September 1st, 2021

September, 2021 

Dear Sunnyside Families, 

We are excited to start the 2021/2022 School Year. As we get closer to the start of our new school year, we wanted to reach out to share some important information and most importantly, to let you know how excited we are to have our students returning to school in-person! We have been hard at work setting up our environment according to the established health & safety protocols to keep our students and staff safe as they return to learning. As you know, school routines and procedures will continue to look different than they have in the past, so we would like to take this opportunity to share some of those things with you. We thank you in advance for adhering to these guidelines to help keep everyone safe while at school. Please remember that all students are required to wear a face mask that fits properly, covering the nose and mouth. 

First Day – September 7, 2021

  • School starts at 8:20 Tuesday morning
  • All Staff will be outside on the back field to greet all students and help them find their homeroom lineups
  • All Staff will have complete class lists to help any student who is unsure of their homeroom
  • Families can log into SchoolDay during this upcoming weekend to find out their student(s)’ homeroom
  • For the sake of social distancing and student safety, we ask that parents say goodbye at the edge of the property
  • Please do not use the parking lot for drop off – use one of the side streets

Beginning & End of Day: 

  • Students wear a mask while on school grounds (except for during outdoor nutrition breaks, eating times, and PE (outdoors)
  • Students will enter and exit school in a staggered fashion (one class entering/exiting at a time) to promote physical distancing 
  • Staggered entry/exit will result in students being outside for longer periods of time. Please be sure that students are dressed appropriately as this process will continue to be in place during inclement weather (rain gear/umbrella, warm clothes, etc.) 
  • Each class will have a designated line up space on our field
  • As students arrive on school property (bussed and non-bussed students), they will need have their masks on and head directly to their line and line up physically distanced from one another (students will see signage, pylons and markings as a guide) 
  • At the outset, students will remain in their homeroom classroom for all subjects (except Phys. Ed.) with teachers on rotary moving from classroom to classroom 
  • At the end of the day, students will follow the same process, exiting the building and heading to their designated line up area, waiting to be dismissed (i.e. walking home or boarding the bus) 
  • Students are asked to leave school property promptly at the end of the school day (not congregate on property)
  • Parents are kindly requested to refrain from being on school property when they are dropping off or picking up their child. 
  • Parents are reminded to drop students off on one of the side streets and not in the staff parking lot.  This is particularly important this year with the ongoing construction at our site.

School Access: 

  • Access to the school will be greatly reduced and only essential visitors will be allowed 
  • Parents/guardians will not have access to the school except in extenuating circumstances. If you need to speak to a staff member, please email or call directly (519-896-1130)
  • Please aim to book appointments for your child outside of the school hours when possible 
  • Please ensure students have all items needed for the day, including lunches and water bottles, when they leave each morning as we will not be able to accept deliveries of these items during the school day 
  • All students will need to remain on property at both lunches (there will be no access to off site restaurants for purchasing lunch)

Student Belongings: 

  • Students will be expected to bring all personal items home each day 
  • Please only send essential items. Lockers will not be available at the start of the school year, and in many cases, students will be keeping their items with them at their desk 
  • Teachers will inform students about any specific supplies or materials that are required on the first day of school. Students are encouraged to bring their own basic supplies (pencil case, pencil, pens, pencil crayons…) 
  • Students should pack a healthy lunch and a water bottle labeled with their name. They will have access to touch-free water filling stations as needed during the day 

Illness/COVID symptoms or diagnosis: 

  • All Staff and Students are required to complete a daily screening. Please be sure to complete the pre-screening check with your child daily. If they are showing any symptoms, do not send your child to school 
  • A screening verification process will be shared with students on the first day of school
  • The board’s safety protocols require symptomatic children be removed from class and parent/guardian called for prompt pick up 
  • If your child(ren) has been exposed to an active case of COVID-19 or has tested positive for COVID-19, they must also stay home. Please contact the school to discuss next steps 
  • Please be sure the school has up-to-date contact information for you and your emergency contacts 

Late Students: 

  • Students arriving after 8:20 a.m. should determine if their class is still on the yard in their designated line for staggered entry. If so, they are asked to join their line. 
  • If your child arrives late, he/she will need to be prepared to wait in cue outside the main entrance of the school so that office staff can sign the student in and direct them to class 
  • Entry at the main entrance will be delayed until students on the yard have entered the site in order to reduce congestion in halls and promote physical distancing. 

Chromebooks:

Construction:

  • We are excited with the work that has been done here this summer!  This includes; new paint and flooring in the gym, office and front hallways, new student washrooms in the basement and air conditioning throughout the school.
  • Some of the work is not quite complete, but safety inspections have taken place and any ongoing work will be away from student and staff areas, or done on nights and weekends, in order to have a minimal effect on student learning.

We can’t wait to see all our students next week.  We value our partnership with parents, so if you have any questions please contact us via email or phone.

 

Sincerely, 

Julia Passmore (Principal)

John Howison (Vice-Principal)