We have had a really good first week back! It wasn't perfect and we have work to do, but the positive responses from students, staff and parents made us proud of the hard work everyone is doing. The good was evident in the smiles on everyone's faces, the new students being welcomed into our community by other students and, of course, the willingness of everyone to do their part in making the building safe. It was great to see you child again!

That said, we still need to work on distancing outside the building and wearing our masks when 2 meter distancing is not being followed. Please take a moment this weekend to talk to your child about the importance of these measures. Masks are also being found around the school as students take them off for lunch and forget to retrieve them for the afternoon, switching to a new mask instead. We will be having dots painted outside in one-meter intervals around the entrances as a visual reminder of the required distance to help students adjust.

Please talk to your child about the need for a daily self-assessment and familiarize yourself with the symptoms that would require further discussions with your healthcare provider or Health Links.

Health Links-Info Santé at 204-788-8200 or 1-888-315-9257

https://sharedhealthmb.ca/covid19/screening-tool/

Students have received new agenda books at the start of the year. The focus of these books is to act as a communication between home and school. The first page has a pouch that teachers will use to send forms home from now on and parents can use the same to reply. The theme of the book is Mindfulness – purposefully chosen, given our current situation. It has tip, tools and information regarding mental health strategies and I encourage you to also look and use.

This week, we will dismiss the students in a staggered fashion again, starting with “B" groups at each grade level at 3:20, then the “C" groups at 3:25 and finally the “A" and “D" groups at 3:30. Students should always be using their designated entrance/exit, regardless of the time they leave the school including for early dismissal.

Remote learning for those families who have been medically advised to do so will begin on Monday. Mr. Hayes will be acting as the teacher liaison between the school and families and can be reached at justin.hayes@sjasd.ca  Work will be provided to students using Microsoft Teams. Parents that advised us of a medical need warranting remote learning will be contacted by Mr. Hayes directly.

Thank you all for you support and patience. Have a wonderful week!