Rideau Vista Public School
#9921 County Road 42 K0G 1X0 Westport, ON, Canada

Dear Parents: we are having our first School Council meeting of the year virtually tomorrow night at 6:30 pm on Microsoft Teams! If you would like to join our meeting please email me or call and we will add you to the meeting. All that we require is your email address. Sincerely, David Morrison

This is a helpful chart to let you know when your child should return

We published this Covid 19 Screener for parents the other day. This version isn’t blurry!

Guess what we are doing next Friday October 2nd? Classes will be running or walking on a staggered schedule. If you are thinking of donating please do so on line at the Terry Fox Foundation. Wear red in support of this Canadian hero!

In-person learning, synchronous learning, digital and non-digital asynchronous learning these terms are new to a lot of people and so are these learning models. This video will help explain what each model is about and what to expect. #remotelearning

Here is the Public Health Unit Screener that we are using to decide if someone needs to stay home.

Make health screening part of your morning routine using the new provincial COVID-19 health screening tool. This interactive tool is voluntary, but can help parents decide if their child should attend school: https://bit.ly/33GzbHS.

Here’s an update on back to school in the UCDSB, including the new provincial health screening tool: https://bit.ly/35YjxKT.

We are not suppose to have a lost and found this year - does anyone recognize these?

The #UCDSB will be using MS Teams and D2L-Virtual Classroom for learning in classrooms. This letter explains how these tools will be used and how staff will be protecting the privacy of our students: https://bit.ly/35PuUEP.

Dear parents: we are going to have our Kindergarten students dropped off in the morning at the same place as the 1-6 students. The reason for this is to alleviate the backup that is happening on the highway. Mrs Seed and Mr Morrison will meet the kindergarten students and escort them to the play area.

The COVID-19 Screening Tool, created by our health units is a helpful tool to work into the morning routine. Use the online version (https://bit.ly/2RrGRYP) or print the PDF (https://bit.ly/3c0Zb4v).

Please click on the link to see our first September newsletter for 2020! Thank you. http://rideauvista.ucdsb.on.ca/school_news/letters_home

Happy 2nd day of a School at Rideau Vista! Here are some pics of our students! It is really great to have them back! We can’t wait to get into a routine and bring some normalcy to our lives!!

Working with our local health units & families will be an important part of keeping our students safe. Please read the parent/guardian letter from the Eastern Ontario Health Unit and The Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit. It has some helpful info on what families can do to keep their child safe, what to do if someone becomes ill or tests positive at school, and who to call with questions: https://bit.ly/2FwVGH0.

We are ready! Here are the Rideau Vista staff! We are looking forward to meeting our new students tomorrow!

Dear Parents and Guardians: the entire staff at Rideau Vista has been busy this week ensuring that our classrooms are set up in a manner that is aligned with the UCDSB’s return to School Guide. If you are curious to know what things that your child’s teacher is doing right now, here is a partial list: - Extra furniture, toys supplies are removed or closed off to allow for physical distancing - Chairs and tables desks are spaced 2m apart or at least as far apart as possible... - Students have been assigned seats and a seat chart is created for the purpose of contact tracing - Daily records of attendance are kept for the purpose of contact tracing - Note: if a student in the class cohort develops COVID -19 like symptoms, student items that cannot be cleaned are stored in a labelled and sealed bag or container for 7 days. - Students have their own supplies that are labeled with their name on them - Shared supplies and resources such as equipment are designated to one cohort only. - Gym equipment will be sanitized after each cohort uses it. - Students will sanitize before and after recess, lunch and gym class Elementary students are in one classroom as much as possible (e.g., to eat lunch; teacher moves instead of students). Students have a place to store their masks while eating/drinking or going outside (e.g., hooks are mounted on individual desks or tables to hook masks by loops, clean paper towel on desk to place outside of mask down on clean storage container). Students will keep their personal items with them at their desk. Classroom windows and doors are open as often as possible. The school has been much cooler the past few days. We suggest wearing layers as it will be breezy. Class cohorts are assigned washroom times. Each cohort will be given a block of time every hour. Washroom logs will be kept in the classroom to track the date and time a student left and came back. We are almost ready! You should expect a phone call or an email in Teams from your child’s teacher tomorrow to let you know their teacher and where they will meet up with their class in the morning. See more

Dear parents: here is our exit plan for the end of the day. We will load our bussing students first from various exits around the school. Pick up students will be dismissed by Mrs Seed once the busses have left from the main entrance. You need to indicate via email or a phone call to the main office if your child will be picked up and by whom. We ask parents who are picking up students to remain in their vehicles until such time that they are released by staff. If you have any questions or concerns, please email Mr Morrison or call the school at 613 273 2842.

Good afternoon parents: please excuse the amateur map of our school yard! We are planning to receive students with the last names starting with A to G this Friday Sept 11, starting at 9:15 am. Students with the last name H to P will start on Monday, September 14 and students with the last names Q toZ will come on Tuesday, September 15. Students will be directed to the yard to meet their respective teachers based on their grade. Each class will now be called a cohort. Cohort...s have to play in designated areas only. Parents who are dropping their children off in the purple area along the sidewalk are asked to remain in their vehicles. Parents and guardians are not permitted on the yard or in the school at this time. We will be rotating areas on a daily basis so the each cohort gets access to the different areas of the playground. We will be using all entrances and exits for different cohorts. More information will be posted to explain the dismissal procedures.

REMINDER: We are welcoming students back to school this week! See the calendar to double check your start date. Find more information on the #UCDSB Return to School plan here: https://bit.ly/30U4BdI.

We are just a week away from welcoming students back to school and we are excited for their return. There's been lots of work happening behind the scenes within the UCDSB and with our public health units to make sure the return to school is a safe one. Read today's update to parents/guardians for details: http://ow.ly/1eHN50BiGFE

We couldn’t be more excited to welcome our students back to school next week. Here's a sneak peek of what you'll see! You can get more info about school routines and practices on our website : https://bit.ly/356OSuf #MyUCDSBFamily

The updated Return to School Guide is available on the #UCDSB website. There’s now more info on: remote learning (section 5.3), parent screening tool (section 3.7), lunch routines (section 4.9) and secondary sample timetable (section 4.2). See the full updated guide here: https://bit.ly/30U4BdI.

Chair of the Board John McAllister shares these words with parents, guardians, caregivers and staff to welcome in the new school year and address concerns parents have raised. http://ow.ly/oHMD50Be5VX

ICYMI: The #UCDSB will be staggering start times in September. Clusters of students will gradually return to school starting on Sept. 11. All students will be in class by Sept.15. Check out the image below for your start date or find more information here: https://bit.ly/34HBNYo.

Dear Parents and Guardians: here is the new schedule for the first few weeks of September and the new re entry plan. If you have decided the model you have chosen is not right for your child please phone the school before noon today and discuss this with Mr Morrison or Mrs Brunet. Remote Synchronous learners will now be attached to their regular home school classes and have pre determined re entry points throughout the year. Asynchronous learners( not real time) will be assigned to the virtual school.

In response to concerns about the possibility of not being able to move between learning models, here's some additional information & clarity around remote learning and info around the delayed start to the school year. Read the full update: https://bit.ly/32u43Lq

A Message from the Minister of Education to Ontario’s Parents has been posted to the #UCDSB website. View the full letter here: https://bit.ly/3gBqd3f.

Dear Parents/Guardians: I have just learned that students may not be able to move between learning models this year and that remote learners may not have the same level of access to all programs. Please read the update sent to your email address or contact the school to inform us of any changes to your decision by Friday, Aug. 28 @ 9 a.m. if it changes your choice of learning model. You can also click on this link to see the parents update. http://ow.ly/GB3W50B9ITP

Attention Parents/Guardians: Students may not be able to move between learning models. Remote learners may not have the same level of access to all programs. Please read this update and contact your school by Friday, Aug. 28 @ 9 a.m. if it changes your choice of learning model : http://ow.ly/GB3W50B9ITP .

Dear Parents: It is with great pleasure that I introduce myself to the Westport community as the new principal of Rideau Vista P.S. I started my career in education as a music teacher with the Durham Board in 1992. For the past 18 years, I have served as an administrator in the Upper Canada District School Board in various schools through the District. I look forward to joining the Rideau Vista team and working and learning with you in this wonderful community! Even though ...we are several weeks away from the first day of school on September 4th, we would all appreciate further clarity on what programming for students may look like in schools. This is the latest information I have. The provincial government announced on Friday that elementary students, Kindergarten to Grade 8, will attend school five days per week, with enhanced health and safety requirements. At this point, what we can share right now based on the latest directives from the provincial message is that: Elementary students will attend school every day in regular classroom numbers, as one cohort for the full day, including recess and lunch. Physical distancing and hand hygiene protocols will also be implemented. Students in Grade 4 and up will be required to wear non-medical face masks while at school, while students in Kindergarten to Grade 3 will be encouraged, but not required, to wear masks in indoor spaces. Our current draft reopening plan acknowledges the need for adjustments to a number of daily operational practices and routines including: drop-off and pick-up, Lunch and Recess Breaks routines; Classroom Set-Up; managing Hallways and other common spaces; use of the school yard and other outdoor spaces, and; school entry and exit. We do understand the need to provide guidance on these practices to you as soon as possible, since these elements will be the basis for staff review and rehearsal during our September PA Days. On an on-going basis, hand hygiene will be an important part of school routines. We will have touchless sanitizers in key areas throughout all schools. Signage at sinks and sanitizing stations will remind students about proper cleaning techniques. The school day will provide for more frequent opportunities for handwashing and/or hand sanitizing throughout the schedule. I will try to keep you updated on these items including busing as we move forward. More information will be coming during the week of August 10th. I look forward to meeting you and welcoming our students back to school a month from now. Hope you enjoy the rest of the summer and stay safe! David Morrison Principal

ICYMI: the 2020-21 School Year Calendar has been approved. The first day of school for #UCDSB students will be Friday, September 4, 2020. Download the full calendar here: https://bit.ly/30J6lFt.

Does your child need a water bottle for school? Consider ordering your beautiful new stainless steel Rideau Vista water bottle for the start of school - Only $20.00! Send me a message either on our FB page or email me [email protected]. (Students will be able to fill up their water bottle at our school's filling station. Water fountains will not be used at this time.) Thank you for supporting Rideau Vista School Council!

Did you notice our new sign?

Please note The Health Unit's resource to help parents know when to keep their little ones home and when it would be okay to send them to school. As always, parents know their child best, so this resource is only meant as a guide. There is a link at the bottom that will take you right to our Childhood Disease poster. This additional resource contains fact sheets and exclusion information right at our finger tips.