Friday, September, 11, 2020
Dear Families,
It’s been another busy and exciting week at Symmes-D’Arcy McGee! We finally welcomed back our grades 9, 10 and 11 students and we have had our full population at school all week. Similarly to our junior students, our high schoolers are quickly adapting to the new protocols and routines. We continue to observe patterns and are adapting things as necessary. Most of the building blocks for our back-to-school plan have been successful and we are very proud of our staff and our students for working together to make things run as smoothly as possible.
Here are some important updates:
Lunch Time/Students Off Property
- Many students are choosing to leave school property during lunch
- We are running into issues with students returning late due to the long and unmanageable lines at the local plaza
- We cannot justify a late entry to school because of these lineups – it is a health and safety issue due to the supervisors sanitizing hands and supporting social distancing – these supervisors are not present after the bell rings and we cannot ensure a safe re-entry to school when students are late – they are also missing valuable teaching time
- We recommend that students bring a NUT FREE lunch/snacks to help us avoid this issue or purchase food here (see below)
- In order to be good neighbours within our community, it is important that students follow the health and safety guidelines mandated by the province
- If students are not able to comply with social distancing guidelines while out in our community, we may be forced to keep students in their classrooms during lunch
- Lunch time continues to be an area of concern without a perfect solution – we don’t want to keep students indoors all day, but they must behave respectfully when out in the community
- As you likely know, our region has been recently declared a ‘yellow’ zone and the government has asked local police to start issuing fines when people are gathering against the guidelines
- Please talk to your child about this issue
Cafeteria Services
- Our cafeteria provider has started a mobile delivery service for students and staff
- Employees are bringing carts through the hallways during the first half of lunch (when students are permitted to stay in their classrooms to eat)
- They are offering a selection of sandwiches, baked good and a variety of drinks
- Purchases can be made with cash or debit/credit – the tap feature is available on the machine
Student Technology Workshops
- Next week our students will be going through technology training
- They will learn how to access their WQSB email addresses, learn about the Microsoft Teams platform as well as some basic word processing and email etiquette
- Please send your child with their chromebook/laptop next week if they have one
Parent Technology Survey
- Please take a minute to complete this important parent survey regarding technology – the link will expire on September 18th:
- (link expired)
Annual General Assembly
- In the interest of health and safety, and to protect our building, we have decided to conduct ourAnnual General Assembly ONLINE
- We will be hosting ONE meeting on Wednesday, September 23rd at 6:30pm
- I will send out an email invitation to the Annual General Assembly next week
- In order to attend the meeting, you must RSVP in advance with your first and last name
- We will send out a link to all parents who RSVP by Monday September 21st at 4pm
- Only parents who have their first and last names displayed will be admitted into the meeting on September 23rd
Governing Board, SEAC & Parent Committee
- The primary purpose of the Annual General Assembly is to elect representatives to sit on our Governing Board, Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) and our Parent Committee
- I have attached the functions and powers of the Governing Board to this email for your reference This a great way to be involved in the governance of the school and to have a voice
- If you would like to nominate a parent to sit on our Governing Board, please send me an email with the NAME of the parent as well as the NAME of the child the parent is representing
- We will vote on our Governing Board members at the Annual General Assembly
- The representative for the WQSB Parent Committee must be a Governing Board member and will be determined at the Annual General Assembly
- SEAC is a WQSB Committee, not a local school level committee – if you would like to be a part of SEAC, please send me an email and I will submit your name to the school board
Updated Covid Protocols
- I have attached some updated Covid protocols that were just released from the WQSB Please review the documents
- I have also attached self-care guides for parents and a document that may help with the decision making process about sending your child to school
- We encourage you to use the following self-assessment tool for screening your child for symptoms:
- Attached is a WQSB attestation form for the return to school after your child has been sent home by us due to symptoms of Covid testing – please use this updated form in lieu of the form sent in the last parent update
Virtual “Meet-the-Teacher”
- Due to the current situation, we are not able to host our traditional ‘Meet-the-Teacher’ evening 2.
- Your child’s teachers will be reaching out to you via email in the coming days to introduce themselves to you and share their academic and behaviour expectations
- Our mission is to foster a safe, caring, and respectful community in which everyone learns and achieves individual success.
Building/Construction Update
- Our portables have arrived!
- The construction company is working hard to have these ready for our students soon
- Because of the ongoing closure of the gym hallway, we had to temporarily re-locate a few classrooms
- We are grateful for the patience of our students and staff as we manage this situation
Upcoming Dates
- September 18th – PD Day
- September 23rd – Annual General Assembly/Governing Board, Parent Committee & SEAC elections (virtual)
- September 29th – Photo Day
I hope you all have a wonderful and restful weekend. Take care,
Tara Laine, Principal
Symmes Junior High School/D’Arcy McGee High School 819-684-7472 x 437001
Our mission is to foster a safe, caring, and respectful community in which everyone learns and achieves individual success.