Dear Parents and Guardians,
Virtue of the Month: Hope
As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, we realize that there is a lot of planning and organization that helps make the holidays a special time. For some, the holidays can become another stressor.
Join us and the York Catholic Parent Involvement Committee on December 9 at 7:00 pm for “Surviving the Holidays: The Most Wonderful Stressful Time of the Year” (presented by Pine River Institute’s Center For Family Initiatives).
Together we will learn how to cultivate peace and wellness over the holidays so we can focus on what is really important; preparing our hearts for the coming of Jesus and spending time with the people we love. Learn about expectations vs. reality, managing stress in children, and yourself, and navigating difficult family dynamics.
Register for the workshop here.
Christmas Concert News
Christmas Concert to be held on Thursday, December 16 at 7pm. Please review the attached letter for further details.
SKTA Notice – Christmas Concert
Travel Guidance for Families
Students and their families who choose to travel must follow all federal and provincial travel restrictions and guidelines. These can be found on the federal COVID-19: Travel, testing and borders website and Ontario’s Travelling during COVID-19 website.
Important to note that unvaccinated children under the age of 12 who travel outside of Canada with fully vaccinated adults may be exempt from quarantine rules, however, they are NOT allowed to attend school or childcare for 14 days after returning home. During this time, students would NOT qualify for hybrid learning; all learning would be asynchronous. Unvaccinated students who travel within Canada are permitted to attend school as long as they have no symptoms.
Just a reminder about our lunch routines at school
Students may go home for lunch when they return to school they are expected to complete the Covid screening protocols once again. Students who remain at school will eat lunch and snacks in their classrooms with their own cohort. Parents/guardians are not allowed to drop off lunches/snacks during the school day.
For more information on the protocols and procedures in place for this school year, parents are welcome to visit the following link: https://www.ycdsb.ca/reopening/
Food Drive
Red Bag One Day Food Drive – 2021 Food Drive Letter
INCLEMENT WEATHER ROUTINES FOR THE 2021 2022 SCHOOL YEAR:
As the winter weather approaches we wanted to update you regarding our Inclement Weather procedure for the 2021/2022 school year.
Once again this year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our Inclement Weather procedures will be based on direction from York Region Public Health.
Public Health has advised that class cohorts cannot be combined for any reason. During inclement weather days in the past, it was necessary to combine classes due to reduced staffing levels. This practice is not permitted under current Public Health guidance.
As a result, in the event buses are cancelled due to inclement weather:
All schools will be closed. Students cannot come to school.
- Student learning will pivot to asynchronous remote learning. This means students will work on tasks previously assigned such as long term projects or spend time reviewing material previously covered.
- No new work will be assigned.
- Tests, quizzes and in-person parent meetings will be cancelled and rescheduled.
- B&A programs will not run.
- Child Care Centres may remain open at the discretion of the operator.
In our effort to ensure equity and inclusion, students will not be assigned new work, given that many students will not have a device to learn remotely.
As a reminder, the decision to cancel school transportation service is region-wide, meaning all school buses, vans and taxis will not be operating.
The decision will be made by 6 am in the morning and will be communicated to all standard media outlets, posted on the Board website and Twitter account, as well as updated on the SchoolBusCity website and hotline 1.877.330.3001.
Computer Science Education Week and the Hour of Code
This week is designated as Computer Science Education Week and the Hour of Code. The Hour of Code started as a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify “code”, to show that anybody can learn the basics, and to broaden participation in the field of computer science.
Dates to keep in your calendars for future events:
December 10, 2021 Red Bag Food Drive in Support of the Markham Food bank
December 13, 2021 Spirit Day:Wear your favourite Christmas sweater or decorate
a sweater “Christmas style” using bows, ornaments, or any
Christmas decor!
December 14, 2021 Advent Liturgy – Primary Division
December 15, 2021 Spirit Day:Wear a Christmas hat, antlers or scarf & toque
December 16, 2021 @ 1:10 pm School Mass – Virtually (Live Stream)
December 16, 2021 @ 7pm Christmas Concert – Virtual Presentation (Streamed)
December 17, 2021 Spirit Day:PJ Day
December 18 to January 2, 2022 Christmas Break
January 14, 2022 PA Day