Some things to keep in mind:
Read this week's Moon at a Glance 5.0 -
Week of October 19, 2020.pdf
- Please remember to check out the School News section for up-to-date information about things going on at our school as well as important information for the whole year.
- Don't forget to make sure your child is dressed for the weather. While we will stay in the school if it is really raining, we try to get outside for fresh air if it's just a drizzle. Please make sure your child is ready to go out for recess. Students are also outside for 25 minutes at each recess, so you may want to teach how to apply sunscreen and send some to school with your child.
Dear Half Moon Bay students and their families,
In our ever changing world and the ups and downs of trying to follow Public Health Guidelines we hope the following will help guide your thinking around whether your child should remain at home or attend school.
The most common conundrum is whether or not what you may be seeing is "seasonal" and "normal" in terms of symptoms. We posed the question directly to Ottawa Public Health and the response is as follows.
"Because a lot of symptoms with children overlap with COVID, families SHOULD be checking the boxes if it is not related to allergies or another condition that has been previously diagnosed by a Health Care Provider (HCP) or dealt with. This means that they will most likely require testing.
There is no way to figure out whether or not the child's runny/stuffy nose is from COVID or from a cold except through testing. That is why, if you "think" the symptoms are due to the cold weather, they must get tested. But things like allergies and baseline menstruation symptoms (cramps), etc, that are certain would not require testing.
"Certain" is that if it is something that happens regularly and frequently and they have previously been seen by a Healthcare Provider (HCP) for this issue who has given them guidance and clearance on it. For that reason, runny/stuffy nose due to seasonal cold will most likely require testing as it is not guaranteed that the child has a runny nose every season from the cold and this time it may be covid. If there is any doubt they should be consulting with their healthcare provider.
Please note we must use the Ottawa Public Health Screening Tool and may produce a different response than the Provincial tool. If one member of your family has symptoms, the whole household remains home.
Additionally, our educators are also following the direction outlined by the OCDSB and Ottawa Public Health. They also are expected to remain at home if one member of their families have symptoms. Please expect that there will be staff absences over this period of time. Mr. Harry works hard in the wee hours of every morning to ensure that there is enough staff on the MOON.
If your child presents with any Covid symptom, you must follow these guidelines as established by Ottawa Public Health:
- If it is an existing known condition (asthma, allergies etc - please provide a doctor’s note or a note from the parent attesting to the known medical condition)
- Any undiagnosed covid symptom - the child must be tested and may return to school with a negative test result AND be symptom-free for 24 hour OR If the child is not tested, they must remain in isolation for 14 days and may return after that time as long as they are symptom-free
**Siblings of a symptomatic child must also remain in isolation until the negative test has been confirmed or after the 14-day isolation period.
If you need to have your child tested, please click on the link below to be directed to the Ottawa Public Health website where you will find information and testing locations across the city.
https://www.ottawapublichealth.ca/en/shared-content/assessment-centres.aspx
Once you receive a test result, please email halfmoonbayps@ocdsb.ca or call 613 978 6624 to confirm that your child is symptom-free and we will admit them back into school.
We know that in order to help keep everyone safe, and try to limit the spread of Covid, we all have to do our part. We appreciate everyone who is keeping symptomatic children at home. Additionally, our educators are also following the direction outlined by the OCDSB and Ottawa Public Health. They also are expected to remain at home if one member of their families have symptoms.
It is a stressful time for our community. We strive everyday to follow all the protocols outlined by the OCDSB Ottawa Public Health. We are all striving everyday to keep Half Moon Bay virus-free for students and staff. We all love being at school!
Thank-you for your continued understanding and patience.
Aisling O’Donnell
Principal, Half Moon Bay
Check out how we're staying safe on the moon:
Dear Half Moon Bay students and their families,
We have made safety our priority here on the Moon for the 2020-2021 school year. We have received positive feedback (much appreciated!) about our entrance and exit procedures and wanted to give you a peek at all the safety protocols we have implemented this year inside the Moon.
Here are some of the ways we keeping students and staff safe:
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Students and staff sanitize their hands twice as they enter the building.
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The desks in the office have been adjusted so that staff have enough distance between them. Staff wear their medical-grade masks when working and meeting together.
Student and staff visits to the office are limited to a need only basis.
Mrs Emberg works hard to connect with every family about student illness. Office staff ensure students wait for their parents in our isolation room.
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Mr. Leng and Mr. Cardiff are constantly on the move (ALL DAY LONG!) wiping down tables, computer keyboards, door handles and touch points all over the school.
They also disinfect our isolation room after being used by students.
They are very grateful students are bringing the garbage from their lunches home. Thank you. to parents for following the guidelines of our Boomerang Lunch program.
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There are directional arrows everywhere inside the building so students know to stay on their side as they travel down the hallways.
There is a a schedule to enter and exit the building to ensure students do not have contact with students in other classes.
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Student desks are the proper distance apart with desk shields for added protection.
Many of our students in our primary classes are also wearing masks to school.
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Staff in classrooms are wearing face masks and shields at all times while in the classroom working in large and small groups.
Staff wear the shield when they work with more than one group of students.
Some of the staff have decorated their shields and they are starting to get used to wearing them.
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Manipulatives have been split up and baggied so that students have access to their own tools to solve math problems.
We have ordered more math manipulatives so students will have access to different tools throughout the year. We need more manipulatives as we are not sharing these tools in our primary and junior classes.
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Throughout the school, each of our students have their own bin for all the items that they need for a successful day!
In some classes, students will be storing their indoor shoes in bins, or on their chairs in the classroom.
Please label your child’s shoes. Shoes can remain at school.
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Staff stay in certain zones in the school to minimize contacts and also sign and out of all shared rooms in the building.
Staff eat their lunches outdoors, in common areas with 2 m distance apart, and make sure they always disinfect all the touch points after use.
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Tables are set up for learning in small groups with screens between students.
Staff wear their medical grade masks and face shields when working with students.
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We have lots of reminders to students and staff to keep a safe distance!
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Extra PPE and supplies are locked away with sign out sheets to monitor usage.
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Staff are required to perform daily self-assessments before entering the building.
(See HERE! for information on how to do that for your family)
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Students (and staff!) only allowed in the building keeps us more safe.
Parents picking up students do so through the front doors of the school. Scheduling appointments outside of school hours is very much appreciated.
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There are partitions throughout the school to prevent the spread!
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Students practice staying safe and social distancing during fire drill practice. Fire drills are completed in smaller groups which allow us to practice entering and exiting the building in a safe, orderly and social distanced way.
Check out this awesome fire drill line!
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Staff attend meetings in person to support student learning wearing masks and social distance.
Staff meetings and professional development take place using google meets which limits our contacts within the staff.
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Mr. Harry works his magic to ensure there is enough staff teaching on the Moon, everyday. As you are aware there is a shortage of teachers in Ontario and Mr. Harry is up at 4:30 am everyday to make sure our school is staffed by awesome staff.
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Previous Moon at a Glance 5.0
-
Week of October 12, 2020.pdf
-
Week of October 5, 2020.pdf
-
Week of September 28, 2020.pdf
-
Week of September 8, 2020.pdf