Dear Stonecrest Families:
We are excited to welcome your children back to school next week! We have been working to prepare our school for your return. Here are a few things you should know which may help you and your child to prepare for our first day of attendance on Tuesday, September 6th
Tomorrow, we’ll be sending you an email that has your child’s homeroom, teacher name, and entry door for the school by SchoolMessenger. We thank you for your patience and understanding as we have been working diligently getting our new student information system and database up and running after last year’s system was sunsetted over the summer.
For our kindergarten families, we’ll also be sending you a slide deck with additional information.
Here’s some of the information that will be included in the message going home Friday, September 2nd.
Arrival/ End of Day
Please let your grade 1-8 child know that when they enter the yard between 9:00-9:15, they should go to their designated door to meet their teacher and line up. Teachers will have signs, name tags, and for kindergarten, coloured crowns.
For kindergarten students taking the bus, our school team will be greeting them right off the bus, and walking them into the kindergarten yard.
If you are driving your K-8 children to school today, please note that there is NOT a kiss ‘n go lane. If you are dropping your children off at school, please park in a designated parking spot and ensure that they are walked safely to the sidewalk in front of the school. The curb in front of the school (formerly Kiss ‘n Go last year) will be used for school transportation vans. Please do not park or stop there. For younger students, we invite you to walk your children to the gate along the side of the school (towards the bus loop) where staff will be available to assist them entering the yard and finding their teachers and educators.We ask parents and families to please not enter the school yard to drop off their children.
If it is after 9:15, please bring your children to the front door and ring the bell, where our office team will be there to assist you.
If you are picking up your child by car at the end of the day, please park in a designated spot. We invite you to come and wait on the stairs of the school or under the overhang if it’s rainy. For our pick up at the end of the day, all students will be leaving at the bell at 3:45.
Questions about Busing:
Please check the Ottawa Student Transportation Authority website, or call our main office at 613-832-5527 if you are not able to find the information you need.
COVID-19 Updates:
● The daily COVID -19 self assessment tool for schools and child care settings will continue to be available and staff, students and visitors are encouraged to use it and follow its guidance.
● schools will be a mask friendly environment where students,visitors, and staff who choose to wear a mask will be able to do so free of any harassment and masks will continue to be provided for those who want them,
● promoting proper hand and respiratory hygiene will continue, hand sanitizer will continue to be provided,
● RATs will continue to be available in schools for students who request them.
● curricular or classroom adaptations required for pandemic purposes are no longer in place,
● athletics, extra-curricular activities, assemblies or other gatherings or meetings,are no longer subject to restrictions, but we will continue to be sensitive to the comfort level of students, staff and parents when organizing such activities/events,
What families can do to prepare:
Talk with your child about returning to school. Focus on the joy of learning, seeing their friends and reconnecting with staff, and building routines. Some parents have asked about the OCDSB School Supplies List (FYI most teachers prefer pocket folders to the duotangs or binders suggested on this list, so you may wish to wait to hear from your child’s teacher first). This is voluntary (but appreciated). Here’s the link to the OCDSB webpage about school supplies
Reminders from the Main Office
A reminder to those families with children who have medical needs, please submit updated medical forms as soon as possible. The forms can be found on our Stonecrest Website under Parent Resources/Forms, or you can call the main office at 613-832-5527 and we will send them to you.
Should your child be absent throughout the year, you are responsible for notifying the school office. Please call 1-833-202-1417 and follow the prompts or use our SchoolMessenger Safe Arrival App (please see the left hand side of our home page on the Stonecrest Website.
Emergency Contacts: Again this year, it will be important that you ensure that either you or your emergency contacts would be able to come and get your children from school quickly if they are ill. We will be reaching out to you to verify emergency contacts in the coming days.
A Warm Welcome
Our entire staff is so excited to welcome students back to school. Watch for more information from the school and from your child’s teacher.
Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. The school number is 613-832-5527 and we are here to help. We wish you a wonderful long weekend.
Sincerely
Nancy Dlouhy Mark Hooper
Principal Vice-principal