Dear Families,
I hope you are all doing well.
Here is some information for this week:
Covid-19 Update
· We currently have TWO active cases of Covid-19 in our school
· Both the individuals and their classmates have been isolating for many days
Student Absences
· If your child is absent from school, they are expected to stay up-to-date with all school work posted on the teacher’s online platforms
· They can make up missed evaluations when they return to school
New Website
· We have transitioned to a new website platform
· Please visit https://symmesdarcy.westernquebec.ca/ for information and news about our school
Progress Reports
· Student progress reports will be available on the Parent Portal on October 15th
· Instructions to sign up for the Parent Portal are attached to this email
Ministry of Education Announcement Regarding Reporting
· It was announced in the media yesterday that schools are to change their reporting periods and there will not be a report card in November
· We were NOT made aware of these changes prior to it being released to the general public
· We are in the process of gathering more information and then we will develop our new reporting plan
· We will communicate with you as soon as we can
Cafeteria Services
· Our cafeteria provider has decided to try to shift their delivery to an advanced ordering model
· If you would like to pre-order lunch for your child, please do the following:
1- go to the link sachi.wavenet.ca
2- at the bottom of the page click to register an account
3- fill the form and register kids into their grades
4- after signing up, sign in with email and password created
5-choose the day in the schedule in
which you wish to receive your order
6- review your order, pick your payment method
7- orders will be delivered to the classrooms during lunch break
8- orders must be in by 8:30am for same day delivery
· Lunch is NOT available for purchase on Wednesdays
Photo Make-Up Day
· Students who were ABSENT for photo day, can have their picture taken on October 20th
· Please sign up for a time slot here:
· I have attached the instructions for ordering photos to this email
Police Presence at Schools
· We were informed by the Gatineau Police that officers will begin patrolling secondary school properties and neighbouring areas next week
· The purpose of the increased police presence is to ensure that young people are complying with the Public Health guidelines
· Please remind your child to socially distance and to wear a mask when they cannot socially distance
· Remind your child that masks are mandatory on school property unless they are with their homogeneous group and directly supervised by their teacher
Symmes Students – Lunch Time
· After careful evaluation and communication with our community, Symmes students will no longer be allowed to travel off campus at lunch time
· This decision was made with the health and safety of our students and our community in mind
· Grade 7 & 8 students will remain in their classrooms for the first 25 minutes of lunch and will then travel outside with their supervisor for the second 25 minutes
· Please remind your child to dress appropriately for the weather
· If there is heavy rainfall, they will remain in their classroom for the duration of lunch
· We recommend that you send your child to school with a lunch and snacks or pre-order from our cafeteria provider for classroom delivery
Virtual Extra-Curricular Activities
Choir
Does your child enjoy singing? Miss Ball would love to have them join a new singing club open to all students who love sharing music and singing. There will be a Junior Group for Grade 7-8s on Mondays from 4:30-5:30pm and a Senior Group for Grade 9-11 on Thursdays from 4:30-5:30pm. These rehearsals will be held on Zoom so they can enjoy singing from the comfort of their bedroom or living room! All levels of experience are welcome. This is a great way to come together, connect through music and perform! Please have your child contact Miss Ball via email (cball@wqsb.qc.ca) if they are interested in joining or have any questions.
Announcement Club
Does your child want to help out with filming video announcements for our school? Please have them get in touch with Ms. Kevan at akevan@wqsb.qc.ca if they are interested.
Upcoming Dates
· Monday October 12th – Thanksgiving – no school
· Thursday October 15th – PD day – no school
· Friday October 16th – PD day – no school
On behalf of my entire staff, we would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. Although we aren’t able to celebrate in the ways that we traditionally do, there is still so much to be thankful for.
Please stay safe this weekend.
Take care,
Tara Laine
Principal
Symmes Junior High School/D’Arcy McGee High School
819-684-7472 x 437001