​We look forward to welcoming your child back to school for a safe start to the 2020-2021 school year. In order to support the successful transition back to school and assist students with learning school health and safety procedures and risk mitigation strategies, as well as to support school orientation for our incoming Grade 9 students, classes for Grade 9 students will begin on Monday, September 14. The first day of classes for students in Grades 10 – 12 will be on Tuesday, September 15.

We understand that many of the school procedures for the 2020-2021 school year will be new to students; however, we are committed to supporting safe and welcoming transitions to school for our students and families. In addition to supporting student learning, staff will help students become familiar with school and health and safety routines to reduce the opportunities for transmission of COVID-19.

The plan is a multi-layered approach with various safety measures to mitigate opportunities for the transmission of COVID-19. The implementation is a shared responsibility between Lambton Kent District School Board (LKDSB) staff, local Public Health, family households, students and Chatham-Kent Lambton Administrative School Services (CLASS). By collectively implementing the plan, our schools will be safe for our students and staff.

Refer to the School Safety Protocols and the Daily Screening Questionnaire for Parents/Guardians/Students Before Attending School for more information.

Please note: Parents/guardians will have limited opportunities within the school year to switch their child's school experience between face-to-face instruction and Learn at Home instruction (or vice versa). Families must notify the school in advance and there may be a waiting period prior to their child's admission to school, depending on scheduling and availability of classroom space.

School Arrival

Student timetables will be emailed directly to secondary students. Please refer to your child's timetable for specific information regarding course scheduling and homeroom assignment.

Where possible, students should not arrive before 07:50 am.

Students will move to their designated entrance door regardless of transportation, bus, drop-off, or walking. Upon arrival at school, students will enter the school and go directly to their Period A class.

Students must be wearing masks to enter the school, unless otherwise exempted.

When your child arrives, your child will enter the school through the North Entrance (Front of the school) and the South Entrance (by the food & tech rooms).

At the end of the school day, your child will exit through the North Entrance (Front of the school) and the South Entrance (by the food & tech rooms).

Parents/Guardians: Please share school arrival information with emergency contacts for the student.

Please note: To maintain cohorts and contact tracing, parents/guardians will not be allowed to enter schools at this time, except in case of emergency or a pre-arranged appointment time. Parents/guardians of students requiring extra support to help get to class once safely at school should contact the school administrator.

If a student leaves school property during the school day (such as for a pre-scheduled appointment), the student will return to school the next day following the completion of the Daily Screening Questionnaire for Parents/Guardians/Students Before Attending School.

Screening

Parents/guardians are required to assess their children daily and report whether they are experiencing any signs of illness and are expected to keep them home if they are. Parents/guardians should refer to the Daily Screening Questionnaire for Parents/Guardians/Students Before Attending School to perform daily screening of their children before arriving at school.

All students who are experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19 must not attend school and should seek appropriate medical attention as required, including getting tested at a COVID-19 testing centre. The closest testing centre to our school is the CKHA COVID -19 Assessment Centre, 47 Emma St., Chatham.

Note: Refer to the School Safety Protocols and Daily Screening Questionnaire for Parents/Guardians/Students Before Attending School for more information.

Student Transportation

CLASS is planning service for all eligible students; there is no need to register for busing. Go to https://cklass.ca/services/student-transportation/address-eligibility/  in order to confirm your eligibility for transportation. Students will be assigned a bus seat, be required to wear masks and will sit with their siblings or classroom cohort. Additional information is available on the CLASS Student Transportation website: https://cklass.ca/services/student-transportation/

Download the MySBI app for school bus updates during the school year, including school bus delays and weather cancellations.

Personal Student Items

Any personal items (e.g., backpack, clothing, water bottles, food, etc.) should be labeled and kept in an area designated for the student and should not be handled by other students.

Lunch and Food Services

Tilbury District High School is a Nut Aware School, this means that we ask students and staff to bring peanut and tree nut free lunches and snacks to school.  We have students and or staff that are highly allergic to peanuts and tree nuts.  Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Students will be required to bring their own food as cafeteria food services and self-serve vending machines will not be available.

Students will remain in their classroom to eat lunch and will not share food. The use of common spaces, such as cafeterias, libraries/learning commons and hallways, will not be available for students to eat lunch.

Students will not be permitted to leave the school premises for lunch.

Students should bring labelled refillable water bottles instead of accessing drinking fountains. If you do not have a refillable water bottle, please contact the school.

Student Activity Fees

Student Activity Fees are being waived this school year.

In order to support physical distancing and minimize the handling of cash, families are encouraged to use SchoolCash Online for Course Fees. Visit the school website to learn more about SchoolCashOnline (click on the orange School Cash Online button).

Course Schedules

The school year will be divided into four blocks of approximately 44 days of instruction. Students will participate in one period per day, alternating weeks for two periods of their timetable, rather than the usual four periods per day over a full semester. In total, students will take eight courses per year in the quadmester approach, the same number of courses as in a traditional semestered approach.

Please note: Student timetables will be communicated directly to secondary students.

Quadmester 1 is tentatively set for September 8-November 13 (including exams). Students will participate for the full day in two classes – Course A and Course B – in alternating weeks, beginning with Course A the week of September 14. Note: Should conditions change secondary scheduling may be revised.

Please refer to the Reopening Our Schools plan for the tentative quadmester dates and a schedule for Quadmester 1 courses.

Moving Between Learn at Home and Face-to-Face Instruction

Families wishing to transfer between face-to-face learning to Learn at Home or transfer from Learn at Home to face-to-face instruction must contact their principal according to the following timelines:

• Fall date: Families notify school by October 22. Student begins new program type on November 16.
• Winter date: Families notify school by January 12. Student begins new program type on February 3.
• Spring date: Families notify school by March 30. Student begins new program type on April 20.

Students moving between program delivery choice (i.e. face-to-face learning or Learn at Home) should anticipate changes in teacher(s). If space is available, the LKDSB will attempt to accommodate all requests sooner than the dates above; however, this will vary from school-to-school and grade-by-grade and may not be possible. Transportation delays may also occur.

Please note: Parents/guardians will have limited opportunities within the school year to switch their child's school experience between face-to-face instruction and Learn at Home instruction (or vice versa).

Special Education Staff Support

Teachers, Educational Assistants and other special education support staff essential for daily academic programming in the classroom will use personal protective equipment when physical distancing is not possible. Information about Special Education staff support is available in the Reopening Our Schools plan. Should you have any specific questions about your child, please follow-up with the school.

Individual Education Plan

Individual Education Plan (IEP) and Plan of Care for students will be reviewed and updated in consultation with families and school staff as we begin the 2020-2021 school year. Parents and guardians can expect to receive an updated IEP and/or Plan of Care.  If parents and/or guardians have any questions or concerns, please contact our Resource Teacher, Sherri Leveque.

Mental Health

As a result of the time away from the school setting, we understand that students may be struggling with mental health concerns, such as anxiety and depression. Families are encouraged to contact their school team to discuss their child's transition back to the school setting. For additional resources, please access information at: https://www.lkdsb.net/Board/Community/MentalHealth/

Reopening Our Schools Plan

For additional information about the LKDSB's Reopening Our Schools Plan, please visit the LKDSB website. Please communicate any relevant information with your child's emergency contacts.

We look forward to a safe and welcoming start to the 2020-2021 school year. Should you have any specific questions about your child, please contact the school at 519-682-0751.

Sincerely,

Benjamin Lawton

Principal