August 31st, 2021
This message has been previously sent via School Day, however, some families have shared that they have not been able to access this letter. Our apologies.
Please find below the letter sent Monday, August 30 via School Day.
Dear Driftwood Park Public School Families,
It has been a busy summer of changes in the WRDSB and at Driftwood and there have been a few additional changes to the start of the school year. As the information changes very quickly it is best to continue to check the following websites for the latest updates:
1.) Class lists and communication to parents – traditionally the class lists have been posted either in paper (past practice) or digitally (current practice) on the Friday before Labour Day weekend. I do want to reassure everyone that class lists are completed, but the School Day access has not yet been made live. I can however share with you who is teaching the various classes and that might help to shed some light on who the teachers for this year will be. The list should be live sometime on Saturday, September 4th.
New Staff to Driftwood
- Lainson – Gr 1/2
- Duhra – Kindergarten
A.Kennedy – Gr 2/ 3
- Mota – Gr 5/ 6 and 2/3
- Wall – ACE
Kindergarten
K1 – L. Coles & S, Duhra- Teachers- L. Longpre DECE
K2 – J. Rose – Teacher – J. Wismer – DECE
K3 – E. Mavity Teacher – D.Schmidt DECE
English classes
1A – C. Fiddler
1/2A – M. Lainson
2/3A – C.Davis
3/4A – L. Ruetz
4A – D. England
5/6A – H. Quashair
5/6B – E. Harrow
French Classes
1AF – J. Rock & J. Bearinger
1BF – J. Rock & J. Bearinger
2/3AF – J. Lamba & A. Kennedy
2/3BF – J. Lamba & A. Kennedy & M. Mota
3/4AF – J. Morell & J. Taghizadeh
4/5AF – J. Chaumont
5/6AF – L. Petean & S. Doyle
6AF – L. Petean & S. Doyle
ACE Class
- Wall
Rotary Teachers
- Couzens
- Strickland
- Holtby
- Taghizadeh
Special Education
- Tully
- Qushair
2) Starting dates and times for September return to school -All students will be returning to school on Tuesday, September 7th as a reminder this includes all JK and SK students as well. All staff will be outside of the school with class lists to assist.
We want you to know that we have the safety of your child and our community at the front of our minds. We appreciate your cooperation and patience as we enter into our second year of COVID and schooling.
What to expect on the first day of school…
Please arrive promptly at our bell time of 9:05 AM. All teachers will be outside on our field/tarmac holding up a sign with their name and room number on it. If your child is old enough, please allow them to enter the school grounds independently to reduce foot traffic and support social distancing. Your child will locate their teacher and line up in the space provided allowing for 2 metre distancing. Students will then be brought to their classroom through different entrances practicing proper hand hygiene upon entry (i.e., hand washing/hand sanitizer). At the end of the day, please arrange a pickup spot with your child(ren) away from the main building on the school grounds (i.e., the corner, edge of the field) when possible. If your child is young, you may meet them at their exit door. Please remember social distancing at all times.
Please make every effort to be at school on time. However, if you do come late, please come to the front doors and we will buzz you in. A staff member will meet and greet your child(ren) inside, as we continue to limit the number of parents and visitors coming inside the building. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate this process for managing student arrivals and keeping everyone safe. Please make every effort to book appointments outside of the school day to reduce the amount of exposure, movement, and contacts in the school. We request that families leave the school grounds immediately after meeting their children. We ask that you do not socialize on the school grounds.
Families are asked to send minimal items to school daily. This can include a change of clothes for the younger children, water bottles, sun protection, and their food for the day, families are encouraged to remember to pack cutlery and napkins which they may need. Parents should provide a baggie for students to place their mask in while eating or for outdoor play. All items should be labeled. Due to the risk of contamination, all lunches will now be a “boomerang lunch”. This means that everything that is brought to school will be returned (i.e., food waste, packaging). We know that this can sometimes be messy, using baggies for containers or using reusable containers with lids would be appreciated.
At the forefront of all we do, is the health and safety and well-being of all of our students and staff. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we work through these uncharted territories. Let’s all work as a community to ensure everyone’s safety. If your child is feeling ill (please refer to the Daily Screening Student Checklist in the Guide for Families), please keep your child at home so that we can continue to keep everyone safe. Here is the link:
https://covid-19.ontario.ca/school-screening/
We look forward to working with you and your child(ren) again this year. We truly appreciate all of your support and cooperation.
Take care,
Jeff Bumstead
Principal
Driftwood Park Public School