Dear St. Bernadette Families,
A warm welcome back to school and routines. The uncertainty of the last five and a half months has greatly impacted all aspects of our lives. Over the last few days, we worked hard to ensure a safe and caring environment for our students and staff. Health and safety will continue to be a top priority as we re-open our school. We welcome back 210 out of 274 students through the doors of St. Bernadette’s. 23% of our student population has opted for remote, on-line learning and although they will be under the umbrella of a Remote school, we continue to keep these children and their families a part of our special St. Bernadette Community.
A special note of appreciation and gratitude to Mr. Harack and his phenomenal custodial team. The school is spotless and we are ready to begin learning. I also wish to thank Mrs. Pacelli and Mrs. Sheppard for all of their hard work in organizing transportation, registrations, consumables and so much more.
I have spent the last couple of weeks prepping for our opening and I am excited to welcome the staff back to school. They have worked hard organizing the classrooms for your children.
Classroom Teachers
FDK – Ms. Tarantini and Mrs. Arsenault – FDK Yard *
FDK- Mr. Scuilli and Mrs. Phipps – FDK Yard*
SK/Grade 1- Mrs. Quinn – South East Door*
Grade ½ – Ms. Olek – South East Door*
Grade 2 – Mrs. Hastings – North East Door*
Grade 3 – Ms. Agnew – South Door*
Grade 3/4 – Ms. DiTrani – South Door*
Grade 4/5 – Mr. Alvarez – North East Door*
Grade 5/6 – Ms. Commisso – South Door*
Grade 6 – Ms. Richardson – South Door*
TD Class – Ms. Welk and Ms. Gould – North East Door*
*- Entrance and Exit Doors
Itinerant Teachers
Music- Mr. Davis
French- Mdme. Quindamo, Mme. Villegas
Phys Ed- Mrs. Stephens
Core Resource – Mrs. Sanders, Ms. Hayden
Library – Mrs. Cote
Educational Assistants
Mrs. Hazlett
Mrs. Bromby
Mrs. Grant
Ms. Cockburn
Ms. Bolton
Mrs. Standford
Mrs. Overweg
Mrs. McArthur
Ms. Quirt
Lunch Time Supervisors
Ms. Salau
Ms. Notarianni
Mr. Snider
Mr. Fauchon
Health Supervisor
Mrs. T. Sheppard
Lunch Time Office Support
Mrs. R. Sheppard
We ask that parents drop off and pick up their children as close to bell times (9:10 am and 3:40 pm) as possible. No vehicles will be permitted in the bus loop from 8:30 – 9:15 and from 3:15 – 4:00 pm due to bus traffic. We ask that parents park in the East lot or on the road. Drivers are asked to be very cautious and patient entering and exiting the school parking lot. Please remember not to idle your vehicle and the handicapped spaces are reserved for those requiring accessibility accommodations.
Should you wish to enter the yard on the first day of school, it is important to remain socially distant (2 meters) and wear a mask when social distancing is unable to be achieved.
Drop off and pick up will be directly from the FDK /Primary teacher at their entrance/ exit doors at bell times. See entrance/exit doors outlined above beside each classroom teacher’s name. We ask that once you have dropped off / picked up your child, you immediately vacate the area, as we expect congestion.
Students taking the bus are asked to be at the bus stop 10 minutes prior to their pick-up/drop off time. Buses are typically late the first day, quite possibly the first week. If the bus is late, please be patient, remain at the stop and wait for the bus. Younger students, up to Grade 2, cannot be let off the bus without an adult or older sibling present. If an adult is not present at the stop, the driver will contact the school and return the child to the school after they complete their run.
A reminder that ONLY Grades 1-3 will begin school on Thursday, September 10th.
Kindergarten students will begin school on Friday September 11th
Junior (Grades 4,5 and 6) will begin school on Tuesday September 15th.
Teachers will be reaching out to parents via their Google Classroom for any specific classroom questions about the school year. Their focus on the first day of school, will be moving the children safely into the building and routines. Once the children enter the building, MOE approved hand sanitizer will be applied. Children will proceed directly to their classroom in an orderly line. Public Health has advised we are not permitted to use coat hooks or cubbies therefore children will keep their backpacks and lunches with them at their desks. During the first few days, students will be taught how to properly wash their hands, take on and off their masks and other hygiene practices.
Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at Christine.dehaas@ycdsb.ca and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Follow us on Twitter at @sbe_ycdsb.ca or visit our website sbe.ycdsb.ca
Thank you for your continued support and wishing you a wonderful day,
Mrs. deHaas, Principal