RIVER ELM SCHOOL Principal's Message - Winnipeg School Division
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April 2020
RIVER ELM SCHOOL Phone 204-667-9006
Principal’s Message…
Dear Families,
This month’s newsletter and school calendar will be shorter than usual due to COVID-19 and the mandatory shutdown of
all schools in Manitoba. All after school programs and/or extra-curricular activities have been cancelled at this time to
lessen the impact of COVID-19. When we have been given the all clear by the Province and Division a letter will be sent
home indicating which programs and/or activities are available for students and parents. The 21 Leaders Camp that was
scheduled for April 13-15, 2020 has been cancelled and will be re-scheduled for next year.
Students are scheduled to return to school on Monday, April 13, 2020 and this will remain the scheduled day of return
unless instructed by the Province or Division. This month’s newsletter contains information from the Province and
Division on COVID-19 and the precautions to take to lessen the impact of the virus. If you require more information
please visit the WSD or Manitoba Health webpage. Starting on Monday, April 13, 2020 River Elm School will be
accepting applications for the 2020-21 school year. Please contact the school if you have any questions r egar ding
the application process.
We will continue to practice a number of Hold and Secure, Lockdowns & fire drills from now until the end of June to
ensure the safety of your children. These drills are not intended to alarm students, but rather ensure that they are aware of
what to do should an emergency situation arise. It’s imperative that all drills happen quickly and effectively and we will
continue to practice drills monthly. Please contact me directly at the school if you have any questions.
LOCKDOWN - THREAT INSIDE THE BUILDING:
• An unwanted intruder has entered the school building.
• All classrooms in the school are secured and locked, and the students are kept inside the classroom with the lights off
and away from the windows.
• Staff will be given the “all clear” by the school Principal when the threat is over.
HOLD AND SECURE - OUTSIDE THREAT:
• If the threat is outside the building (for example, in the neighbourhood), ALL the doors leading outside will be
locked so that no one can enter the building. Staff will be posted at each door. We will refer to this as a Hold &
Secure.
• An announcement will be made via the intercom to inform staff and students of the threat and the conditions of the
“Hold and Secure”.
• Students and staff will NOT be allowed to leave the building until the threat is over however, they will be able to
continue moving to classes within the building.
• Remain calm and proceed as usual until you hear that the “Hold & Secure” has been lifted.
Principal Message Continued…
River Elm School will be holding our spring Indigenous community feast to celebrate our school and community.
The feast will be on Thursday, May 28, 2020. Doors open at 5:00 p.m. and the feast will take part in the gym. The
feast is open to all members of the school and the community. Our very own River Elm Pow wow dancers will be
dancing and we will have the River Elm Young Life Singers Pow wow drum group perform at the feast. Details
to follow and an event letter to be sent home to all families during the last week of April.
River Elm School will continue to hold daily smudging in the morning, which gives Indigenous and
non-Indigenous students and staff the opportunity to learn about different cultures and share their teachings with
one another (to support social distancing protocol, the Smudge bowl will be lit and will remain outside for 2-3
minutes for individuals to take part, NOT in a group). Smudging is a common cultural practice to many
Indigenous people across Turtle Island. Smudging is done by burning sacred medicines (sage, cedar, sweet grass,
tobacco) to create a smoke to help cleanse ourselves and the environment around us of negative energies so we
can walk in a good way. Again, we will be using sage that was harvested this fall by our staff.
The following teaching is spoken by the individual leading the smudge to all participants. This teaching was
created by the divisional Elder and has been passed on to our smudging circle. Here is the teaching that your child
will hear during the smudging;
“We smudge to clear the air around us. We smudge to clean our minds so that we’ll only have good thoughts of
others. We smudge our eyes so that we’ll only see good things in others. We smudge our ears so that we’ll only
listen to good things about others. We smudge our mouths so that we’ll only speak of good things about oth-
ers. We smudge our whole being so that we may portray only the good part of our self through our actions.
This is voluntary and will be held outside of the school daily at 8:45 a.m. and occasionally could be held in the
gym (gym has adequate ventilation) during extreme weather conditions. This would be at the discretion of the
Principal and Smudging outside will be our 1st option/priority. The value of this experience at the school will be
measured by the amount of individuals that will attend our daily Smudges. This experience is part of our efforts
to support the 94 Calls To Action and the TRC. If you have any questions regarding this traditional Indigenous
practice or want to attend, please contact me at the school.
E’Kosi
Miigwich
Cree R. Crowchild
Principal
2
Parent / Guardian information…
Dear Parent/Guardian:
Over the past two days, the Deputy Minister and Chief Medical Officer (CMO) have provided some
additional direction to school divisions regarding containment of COVID 19. Here are the key
messages we have received:
1. There are no plans currently in place to close schools.
2. School divisions are taking direction from health professionals at Manitoba Health – any decision to close
schools will be at the direction of Manitoba Health.
3. The CMO asked us to reinforce the following key points:
A. Social distancing – minimizing prolonged (10-minute threshold) close contact (within two
metres) with other individuals; keep group work to less than ten minutes.
B. Reducing large group/crowded activities.
C. Encourage staff and students to stay home if symptomatic for the flu or the common
cold.
D. Regular and proper handwashing for ALL students and staff.
E. If and when students or staff return to school after a short absence or trip, and are
asymptomatic, they are to be welcomed back into the school setting. Only those people
who are symptomatic should be referred to the two virus testing sites. For more
information on self-isolation and self-monitoring, visit: www.gov.mb.ca/health/
publichealth/factsheets/coronavirus_selfisolation.pdf.
F. If any member of the family is showing symptoms, MB Health is recommending that ALL
members of the household self-quarantine.
These messages are consistent with what we have been seeing in the media and on the MB
Government website.
Winnipeg School Division is taking measures to help prevent the transmission of COVID-19 in our
schools and the larger community. Our schools will remain open until we have direction to close any
or all of them from MB Health and MB Education. The WSD Pandemic Planning Committee and
Senior Administration has reviewed and updated the WSD Pandemic Plan and we are making
some immediate changes to how we do business:
Managing Illness
• Our schools must consider not only the health of the individual student, but also the health of
other students and staff. We have shared the “Managing Illness” information sheet with all
parents/guardians.
• If your child shows signs of illness while at school, our schools have identified a safe,
comfortable isolation space for your child to stay in while waiting for you to pick them up. The
space will be cleaned rigorously after each use.
• All employees and students who show flu-like symptoms are asked not to report to work or
school and take the advice provided by MB Health including quarantine in residence.
Cleaning
• Custodial Services has implemented a rigorous cleaning protocol in all of our schools and
buildings.
• Building managers/principals and head custodians are monitoring and recording compliance of
the rigorous cleaning in each building.
• Budget has been made available to schools to purchase additional supplies for the extra
cleaning supplies required.
Continued…
3
Parent / Guardian information…
Page 2
Events
• Schools are cancelling all school assemblies, concerts, field trips and sporting events until
further notice.
• For a full list of events please visit winnipegsd.ca/parents/pandemic planning. We will be
posting on this site as information is made available.
Permits
• All permits with the exception of daycares, Before/Noon/After school care and lunch programs,
have been cancelled until April 13 at which time the situation will be reassessed.
Social Distancing
• Messages regarding physical contact, cough and sneeze etiquette, hand washing, the use of
sanitizers and disinfectant wipes are being widely shared and circulated.
• WSD schools are remaining open until we are advised to do otherwise, however, essential
services are being reviewed and options assessed.
• Principals are working with students who are on work experience or providing any in-home
volunteer services to cancel these activities until further notice.
Meetings
• Keeping in mind the need for social distancing, all planned meetings in the division are being
assessed as to whether they can be postponed, cancelled or done by conference call.
Travel
• All division-related travel is suspended for staff and students where possible.
• We encourage everyone to follow MB Health’s recommendation to eliminate non-essential
travel. Our concern is that you may find yourself in a lockdown region with limited or no access
to medical care and incurring the cost of extended stays.
Communications
• We urge all staff and our school communities to follow all health and safety protocols.
• We will update the winnipegsd.ca/parents/pandemic planning page with new information as it is
available.
• Communication to parents/guardians will continue to be sent through the schools using your
normal method of distribution.
We recognize this is a lot of information to process and, while we are taking proactive and
preventative measures within WSD, we are committed to providing quality education to our stu-
dents while meeting this current challenge.
Thank you to all staff for your continued efforts to keep our schools and work-spaces as safe and
healthy as possible. We will do our best to keep you informed as the COVID-19 situation continues
to evolve in our province.
Sincerely,
Pauline Clarke, Chief Superintendent and CEO
Chris Broughton, Chair, WSD Board of Trustees
4
Parent / Guardian information…
Kindergarten and Nursery Registration
For the 2020/2021 School Year
Registrations for the 2020/2021 school year will begin in the month of
April. Children who are four years of age on or before December 31st,
2020 are eligible for the Nursery School Program (10 months, half
days). Children who are five years of age on or before December 31st,
2020 are eligible for Kindergarten (10 months, half days). Children
who are six years of age on or before December 31st, 2020 may
register for Grade 1 this fall.
If you, a friend, neighbour, or a relative have a child that meets the age
requirements, please come to River Elm School and register!!
Simply come to the school office to register. You will need to bring the
child’s birth certificate, a copy of your Manitoba Health Card along
with a Rental or Lease Agreement or a copy of your property tax bill.
If your child was born outside of Canada, we will require a copy of
their immigration documents.
Current River Elm Nursery students are automatically enrolled into
Kindergarten for the 2020/2021 school year. No registration is
required. If your child will not be attending Kinder gar ten at
River Elm School next year, please inform the office as soon as
possible.
Please call the office if you have any questions at 204-667-9006.
5
Parent/Guardian Information…
Lunch Program News . . .
If you are interested in having your child in the lunch program please see the
office and you will be given a registration package to complete. Once you have
completed the registration package and have returned it to the school, the lunch
program will then contact you regarding if there is a spot available.
• The emergency drop in fee is $2.00 per child per day. Parent/Guardians
MUST call the school to make ar r angements.
• Reminder to please send your child with the appropriate utensils needed to
eat their lunches. Utensils will not be supplied by the lunch program.
• Please label your child’s lunch containers with their names.
• May Lunch Program Fees are due by Monday, April 20th, 2020
Thank you.
River Elm School Lunch Program
Parent Advisory Council Information…
PAC [Parent Advisor y Council]
PAC meetings are cancelled
until further notice
6
River Elm School’s Parent Advisory Council
is currently hiring for the following position
FULL-TIME
LUNCH PROGRAM STAFF
FOR THE 2019/2020 SCHOOL YEAR
Requirements for this position
- Must be available Monday - Friday 11:45 am – 1:15 pm
- Works well with others
- Enjoys children and has experience with kids
- Valid Child Abuse Check
Please contact the school office for more information
7
8
Parent / Guardian information…
Talking to kids about corona-virus
Children are in tune to what is going on in the world around them, but need guidance from
adults to help clarify and process information. With talk of corona-virus, we know our kids have
heard about it, but we may not know what they understand. Here are some points to keep in
mind when talking to your kids.
1. Keep it simple and honest. Kids know when we aren’t being truthful and long answers
may be too much information or overwhelming. You know your child best, so tailor the
conversation to them.
2. Look for helpers. When faced with uncertainties or scary situations, it helps to look
for helpers. With corona-virus, we know that scientists and doctors are working together to
help people.
3. Validate concerns. “I’m here, I’m listening, I will take care of you” rather than “Don’t
worry about it”.
4. Stick to the facts. We know that corona-virus is similar to a cold. The best way to
prevent the spread is to wash our hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. We
should wash our hands before eating and after going to the bathroom. If we need to
sneeze or cough, we will use a tissue or our elbow instead of hands. We know that only
a few people are getting sick enough to need the hospital, and that most people who get
sick will be okay. The news focuses on the small percentage of people who are being
hospitalized.
5. Manage your own feelings. The constant negative talk of corona-virus can be over
whelming and make us feel anxious. Be sure to take a break from news feeds and focus
on keeping yourself well. Eat healthy, sleep well and exercise.
For more information please visit the Government of Canada’s website:
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-
infection.html
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me:
Kevin Roberts
Guidance Counselor
River Elm School
Ph. 204-667-9006
kroberts@wsd1.org
9
Parent / Guardian information…
Free money for your
child’s education!
http://seedwinnipeg.ca/news/free-money-for-your-childs-education
Did you know that eligible families can get at least $500 and up
to $2,000 each for their children’s education by opening a
Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) and applying for the
Canada Learning Bond? SEED Winnipeg can help you open a
no-fee RESP. If you need to get ID for your child to open
an RESP, SEED can help with that too, free of charge! If you’re
interested in finding out more information about opening
an RESP, please contact resp@seedwinnipeg.ca or 204-927-
9945.
SEED’s RESP work is funded in part by the Government of Can-
ada’s Canada Learning Bond Program.
10Parent / Guardian information…
Congratulations
to one of our River Elm families for winning tickets to
the Manitoba Moose game in February. Their names
were entered into a draw for a reading and writing
challenge during the I love To Read Month at
River Elm School.
What, how lucky is that!!!
11April 2020
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3 4
Spring Break
Ends
5 6 Day 5 7 Day 6 8 Day 1 9 Day 2 10 11
School Closed Good Friday
No School
12 13 Day 3 14 Day 4 15 Day 5 16 Day 6 17 Day 1 18
Non-Instructional
Day
School
Re-Opens
19 20 Day 2 21 Day 3 22 Day 4 23 Day 5 24 Day 6 25
26 27 Day 1 28 Day 2 29 Day 3 30 Day 4
12You can also read
