We hope you all are having a wonderful summer holiday! While there is still a little summer left to enjoy, here is some important information to help you plan for the opening week of school.
The office is now open for the school year daily from 8:45am – 3:30pm. If you would like to register your child, please do so between Tuesday, August 31st and Friday, September 3, 2021. If you need to register a child for school, please contact Mrs. Dougans at 604-594-5437 or adougans@deltaschools.ca and she will be able to forward you via email, the forms that are required. As much as possible we would like the registration process to occur via email. Having said that, in person registration can take place via appointment following appropriate safety measures.
COVID-19 continues to have an impact on how we function as a school. On Friday, August 27 the Delta School District sent home a letter to all families providing information about changes to our safety procedures for this school year. More information can also be found on the District’s website. I ask everyone to have a close look at both information sources.
Here is a brief summary with a Chalmers context:
| What is the Same as Last Year?
(2020-2021) |
What is New This Start-Up?
(2021-2022) |
| · Students and staff will be required to complete daily health checks and to stay home when they feel sick
· The mask mandate will remain in place to start this school year. All K-12 staff and visitors, and students in grades 4 to 12 will be required to wear masks indoors in schools and on school buses · K-3 students will be encouraged to wear masks indoors · Students and staff will be required to practice diligent hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette · Frequently touched services will be cleaned and disinfected at least once a day, and when visibly dirty · Plexiglass barriers will be used in different areas (office, library, etc.). · Floor Markings and signage will be used to help with traffic flow. · Students encouraged to not share food/drink with others. · Visitor access during school hours will be prioritized to those supporting activities that benefit student learning and well-being (e.g. public health nurses, student teachers, meal program volunteers). · There will be limited access to the building by parents and visitors. Virtual meetings will be an option for staff and parents. · Learning opportunities outside will continue to be encouraged. |
·. No Learning Groups or cohorts this year.
· Working towards bathrooms being fully reopened. · Water fountain will be available for both water bottle fill-up and for drinking water. · Physical distancing of 2 metres is no longer recommended, however schools can continue to use strategies to create space between people, for example, spreading out students, using virtual options for gatherings, staggering transitions to recess and lunch breaks, taking students outside more often and managing the flow of people in common areas including at pick up and drop off times · Health authorities will have the ability to introduce additional regional health measures specific to individual schools, groups of schools or entire school districts where community transmission rates are higher
|
| Still To Be Determined | |
| · After school sports / clubs
· Assemblies · Open House · Field trips |
|
***Please note things could change quickly based on direction from Fraser Health***
In addition to the COVID safety measures we must work within, the beginning of a new school year can be a time of uncertainty for enrolment reasons as well. Although tentative classes were put together in the spring, final organization cannot be done until September, as there are many families who will arrive or leave during the summer months. Even slight changes from projected enrollment numbers can create staffing changes and require that classes be reorganized once school has started in September. This can be very disruptive to all concerned.
Despite not being able to set our classes ahead of time, we want to ensure a smooth entry for our students. The staff at Chalmers has spent much time planning for our September opening and how we might alleviate some of the uncertainty around “back to school”.
Please read the following section carefully as it fully explains how students in Grades 1 – 7 will be organized for the first week of school (new Kindergarten students have already received information in the mail regarding the September gradual entry schedule):
- Students in Grades 1 – 7 will return to school on Tuesday, September 7, 2021, from 8:45 – 12:10 pm
- All returning students will report to the classroom that they were in during the 2020-21 school year
- Grade 6 Late French Immersion students who attended Chalmers for Grade 5 will report to their last year’s class on the first day of school. After attendance, they will be escorted to their Grade 6 LFI classroom.
- Grade 6 LFI students who attended a different school for Grade 5 will report to the gym. After attendance and a brief orientation, they will be escorted to their Grade 6 LFI classroom.
- All new students will report to the gym for placement in temporary classrooms
- School hours during the first week back will be as follows:
Tuesday – 8:45 – 12:10 pm
Wednesday – 8:45 – 2:00 pm
Thursday/Friday – 8:45 – 3:00 pm
During the first week of school, most students entering Grades 2 – 7 will work with the teacher they had during the 2020-21 school year. However, students entering Grade 1 will work with other teacher(s), as their last year teacher will be needed to welcome our new kindergarten students.
For the first day however, Ms. Hogg’s and Ms. Waugh’s former students are to line up at their old Kindergarten classrooms, and they will return to their old classroom for 15-30 minutes to re-connect. Assigned staff will then walk them to the classrooms that they will be working in (Library or Music Portable) and temporary teachers will work with them until they have been assigned to their new teacher/classroom.
Those students whose teacher is no longer at Chalmers will work with an assigned teaching staff member.
During the first week of school, students are asked to only bring a limited amount of school supplies (pencil box containing pencils and pens, pencil crayons, scissors, etc.). All other supplies should be left at home until they are assigned to their classes for the year. Our school supply lists can be found at the following link:
https://ch.deltasd.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/03/School-Supply-Lists-2021-2022.pdf
Please let us know if you have any questions and we look forward to a smooth start to a great 2020-21 school year!