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Monthly Archives: January 2022

Winter Update – February 2022

Hello St. Aloysius Families,

We hope everyone is well and has been enjoying the sunny but cold weather!

Please see below for some updates and housekeeping items.

Revised Inclement Weather Policy

During extreme cold weather, all schools consult the WCDSB policy to determine when to keep students indoors. According to updated WCDSB temperature guidelines:

  • When the temperature is between -20°C and -27°C, principals will move to a shortened outdoor recess and lunch period.  This period will not be longer than 15 minutes.
  • When temperatures are colder than -27°C, students will remain inside.

As temperatures and conditions vary across the Region, the following website is used by all schools to assess local weather conditions to arrive at a decision – www.weather.ca 

 

Walk-in Vaccination Clinics

What: Walk-in Vaccination Clinic 

When: February 3 and February 10 from 11:15 AM to 5:15 PM

Where: Kingsdale Community Center – 72 Wilson Ave, Kitchener

 

Parking Lot Safety

We would like to take a moment to review some safety reminders in the school/church parking lot. 

  1. Please ensure you are parking in the Green Parking Zone. 
  2. DO NOT park in the Bus Loading Zone or the Accessible Parking spots. 
  3. DO NOT park in the ONE WAY Laneways as this will cause traffic congestion and impact the safety of our students.
  4. Once the buses arrive please wait until the buses leave before exiting the parking lot. DO NOT pass alongside the buses as this is a significant safety concern. 

**Students are often walking towards the parking lot, walking between the school buses. Drivers and students are often not able to see each other which could potentially end up in an unfortunate accident.**

Please refer to the diagram below to reference the specific zones.

 

 

 

Thank you for working with St. Aloysius School to ensure the safety of our students.

 

Report Cards

Term 1 report cards go home on Thursday, February 17, 2022. Please check your child’s backpack on this day and return the comments section signed.

 

Anticipated Transportation Service Update

What Happens If A School Bus Route is Cancelled?

Effective January 24, 2022, a school bus route will be cancelled if a driver is isolating due to COVID-19 and there are insufficient drivers to cover the isolating driver’s routes.

The duration of the cancellation period will be communicated immediately to affected students and families. 

For Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) Students and Families

For students and families in the WCDSB, if a school bus route is cancelled due to a COVID-19 related driver absence, there are three options for families: 

  • Where possible, families should find alternative transportation for their students for the 5 to 10 day bus transportation cancellation period.
  • If that is not possible:
    • Students may participate asynchronously remotely by accessing their class Virtual Learning Environment (D2L or Google Classroom) or
    • Students may access asynchronous lessons on TVO and STVLElementary;
Stay Informed

Families will be informed the day prior to any cancellation and cancellation will be posted on the STSWR website with an expected return date.

 

COVID-19 Screening Confirmation

    • The School Screening Confirmation will continue to take place until further notice. Please continue to sign the School Screening Confirmation Form every day. You will receive a new form with updated dates this week.

 

Virtual and In-Person Learning Blocks

  • The next learning block for virtual and in person learning is Monday, January 31, 2022 to Friday, February 11, 2022.
    • Please email your child’s classroom teacher by Sunday, January 30, 2022 @ 6:00 PM if:
      • your child is continuing with Virtual Learning
      • your child will be switching to Virtual Learning
      • your child will be returning to In-Person Learning
    • If your child is currently attending In-Person learning and is not switching modes, you DO NOT need to email the classroom teacher.

Please keep in mind that this is a two week commitment to whichever form of learning you choose for your child. Your child will NOT be able to switch modes until February 14, 2022. 

 

Important Dates

January 30 – Learning Mode Selection Deadline

February 3 – Walk-in Vaccination Clinic – Kingsdale Community Center

February 10 – Walk-in Vaccination Clinic – Kingsdale Community Center

February 17 – Term 1 Report Cards Go Home

February 21 – Family Day – No School

 

Please stay safe and enjoy the rest of this wonderful winter season!

Beauty of Winter Prayer

God of creation, thank You for the beauty of winter, for snow, icy window panes, evergreen trees, warm coats, sledding and hot cocoa. Let us enjoy Your creation in all its glory, this winter and always. 

Amen.

January 26/22 – COVID-19 Updates

Hello St. Aloysius Families,

Please see below for a few updates regarding COVID-19:

  • The next learning block for virtual and in person learning is Monday, January 31, 2022 to Friday, February 11, 2022.
    • Please email your child’s classroom teacher by Sunday, January 30, 2022 @ 6:00 PM if:
      • your child is continuing with Virtual Learning
      • your child will be switching to Virtual Learning
      • your child will be returning to In-Person Learning
    • If your child is currently attending In-Person learning and is not switching modes, you DO NOT need to email the classroom teacher.
  • The School Screening Confirmation will continue to take place until further notice. Please continue to sign the School Screening Confirmation Form every day. You will receive a new form with updated dates this week.
  • Please continue to check your emails in the event a bus driver absence results in a bus cancellation.

Thank you,

Janet Foote                        Daniel Mastroianni
Principal                             Vice Principal

Parking Lot Safety Reminder

Hello St. Aloysius Families,

We would like to take a moment to review some safety reminders in the school/church parking lot. 

  1. Please ensure you are parking in the Green Parking Zone. 
  2. DO NOT park in the Bus Loading Zone or the Accessible Parking spots. 
  3. DO NOT park in the ONE WAY Laneways as this will cause traffic congestion and impact the safety of our students.
  4. Once the buses arrive please wait until the buses leave before exiting the parking lot. DO NOT pass alongside the buses as this is a significant safety concern. 

**Students are often walking towards the parking lot, walking between the school buses. Drivers and students are often not able to see each other which could potentially end up in an unfortunate accident.**

Please refer to the diagram below to reference the specific zones.

Thank you for working with St. Aloysius School to ensure the safety of our students.

Janet Foote                          Daniel Mastroianni

Principal                               Vice Principal

Anticipated Transportation Service Interruptions

We want to share an important update. Bus operators are now experiencing an increase in driver absences due to COVID-19 isolation.

Although more than 90% of our routes are operating normally, some routes are experiencing more frequent and prolonged delays (50 minutes or greater). As a result, Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region (STSWR) will need to cancel some routes for a short period of time when driver absences cannot be covered.

This temporary measure will be effective Tuesday, January 25, 2022, until Friday, February 18, 2022. 

STSWR will continue to evaluate this approach to reducing delays and adjust the approach in order to continue to reduce the impact on students, families, and caregivers.

We understand the significant impact this decision will have on our students and their families and caregivers. STSWR does this only as a last resort. We hope that proactively implementing and communicating this course of action will allow families and caregivers to better prepare for and react to the cancellation of bus routes.

What Happens If A School Bus Route is Cancelled?

Effective January 24, 2022, a school bus route will be cancelled if a driver is isolating due to COVID-19 and there are insufficient drivers to cover the isolating driver’s routes.

The duration of the cancellation period will be communicated immediately to affected students and families.

For Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) Students and Families

For students and families in the WCDSB, if a school bus route is cancelled due to a COVID-19 related driver absence, there are three options for families:

  • Where possible, families should find alternative transportation for their students for the 5 to 10 day bus transportation cancellation period.
  • If that is not possible:
    • Students may participate asynchronously remotely by accessing their class Virtual Learning Environment (D2L or Google Classroom) or
    • Students may access asynchronous lessons on TVO and STVLElementary;

Stay Informed

Families will be informed the day prior to any cancellation and cancellation will be posted on the STSWR website with an expected return date.

Snow Day – Schools and All Before and After School Programs Closed

January 17, 2022, Waterloo Region transportation cancelation

  • Due to the current weather conditions ALL SCHOOL BUSES, TAXIS AND SPECIAL EDUCATION ROUTES operated by the Waterloo Catholic District School Board and Waterloo Region District School Board are cancelled.
  • All WCDSB and WRDSB schools and sites are CLOSED and it will be a Remote Learning Day.
  • Students should visit their respective virtual classrooms or WCDSB and WRDSB Learning @ Home for resources.
  • All before and after school programs and child care centres co-located in schools are CLOSED.
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