GOOD AFTERNOON! This letter has already been sent to your emails and the video by Ms. Cameron has already been posted. Many of you have called or emailed to ask about the Public Health Checklist and how to share it with the school. We are NOT required to collect the checklist from you daily (many daycares and aftercare do require this, but not us). We are asking that you go through it at home before sending your child and that you do not send your child to school if a symptom is present. Should a symptom be evident while at school, your child will be brought to the isolation room and we will call home for a parent or guardian to come and get them. We are partners in education and in keeping one another safe, so we thank you in advance for your careful completion of the checklist at home each morning.
Dear Bakersfield Parents/Guardians,
We are very excited to be welcoming back our students into the building for in-person instruction on Tuesday, February 16th! Our Caretakers have been working diligently during the school closure to thoroughly clean and disinfect the building, and our Teachers and Support Staff have prepared the classrooms and learning materials for the big return.
In order to keep our students safe and at school, the Ministry of Education, along with YRDSB and Public Health, have outlined some additional health and safety procedures:
:
- Masks are now required for students in Grades 1-3, as well as those in Grades 4-8. Students in kindergarten are strongly encouraged to wear masks. Please remember to send extra clean masks in one bag and provide another bag to store the used ones.
- Masks are now required outdoors, during recess as well as common areas, in addition to in-class.
- Students are discouraged from congregating before and after school.
- York Region Public Health is recommending that students wear three-layer masks. Two layer masks are permitted if they are clean and fit appropriately. Health Canada has outlined instructions for how to easily convert a two-layer cloth mask into a three-layer cloth mask: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/prevention-risks/sew-no-sew-instructions-non-medical-masks-face-coverings.html
Existing safety measures, such as using the coloured door system to enter/exit the building, cohorting on recess, and scheduling washroom breaks, will continue to be in effect.
Parents are required to adhere to the Public Health Screening guide daily, prior to sending children to school. You will notice that there are stronger requirements around one symptom screening measures, when to get Covid tests and mandatory isolation periods.
We know that this has been a challenging year and we appreciate your on-going support and partnership to make Bakersfield a safe and happy place for our students to learn and flourish. Be Kind. Be Proud. Be Bakerfield.
Sincerely,
Krysten Cameron, Principal
Brett McLean Vice-Principal