September 4, 2020 Weekly Parent Memo

Good afternoon Everyone,

I’d like to start off by thanking the entire Holy Cross Educational Staff and Parent Community for their dedication and support in helping us embark on the Restart Plan for our students on September 10. It has been challenging but also inspiring to work with such a group of creative individuals.

Please read through the following information carefully.

Parent Participation
As indicated in a previous memo, some Parent Participation Portfolios have had to be modified to comply with COVID-19 regulations. Your Team Leaders will be contacting you very soon to inform you of those modifications if required. Although the portal states 50 Volunteer Hours as our annual expectations (40 hours volunteer participation and 10 hours fundraising), we fully understand that these expectations will also be slightly adjusted to align with the modifications. On Wednesday, September 9 at 9:00am, our Parent Participation Portal link will become active on the website under the “Parent Info” heading on the front page. Information regarding parent volunteer opportunities for our annual Walkathon Fundraiser on October 9 will be posted and forthcoming early next week.

Gym Strip
Parents wanting to purchase Gym Strip can do so outside of the School Gym on September 14 – September 17 from 3:00-3:30pm.

School Uniform
Spring Uniform is still in effect at Holy Cross Elementary School until Friday, October 2.

This year due to COVID-19, Students will be permitted to wear their comfortable running shoes with their spring uniform until October 2. After October 2, regular uniform regulations go into effect. A reminder letter regarding school uniforms will be issued next week.

Health & Safety Plan Reminders (Please ensure that you go through the revised document carefully as posted on the website)

  • The School Safety Plan and Student Daily Health Checklist are listed on our website under “COVID-19 Documents”. Please do not send your child to school if they are sick. If they present allergy symptoms, we will require documentation of those allergies. 
    • If your child is absent, you must inform the school office as regular procedure.
  • If your child wishes to wear a mask, that will be up to you as parents. Please note that Grade 6 and 7 students will be provided with two reusable cloth masks to be worn outside their cohort as per COVID-19 recommendations for middle-school aged students and also at their discretion.
    • We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the Montagano Family and BC MedEquip for providing these masks for our Grade 6 & 7 Students.
  • The school drinking fountains on the upper and lower floor have now been replaced with filtered water bottle stations so it is recommended that your child brings a water bottle with them to school.
  • We are discouraging parents from coming to the school to drop-off lunches, so please provide you child with plenty of snacks and a hearty lunch each day.
  • We will be encouraging a great deal of outdoor activity, so it is important that your child has a jacket or sweat top in their possession on a daily basis.
  • All personal items must be labeled with your child’s name (including their mask).

Pick Up & Drop Off
Morning Drop Off

  • Students are expected to be dropped-off no earlier than 8:30am as per normal drop-off procedures. From there, they will be sent to their designated holding areas. Please note there are no extra-curricular activities in the morning.

After School Pick Up
Please note that our after school pick up will be altered due to social distancing and will be as follows…

  • 2:45 – Primary Grades
  • 2:55 – Intermediate Grades
  • It is the expectation that all Students are off the school grounds by 3:10pm unless they are involved in TAC or extra-curricular programming.
  • As of 2:55pm, the adventure playground and the areas surrounding it will be out of bounds.

For Parents
Please understand that access to the building during the school day will be highly restricted. If you require to enter the school, only do so through the front office. If you wish to speak to a teacher, please make prior arrangements and it will need to take place after 3:10pm.

Parent social discussions held outside the school should be modelling social distancing at all times.

School Masses
School Masses will now be class only based (Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 2, etc…) and will take place on a weekly basis. However, due to COVID-19, attendance at these Weekly Masses will be restricted to the students, teachers, and priests to adhere to the 50 MAX RULE.

Hot Lunch
Hot Lunch will be starting later in September. However, due to COVID-19 Regulations, the program will be restricted to Pizza Lunches only. This will apply until the end of December and then will be re-evaluated. Order forms and further information will be forthcoming over the next few weeks.

Fall Fundraisers

  • The Annual Walkathon will take place on October 9 from 9:00-12:30pm.
    • Some modifications will be required and further information is forthcoming.
  • The Parish Salmon BBQ will take place on September 20 and will not take place in its typical format. However, this year we will be providing opportunities after Masses on September 20 for parents to purchase frozen filets of fresh salmon in our school parking lot. More information forthcoming.
  • Our Oktoberfest Event will take place in late October in the form of a raffle this year. More information will be forthcoming.

Important Dates

  • September 10 – School starts at 8:55am and ends at 2:55pm. TAC begins.
  • September 20 – Salmon BBQ (Frozen salmon sale)
  • September 21 – Start day for those families who selected the Temporary Transition Return Option (Option 4).
  • September 26 – First Communion for current Grade 3 class (more details forthcoming)
  • October 9 – Annual Walkathon
  • October 12 – Thanksgiving Holiday (No Classes)
  • November 10 – Afternoon Pro-D (Dismissal at noon)
  • November 11 – Remembrance Day Holiday (No Classes)
  • November 20 – CISVA Pro-D (No Classes)
  • December (TBA) – Parent Teacher Conferences
  • December 18 – Dismissal at noon for Christmas Break
  • December 19 to January 3 – Christmas Break
  • January 4 – School Reopens
  • February 11 & 12 – Catholic Educators Conference (No Classes)
  • February 15 – Family Day Holiday (No Classes)
  • March (TBA) – Student Led Conferences
  • March 13 to March 28 – Spring Break
  • March 29 – School reopens
  • April 1 – Holy Thursday (Noon dismissal)
  • April 2 – Good Friday (No Classes)
  • April 5 – Easter Monday (No Classes)
  • April TBA – Grade 7 Confirmation
  • April 24 – Grade 2 First Communion
  • May 14 – Holy Cross Parish Golf Tournament (Dismissal at noon)
  • May 24.- Victoria Day (No Classes)
  • June (TBA) – Sports Day
  • June 25 – Last Day of School for Students
  • Please note that all of the above dates are subject to change as per the progression of the current COVID-19 situation.

If you are finding that you have not received certain memos in recent weeks, they are automatically posted on the front page of our website and also under “COVID-19 Communications Archive” in the “COVID-19 Documents” menu.

Please appreciate that I have tried to spread the outflow of information out as best as possible. However, the information that I have provided in this memo is important and relevant to your child’s school year and planning. Therefore, please take the time to go through the information provided so it will help you plan your year accordingly.

Looking forward to seeing you next week,

Have a wonderful Long Weekend,

Mr. Dino Alberti
Principal

2020-09-04T23:37:46-07:00