September 17, 2020
Welcome back everyone! It’s been wonderful to have the children back in the building! They have impressed me with how they have embraced the many demands placed upon them. They have continued, in trying times, to be kind and encouraging to each other, as together we work through our new reality. I appreciate your support in reinforcing and modeling the Health & Safety Protocols as outlined by the Ministry of Health and the BCCDC.
We’d like to warmly welcome all new students. You’ve landed in a wonderful school and we are so glad that you are here! Changes in staffing are: Ms. Nisha Arora is our Youth & Child Care Worker, replacing Miss Meghan Connorton. Ms. LouLou is currently on a leave and we will keep you posted on her replacement. Mrs. Alex Saunders will be leaving us for maternity leave on October 5. We wish her all the very best on this new chapter in her life’s journey. I’m pleased to announce that Miss Heather Littlejohn will be returning to us in Mrs. Saunders’ position for the current school year. Our new Speech & Language Pathologist is Ms. Samantha Teters. Welcome to the Blacklock Family!
As a reminder, when dropping off and picking up your child, we ask you to respect the 2 metre physical distancing requirement and our request that there is no lingering on the school grounds. We understand the temptation to visit, hug, and ‘catch up’ with other parents; unfortunately, these are challenging times that require everyone’s cooperation and commitment to keeping our school and community safe. We are relying on you to come alongside us to accomplish this goal. Together we can do this!
Health and Safety continues to be our top priority. Thank you for completing daily health checks with your child and doing your part to ensure our school community is healthy and safe. If you have not submitted your form to the school, please do so as soon as possible.
The BCCDC and BC Ministry of Health has changed guidelines around daily health check procedures. Notably, they have reduced the number of symptoms and included recommendations on what families should be doing in the event of an illness.
Health Check Form – Revised 2020Sep
Please read the new Daily Health Check Form (by clicking on the above link) and use it as a reference when completing the daily health check with your child. The revised form will be coming home with your child tomorrow. You are not required to complete or submit a new daily health check form if you have already sent one in to the school. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us.
If you haven’t already, please complete and return to your child’s teacher the forms that came home to you in a large Brown Envelope.
Please remember to advise the Office if your child will be late or staying home for any reason.
Agendas were handed out this week. This is an important tool to support your child with planning, organization, and communication with your child’s teacher. If you haven’t taken the time to flip through the agenda, I would highly recommend that you do so, as you will find many useful tools to support your child. These agendas are provided to you at a reduced cost of $5.00 and we ask that you submit payment through School Cash Online by September 30. Please note that to register for the first time, you will need your child’s legal name, Student ID#, and date of birth. If you need help with signing up/logging into School Cash Online, please contact the Office.
Our annual Meet The Teacher evening will take on a new look this year. I have asked teachers to prepare a “Meet The Teacher” video, which they will host in their classroom, so that you will be able to see the environment that your child is learning in. Here they will share important information about class procedures, curriculum guidelines, and the creative ways in which they are delivering learning to your child. We have schedule these videos to be launched at 3:00pm on Tuesday, September 29. Please feel free to follow up with any questions or concerns to your child’s teacher via e-mail. As always, I am here to support your children in their educational journey.
Picture Day is coming Tuesday, September 29. We have been assured by our photographers that all health & safety protocols will be adhered to and that we can make this a safe event for all involved. In the event that you miss this picture day, the retake day has been scheduled for October 20. After Picture Day, you can order pictures on mylifetouch.ca using your Portrait ID and Access Code. These can be found on the Order Form, which will be sent home with your child on Picture Day.
As students will be outside as much as possible, please ensure that your child has appropriate footwear and, in the case of inclement weather, rain jacket, boots, hats, etc.
If interested, here is information regarding student insurance –> Insurance – FARP newsletter -Aon BC
Have a great weekend! See you on Monday morning!
Susanna Eppich, Principal
CALENDARHere are the upcoming calendar updates:
September 25 – School Improvement Day – No School for Students
September 29 – Individual Photo Day @ 9:00am
– Meet The Teacher Video Release
September 30 – Orange Shirt Day
October 12 – Thanksgiving Day – School is Closed
October 20 – Retake Photo Day
October 23 – Professional Development Day – No School for Students
For access to our District Community Bulletin Board, please click here: Community Bulletin Board. There are always new flyers that may be of interest to you.