a child becomes ill during the school day, they will be isolated and the parents contacted to come and pick up as soon as possible.
- Hand hygiene (hand washing or sanitizing) upon arrival at school and throughout the day.
- Signs posted throughout the school to help control the flow of foot traffic within the building.
- There will be cleaning protocols for high touch points (door knobs, faucets, etc.). These surfaces will be cleaned once every 24 hours.
- Students will no longer be organized into Learning Groups or Cohorts as we did last year.
- Teachers will be encouraged to take their class outside more frequently.
- Windows and doors may be left open more regularly to increase ventilation.
- We may need to adopt a staggered schedule approach to reduce crowding at drop off/pick up; and recess and lunch times. Each school will determine if a staggered schedule is necessary.
- There will be no large gatherings (assemblies, special events, open house) or fieldtrips at this time.
- No sharing of food or drink.
- Parents and visitors should make an appointment to meet with staff. There will be limited and controlled access to the building by parents and visitors. All visitors must sign in for the purpose of contact tracing and acknowledge they've completed the Daily Health Check. Visitors must wear a non-medical mask inside school.
- We also ask parents to respect other people's personal space when on school grounds. This is for your safety and good modeling for our students.
Educational Programming
- Our school will only provide in-class instruction.
- Student well-being will be guiding educators in planning and supporting the successful return of students to school.
- Students with disabilities/diverse abilities will continue to be supported by the goals outlined in their IEP.
- Regular health and safety practices (frequent hand washing) will take up some instructional time.
- Students will continue to receive report cards.
- Parents of children who are medically diagnosed as immunocompromised by a physician should contact me by Friday, September 3rd. The following link is provided for your reference:
http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/covid-19-and-children/children-with-immune-compromise
First Week back to School at EMMSOTA Tuesday September 7th Students will return to school for attendance and brief introductions for the first week back. Grade 6 Students and All New Students will arrive at 9:30 AM to the Gym/Amphitheatre Area. We will have short introductions and introduce them to their POD teachers who will take then to their regular POD Meeting Place outside. This first day should last no more than 30-45 minutes. Grade 7 and 8 Returning Students will arrive at 10:30 to their POD designated areas (info to follow this week), where they will take attendance and receive information about the first week back. This should last no more than 30 minutes. On Wednesday September 8th we will welcome students back for their first full day of school. (2021-2022 Bell Schedule is attached to this message). We will have a regular start for all of our students and ask that every day they meet in their designated POD spaces to mitigate some of the traffic flow when entering and exiting the building. ** We are asking parents and guardians to please wait for your child at a designated place off school grounds or in cars where you can along Buller or James Street. Our Parking lot has only a few drop off and pick up spots that will fill up quickly. Please maintain flow of traffic entering and exiting the parking lot. Staff parking lot is not for pick up and drop off. As we welcome back our 400 plus students we do want to manage large clusters of people gathering. ** Please be cautious as you arrive to school. There will be plenty of excitement as students arrive back to school and we ask that all drivers show extra care and concern as we get back into our school drop off and pick up routines. ** We will send further information this week outlining designated POD meeting places outside for arrival and departure each day. We will be asking students to wait outside in their POD areas for teachers to bring them into the building every day as we start this year with some new optimism and some continued caution. Thank you all for your patience and cooperation as we get our year started. |
We look forward to welcoming students back to school on Tuesday, September 7th.
Part of school-start up is determining student enrolment so please endeavor to contact the school if your child is unable to attend on September 7th and have their attendance counted. Please also contact the school principal if your have moved, your child is registered elsewhere or is not returning to the school.
If you know someone who has school aged children and has moved into our neighbourhood, please encourage them to contact (phone or email) the school as soon as possible to arrange registration.
Please email me with any questions that you have. I look forward to working with your family this year.
Kindest regards
Mark Clay
Principal
École Moody Middle School of the Arts
604 461 7384
604 999 5405
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead
I respectfully acknowledge that I teach, learn, live and play on the unceded core traditional territory of the Kwikwetlem First Nation, which lies within the shared territories of the QayQayt, Tsleil-Waututh, Katzie, Musqueam, Squamish and Sto:lo Nations.
