Dear Cordova Bay Families,
As we prepare for our first week back, I am reminded of the “building the plane while flying it” analogy. Thank you all for your amazing support and patience in getting things off the ground! This week, I am also reminded of a quote, one that I live by, which is: “The most important thing is remembering the most important thing,” Suzuki Roshi. As always, the most important thing is our collective health and safety – both mental and physical.
Cordova Bay Staff are very excited to welcome back students this Monday, June 1st. Please note, if you have not registered your child in the partial return to school program and now wish to do so, please contact the school at 250 658 5315 or <span lang="en-us" xml:lang="en-us">mheron@saanichschools.ca</span> As we are obliged to maintain a 50% school population density, at all times, we respectfully request that you DO NOT send your child, unless your child’s teacher has confirmed a Monday/Tuesday or Wednesday/Thursday class placement. Conversely, if you choose to withdraw your child from the partial return program, we thank you for communicating this with us as soon as possible, so we may plan for any students who wish to join us.
Thank you for taking time to read the important safety messages below. More than ever, your partnership and cooperation is critical.
With gratitude,
Mrs. ML Heron, Principal
Important Information for
Confirmed Monday/Tuesday Students
Confirmed Wednesday/Thursday Students
and Registered Essential Service Worker Students
For your child’s return to school, please note the following:
Health and Safety First
All students and staff are expected to complete a daily health screen BEFORE leaving home to come to school. Thrive BC has a helpful digital self-assessment tool found at: https://bc.thrive.health/
No individual should come to school if they:
• Are showing illness symptoms
similar to those of the flu or common cold: fever, dry cough, shortness of
breath, sore throat, stuffy/runny nose
• Have travelled outside Canada in the last 14 days
• Have been in close contact of a confirmed case or outbreak of COVID19
Action Plan if Symptoms Arise at School:
- Staff will go home
- Student will be kept safely separated from others and cared for; parents/caregivers will be asked to promptly pick up their child
- Students and
Staff may return once:
- 10 days have passed and symptoms have diminished, or;
- A negative COVID-19 test is shared with the Principal
Principal retains the right to turn away any student or staff member that is showing signs of illness.
Other Important Health and Safety Items
- In order to minimize traffic through the school, visitor access is restricted, until further notice. Parents and caregivers are kindly asked to remain outside of the school, unless an appointment has been made through the school office. Please contact Mrs. Tammy Cowley @ 250 658 5315 or tcowley@saanichschools.ca to arrange school access. We acknowledge that restricting school access is very counter to Cordova Bay culture; however, in keeping safety first, we are keen to minimize unnecessary traffic and cleaning of accessed areas.
- Routine and frequent environmental cleaning and disinfection will take place daily. We are fortunate to have additional custodial hours to support us over the month of June.
- Reduced student cohort numbers with increased space between desks has been established
- Alternating student attendance schedules are also in place
Pick-up and Drop Off (regular 8:40 start)
- Parents are encouraged to drop off students at either the front of school (supervised by Mrs. Heron and Mrs. Cowley) or at the back of school (supervised by Ms. Meausette and Ms. Jenkins). We will direct your child to their marked division line-up located at the back of the school for school entry.
- Your child’s teacher will then greet students at 8:35 at their lineup on the back blacktop to support a staggered transition into the building at 8:40.
- Pick-up will also be on the back blacktop and this too will be staggered.
- As we are wary of congestion, at both pickup and drop off, we encourage families to allow for safe physical distancing by leaving the line-up area, as soon as you have dropped off or picked up your child(ren). The front field and the top field are nice wide spaces that will allow for our families to reconnect and socialize safely. If your child is experiencing difficulty with this transition, staff will be available to support.
- Please note that the path access to the back of the school from the front, which runs along the side of the school next to the field, is blocked off. This will likely be blocked off for the remainder of the school year while construction of our new portables takes place. Thank you for not passing through the barricades placed there by our facilities staff. If you wish to access the back of the school from the front, please pass along the top field or use the pathway to the left of the school next to the 55+.
Please note the following changes to our school schedules for the month of June
Staggered Lunchtime
- K-2 11:15-11:45 (Lunch eating time - supervised by classroom teacher)
- K-2 11:45-12:15 (Lunch play time - supervised by EAs and Admin)
- Gr 3-5 & Gr 2/3 class 11:15-11:45 (Lunch play time - supervised by EAs and Admin)
- Gr 3-5 & Gr 2/3 class 11:45-12:15 (Lunch eating time - supervised by classroom teacher)
- NO RECYCLING OR COMPOSTING – pack in and pack out
Staggered Recess
- Gr 3-5 Classes & Gr 2/3 class – 1:00-1:30
- K-2 Classes – 1:30-2:00