Campus Re-Opening Logistics Junior 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.

Families of students in Grades 1 to 5  should arrive between 8:00 and 8:20 am.  

Parents are asked to practice “kiss n’ go” procedures for drop-off– say goodbye to your daughter from the car and let her out at the designated student drop off area in front of the Junior School.  There your daughter will be greeted and should enter the building through the front door. Mrs. Blackadar or Ms. Hanratty will be inside the front hall to  welcome your daughter. She will  have her temperature taken and be directed to sanitize her hands as part of her new school routine.  Once she has been screened, she will enter her classroom under the supervision of her teachers to start her day. 

At this time, the girls from Grades 1 to 5 will not play outside from 8:00 to 8:20 am in the morning. Morning recess has been lengthened by 10 minutes to give them more time to play.

A diagram indicating key drop-off and pick-up areas is here.

Your daughter will wear the summer uniform, which consists of a white polo shirt, green skirt, bike shorts, and socks.  Depending on the weather, she may also want to wear her Elmwood fleece jacket. All clothes should be laundered before being worn back to school.  

In terms of footwear, she should have a pair of indoor shoes and a pair of outdoor shoes or boots.  Currently, black indoor shoes are optional.

 Uniform items can be ordered here.

The complete supplies list can be found on the website in the Parent Portal.  In order to reduce any risk of cross-contamination, supplies will remain at school.  Please ensure items are properly labelled.

Students in Grades 4-12 are required by the Ministry of Education to wear masks when they are in the school– and students in Grades 3 and under are strongly encouraged to do the same.  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. Marchard’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 and snacks to school or participating in the Elmwood Bistro meal plan.  Details of the meal plan can be found here.  Lunches and snacks will be eaten in the classroom.  Click here to access the September menu for Junior School.

We have staggered dismissal for the Junior School. Kindergarten students are dismissed at 3:00 pm as usual. The school day for Grade 1-3 will end at 3:15 pm.  Grades 4 and 5 will be dismissed at 3:30 pm. Students registered for the After Care Program will be directed to the lunchroom.  All other students will proceed outside under the supervision of their teachers and will meet their parents in a designated area. 

• Please help us better understand your daughter’s access to technology by completing this form. 
• If you would like your daughter to be registered in the after-care program, please complete the form here. 
• If your daughter will be participating in the Elmwood Bistro meal plan, please complete the form here.  
•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 Junior School 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. 

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.