PES Re-entry details and procedures

Parents, families, and guardians,

We are so excited to have our students back in the school this September. It seems like it has been such a long time since we last had our hallways full of students and we have truly missed the sounds and smiles that make Ponoka Elementary what it is. On the same note, we realize that there may be some anxiety or uncertainty about returning to school. We have been working hard to assure we are adhering to the guidelines for school re-entry as provided by the Government of Alberta. Below you will find the school-specific details on entering and exiting the school as well as routines and procedures to do our best to reduce risk. Our students’, staff, and family’s health and well-being are always at the forefront of what we do. 

The following document is quite long and it is important to read through it in its entirety. However, I would like to highlight a few key aspects. 

1. 1. In our classrooms physical distancing is not possible so all Grade 4-6 students will be required to wear masks in class as well as in the common areas. Masks are optional for Kindergarten to Grade 3 students but understand that physical distancing will not be possible in their classes either and we encourage our K-3 students to wear masks as well.  
   2. Lunches can not be dropped off throughout the morning. It is very important that students come to school with a lunch.
   3. We were able to purchase more supplies to provide students in K-4 with their own individual set at no extra cost to families, so students will not be sharing supplies.
   4. Our in-person Get the Scoop (Meet the Teacher) event has been changed. Teachers will be reaching out to families to talk on the phone or set up a Google Meet before students arrive at school. 
   5. If students are not feeling well they must stay home. No exceptions. This will apply to staff as well. 

As it has been a while since students have been in the school and we will have new routines and procedures in place, we have planned a staggered entry so there are fewer students in the building and in each classroom. The staggered entry will have students in Grades 1-6, whose last names start with A-L come on Tuesday, September 1st and Thursday, September 3rd. Students whose last names start with M-Z will come on Wednesday, September 2nd and Friday, September 4th. All students Grade 1-6 will attend on Tuesday, September 8th. Kindergarten’s staggered entry date will start the week of September 8th, your child’s Kindergarten teacher will be contacting you with details around the Kindergarten start-up. 

In addition to the staggered entry days, we have created some videos to help understand what some of the new routines look like. Click here for the playlist of videos. We will be adding more videos as we go as well. We encourage you to watch these videos with your child to help support them in a successful re-entry. 

We recognize that there are many different feelings around the re-entry to school. We want your child to have the most positive school year possible. The success of the school year relies on trust and open communication in our partnership with our parents and families. We all have the common goal of student health and well-being as well as an overall successful school year and as we know it takes a village to raise a child and we are all in this together! 

On behalf of the staff at PES, 

Nathan Mcentee

Principal

Click here to see our full re-entry plan.