February 5th, 2021
Our staff is very excited to welcome the students back to in-person learning at Keatsway on Monday, February 8th, 2021.
We will continue to maintain focus on student safety and learning during these challenging times.
We have lots of information to share with you and you may have many questions. Please take some time to review the information below. Your support is greatly appreciated.
What are the most important layers of protection for my child at Keatsway?
-Physical Distancing
-Hand Hygiene
-Face coverings
-Daily Screening
Will the classes be the same as before the holiday break?
Yes – upon returning to school, your child will be part of the same cohort (i.e., class) to limit contact between groups of students.
Do we come to school at the same time?
Bell time and the daily schedule will be the same as before the school closures. School starts at 9:20 a.m. and ends at 3:40 p.m..
Arrive as close to school start time as possible, students are also asked to go home immediately after school. Teachers will start supervision in the morning at 9:05 am and end at 3:55 pm.
Where is the daily screening web page?
Screen your child each day before coming to school using this website: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/school-screening/. If your child exhibits any COVID-19 symptoms during the day, a parent/guardian will be called and the child should be picked up immediately.
Are parents or guardians allowed in the school building?
Parents and visitors will be restricted from entering our school – essential visitors only.
How can parents help with physical distancing on the school property?
Parents when you arrive at school we ask that you remain off school property (if possible) to help students and staff maintain physical distance during our school entry and exit routines.
- Exceptions are allowed for children who are quite young, or those students who require extra support to get safely where they need to go.
- If you need to come onto school property, all community members are asked to maintain a physical distance of 2m and wear masks.
- Our staff will not be enforcing this, we ask that all community members do their part to keep our kids safe.
What happens with bad weather before school, will the students be allowed to enter early?
Dress for ALL weather, there is no early entry into school for bad weather days before school.
Are the students allowed to use the playground equipment?
During the school day, playground equipment is closed
What can we bring to school?
Students can bring a book to read, and other items that they need to learn such as pencils, crayons, erasers etc. that can be stored inside their desk. The school does provide learning materials, so bringing these items is not necessary. It is important that personal learning items are not shared between students and items brought back and forth between home and school should be limited (i.e., book, water bottle and lunch are things that can go back and forth). Personal belongings such as toys/stuffed animals should NOT be brought to school.
What do we do with the Chromebooks/Ipads we borrowed from the school in January?
We were happy to be able to provide a device to students who did not have access to a device at home. For those families that borrowed a device (i.e., Chromebook, iPad) during January: These devices must be returned to your child’s homeroom/school when schools reopen on Monday, February 8.
These devices will be disinfected and used daily in our classrooms. We require them back to ensure students continue to have a rich learning environment.
What is happening with nutrition break / eating time?
Students must wash their hands before eating. Students should have their own water bottle, labelled with their name, that they can keep with them throughout the day. Bottle filling stations will be available, but drinking fountains will not.
Students should bring food in their own labelled containers and take them home with them at the end of the day. All food items, snacks and lunches must be prepared in advance. Students will not have access to microwaves or shared kitchen utensils. Masks are not required while students are eating and drinking.
Our staff does our best to reinforce that masks are only to be removed while the student is actually eating. Students are asked and repeatedly reminded to put their mask back on as soon as they are finished eating, and they are not to talk while their mask is off.
What is happening with recess?
We will continue to maintain outdoor play time (i.e., recess) safely
- Students will wear masks, clean / sanitize hands upon entering school
- No shared objects
- Students will rotate through areas of our fields throughout the day/week to maintain a separation between cohorts/classes
Where can I find general information from WRDSB about COVID-19 safety and protocols?
https://www.wrdsb.ca/returntoschool/