École Laura Secord School

Welcoming Back OurStudents2021-2022

Welcome Back École Laura Secord School 2021-2022

All of us here are looking forward to seeing our students return to school and welcome anyone new to the Laura

Secord community. We are extremely excited about getting the new year started even though we will not be back

to 100% “normal” but near normal.

The 2021-2022 school year will continue to be faced with some challenges, but we, as a staff, are prepared to keep

all of us safe. The Province of Manitoba and the Winnipeg School Division have set guidelines, recommendations

and mandates to aid individual schools in our journeys to having all students return to class safely. These pieces of

information are available on the provincial website, the WSD website and our own Laura Secord website.

The following pages in this document were designed to clarify information, answer questions, and make you

aware that again, due to the changing COVID-19 conditions, this plan may also change and be updated to meet

those changing conditions.

Please feel free to contact the school with any questions not covered here, in the provincial or divisional

documents readily available on-line. We can be reached at 204-786-4796.

Table of Contents

Slide 4 Critical Roles of Families Slide 15 Learning and Mental Well-being

Slide 5 Cleaning, Readiness and Entry Slide 16 If My Child Demonstrates Illness

Slide 6 Children Arriving at School Slide 17 Dismissal-Student Pick Up

Slide 7 When Arriving at School Slide 18 Staff Email Contact Information

Slide 8 Assigned Doors Slide 19 Staff Email Contact Information

Slide 9 Cohorts and Clusters Slide 20 Staff Email Contact Information

Slide 10 Recess Slide 21 Helpful Links/Resources

Slide 11 Lunch Hour Slide 22 Closing Comments and Suggestions

Slide 12 Will Classrooms Look Different?

Slide 13 Walking in the School & Washrooms

Slide 14 Bussing

Critical Role of FamiliesCaregivers must continue to pre-screen their child/children each day before school to ensure they are not

exhibiting any COVID-19 symptoms. Any child/children who are showing any symptoms (including runny nose,

sneezing, coughing, etc.) must stay home.

Please see the information on the link for the screening tool:

https://www.gov.mb.ca/asset_library/en/coronavirus/covid19_screening_checklist.pdf

Note: All families should adhere to the regulations on this link. Self screening at home will benefit and expedite

school screening and expedite entry. Children will be screened by their classroom teachers each morning when

they meet outside in their designated locations.

Pack a water bottle, or two, especially on hot days or when Physical Education is scheduled. Water fountains

will not be operating until further notice.

Masks are mandatory for all students and staff, as well as any students riding the school bus. If you are

concerned, send your child with a second mask and a proper paper storage bag. Masks should be taken home

regularly for required cleaning. The school has been provided with masks should anyone require one.

As masks are required at all grades, as well as for the younger students that were not required to wear them last

year, please practice proper placement and removal of masks at home. Have your child/children practice wearing

a mask for periods of time at home, as this will help them get used to them for their days at school.

Cleaning, Readiness & Entry

The Province of Manitoba and the Winnipeg School Division have provided custodial staff with rigorous cleaning,

sanitizing and disinfecting regimens. They have targeted cleaning objectives throughout the day. Targeted areas

include, but not limited to high touch surface areas, common areas and washrooms.

The rigorous cleaning protocols apply every day the students are here, Monday to Friday, both during the day and

in the evenings as well.

At this time, the protection of our students is extremely important. We will be following provincial and WSD

guidelines of not over-crowding hallways and common areas and therefore, at this time, parents and caregivers

will remain outside and not permitted to enter the building. This was an effective practice last year in reducing

the virus from entering the school.

The only external access to the school is the Before and After School and Lunch Programs. We are working

together to best protect our students and staff when arriving here. Again, visitors to the school, other than staff

will not enter the building unless invited, and this access will be limited.

Children Arriving at School

Arrival

• Students should arrive no earlier than 8:45 am and will be required to remain outdoors. Please ensure your

child is dressed for all weather conditions. Presently, all students and staff are required to wear masks. Invited

visitors into the school will also be required to wear masks. Parents and caregivers are to remain outside to

avoid over-crowding the hallways and common areas as recommended by the province and the WSD.

Lining Up Outside

• All students will meet their classroom teacher in designated, physically distanced locations outside. Classroom

teachers will assist their students entering the building in a physically distanced manner. Classroom assigned

meeting areas will be spaced four meters away from another classroom and the location of meeting areas will

be made available to families prior to school and posted on the website.

Separate Entrances

• Students will enter one of the three assigned doorways with their teacher. This has been a consistent practice

throughout the previous school year and will continue this school year unless public health orders deem

otherwise.

• The top (third) floor will enter via Lenore Street, the main (second) floor will enter via the Lynx Gym doors

and the Lower (first) floor will enter via Ruby Street.

When Arriving at School

Parents, Guardians, Caregivers

• As much as we wish for an open school community, the Winnipeg School Division and Manitoba Public Health,

continue to recommend limited access restrictions to avoid over-crowding in hallways and common areas.

Unfortunately, this means parents, guardians and caregivers should not enter the school at this time. This may

change as public health orders change.

Late Arrival

• Should your child/children be arriving late, please send them through their assigned door and your

child/children will proceed directly to the school office. Please call the office ahead of time with this

information when possible.

• The doors will be locked at 9:15 am and 1:15 pm, so at those times students should proceed to the Heritage Gym

entrance and ring the doorbell where the office will respond and allow entry.

Early Pick Up

• Please do not come into the school to pick up your child/children. Please call ahead, so we can have your

child/children ready and we can meet you safely at the appropriate entrance. The school office can be reached

by calling 204-786-4796. Please consider emailing your child/children’s teacher in advance. We have provided

all of their email addresses near the end of this guide.

Assigned Doors

Classrooms will be assigned entrances to enter and exit the building until further notice. To assist in keeping us

all safe, the assigned entrances must be used on all occasions. This will also bring some consistency and routine to

the day for students and staff.

• First floor classes will enter and exit through the Ruby Street entrance. This includes French Immersion Kindergarten.103, 104, 105, 110, 115, 116

• Second Floor classes will enter and exit through the Lynx Gymnasium stairwell entrance. 201, 203, 213, 214

• Third Floor classes will enter and exit through the Lenore Street entrance.

English Nursery/Kindergarten will enter and exit through the Lenore Street entrance. 204, 301, 303, 304, 309, 313, 314, 317, 319

Late Arrival

• Should your child/children be arriving late, please send them through their assigned door and your

child/children must proceed directly to the school office. Please call the office ahead of time with this

information when possible.

• The doors will be locked at 9:15 am and 1:15 pm, so at those times students should proceed to the Heritage Gym

entrance and ring the doorbell where the office will respond and allow entry.

Cohorts and Clusters

COHORTS - École Laura Secord School classrooms have all been set up with as much physical distancing to the

extent possible and each classroom will again begin the year as an individual cohort. For the safety of our staff

and students, individual classroom cohorts will not be mixing with other classroom cohorts during the day. All

students will be required to wear masks and this may change at any time during the year, depending on public

health orders.

CLUSTERS - The following pages will provide information on how we are again forming “clusters” of classrooms

for recess and the lunch hour. The clusters will be made of groups of classrooms who will attend recess and

lunch hour together, but will be physically distanced from each other according to Manitoba Public Health

guidelines of separating and distancing cohorts.

The above guidelines are subject to change as Public Health Orders change.

Recess

Recess at École Laura Secord School will be divided into three time slots as was established last year. We have

divided the school into three clusters which will remain consistent for both morning and afternoon recess, as

well as at lunch time.

Cluster A – 103, 213, 115, 116, 201

Cluster B – 104, 110, 214, 203, 313, 314

Cluster C – 301, 303, 304, 309, 317, 319

The entire playground is again been divided into “Play Zones” just like last year with each individual cohort

assigned a “Play Zone” on a rotating basis throughout the six day cycle. Teachers will assist students in getting

back to these distancing play zone routines.

The “Play Zones” will have physical distancing buffer areas, to ensure that the cohorts are not mixing.

Supervision is planned to assist the students in remembering and developing distanced cohort routines through

these “near normal” times.

Lunch Hour

Lunch Hour at École Laura Secord School will also change this year due to COVID-19. Clusters will remain

consistent for the lunch hour and throughout the day (recess). Once again, this has been done for safety reasons

and consistency for the children and the staff.

Cluster A – 103, 213, 115, 116, 201– outside @ 12:00-12:30 / eating @ 12:30-1:00

Cluster B – 104, 110, 214, 203, 313, 314 – eating @ 12:00- 12:30 / outside @ 12:30-1:00

Cluster C – 301, 303, 304, 309, 317, 319 – outside @ 11:30-12:00 / eating @ 12:00-12:30 (classes begin @ 12:30)

The entire playground is again been divided into “Play Zones” just like last year with each individual cohort

assigned a “Play Zone” on a rotating basis throughout the six day cycle. Teachers will assist students in getting

back to these distancing play zone routines.

The “Play Zones” will have physical distancing buffer areas, to ensure that the cohorts are not mixing.

Supervision is planned to assist the students in remembering and developing distanced cohort routines through

these “near normal” times.

Will Classrooms Look Different?

Classrooms, for the most part, will look near normal, but will also apply physical distancing for safety reasons.

Some modifications are necessary to keep everyone safe. This includes sitting physically distanced, wearing

masks, and reducing hallway traffic.

As per Manitoba Public Health recommendations, École Laura Secord School promotes using outdoor spaces as

classrooms, whenever possible. Please ensure your child/children are dressed for outdoor weather, including a

hat and water bottle.

The school will be opening windows when practical and the Winnipeg School Division and our custodial staff

will continue with increased ventilation throughout the school.

Walking in the School

Staff will be reminding students of directional traffic flow in the hallways while signage and floor markings will

be provided to assist navigating through the school, even though we are in near normal conditions.

All hallways on all floors will be single direction, clearly indicated by the floor markings. Staff will be escorting

their classrooms to all locations throughout the day, including entry, recess, lunch hour, Music and Physical

Education.

We will continue with the reduction of traffic in all hallways throughout the day.

Interior doors will remain open to reduce the need for touching door handles.

WashroomsSpecific washrooms will be assigned to specific classrooms. A specific number of students will be allowed in the

washroom depending upon the washroom size. Capacity tag stations outside the washroom will determine

whether or not students may enter the washroom.

All washrooms have enhanced cleaning practices in place throughout the day.

Bussing

Bussing information is the responsibility of the Winnipeg School Division, so please call the transportation office

at 204-789-0452. They will be able to provide you with information on your child’s current or possible bussing

situation.

Students are required to wear masks on the bus at all times.

Students will be expected to follow all safety protocols at all times while on the bus.

Learning

All Winnipeg School Division teachers will utilize WSD assessment tools, observations, and professional

judgement to determine strengths, challenges and next steps in student learning. The WSD and Laura Secord

School have tools to determine where on various continuums students are in reading, writing and mathematics,

including both languages. Many of these existing tools will determine where to start with “Recovery Learning.”

Targeted instruction will be crafted to meet the learning needs of your child/children.

The learning will focus on literacy, numeracy, student well-being and mental health.

Mental Well-beingCOVID 19 has been tough on all of us, including our students.

Student mental well-being is being discussed at all schools, as well as being closely monitored by all staff.

Staff will continue be trained on trauma informed classrooms and programs already in place to assist with mental

well-being will continue throughout this year, spearheaded by Clinical Support Services and the school counselor.

École Laura Secord staff will continue to be supported by Clinical Support Services, including Psychology, Social

Work, Speech and Language and a Reading clinician.

What Happens if My Child Becomes Ill at School?

If a student becomes ill or develops symptoms at school, they must go home immediately for the safety of others.

The student will be removed from their classroom and will be isolated in a separate room while being monitored

by a staff member.

Parents/caregivers will be called to pick up their child immediately.

Once you, or your designate arrives, please phone the school at 204-786-4796 and a staff member will meet you

outside the appropriate door.

In the event of the confirmation of a positive COVID-19 case, Manitoba Public Health authorities will lead the

response and ensure appropriate supports are in place to coordinate the response. Contact tracing involves

identifying the contacts of a positive case and contacting those individuals who may have been exposed and

require further information. Manitoba Public Health or School staff will contact those individuals in cohorts

and clusters and follow-up, if necessary.

Dismissal – Student Pick Up

All students will be organized into daycare, bussing, and pick-up groups before being walked outside.

Teachers will escort their students through their assigned door to their designated outdoor location, to wait

outside for pick up. Caregivers are asked to meet their child/children at the designated location.

If a caregiver is late, children should go to the office, using the designated entrance and stairwell. Office staff will

check into the situation with the caregiver and the student will wait in the office until the caregiver arrives.

Please call when you arrive at school and we will escort your child out to meet you. Please do not come into the

building.

Staff Email Contact

English Program

Nursery/Kindergarten A.M./P.M. Room 204 Crystal Savinkoff csavinkoff@wsd1.orgGrades 1/2/3 Room 201 Lauren Connors lconnors@wsd1.org

Grades 4/5/6 Room 313 Jackie Cleave jcleave@wsd1.orgGrades 4/5/6 Room 314 Jilll Joanette jjoanette@wsd1.org

French Immersion Program

Kindergarten A.M./P.M. Room 105 Trish Nobre pnobre@wsd1.orgGrade 1 Room 104 Camille Daly cdaly@wsd1.orgGrades 1/2 Room 115 Mona Élise Sévigny msevigny@wsd1.orgGrades 1/2 Room 116 Lindsay Rakowski lrakowski@wsd1.orgGrades 1/2 Room 110 Lindsey Griffin lgriffin@wsd1.orgGrade 2 Room 103 Charlotte Blahut cblahut@wsd1.orgGrade 3 Room 203 Nelia Marchione nmarchione@wsd1.orgGrades 3 Room 214 Erin Porter eporter@wsd1.orgGrade 3 Room 213 Chantal Côté ccote@wsd1.orgGrade 4 Room 303 Lesley Ball / lball@wsd1.org

Arielle Hildebrand ahildebrand@wsd1.orgGrade 4 Room 301 Eric Wolfe ewolfe@wsd1.orgGrade 5 Room 317 Ellen Lamont elamont@wsd1.orgGrade 5 Room 319 Mercede Poirier mepoirier@wsd1.orgGrade 6 Room 304 Delaram Esmailzadeh desmailzadeh@wsd1.orgGrade 6 Room 309 Bryce Sneesby/ bsneesby@wsd1.org

Anne-Lise Perreault anperreault@wsd1.org

Staff Email Contact

Support/ Specialists

Resource IERT Rose Neufeld rneufeld@wsd1.orgResource IERT Lori Pasosky lpasosky@wsd1.orgGuidance Counsellor Megan Dyck mdyck@wsd1.orgPhysical Education Colin Jones cojones@wsd1.orgPhysical Education Guillermo Vodniza gvodniza@wsd1.orgMusic Krista Janzen krjanzen@wsd1.org

Helpful Link/Resources

Please visit the École Laura Secord School website for a variety of links to

assist parents/caregivers with further information from the Province of

Manitoba or the Winnipeg School Division.

École Laura Secord School website:

https:www.winnipegsd.ca/laurasecord

Please proceed to the Community and Family tab on the top of the page

and click on “Return to School 2021-2022”

Closing Remarks

We are extremely excited to be welcoming our students back to school. The term coined for the start of the

2021-2022 school year is a “near normal” return. We have made plans to keep everyone safe, especially our

children. This is the primary reason we have kept some of the restrictions from the end of last school year. As

we are fully aware, we need to be able to adapt to change. This year, our hope is for positive changes throughout

the year and a move towards a “normal year.”

The preceding plan was developed to provide a safe return for our students. We realize some of the restrictions

change what usually happens at school, especially at the beginning of the year. Please remember, expectations

may change at any time, depending on the spread or control of the pandemic.

We wish a very safe and exciting year of learning for our students and their families.

Sincerely,

Wade Gregg, Principal/Directeur

Andrea Hinther-Janus, Directrice-adjointe/Vice-Principal