September 3, 2021
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Welcome to the 2021-2022 school year! We were blessed with a warm and pleasant summer! I hope you had time to enjoy the outdoors, relax and spend time with family and friends. It is bittersweet to see the summer come to an end, but we are all eager to reconnect with our friends and staff members once again.
I would like to extend a special welcome to our new families who will be joining the St. John community. I look forward to working with you and helping you become acquainted with the many wonderful traditions St. John has to offer. To our returning families, I welcome you back to a new school year which promises to be filled with new initiatives and new opportunities. At. St. John, we come together as a community to collectively share our talents with our students in a faith filled environment. According to our new three year - Pastoral Plan based on the “Walking with Christ” theme, we are in the “With Eyes of Faith and Hope.” Let us continue to remind ourselves about the blessings we have when we collectively enjoy the gift of being at a Catholic faith- based school community in the province of Ontario.
We wish Dave Comacchio the very best in his new assignment as Principal at St. Joseph. I am very excited to be the Principal at St. John. As a former teacher at St. John, I feel very blessed to be returning to this community.
Please be assured that the health and safety of our students and staff is a priority and I am actively working with the TCDSB, the Ministry of Education and Toronto Public Health to take steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our school and provide a safe and happy school return for the students.
Please carefully read the items listed below:
Virtual School Option:If you have opted for Distance Learning for your child, they will be enrolled in a Virtual School and the Principal from the Virtual School will be in touch with you soon.
In-Person (FACE to FACE) Instruction:If your child is returning for “in-person”/face-to-face learning, the information below, will help you to understand the changes to our policy and practices designed to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in the school.
Start of the School Year:
Cohorts:Classrooms have been set up as per safety protocols with as much physical distancing as possible. All attempts will be made to limit time spent in withdrawal classes for supports such as Special Education. We will not be having reading buddies or lunch/office monitors at this time.
Masks:Students in all grades will be required to wear masks/face coverings (including cloth masks acceptable) indoor on school property including in hallways and on the school bus. The expectation is that parents will provide their child with a mask/face covering. Please send a few extra masks with your child in case they get wet or soiled. Masks should fit snugly at the nose and chin. (bandannas or scarfs are not considered suitable).
If your child requires a medical exemption from wearing a mask, please contact the office.
As Public Health has shared, wearing a mask will take time for children to adapt.
Hand Hygiene:The importance of hand hygiene will be focused on during the first few days of school and beyond. Soap and water and alcohol-free hand rub is available to all staff and students. Hand sanitizing will take place upon entering the classroom and at various points throughout the day as well as when your child returns from recess and before and after using classroom materials. The importance of coughing and/or sneezing in your sleeve or tissue as well as avoidance of touching eyes, nose and mouth with un-sanitized hands will be discussed with students.
Please do not send scented hand sanitizer to school with your child(ren).
Water Bottles:Water fountains will be unavailable. Each student will be required to bring their own labeled drink water bottle filled at home, kept with them during the day and new not shared. While we do have one water bottle refilling station available for use, we strongly encourage sending 2 bottles to avoid long line-ups for water at these stations.
Screening and Symptoms:In order to protect the health and well-being of all students and staff, parents MUST screen their children for symptoms of COVID-19 before they come to school. The most common symptoms of COVID-19 include:
Parents may also wish to download the Government of Canada COVID Alert app, which can alert you to possible exposure to COVID-19.
If your child has any symptoms of COVID-19 or if they are ill, they should stay at home.
You should continue to report your child’s absence through School Messenger
School Bus1st Week September 9-10 - ONLY students with Special Needs who travel on mini buses, mini vans, taxis and Wheelchair accessible vehicles will be provided with student transportation.
2nd Week - Starting September 15, 2021 – all other eligible students will be provided with student transportation, unless there is a significant driver shortage or other unforeseen issues related to COVID-19.
Screen at School:The TCDSB has developed a “Student Screening Passport” for the purposes of screening students upon arrival at school each day.
What if a child develops symptoms while at school?As directed by TPH, if a student develops COVID-19 symptoms while in school, they will be immediately separated from others and relocated to an ISOLATION ROOM until the student is picked up by the parents.
The student will be accompanied to the room by a staff member who will supervise the student until he/she is picked up by the parent/guardian.
Isolation rooms will be equipped with PPE kits including masks, gloves, face shields, disposable governs (worm by the staff member supervising) the student or staff with COVID-19 symptoms.
NOTE:
Symptomatic students will not be permitted to use the school bus (School Transportation).
It is extremely important that updated contact information is on file at school so that immediate contact can be made with parents without any delay.
PLEASE SEND THE FOLLOWING ITEMS WITH YOUR CHILD TO MAKE THE TRANSITION A SAFE AND HEALTHY SUCCESS:
Outdoor Education:
Our Educators will be using our outdoor space throughout the school day. This will provide important mask breaks, opportunity for movement breaks and fresh air for students and staff. Please ensure your child(ren) dress appropriately for the weather (including rain gear) and ease of movement.
Physical Education:For the time being all physical education classes will be conducted outside. Please ensure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather and ease of movement.
Indoor Shoes:Kindly provide an extra pair of shoes for indoor use only.
This pair of shoes should be labelled with your child’s name (preferably on the inner soles). It should be flat, closed in fit well, be safe and comfortable.
NOTE: The pair of shoes will stay at school.
School Hours:Our school hours will remain the same 8:30 am – 3:00 pm and supervision will begin at 8:15 am and parents are encouraged to drop students off as close to the bell time as possible, to support social distancing measures.
No adults will be allowed on the school premises at this time.
No adults will be permitted in the school building unless there is an emergency.
Arrival:Supervision will begin at 8:15 am
Upon arrival, students will be directed to line up in their designated class line. Kindergarten drop off will be at the front of the school and all other students will go to a designated line (labelled 1 – 15) in the school yard. For the first day, several staff members will be on duty to direct students to their appropriate line.
Please refrain from using the Notre Dame parking lot to drop off your children.
Dismissal:At the end of the school day, students will line up in their designated class lines to facilitate safe dismissal. Parents who are picking up will be asked to wait in a designated area and children will not be allowed to leave the class line until the teacher confirms that the parent is present. Students who walk home alone, are expected to leave the school grounds immediately.
Please not that school busses may not be available at the outset, so there will be more parents than usual who mask be picking up students. We will appreciate your patience and request that you maintain a distance of 2 metres between each other at all times, no social gathering will be permitted and please wear a medical mask.
School Visitors:When school resumes, access to the school will only be for staff and students.
We ask for your patience during the first few weeks.
Please keep the lines of communication open with your child’s teacher by writing a note to the teacher when you need to do so or if you have any questions to clarify.
Only visitors with an appointment prior to arriving at the school will be allowed to enter the building. They must complete a COVID-19 self-assessment, sign in at the entrance (including your contact information) and wear a mask.
How can you prepare your child for a good transition back to school?Here are a few things that you can do to help your child transition back to school:
Some things administrative staff will be working on in the next few days ahead:
Will there be any changes to the Reopening of Schools Action Plan?
You may have more questions on your mind regarding the return to school and we will always try our best to communicate the most recent and accurate information in a timely way. The TCDSB REOPENING OF SCHOOLS ACTION PLAN is an evolving document. It is available on the TCDSB website. It is updated as needed to reflect new information received from Toronto Public Health, the Ministry of Education, staff, families, stakeholders, and community partners. Please refer to this site for answers to frequently asked questions.
I am truly looking forward to welcoming our St. John Catholic School students back to school. I wish all our students and school families a wonderful, safe and healthy school year. If you have an questions, please contact the office at 416-393-5220.
Warm regards,
Ann DeAgazio
Principal
St. John Catholic School
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Welcome to the 2021-2022 school year! We were blessed with a warm and pleasant summer! I hope you had time to enjoy the outdoors, relax and spend time with family and friends. It is bittersweet to see the summer come to an end, but we are all eager to reconnect with our friends and staff members once again.
I would like to extend a special welcome to our new families who will be joining the St. John community. I look forward to working with you and helping you become acquainted with the many wonderful traditions St. John has to offer. To our returning families, I welcome you back to a new school year which promises to be filled with new initiatives and new opportunities. At. St. John, we come together as a community to collectively share our talents with our students in a faith filled environment. According to our new three year - Pastoral Plan based on the “Walking with Christ” theme, we are in the “With Eyes of Faith and Hope.” Let us continue to remind ourselves about the blessings we have when we collectively enjoy the gift of being at a Catholic faith- based school community in the province of Ontario.
We wish Dave Comacchio the very best in his new assignment as Principal at St. Joseph. I am very excited to be the Principal at St. John. As a former teacher at St. John, I feel very blessed to be returning to this community.
Please be assured that the health and safety of our students and staff is a priority and I am actively working with the TCDSB, the Ministry of Education and Toronto Public Health to take steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our school and provide a safe and happy school return for the students.
Please carefully read the items listed below:
Virtual School Option:If you have opted for Distance Learning for your child, they will be enrolled in a Virtual School and the Principal from the Virtual School will be in touch with you soon.
In-Person (FACE to FACE) Instruction:If your child is returning for “in-person”/face-to-face learning, the information below, will help you to understand the changes to our policy and practices designed to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in the school.
Start of the School Year:
- September 7 & 8. No school for students.
- School will begin for all students on Thursday, September 9.
Cohorts:Classrooms have been set up as per safety protocols with as much physical distancing as possible. All attempts will be made to limit time spent in withdrawal classes for supports such as Special Education. We will not be having reading buddies or lunch/office monitors at this time.
Masks:Students in all grades will be required to wear masks/face coverings (including cloth masks acceptable) indoor on school property including in hallways and on the school bus. The expectation is that parents will provide their child with a mask/face covering. Please send a few extra masks with your child in case they get wet or soiled. Masks should fit snugly at the nose and chin. (bandannas or scarfs are not considered suitable).
If your child requires a medical exemption from wearing a mask, please contact the office.
As Public Health has shared, wearing a mask will take time for children to adapt.
Hand Hygiene:The importance of hand hygiene will be focused on during the first few days of school and beyond. Soap and water and alcohol-free hand rub is available to all staff and students. Hand sanitizing will take place upon entering the classroom and at various points throughout the day as well as when your child returns from recess and before and after using classroom materials. The importance of coughing and/or sneezing in your sleeve or tissue as well as avoidance of touching eyes, nose and mouth with un-sanitized hands will be discussed with students.
Please do not send scented hand sanitizer to school with your child(ren).
Water Bottles:Water fountains will be unavailable. Each student will be required to bring their own labeled drink water bottle filled at home, kept with them during the day and new not shared. While we do have one water bottle refilling station available for use, we strongly encourage sending 2 bottles to avoid long line-ups for water at these stations.
Screening and Symptoms:In order to protect the health and well-being of all students and staff, parents MUST screen their children for symptoms of COVID-19 before they come to school. The most common symptoms of COVID-19 include:
- Fever (temperature of 37.8°C or greater)
- New or worsening cough
- Difficulty breathing
- Decrease or loss of taste or smell
- Nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain
Parents may also wish to download the Government of Canada COVID Alert app, which can alert you to possible exposure to COVID-19.
If your child has any symptoms of COVID-19 or if they are ill, they should stay at home.
You should continue to report your child’s absence through School Messenger
School Bus1st Week September 9-10 - ONLY students with Special Needs who travel on mini buses, mini vans, taxis and Wheelchair accessible vehicles will be provided with student transportation.
2nd Week - Starting September 15, 2021 – all other eligible students will be provided with student transportation, unless there is a significant driver shortage or other unforeseen issues related to COVID-19.
Screen at School:The TCDSB has developed a “Student Screening Passport” for the purposes of screening students upon arrival at school each day.
- For the first day of school parents are asked to print this form, conduct the screening, sign, and send it with your child on the first day of school.
- This TPH and TCDSB Board protocol; hence, without a signed copy of this form, your child will not be permitted to enter the school building. No expectations will be made as the school board is committed to maintaining the safety of all students and staff. We thank you in advance for compliance with this process.
- Parents are expected to conduct the screening, sign and send your child with the Student screening passport every day.
- Teachers will check for this document before entry into the school building. We request your cooperation with the completion of this document.
What if a child develops symptoms while at school?As directed by TPH, if a student develops COVID-19 symptoms while in school, they will be immediately separated from others and relocated to an ISOLATION ROOM until the student is picked up by the parents.
The student will be accompanied to the room by a staff member who will supervise the student until he/she is picked up by the parent/guardian.
Isolation rooms will be equipped with PPE kits including masks, gloves, face shields, disposable governs (worm by the staff member supervising) the student or staff with COVID-19 symptoms.
NOTE:
Symptomatic students will not be permitted to use the school bus (School Transportation).
It is extremely important that updated contact information is on file at school so that immediate contact can be made with parents without any delay.
PLEASE SEND THE FOLLOWING ITEMS WITH YOUR CHILD TO MAKE THE TRANSITION A SAFE AND HEALTHY SUCCESS:
- Backpack
- Lunch box/bag (child should be able to easily open and close all containers).
- Water bottle (2 are recommended). While a water bottle filling station will be available, water fountains will be closed off.
- Weather appropriate clothing (students will be going outside every day weather permitting)
- All items should be labeled with your child’s name. Please note that dress clothing that might be taken off during the day, such as sweaters/hoodies, should be clearly labeled to avoid confusion.
- Personal belongings brought to school should be minimized.
Outdoor Education:
Our Educators will be using our outdoor space throughout the school day. This will provide important mask breaks, opportunity for movement breaks and fresh air for students and staff. Please ensure your child(ren) dress appropriately for the weather (including rain gear) and ease of movement.
Physical Education:For the time being all physical education classes will be conducted outside. Please ensure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather and ease of movement.
Indoor Shoes:Kindly provide an extra pair of shoes for indoor use only.
This pair of shoes should be labelled with your child’s name (preferably on the inner soles). It should be flat, closed in fit well, be safe and comfortable.
NOTE: The pair of shoes will stay at school.
School Hours:Our school hours will remain the same 8:30 am – 3:00 pm and supervision will begin at 8:15 am and parents are encouraged to drop students off as close to the bell time as possible, to support social distancing measures.
No adults will be allowed on the school premises at this time.
No adults will be permitted in the school building unless there is an emergency.
Arrival:Supervision will begin at 8:15 am
Upon arrival, students will be directed to line up in their designated class line. Kindergarten drop off will be at the front of the school and all other students will go to a designated line (labelled 1 – 15) in the school yard. For the first day, several staff members will be on duty to direct students to their appropriate line.
- PLEASE USE THE DESIGNATED ENTRY POINTS AND EXITS (LYALL AVENUE, NOTRE DAME PARKING AREA ENTRANCE, ST. JOHN (FORMER PARKING LOT) ENTRANCE AND KINGSTON ROAD ENTRANCE
- KINDERGARTENS WILL BE DROPPED OFF THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING
Please refrain from using the Notre Dame parking lot to drop off your children.
Dismissal:At the end of the school day, students will line up in their designated class lines to facilitate safe dismissal. Parents who are picking up will be asked to wait in a designated area and children will not be allowed to leave the class line until the teacher confirms that the parent is present. Students who walk home alone, are expected to leave the school grounds immediately.
Please not that school busses may not be available at the outset, so there will be more parents than usual who mask be picking up students. We will appreciate your patience and request that you maintain a distance of 2 metres between each other at all times, no social gathering will be permitted and please wear a medical mask.
School Visitors:When school resumes, access to the school will only be for staff and students.
We ask for your patience during the first few weeks.
Please keep the lines of communication open with your child’s teacher by writing a note to the teacher when you need to do so or if you have any questions to clarify.
Only visitors with an appointment prior to arriving at the school will be allowed to enter the building. They must complete a COVID-19 self-assessment, sign in at the entrance (including your contact information) and wear a mask.
How can you prepare your child for a good transition back to school?Here are a few things that you can do to help your child transition back to school:
- Talk to your child about signage in stores that promote physical distancing
- Remind them to wash their hands often with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer. (Please do not send scented hand sanitizer with your child to school.)
- Remind them to sneeze and cough into their sleeve
- Remind them to avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth
- Practice the wearing of the mask. All good habits require practice.
Some things administrative staff will be working on in the next few days ahead:
- Reviewing class placements based on the pre-registration numbers and adjusting as necessary
- Building schedules that reflect the need for staggered recess and lunch periods to minimize traffic flow in the building
- Installing signage in and around the building to indicate traffic flow, as well as health and safety reminders and directions
- Exploring outdoor learning possibilities with teaching staff and developing schedules that maximize outdoor time
Will there be any changes to the Reopening of Schools Action Plan?
You may have more questions on your mind regarding the return to school and we will always try our best to communicate the most recent and accurate information in a timely way. The TCDSB REOPENING OF SCHOOLS ACTION PLAN is an evolving document. It is available on the TCDSB website. It is updated as needed to reflect new information received from Toronto Public Health, the Ministry of Education, staff, families, stakeholders, and community partners. Please refer to this site for answers to frequently asked questions.
I am truly looking forward to welcoming our St. John Catholic School students back to school. I wish all our students and school families a wonderful, safe and healthy school year. If you have an questions, please contact the office at 416-393-5220.
Warm regards,
Ann DeAgazio
Principal
St. John Catholic School