As you may be aware, Premier Legault held a press conference yesterday evening, at which time he announced a number of revised measures. Please take note of the following as they apply to our schools and centres:

• Students in Secondary III, IV, and V in schools located in ‘red zones’ (all WQSB secondary schools except G. Théberge School, Noranda School, and Golden Valley School) will return to alternating day schedules, beginning Monday, April 12
• Students in schools located in ‘red zones’ must maintain the wearing of procedural masks as previously indicated; namely:
  • all elementary students from grades 1 to 6 must wear procedural masks while in classes, inside the school, and on school buses
  • all secondary students (secondary I to V) must wear procedural masks at all times while at school, and on school buses
• Students (grade 1 through to secondary V) in schools located in ‘orange zones’ (G. Théberge School, Noranda School, and Golden Valley School) must wear procedural masks while in classes, inside the school, and on school buses, beginning April 12
• Students in Adult and Vocational Education Centres in ‘red zones’: distance learning will be prioritized where possible
• Extracurricular activities are not permitted for schools located in ‘red zones’, however, school outings are permitted in class bubbles
• Extracurricular activities and class outings for schools located in ‘orange zones’ are permitted in class bubbles

Please note that the emergency measures put in place for schools in Gatineau and MRC des Collines schools remain in effect through to April 9, as originally stated.

Sincerely,

George Singfield
Secretary General and Director of Corporate Services & Communication

Dear Families,

I hope you are all doing well.

Here are some updates for this week:

Covid-19 Update

·         We currently have FIVE active cases of Covid-19 in our school

·         The other cases that were reported in March have been resolved

Distance Learning

·         All classes will be virtual between April 6^th – April 12^th

·         Students should log on to MS Teams for their first period class on Tuesday to hear instructions from their teachers

Re-Registration

·         Registration on the Parent Portal will close on April 6^th

·         Please refer to the attached document for instructions on how to re-register for 2021-2022

·         It is essential to our planning process to have accurate numbers for next year

School Website

·         Our previous school website (www.symmesdarcy.com) has been shut down

·         Please visit from now on symmesdarcy.westernquebec.ca

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter weekend. 

Please stay safe and follow the guidelines.

Take care,

Tara Laine

Principal

D’Arcy McGee High School ~ Symmes Junior High School

819-684-7472 x 437001

Parents, Guardians & Students,

At a press conference today Wednesday March 31, Premier François Legault made the following announcements:

The city of Gatineau and the MRC des Collines will have exceptional measures imposed as of 8:00 pm on Thursday, April 1. These measures include:

• The following schools and centres will be closed from Tuesday, April 6 through to April 9, inclusive:
  • Buckingham Elementary School
  • Chelsea Elementary School
  • D’Arcy McGee High School
  • Eardley Elementary School
  • Greater Gatineau Elementary School
  • Hadley Junior High School
  • Hull Adult Education Centre
  • Lord Aylmer Elementary School
  • Onslow Elementary School
  • Philemon Wright High School
  • Pierre Elliot Trudeau Elementary School
  • Poltimore Elementary School
  • South Hull Elementary School
  • St. Mike’s High School
  • Symmes Junior High School
  • Wakefield Elementary School
  • Western Quebec Career Centre
• Secondary students at the above-listed schools will maintain their schedules through distance education.
• Elementary students at the above-listed schools will have learning activities and schedules determined by individual schools.
• Students at the Western Quebec Career Centre and the Hull Adult Education Centre will maintain their schedules through distance education.

The Outaouais region has been coded ‘Red’; as such, the following measures are in effect for schools outside of Gatineau and MRC des Collines:

• Beginning Tuesday, April 6, all elementary students from grades 1 to 6 must wear procedural masks while in classes, inside the school, and on school buses.
• Beginning Tuesday, April 6, all secondary students (secondary I to V) must wear procedural masks at all times while at school, and on school buses.
• Extracurricular activities must be carried out in class bubbles.

Please note there are no changes for the WQSB schools in Region 08 (Abitibi-Témiscamingue):

• G. Théberge School
• Noranda School
• Golden Valley School

Sincerely,

George Singfield
Secretary General and Director of Corporate Services & Communication

During these unprecedented and challenging times, the Western Québec administration has provided resources, protocols and tools for its staff, students and their families. This wealth of information can be found further down this page, below this latest letter from our Secretary General.

Covid-19 Symptoms and Procedures

Dear Parents & Guardians,

Further to the letter which was distributed on Friday, March 26, this letter serves to provide additional information regarding the recommendation by Health Canada to discontinue the use of the procedural face-masks referred to below. Please note that the information provided in this letter is the information that has been provided to the senior administration team at the Western Quebec School Board.

As stated in the letter dated March 26, 2021, the Western Québec School Board senior administration received a directive from the provincial government on March 26, mandating a recall of all disposable face masks (Reference # SNN200642- blue and gray procedural masks) from schools and centres. As indicated in the March 26 letter to parents, all schools and centres have been directed to box the masks in question for pick-up, coordinated by the WQSB Buildings department.

In its communication, Health Canada advised “of a potential emerging risk concerning face masks that are coated with nanoform graphene materials, and cautioning the use of these devices in your healthcare networks, schools and daycares.” Health Canada indicated that a preliminary risk assessment has been conducted, which “identified a potential for early pulmonary toxicity associated with the inhalation of nanoform graphene.” Health Canada also stated that “to date, Health Canada has not received data to support the safety and efficacy of face masks containing nanoform graphene.” In a further statement, Health Canada added “in the absence of manufacturer’s evidence to support the safe and effective use of nanoform graphene coated masks, Health Canada considers the risk of these medical devices to be unacceptable.”

Based on the fore-mentioned recommendation from Health Canada, coupled with the immediate directive for a recall of the face masks containing nanoform graphene, the Western Quebec School Board is committed to ensuring that no masks containing graphene nanoform will be distributed to any of its schools, centres, or offices.

In the event any further information is received, an update will be distributed to all stakeholders in our school community.

Sincerely,

George Singfield
Secretary General and Director of Corporate Services

Dear Families,

I hope you are doing well.

It has been a difficult week at school and for our community.  We are grateful for the support, patience and understanding you have shown to us as we navigate these additional pressures.

Here is some information for this week:

Covid-19 Update

·         We currently have NINE active cases of Covid-19

·         The case from March 15^th has been resolved

·         Public Health has still concluded that the spread is happening in the community and not from within the school

General Information

·         The decision to return to full-time, in-person learning was made at the Provincial level – individual schools or school boards do not make these decisions

·         If you choose to keep your child home from school, they are responsible for independently checking  MS Teams to stay caught up on missed work

·         Please remind your child to sit in their assigned seat on the school bus and to not move around

Re-Registration

·         Please remember to register your child for the upcoming school year

·         I have attached instructions to this email

·         Having accurate numbers is critical to our planning process

Online Clothing Boutique

·         Symmes/D’Arcy gear is going on sale again!

·         Please refer to the attached flyer for details

·         The online boutique will be open from March 31^st-April 1^st at www.vsp.net FLYER

Please discourage your child from using food delivery apps (Uber eats, Skip the Dishes, Doordash etc.) during the school day.  We have seen an increase in the amount of deliveries to our reception desk during class time from students who have ordered food. This is inappropriate and unmanageable for us. Thanks for your help with this.

I hope you all have a nice weekend.

Tara Laine

Principal

D’Arcy McGee High School ~ Symmes Junior High School

819-684-7472 x 437001

Dear Families,

I hope you are all doing well.

Firstly, on behalf of my entire school staff, I want to extend our gratitude for the incredibly thoughtful surprises we received on St. Patrick’s Day.  Knowing we have the support of our parent community is so important to us and these gifts of appreciation came at exactly the right time.  Thank you for thinking of us and for making our week brighter!

Here is some information for this week:

Covid-19 Update

• We currently have ONE confirmed case of Covid-19 in our school as per my email on March 15^th

Course Selection Forms

• The deadline to submit course selection forms for 2021-2022 has been extended to Sunday March 21^st at 9pm
• These forms have been sent directly to your child’s WQSB email address and will show up as a message from Mr. Chris Byrne
• If your child did not receive a form, please email him directly at: chrisbyrne@wqsb.qc.ca
• It is critical to our planning process for us to know which courses our students hope to take for the upcoming school year

Next Week

• We have been busy planning and preparing to have all of our students back at school full-time starting on Monday March 22^nd
• We have made some changes to our supervision schedules and teachers have shifted their plans from online to in-person curriculum delivery
• We are confident that this transition will be smooth and we are looking forward to having everyone back in the building

Spring arrives this weekend! With the warmer temperatures, we anticipate that the frequency at which our students visit the local establishments during lunch time will increase.  Please remind your child to be respectful of our neighbours and the importance of safe practices when off school grounds.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Tara Laine

Principal

D’Arcy McGee High School ~ Symmes Junior High School

819-684-7472 x 437001

Good News Sachi’s will be taking orders again for lunch starting Thursday March 18. Orders will have to placed and paid for in advance.

MENU ORDER SACHI’S DARCY MCGEE

 NAME: ……………………………………    CLASS NUMBER ……………………..            GRADE:……………………….

FLOOR: …………………………………………         deliver at class————-      side gate ———-

Payment:    Cash ————–                          

TRANSFER TO: Sachidarcymcgee@gmail.com                                                 Password   ;          Sachi987

Message order on    6137103332

Thank you

MONDAY / TUESDAY

Combo # 1     Cookie + water + cheese pie                                     5$

Combo # 2     Cookie + water +  one slice pepperoni pizza         5$

Combo # 3    Cookie + one slice cheese pizza +Drink ice            7$

Combo # 4   Cookie + ice + 2  slice pizza pepperoni                    10$

Combo # 5   Cookie + ice +  2 slice pizza cheese                          10$ 

Combo # 6  Cookie + ice + hamburger with cheese                   10 $

THURSDAY / FRIDAY

Combo # A     Cookie + water +  one slice pepperoni pizza        5$

Combo # B    Cookie + one slice cheese pizza +Drink ice            7$

Combo # C  Cookie + ice + 2  slice pizza pepperoni                    10$

Combo # D   Cookie + ice +  2 slice pizza cheese                         10$ 

Combo # E  Cookie + Drink ice + Shawerma chicken                 10$

Combo # F    Cookie + Drink ice + Crispy chicken Sandwich     10$

Dear Families,

I hope you are all doing well.
Here is some information for this week:

Covid-19 Update

• We currently have ZERO active cases of Covid-19 in our school

Online Learning Expectations

• The WQSB has created a document detailing the online learning expectations for parents, guardians and students
• Please find it attached to this email

School Survey

• As we have done in previous years, we will be collecting student feedback to help us improve
• All students will be provided with the survey next week
• Completing the survey is voluntary, but we will be encouraging all students to participate
• Please refer to the attached letter to parents with details

Re-Registration

• Re-registration for 2021-2022 is now open on the parent portal
• I have attached parent instructions as well as an accompanying letter from the WQSB to this email
• Letter Instructions
• The deadline for re-registration is March 28^th

2021-2022 School Year

• We are deep into the planning process for the 2021-2022 school year
• We anticipate that many of the same structures and protocols that are in place now, will continue into the fall
• In our planning, we are including contingencies and latitude to change and pivot as the ongoing Covid-19 crisis allows
• We are currently planning again for stable class groupings
• Your child will be receiving their online course selection sheet this weekend in their WQSB email account
• Please discuss the options with your child – appropriate and accurate selection of course electives helps tremendously with planning and can prevent unexpected changes to schedules prior to the start of school
• I have attached a copy of the form to this email to help your discussions at home

Virtual Tutoring Sessions

• We will be offering free, virtual tutoring opportunities for students
• We are currently offering these sessions to students at risk of failing their school year, or at risk of not achieving success in a graduation requirement
• If your child is offered tutoring sessions, we will email you directly with an online booking tool

Webinars/Workshops

Please refer to the attached fliers for webinars on:

• Burnout – Strategies for Regulating Stress
• The Mindful Way to Self-Care
• Raising a Gifted Child
• Managing Power Struggles With Your Child

Student Drop-Off/Pick-Up

• Please only use the front entrance to drop-off/pick-up your child
• Some parents are choosing to drop-off/pick-up closest to their child’s designated entrance
• This is causing some safety concerns for students and employees using the staff parking lots
• We understand that some bottle-necking occurs at the front entrance – please exercise patience – student safety remains our top priority

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Don’t forget to set your clocks forward on Sunday – Spring is coming!

Take care,

Tara Laine

Principal

Symmes Junior High School/D’Arcy McGee High School

819-684-7472 x 437001

Western Québec School Board
Online Learning Expectations for Staff, Parents/Guardians and Students
March 8th, 2021

Purpose of this Guideline
The Western Québec School Board is committed to safer schools and centres by fostering an atmosphere of
respect, understanding, and encouragement between all who teach, work and learn in our schools and centres
so that the development and contribution of every individual can be acknowledged, and all can work together
to benefit personal growth and the common good.
In our current context, where students must take online learning lessons, we understand that the student should
be the only person to have access to the lesson and that the student must behave in the same way as if they
were physically present in the classroom. In addition, every school’s code of conduct and school board rules and
policies apply in the same way, and we understand that non-compliance may lead to appropriate sanctions.
Therefore, for the duration of online learning lessons, we make the following commitments:

Expectations of Students:
a) Students will take reasonable steps to ensure that distance learning lessons are seen and heard only by
me(teacher), for example, by using headphones if the room being used is not closed off or if not alone;
b) Students will, unless specifically authorized by my teacher, not capture screenshots or sounds, nor record
or broadcast lessons, whether sound or image, in any means whatsoever.

Expectations of Parents:
a) Parents will take reasonable steps so that their child can attend distance learning classes in an
environment conducive to learning and ensure that lessons are the primary focus student only;
b) Parents will not intervene during distance learning, just as if the student were physically in the classroom,
which implies in particular:
i. parents will not attend classes unless invited by the teacher to do so;
ii. parents will not capture screenshots or sounds, nor record or broadcast lessons, whether sound or
image, by any means whatsoever;
iii. parents will communicate with the teacher outside of class according to the procedures put in place
by the teacher and/or by the school.
c) Parents will notify the school administration in the event of a problem related to these commitments.

In keeping with our Safe School and Prevention of Harassment and Promotion of a Healthy Work Environment
policies, we foster an atmosphere of respect, patience, understanding and encouragement. No rude, abusive or
threatening behaviour towards students or staff will be tolerated, whether in person or online.

The Western Quebec School Board appreciates the challenging times we are facing. We will work together to
give our students a great educational experience and safe working environment for students and staff.