Montessori Buzz – Spring Break Message
Dear MA Families and Friends,
We have been asked by the Ministry of Education to share the following information with you:
“Thank you for continuing to follow the public health and safety measures that have kept schools open and safe for students and staff. It is our collective effort that continues to ensure your children can learn in the classroom.
As per recent announcements, the province has implemented a provincewide shutdown for four weeks in response to worsening trends in key health indicators across the province.
The mental health and well-being of children continues to be a key government priority and schools will remain open for in-person learning through the Provincial Emergency and Stay at Home Order. The Spring Break will continue as planned, from April 12th to 16th, and schools will reopen for in-person learning on April 19th.
In light of the recently announced measures, it is more important than ever that we continue to follow health advice over the Spring Break to do our part to keep schools open for in-person student learning.
At this critical point in the pandemic, the following public health measures are crucial to help prevent and limit the spread of COVID-19:
- Socialize with your own household.
- Stay home and get tested if you feel ill.
- Screen every day, including during Spring Break, for COVID-19 symptoms before attending child care or day camps. (The COVID-19 School and Child Care Screening Tool is available to assist families with symptom screening.)
- Practice good hand hygiene habits, masking and physical distancing.
- Refer to Ontario.ca/covidresponse to learn what public health measures are in place in our community.
- Refrain from travelling.
For the week of April 12th-18th, pharmacies that offer testing and assessment centres across the province will accept appointments from students and education staff for asymptomatic testing. Parents are encouraged to take advantage of this testing capacity to have their children tested to support a safe return to school on April 19th. Children attending child care, and child care staff, will also be eligible to access this testing.”
We ask our families and staff to resume your normal screening routine on April 19th. We also ask that all students bring home belongings from cubbies on Friday, as the school will go through its usual deep clean during the weeklong break. With the direction above from the province that we will return to class on April 19th, teachers will not send home workbooks and materials at this time.
However, if something drastic happens next week, the school will email families on Monday, April 19th, and use that morning for staff to access the school; in the afternoon, Elementary and Junior High parents will have scheduled time to pick up schoolwork and other items. Updates to Zoom schedules and class times for Lower and Upper Elementary will also be sent on that Monday from the classroom teachers; Junior High’s Zoom schedule will remain the same.
Toddler and Casa students will return to school on the 19th, as school closures already in place in other areas of the province do not affect these levels.
Have a safe, fun and restful break.
Sincerely,
Tina Sartori
Executive Director