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Monday January 10th School Restart

January 7, 2022

January 10, 2022

Dear Yale families,
Last week, our Superintendent shared all students will return to school on January 10, 2022 after an extended winter break, allowing schools to adapt to the impacts of the Omicron variant that is affecting our province. Over the last few days, our school has been busy preparing continuity of learning plans and enhanced safety measures in advance of students returning to school on Monday. It is with this letter that we wanted to remind families of our ongoing measures and share the enhanced protocols we are implementing to keep students and staff safe.

 

The following measures will be operational for all on-campus learning at Yale Secondary effective Monday, January 10, 2022. As we are bound to follow the PHO and K-12 Health Guidelines, staff and student safety take priority over all other considerations.

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT:

  •  All staff, students, essential visitors are required to always wear a mask while indoors
  • The exception to mask wearing is when seated for the purposes of eating, and for medical exemptions
  • All staff will be asked to review the proper fit of masks with their students
  • All staff, students, essential visitors are expected to observe healthy hand hygiene upon entry, after washroom use, and prior to and after eating
  • Daily cleaning/disinfection will continue throughout campus as usual

ILLNESS

  • All staff, students essential visitors are required to complete a daily health check (posted on front doors)
  • All staff, students, essential visitors are asked to stay home when experiencing symptoms of illness or when asked to self-isolate

STAGGERED ENTRY/EXIT

  • See attached map
  • Students are asked to enter the exterior door closest to their first period classroom. The same will be applied to afternoon dismissal - students will be asked to leave by the door closest to their classroom
  • Students who arrive late to school may enter through the front doors, as all exterior doors apart from the front doors will be locked by 8:15 am

SPACING

  • Classroom configurations should make maximum use of space available
  • Students should not be seated face-to-face, where possible

HALLWAY AND POINTS OF GATHERING

  • Student foyer furniture has been removed to discourage congregation
  • All hallways have a "stay right" direction of travel, with signage
  • Food service, such as pizza sales, apart from the Mane Street Cafe will be moved to the cafeteria

VISITORS

  • All visitors are limited to those who are deemed ESSENTIAL to student learning and/or health
  • All visitors must adhere to safety protocols as indicated on front doors (masks, hand sanitize, health check)

TOURNAMENTS & ASSEMBLIES

  • School gatherings, assemblies, events are now shifted to virtual platforms
  • Multi-school tournaments are paused
  • Interschool sports can occur
  • No spectators for any events

LUNCH BREAKS

  • The following schedule is effective January 10 and will include an extended third period to accommodate a staggered lunch to reduce crowding
  • The third period will be broken into four sessions: one for each grade level to receive a 36-minute lunch
  • Apart from the grade 11 lunch break, all classes, upon completion of lunch, will return to their period 3 class

BELL SCHEDULE

  • Warning Bell    8:05 
  • Period 1            8:10 - 9:21    71 minutes
  • Transition         9:21 - 9:26     5 minutes
  • Period 2            9:26 - 10:37  71 minutes
  • Transition         10:37 - 10:42 5 minutes
  • Period 3            10:42 - 1:25  36 minutes for lunch for each group, reduced hall capacity to 25%, 108 minutes of instruction time
  • Transition          1:06 - 1:11    5 minutes
  • Period 4             1:11 - 2:22    71 minutes

LUNCH BREAKS

  • Grade 12 lunch 10:42 - 11:18
  • Grade 9 lunch 11:18 - 11:54
  • Grade 10 lunch 11:54 - 12:30
  • Grade 11 lunch 12:30 - 1:06

Next Steps
The health and safety of students, staff, and our entire Yale Secondary community remains a priority and it is imperative that we all make every effort to keep each other safe. As we continue to support one another to remain healthy this winter, we remind you to conduct a daily health check for your child and keep them home if they are experiencing any symptoms.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns. Thank you for your ongoing understanding and cooperation.

Sincerely,

Rob Sloboda
Principal