Lambton-Kingsway Thursday Flash – Jan. 13, 2022

Posted on by LKSPC

This Week’s Update:

Friday, January 14th – P.A. Day – No School

Return to School

Lunch Time

Return of Computers and iPads (including charging cords)

Travel Outside of Canada

What If I Want to Keep My Child Home For A Short Period of Time?

Covid Case Reporting

Student Absences – Repeat

Covid Forms

Parent Council

No announcements at this time

Lambton-Kingsway students and families can be proud of the ease with which they shifted to remote leaning for the last two weeks.  All students were well prepared for learning and remembered the effective and helpful strategies that were used last year to allow learning to continue.  We thank our teachers for the work that they did over the Winter holiday to ensure that the transition to remote learning was smooth and seamless.  We look forward to our safe return to in person learning.

Friday, January 14 – PA Day:  January 14th is a Professional Activity Day for teachers with time for assessment and reporting.  There will be no school for students on this day.  

Return to School: On Wednesday, January 12th, the Government of Ontario announced that students would return to school on Monday, January 17th.  We are prepared for the return of our students to in person learning and look forward to learning in our classrooms.  Students are reminded of the following safety procedures:

  • Screen for Covid symptoms prior to coming to school using the NEW screening tool
    • If you do not have a Health Pass on the first day of school, one will be provided
    • NEW screening tool highlights.  You or anyone you live with must isolate for 5 days if fully vaccinated or 10 days if not fully vaccinated if:
      • You have one of: fever, cough, difficulty breathing or decrease or loss of taste or smell    
        1.  
      • You have two or more of: runny nose, nasal congestion, headache, extreme fatigue, sore throat, muscle aches or pain, vomiting or diarrhea
  • Parents are asked to sign the health pass each day to confirm active screening has taken place
  • Wear a mask at all times while at school
  • Avoid talking if you are eating
  • Maintain social distance of two metres when possible
  • Report any symptoms to parents or classroom teacher

At the school the following is in place to address Covid safety concerns:

  • Students will remain with their class in the school and while outside at recess and lunch
  • A Hepa filter is in every classroom and runs throughout the day
  • Windows are opened, where possible, to increase the flow of air
  • Students are reminded to continue to wear their mask at all times
  • An increased amount of fresh air is being brought into the building through the ventilation system
  • All staff complete a daily health screening and wear masks and other PPE when necessary

If students exhibit Covid-19 symptoms, test positive, live in the household of someone with symptoms or a positive test or are a close contact, there are guidelines are to be followed.  The guidelines for isolation are found in the screening tool on the TDSB website.

Lunch Time:  Our students do their best to avoid talking while eating in their classrooms during our supervised lunch time.  If, however, you wish your child to eat lunch at home, please be reminded that our K-6 classes dismiss at 11:20 a.m. and our Grade 7-8 classes dismiss at 11:05 a.m.  The afternoon entry bell rings at 12:20 p.m. for all students.  If your child is in Kindergarten to Grade 5, please inform your child’s teacher of this temporary change in routine.  If remaining home for lunch is a possibility, it would provide a respite for your child. 

Return of Computers and iPads:  If your child borrowed a computer or iPad for remote learning, they are to return these items along with the charging cords to their classroom teacher on Monday, January 17th or their first day back to school.  These devices are used daily in our classrooms.  Thank you for taking care of your item while home learning.

Travel Outside of Canada:  All students who return from travel outside of Canada must follow the federal requirements for quarantine and testing.  If a child or student is not fully vaccinated, they are not to attend school for a period of 14 days, even if they travelled with a vaccinated companion.

What Should I Do If I Want to Keep My Child Home for a Short Period of Time?: We understand that each family situation is different and there is some uncertainty as students return to school.  Parents are the most important caregiver in the family and make decisions that are best for their children.  We are returning to school in person and our teachers will be focused on teaching the students in the classroom which means that the Google Classrooms may contain some classwork but will not be as robust as during remote learning.  If you wish to keep your child at home for a few days or weeks, please ensure that you contact the main office to inform them of this decision to avoid frequent calls from our attendance line.

Covid Case Reporting:  Previously students and parents were informed of a positive Covid case in the class and if necessary, classes were sent home to isolate for a period of 10 days.  With the most recent government announcement, this will not continue to occur.  However, if we become aware of a positive Rapid Antigen test or PCR test in a class, we will notify the parents and students of this class in our effort to reduce transmission.  Also, if there is a daily absentee rate of more than 30% of the students, then all parents will be informed of this occurrence through a school wide email.  Lambton-Kingsway’s present enrolment is 628 students.  Parents would be notified if there are more than 188 students absent on any given day.

Student Absences (Repeat Announcement):  Student safety continues to be our top priority.  When a student is absent for an unknown reason our School Messenger system will call out to homes to confirm the absence.  If you know that your child will be absent, you can be proactive and call 1-833-250-2290 to the School Messenger system directly between 7:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to report the absence to our system.   You will be given several options for the absence: illness, appointment, family matter, weather or other.  While we are learning remotely, you may also want to send an email to your child’s teacher to inform them of the absence. 

Covid Forms

The Student Health Pass which was updated on January 5, 2022 is available on the main landing page of the TDSB website.  More information about the daily health screening is available here. 

Back to School Confirmation Form (presently being update) – If a child is home or sent home from school with symptoms of Covid this form should be completed and brought to school on the first day of return.

Lambton-Kingsway JMS 2021-2022 Parent Council

No announcements at this time.