We are very happy to announce that we will be back to school in September. Returning children will return to school on September 8th and new students over the following days. In order to keep everyone safe, we will be strictly following regulations from Toronto Public Health and the Ministry of Education. A new parent handbook with a section on COVID policies will be distributed to families on August 17th. There will also be a required school supply list that includes considerations for COVID safety. Students must be adequately prepared to start school.
The preparation of the rooms for the children depends on their age. Casa children are not masked except when they are moving through the common areas of the school. Elementary children will be masked and socially distanced all day. Lyceum students will be socially distanced and have desks divided by plexiglass barriers. They will require a mask when moving common areas also. We have very limited childminding spots (8 in each room) and after school classes are cancelled for this term. Children must remain in their rooms for the entire time that they are at school so if at all possible, we suggest they be picked up at the first dismissal.
There will be staged arrival times during which all assigned children must arrive at school. Once children are in, the doors will be locked. In order to gain entry at other times, you will have to phone the office to make an alternate arrangement once hallway sanitation is completed. Please note that due to staging areas, there is no parking in the school, apart from staff. Please plan to arrive by other means or park on the streets in the surrounding neighbourhood. You must also pick up your child on time in the ten minute window assigned to your co-hort. Children who are not picked up on time will be placed in the isolation room with a staff member and a $20 fee for the first five minutes (and $5 for each minute thereafter) will be due upon pickup. This will help ensure that everyone goes home safely on time.
Cohorts (classes) of children can not be mixed during the day so recess will be circulated in groups. Children are required to eat their lunches and snacks in their classrooms. We will be asking all casa families to sign a bagged lunch waiver and provide a lunch in the event that West End is unable to cater us. We are still waiting for a decision on this and we will rebate the lunch fee if necessary.
Unfortunately, gathering outside our school doors or on the green spaces during TDSB sessions is not permitted as cohorts of children are moved in and out of the buildings. Nancy Ng has volunteered to start an online parent social group. We will forward the invitation that you can opt on to with the handbook. Hopefully, this initiative will help families stay connected outside of school hours. School events will not be announced on this forum so please watch the blog for news of events and initiatives.
The sick policy will be strictly adhered to. Do not send your child to school if they are unwell in any way. If they develop a fever at school, you will be required to pick them up immediately from the isolation room at the top of the stairs and take them directly for a COVID test. Upon presentation of a negative result (and assuming they are well), children will be re-admitted to school. Please read this section of the handbook carefully.
We are expecting at least one more update to the start of school measures to be released by the government in the coming week at which we can finalize our protocols, standards and measures. If, upon reviewing the handbook, you have further questions, please contact Maude at maude@theorchardmontessori.com
We will ask you to acknowledge your understanding and willingness to comply with the COVID measures and your acceptance of risk in writing. We take very seriously our responsibility for putting in place measures to keep our students and staff safe while at school.