Bakersfield Public School

We have finished the first FULL week of school and it certainly has been FULL! Thank you to our families and the community for supporting us and the transition back to school. We are SO happy to be back together again and learning with and from one another. As we continue to journey through this school year, we will be in regular communication through the Blog, Twitter, Instagram and EDsby. Should you need to speak with us, do not hesitate to contact us at the school or send us an email. Please see below for information from this week and the coming weeks.

SCHOOL START UP PACKAGES – these were sent home today via email.  Student GAPPS login information will be required for families to complete the forms.  The form will include:

• The Start-Up Permission Form
• Student Information Consent Form
• Request for Faith Accommodations Form 
• School Council Nomination Form

We ask that these forms be completed by Friday, September 24. 

SCHOOL COUNCIL – every parent is welcome at School Council. This is a forum to hear more details about what is happening at the school and to support initiatives and provide input into many things here at the school. You may come to as many meetings as you choose and you do not need to hold an ‘executive role’ on council to attend. If you are interested in having an official vote for decisions at Council, please complete the nominaton form in the School Start-Up Package. Meetings are held in the evenings (virtually), six times a year. Monitor the blog for more information. Our first council meeting will be on September 30th at 7:00 p.m.

SCHOOL MODEL CHANGE – This week we shared a form for you to complete if you were interested in having your child change from virtual to in-person learning or vice versa. The form is now closed. We will review the responses in the coming days and be in touch before September 27th if we haven’t already. If you have any questions about this, please contact the school.

TERRY FOX – This year we are going to move our Terry Fox Walk/Run to the beginning of October because of our later start to school. Stay tuned for more details regarding this event and how you can support it.

SAVE THE DATE! Curriculum Night is set to be held on MONDAY OCTOBER 4th. At this point we are planning for it to be a virtual event.

Message from Our Trustee, September 2021

We have many reasons to feel optimistic as we begin the 2021-22 school year. Schools are reopening to in-person learning, vaccination rates continue to increase, and our students can start to resume some of their favourite school activities. 

As we return to school, our reopening plan continues to prioritize the health and safety of students, families and staff members. We are working with public health to ensure we are taking all appropriate measures. For more information on the plan, including health and safety measures, please visit www.yrdsb.ca/school-reopening. You can also find additional information from York Region Public Health at www.york.ca/safeatschool.

The pandemic and last year’s school closures affected students and families in many different ways. This has been a challenging time. Our caring, skilled and dedicated staff members are prepared to prioritize the mental health and well-being of students as they transition back to school, as well as supporting their academic learning and growth. If you are worried about your child, please speak to your child’s teacher or principal. You may also find some of the learning and well-being resources on our website helpful.

Whether your child will be attending school in person or online, we know how important it is that they feel safe, respected and valued. We want every student to feel supported, to take pride in their identities and to know that they matter. Any form of hate or discrimination in our schools is not acceptable. This school year, we will continue to implement the Dismantling Anti-Black Racism Strategy launched in March to address anti-Black racism in schools. We also remain committed as a school board to honouring the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action. As an education system, it is imperative that we create learning environments that enable all of our students to feel valued and to be successful. 

As your school board trustee, it is my role to advocate for quality public education in York Region, and to ensure that our students remain at the centre of all of our decision making. The Board of Trustees makes policy and budget decisions, and communicates with the public, among other responsibilities. We are also responsible for setting direction for the school board, through our Multi-Year Strategic Plan. This plan sets out four priorities: Foster Well-Being and Mental Health, Build Collaborative Relationships, Champion Equity and Inclusivity, and Empower Ethical Leadership.

The relationship that we have with families is so important, and I will continue to keep you informed of our work and priorities. You can also find the message from the Chair of the Board on the Board’s website. You are welcome to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

There are also many other ways you can stay connected with what’s happening in the school board. Visit our newsroom. Listen to our podcast. Follow us on Twitter @YRDSB and on Instagram @yrdsb.schools. Watch the latest videos, including news, features and profiles about our schools, students and staff members on our YouTube channel YRDSBMedia.

As we begin another school year, I am so pleased to welcome all of our new and returning families. I hope you have a great start to the school year and wish you a happy, healthy and successful year ahead. 

Dr. Elizabeth Sinclair

Trustee – Vaughan Wards 3 and 4

Hi Families!

We have had an AMAZING DAY today! Please remember to meet your child outside of their color door as per the map we have included here again…and we look forward to seeing you all tomorrow

TOMORROW MORNING all students will just go directly in the school through their colour door and straight to class between 8:40 a.m. and 8:55a.m Morning announcements will start at 8:55 a.m.

Good Afternoon and Shana Tova to those celebrating!

Today you received an email directly from YRDSB that had a lot of information in it. Below is a copy of part of that email. We know that the screening tool is NEW and may be confusing for some families. Our suggestion is that you open the two links for screening on your phone or computer and book mark them for easy, daily access. You will need to know each child’s GAPPS (google) login information. If you don’t know it yet, your teachers or the office can support. This process is to be done each morning before coming to school. We will be following up with families who do not complete the screening – so please do your best to complete it! THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

STEP ONE: Click here for the York Public Health Screening https: York PH Covid-19 School Screening Tool

STEP TWO: Click here to login using the Gapps info to report completion to YRDSB YRDSB Confirmation Form

BOARD EMAIL

Dear Families,

As we approach the first day of school, we are all very excited to welcome back our students and staff. It has been five months since we have had students in our school buildings and we appreciate the efforts everyone in our communities have made to support a safe return for all. 

Below are some reminders and new information that we have recently received from the provincial government and York Region Public Health. 

Screening

A new screening tool for the 2021-2022 school year has been provided by York Region Public Health (please click on Check for Symptoms Daily). This screening tool replaces previous versions and all students and staff must complete the screening prior to attending any YRDSB school or facility. 

Parents/guardians of elementary students (or the students themselves depending on their age) will have to provide confirmation of a successful screening as follows:

1. Parents/Guardians of Elementary students are required to complete on-line self-assessment COVID-19 School and Child-Care Screening Tool (please click on Check for Symptoms Daily), prior to their child entering the school
2. Upon completion of the self-assessment, Parents/Guardians will complete the response to the question:  “Have you completed the self-screening tool?” in the Confirmation Form, using their child’s GAPPS account login information. Information on how to access your child’s GAPPS account is available on the Board’s website. If you do not have a student number/username, one will be provided by your child’s teacher. 

Any students who are experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19 as identified in the screening tool (not related to a COVID-19 vaccine) or answer yes to any of the screening questions, must not enter any school and follow the guidance in the screening tool.

Masking

Properly fitted masks are required for all students in Grades 1 to 12 and strongly recommended for students in Kindergarten. 

Parents/guardians must provide their child with at least three personal masks (non-medical) to wear at school. Public Health Agency of Canada recommends Canadians wear three-layer masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. For more information about how to use face coverings properly, visit www.york.ca/covid19. All school staff will wear a medical mask and other personal protective equipment as required. 

 Additional Information

We appreciate that families have many questions about what to expect when their children return to school. In an effort to answer your questions,we:

• continue to update frequently asked questions
• held a virtual town hall responding to family questions 
• are recording a two-part podcast responding to common questions with York Region Public Health

Our health and safety measures are available on the Board website and we will continue to communicate with families as information is updated. Thank you for partnering with us to ensure these important guidelines are adhered to, as we work together to protect the health and safety of our students, staff and families. 

Once again, we appreciate the efforts of all families, students and staff to ensure our schools are safe and welcoming environments to work and learn.