Hello Owen Families,
We are very excited about returning to school on Tuesday February 16th 2021. We miss our students and look forward to seeing them in person at 9:10 am. All students should be entering their classroom
We would like to welcome our students who are returning to Owen from the Virtual School. It will be an adjustment for them but we know our Owen community will help both students and parents through this transition.
If you have requested to move to the Virtual School and have not heard from the school, we look forward to seeing your child at Owen on Tuesday. The board will still be working on finding space at the Virtual School. Families will be notified by Friday is there is space. If you have changed your mind and would like to stay at Owen, please let Ms Rosenbloom know.
Please read through all the health and safety procedures and remind your child of the routines they did at school to keep everyone healthy and safe. We've done a great job of keeping our school healthy. Let's continue the good work we've done!
We have also provided families with devices to borrow during remote learning. All devices, school and central, need to be returned on Tuesday. We will need to wipe down devices to prepare them for classroom use. Many of our classes, particularly in the junior grades rely on the chromebooks during class.
We would like to wish all our families celebrating the Lunar New Year happiness and prosperity. Happy Valentine's and Happy Family Day! Lots of love this weekend! Enjoy this special family time together. With all the online we've all been experiencing, maybe playing one video game WITH our kids would be a great way to end remote learning.
One of the most important things we can do to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our schools, is for students to screen themselves daily for any symptoms of COVID-19 and also follow the circumstances in which they should stay home. Toronto Public Health (TPH) has revised its screening tool for students, effective immediately. The update is that everyone in a household must now complete the updated COVID-19 screening daily. The TDSB Health App have been updated with this change.
- they show one or more symptoms or
- parents have not completed the health app
- Masks should be made of at least two layers of tightly woven fabric (such as cotton or linen), and, if possible, a middle “filter” layer. A three layer mask can provide added protection.
- For masks with a pocket, add a disposable coffee filter, paper towel, or reusable filter cloth.
- For masks without a pocket, cut/unstitch one end and tuck a filter in between the two layers.
- Your mask should fit your face, covering your nose, mouth and chin without gaping.
- Your mask should be comfortable, easy to breathe through, and not limit your vision.
- Mask and ties/ear loops should fit securely to avoid adjusting during use.
- Choose fabric that can support a high temperature wash (e.g. cotton). Avoid stretchy material.
- Choose fabric that maintains the mask shape after washing and drying.
Please remind your child of the continued importance of hand washing, physical distancing and mask wearing, which is required for all staff, visitors and students JK to Grade 12. Although the ministry has mandated mask wearing for the younger kids, Owen has been wearing masks for all grades inside and outside since the fall.
Please remember that parents and students are not to congregate in the school yard, and, outside of school, students should not gather with others, even with those in their cohort. Remember to respect the Stay at Home order issued by the ministry.
- iPad or Chromebook if you borrowed one from the board or central department
- indoor shoes/boots for outside
- extra clothes - hat, mitts, snow pants, extra socks, extra pants and underwear
- sweater/layers as windows will be opened a bit in classrooms for extra air circulation
- healthy snacks - We will be eating outside for snacks as much as possible to reduce the amount of time masks are off inside. Please pack easy to eat finger foods.
- healthy lunch - Have your child help prepare their lunch. They will be more willing it eat it.
- water bottle - Students are able to refill their bottles with water at the refill station.
- multiple masks - Try different masks to find the most comfortable fit. With the cold weather, masks get wet and should be changed throughout the day. If students run out or don't have a mask available, we do have some extras students can use. If you do not want them to wear masks from the school and students don't have extras, we will have students call home for parents to bring extras.