Hello Hawks!
We hope that all of our students and families have had a restful and relaxing summer and that you've all stayed healthy. Our administrative team has been busy planning for our re-entry to school during this COVID-19 pandemic.
There are a number of things that we know you will have heard about our return to school; however, we wanted to share a few items in advance of the first day on September 8th. Things may continue to change, so we invite you to check our website for further information, should things change.
We currently have over 800 student registrations and our average class sizes vary between 26 and 29 students currently. This number currently includes families who may have moved away or who may have opted to enroll in Regina Public School's e-Learning program. We anticipate that physical distancing in the classroom will be difficult, therefore students in grades 4-8 and all staff will be required to wear non-medical masks. Please purchase more than one so that a freshly laundered one may be used daily. Students in Kindergarten to grade 3 will be strongly encouraged to also wear masks. If you can assist us by familiarizing your child(ren) with their masks, this would be appreciated!
Our school does not have lockers for everyone, so students will be required to share lockers for coats and shoes. Students will bring individual backpacks into the classrooms. We will attempt to have students with a consistent partner both for locker and classroom seating partners. During instructional times, students will remain in their classroom groups – or cohorts – for the day. Specialist teachers, administration, educational assistants, etc., will interact with the cohort in their space to avoid having the students move within the school. Staff members entering classrooms will be required to wash or use hand sanitizer prior to entry and as they leave the classroom. Students who can go home for lunch are highly encouraged to do so. Those who must stay will eat in their room with the same cohort of students. The library, gym and music room will be closed to start the year as we will avoid shared spaces.
Students will not work in our hallways or breakout rooms as we were accustomed to doing in the past. The vast majority of soft and supplementary furniture has been stored to allow our facility staff the time to do a thorough cleaning every night and reduce the temptation of students to mix cohorts. We are increasing from 2 boot rooms to 4 entry/exit points. Teachers will pick up their classes from their designated doors in the morning and the students will be dismissed from the same location at the end of the day. Parents will not be allowed on the playground or to intermingle with our students during school hours. Parents who want to pick up primary children are encouraged to choose a meeting location off of the school grounds. We encourage you to start practicing now where you will meet your child at the end of the day if you are picking them up. We are also strongly encouraging all students/families to Stride to School or to drop off students a few blocks away from school. This would help students be active and we can avoid congestion in our bus zone and on the streets. Additionally, for safety of students and staff who may be walking, the staff parking lot is not to be used as a drop off or pick up area. Access to the parking lot will only be those who have a parking pass.
Across Regina Public Schools, recesses have been moved in order to limit classroom transitions. A split recess will occur during lunch. Our new hours are:
- 8:53 - 9:08 am Morning Recess
- 9:08 - 11:45am Instructional Time
- 11:45 - 12:45pm Lunch - Students who go home are encouraged to return as close to 12:45pm as possible!
- Group A will have recess from 11:45 to 12:00pm
- Group B will have recess from 12:30 to 12:45pm
- 12:45 - 3:22pm Instructional Time
- 3:22 - 3:37pm Afternoon Recess/Dismissal
We also ask that students who are not transported by division buses plan to arrive as close to 9:08am as possible. At 3:22pm, students who have signed permission from their parents will be free to make their way home rather than stay for recess. These are both implemented to avoid overcrowding on the playground.
Students transported by bus will receive their schedules from Regina Public Schools Transportation. Masks will be mandatory for all students riding the bus.
You will be contacted by your our staff prior to the first day of school to share opening day routines and procedures and details about our staggered start.
If you are interested in remote learning please go to https://www.reginapublica/eschool. This is not the same as the supplemental learning we provided in March-June. This online learning will encompass the full curriculum with on-going assessment. If you chose to enroll in this program, we ask that you send an email to: harbourlanding@rbe.sk.ca.
There will be more information to come, however, we wanted to share a few details to assist you and your students for the return to our Hawk's Nest! Our staff cannot wait to welcome you back into our school!
For a snapshot of these return to school details, see the attached infographic!
Harbour Landing School Administration
Patrick Mooney, Principal & Erin Geddes, Vice-Principal
