Campus Re-Opening Logistics Senior School

We all have an important role to play in keeping our school safe and open for our students.  We ask that before you come to school each day, you use our Health Screening Tool to complete a self-assessment to ensure that you and your daughter are free from fever and other symptoms associated with COVID-19. Your daughter will be asked each day about her self-assessment.  Anyone who has symptoms outlined in the ‘COVID-19 Reference Document for Symptoms’ on the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 website will not be allowed access to the school.

 

Parents and students are also encouraged to download Health Canada's COVID Alert app to support early exposure notification. 

Wednesday, September 9th, will be the first full day of classes for all Elmwood students.  Senior School students should arrive between 8:00-8:20.  Parents are asked to drop students off at the designated drop off area in front of the Middle-Senior School Main Reception.  There your daughter will be greeted by a staff member who will help manage physical distancing and direct students to their designated entrance of the school.

When she enters the school, she will be welcomed, the screening protocol will be confirmed and she will be directed to sanitize her hands as part of her new school routine.  From there, she will head to her designated “hub” to start her day.

A map of drop-off location is here.

Your daughter will wear the summer uniform, which consists of a green polo shirt, tartan skirt, bike shorts, socks and black polished leather shoes.  Depending on the weather, she may also want to wear her Elmwood fleece jacket. Grade 12 students can wear their Grad Cardigan. 

The complete supplies list can be found on the website in the Parent Portal.  

Students in Grades 4-12 are required by the Ministry of Education to wear masks when they are in the school.  Each student is asked to bring her own non-medical masks- one she will wear into the school and one that she will store in a plastic bag or carrier in case she requires an extra mask over the course of the day.  Should she forget her mask, a disposable one will be provided to her.  Ms. Marchand’s Health Tips video provides helpful directions on how to safely put on and take off masks.

Students have the option of bringing their own nut-free lunch or participating in the Elmwood Bistro meal plan.  Details of the meal plan can be found here.  Students will eat their lunch with their cohort, in their hub or outside.  Click here to access the September menu.

Each Senior School student will be assigned to a cohort and a designated “hub” and will spend as much of the day as possible together.  As a group, they will take breaks, have lunch and spend time outside. Where students need access to specific facilities (science and art), these rooms will be cleaned before and after the rotation of cohorts.

The Senior School timetable will be as follows:

Period 1/2: 8:10am – 9:30am
Homeroom and Break: 9:30am – 10:00am 
Period 3/4: 10:00am – 11:20am
Period 5: 11:20am – 12:10pm
Lunch time: 12:10pm – 1:00pm
Period 7/8: 1:00pm – 2:20pm
Period 9/10: 2:25pm – 3:45pm

Students will depart school beginning at 3:35. A staggered dismissal will occur with Grade 11 and 12 leaving the building at 3:35 and Grade 9 and 10 leaving at 3:40. All students are required to be out of the building by 4:00 pm.

• If your daughter will be participating in the Elmwood Bistro meal plan, please complete the form here.  
• If you do not want your daughter travelling offsite with her “hub”, under the supervision of her teacher, please complete this form.
• Families living the in west end can participate in our pilot bus program by registering here.

Finally, in order to foster the safety of our students, staff, and parents in the Elmwood community, we ask that all parents agree to the following before our return to school on September 9th, 2020.

If a staff member becomes concerned that a student is exhibiting signs of illness, or if a student complains of symptoms, Ms. Marchand, Director of Health, Safety and Wellness will be engaged and the protocol outlined by Ottawa Pubic Health (OPH) will be followed. 

The student will be accompanied to the isolation room for further assessment and, should the symptoms be confirmed, a decision will be made to have parents pick-up the student and any other household contacts at school.  The isolation room and other affected areas will be cleaned as per ministry guidelines.

The student and other household members must self-isolate and it is recommend they get tested for COVID-19.  Testing must be conducted at one of OPH’s Assessment Centres with a  nasopharyngeal swab (NP swab) and all members of the household must self-isolate while awaiting the results.

In the event of a NEGATIVE result, students (and household members) who have had no symptoms for 24 hours may return to school.

In the event of a POSITIVE result, the household will be directed by OPH to self-isolate for 14 days.

Should the student choose not to get tested, they (and any household members) must remain home for 14 days.  Students who provide written proof of an alternate diagnosis from their Healthcare Provider, may return to school once they have been symptom free for 24 hours.  

In order to reduce any stress or anxiety associated with this procedure, every effort will be made to communicate to the students that this safety precaution is an important part of our regular health routine to protect our community. 

If a student is diagnosed with COVID-19, the Head will follow the directions from Ottawa Public Health to notify all of those that may have been in contact with the student. Contact tracing will take place in consultation with Ottawa Public Health, and some students and staff may need to self-isolate for 14 days.  During that time, students can be supported through At-Home Learning to ensure a continuity of education and connection.  

We encourage all members of our community to download Health Canada’s COVID Alert app to be notified if someone you were near recently has tested positive for COVID-19.

The Government of Canada has issued an Emergency Order under the Quarantine Act that requires any person entering Canada by air, sea, or land to self-isolate for 14 days whether or not they have symptoms of COVID-19.  Compliance is mandatory and enforceable.

In the event of a positive COVID-19 test results for any students or teacher, the Head of School and the Director of Health, Safety and Wellness will work with Ottawa Public Health, and our school’s case manager, to support contact tracing and the appropriate safety protocols.  As per the suggestion of Ottawa Public Health, information about the number of positive cases at the school will be available in a dashboard posted on the Return to School page of our website.  

When a teacher is required to stay at home, either for their own health reasons or the health reasons of a family member, the first and preferred option is to have their classes covered by a member, or members, of the on-campus teaching staff- including teachers who do not have their own class at that time and leadership team staff who can step in.  If required, we will access our list of preferred supply teachers.  These are teachers who have a known relationship with the school and have committed to not supply teach at other schools.
 

We understand there may be questions as the school year starts, and we are committed to getting you the information you need in the most efficient way. Director of Health, Safety and Wellness, Ms. Marchand, is supported by our Joint Health and Safety Committee which includes representation from each school division, our facilities team and the Elmwood Bistro. If you have a question related to health and safety at Elmwood, send your email to health@elmwood.ca and it will be directed to the person best suited to answer your question.