August 30th, 2020
Dear Abraham Erb Parents and Caregivers,
Welcome Back! We are excited and looking forward to having our students back.
We hope that each of you are staying safe, staying active and excited about the new school year. This year is starting soon and we wanted to give you some information that should help answer a few of your questions.
For those students attending in-person classes, we hope to see you either Tuesday, September 8 or Wednesday, September 9th. The start of the school year is staggered across the WRDSB.
- If your last name falls between A-M: First Day back is Tuesday, September 8th, 2020.
- If your last name falls between N-Z: First Day back is Wednesday, September 9th, 2020.
ELEMENTARY DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAM:
Students will continue to be considered part of their home school, but shared with a “Distance Learning Program”. Students will most likely be grouped with students who are from different schools. Teachers will be teaching students not only from their school, but from schools across the region. Distance learning students will be grouped according to their grade-level, with the exception of French Immersion at Elementary.
All Elementary French Immersion (FI) students are grouped in the same program to maximize the use of our Distance Learning French Teachers. The amount of instructional time and subjects taught in French will be communicated to families between September 8 to 11.
The ELEMENTARY Distance Learning Program will be organized into these divisions:
- Junior Kindergarten/Senior Kindergarten
- Primary: Grades 1 to 3
- Junior: Grades 4 to 6
The program will begin with a focus on creating connection and a sense of belonging during the week of September 8 to 11. During that week, educators will focus on building relationships with students and families, ensuring that families have the appropriate technology for on-line learning or learning materials for tech-free learning, as well as establishing routines. In addition, educators will receive daily professional development in building their on-line classroom using either Brightspace/VLE or Google Classroom. Families will receive their child(ren)’s daily/weekly schedules from their child(ren)’s teachers during the week of September 8 to 11. Beginning September 14, DL schedules will begin for all staff and students.
Students and Educators teaching in the Elementary Distance Learning Program will continue to access resource supports from the home school. i.e., Guidance Teachers, Special Education Resource Teachers, English as a Second Language Teachers and Child and Youth Workers as needed. The home school in collaboration with the Elementary Distance Learning Teacher will also support the development of an Individual Education Plan (IEP) where needed.
If you wish to make a change from Distance Learning to In-Person learning, there are two natural transition points in the year:
November 10 (Progress Report Card), 2020
OR
February 3, 2021 (First Term Report Card).
To ensure that transitions between modes of learning minimize gaps in programming, all teachers, whether teaching in-person or Distance Learning, will follow a designated Long Range Plan for Mathematics. Here’s the link to the full post on distance learning.
https://www.wrdsb.ca/blog/2020/08/28/distance-learning-in-the-wrdsb-fall-2020/
IN-PERSON LEARNING – Health and Safety:
Staying healthy, safe, and secure is important! There is a list of things that you and your child can do to help keep the ABE ERB community healthy, secure, and safe:
- Follow distancing rules — 2 metres from your each other
- Wash or sanitize your hands often and after interacting with others
- Avoid touching your face
- Wear a mask when indoors, and when closer than 2 m (even outdoors)
Here is a great 47 second video clip to watch with your family. Layers of Protection.
More information can also be found at www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/health-and-wellness/return-to-school.aspx
IN-PERSON LEARNING – A Typical Day:
A day at school will look different this year.
- We will begin the year with staggered entry (different students on different days for the first 2 weeks). We will design this to work best with our community. This information will come to you NEXT WEEK. (Week of September 1).
- Students will remain in their classrooms for most of the school day, and rotary teachers will come to them (French, Music).
- Outdoor time will be scheduled throughout the day for cohorts. This will include time in the Outdoor Classroom, Physical Education, and breaks. Students need to be prepared to be outside each day, unless there is inclement weather.
- Students will have all of their regular subjects, but will not be moving throughout the school as much to reduce touchpoints and maintain distancing.
- All of these routines will be re-visited through the year and when we have permission to modify routines, we will be ready to do so. www.wrdsb.ca/blog/2020/08/14/returning-to-school-a-guide-for-families/
https://www.wrdsb.ca/blog/2020/08/27/day-in-the-life-elementary-students/
THE FIRST DAY ENTRY AND EXIT PROCEDURES:
We will be sending out a more detailed message regarding first day entry and exit procedures. Please take a moment to read it carefully.
While we understand your desire to come inside and drop your child at their classroom door, this year that will not be possible. Please do not enter the school.
Please plan your child’s day in advance and send everything that they will need with them.
Please make sure that your contact information is up to date.
APPOINTMENTS AND VISITORS:
In the interest of safety, please call or email us if you have a question. There will be no walk-in appointments. There will be no unauthorized, casual access to the building. Your cooperation and support is critical for maintaining community safety and well-being.
COVID 19 OUTBREAK PROCEDURES:
Here’s the link to the Ministry of Education’s message on Outbreak Management.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
We appreciate your questions. The protocols, procedures and day to day activities will minimize the risk of transmission and we will be ready for a great start to the year. The WRDSB has put together a list of FAQs that will help answer many of your questions. Frequently Asked Questions
BUS INFORMATION:
Bus info was released Monday, August 24th and information can be found at www.stswr.ca.
WHO TO CONTACT:
If you have questions, please continue to check our website at https://abe.wrdsb.ca/
and the WRDSB site at wrdsb.ca. By subscribing to these you will stay informed. Please call the school if you have any questions.
We all have a wide range of emotions with the reopening of schools. Our students will need their parents, family, teachers and friends to be calm, patient, understanding and supportive as we reopen. There will be different views, opinions and advice. Keeping our students safe, keeping them active and keeping them engaged will all be part of our reopening plan.
Thank you for your patience as we work through this unprecedented school start-up. We are excited to welcome you back and look forward to working together to keeping our children and staff safe, positive and engaging, and to provide our children with the best school experience possible.
Yours Sincerely,
Mrs. P. Kaur