September 3rd, 2021
Welcome to Westmount 2021-2022
Hello Westmount Wildcats! We are so excited to see you very soon!
For all of our families and students, there are some expectations that we need EVERYONE to follow and respect this year in order for us all to remain safe and healthy at Westmount school. This pandemic continues. Let’s continue being very careful!
We are asking all families to read the following list and encourage one another to cooperate and support one another in following these expectations upon our return to school.
This year will be very different again. It’s a different kind of school experience. Our focus is keeping everyone safe and healthy while they are learning. The following list of expectations has been developed based on Public Health, Ministry of Education and our School Board directives. We are grateful for your ongoing patience and support. We know this is not easy and there may be a lot of angst. When we all work together, calmly and patiently supporting one another, we will make it a fantastic school year!
- If you are sick, do NOT come to school. We want you to stay home and rest until you feel better. We want you to feel better for 24 hours BEFORE you come back to school.
2. We wear masks at school. We are grateful that everyone has been so respectful, wearing masks when you come to school. We encourage parents to continue with this practice when you bring your children to school. We hope you have taken some time to find some comfortable, fun masks for your child. Please put their name on their mask and if you can, send an extra mask each day (just in case!). Your child does not have to wear their mask when they go outside for recess with their cohort this year.
3. We continue working to minimize traffic in the school and keep the building super clean for our students and staff. Parents and visitors may buzz at the front door and staff will come out to support.
4. Please do NOT drop off items for your child throughout the day if they forget things (ie., their lunch, a water bottle or a raincoat). We have extra food if your child forgets their lunch and will take care of their needs.
5. Please try to make all appointments (doctor, dentist, counselling, etc.,) OUTSIDE of the school day. Picking up your child mid-day is not ideal as it creates extra movement. Please try to avoid this.
6. Students MUST come on time to school this year. School begins at 9:00am. Students will meet teachers at their designated meeting place and then enter the building.
7. We are asking parents not to congregate on the playground. As you and your child settle into routines, we would ask that you consider meeting your child at a place offsite or away from the playground. Please move as quickly as possible off the playground when you have all of your family members. Social distancing needs to be respected at all times.
8. The parking lot is only for staff. We are encouraging all students to walk to school.
9. The playground structure is CLOSED immediately before and after the school day. This year students will have the opportunity to use the creative playground when their cohort is in that zone during nutrition break.
10. Students are only required to bring one set of shoes. They will wear these shoes inside and outside of the school right now. If it rains and they wear rain boots, they are welcome to bring a pair of shoes to wear inside the building. They will take both the boots and shoes home that day after school. The same will hold if it snows: wear boots and bring shoes.
11. We are asking students to minimize what they bring to school. Please leave all toys at home. All that is required is a backpack, lunch and perhaps several water bottles for the day. These should be labelled with your child’s name.
12. Water fountains are closed. Our water bottle filling stations are available but ours require touching to make them work; they are not censored. You may want to send several water bottles with your child to get them through the day in order to avoid touching the filling stations.
13. Staff will be communicating with families via online classrooms. Please make sure your teacher has your email address.
14. Given the protocols that we have to follow if your child becomes ill during the day, we are asking that you please make an extra effort to ensure that the school can always reach you. We will need you or someone to come immediately to pick up your child if we call.
This is quite a list, yes?! We are excited to be back together again and we are asking everyone to strictly follow the above guidelines for us all to remain safe.
If you have any questions, please reach out to your classroom teacher online. They will be more than happy to support you in any way they can. Our office staff and administration are also available to answer questions. We want you to feel safe and comfortable that your children are being cared for and supported. This will be a different year, but a special one. We look forward to partnering with you in supporting your child’s growth and development in 2021-2022!
Take good care,
Westmount Staff