Welcome to a new school year!
We are so thrilled to be welcoming our new and former families to in-person learning beginning Wednesday September 1, 2021. Our staff have been working diligently to prepare for their arrival.
By now you are likely aware of how the CBE is opening schools with a safe, welcoming and caring learning environment. To attend to the ongoing COVID pandemic, all CBE schools, including Citadel Park School, will be adhering to the following protocols:
- Masking will be required by all students, staff and visitors who enter our building.
- Students will be provided mask breaks throughout the day.
- Students will continue to be reminded of respiratory etiquette (i.e. cough into your sleeve)
- Cohorting of students (keeping select groups of students together) will continue. We are cohorting by both class and grade. Students will remain in cohorts for recess and lunch. We will be having only one morning recess this year.
- Separate doors for entry/exit for students to minimize cross cohorting.
- Floor decals and arrows to indicate flow of traffic within the school.
- Handwashing and/or hand sanitizing will be reinforced throughout the day. Students will wash/sanitize on the way into the school and during washroom breaks. Students will also be reminded to wash/sanitize before and after using shared materials (i.e. math manipulatives or a ball in physical education).
- High touch point cleaning (i.e. door handles, desks) will continue throughout the day.
- No unscheduled volunteers or visitors are allowed in the school at this time.
We recognize that our province has not mandated some of these protocols, however as a school board, this is the direction we are taking. We appreciate your flexibility and understanding as we believe these layers of mitigation help to keep your children safe. Our success in mitigating the spread of the virus during the last school year demonstrates that these measures work. Should you have any questions about the CBE COVID protocols, please visit the CBE Covid-19 Information. Subsequently, if you have questions specifically related to Citadel Park School protocols, please contact me at cledwards@cbe.ab.ca
Speaking of safety, it’s that time of year again when we need to be mindful of our driving and parking habits to ensure all of our students arrive safely and depart safely from school each day. We understand that many parents want to ensure their child knows where to go in the first few days of school and we expect increased traffic flow around the school this coming week. Please pack your patience! School staff will be on supervision every school day beginning at 8:38am and will be visible by their neon vests. We encourage as many parents as possible to drop their students at the edge of the school grounds (once they become familiar with their entry doors) each day. Carrying one’s own backpack and finding their way to their doors is a big step towards independence! Similarly, at the end of the day, we encourage families to create a meeting spot at the edge of the school grounds to receive their child after school.
Of important note, we have made some changes within the school building to optimize student learning. This year, our Kindergarten classrooms are located at the south end of the building, meaning their exit is across from the community association parking lot. We ask families of older children to avoid this area as our kindergarten students must be delivered “hand to hand” to ensure safety. We know this is a significant change and we once again appreciate your understanding in making pick up and drop off time successful for all families.
Our class configurations for the coming year include:
- Four Kindergarten classes (2 am and 2 pm)
- NOTE: These students will have staggered entry (some students only come Wednesday this week and some students only come Thursday this week). More information will be forthcoming from your homeroom teacher.
- Three grade 1 classes
- Four grade 2 classes
- Four grade 3 classes
- Three grade 4 classes
Teachers will be contacting families by Tuesday afternoon to introduce themselves and provide first day of school information to their students and families. Additionally, we have assigned meeting spaces/entry doors for all grades as follows:
- Kindergarten students enter by Rooms 1 & 2, just off the community centre gravel lot.
- Grade 1 students will enter by the north doors, closest to Citadel Drive and the playground.
- Grade 2 students will enter at the back of the school at the doors adjacent to the compound area.
- Grade 3 students will enter at the back of the school at the doors between the gymnasium and the compound.
- Grade 4 students will enter the school by the portable classroom doors.
Again, there will be plenty of staff directing traffic, so if in doubt, just ask and we will happy to help.
There will be so much more to share in the coming days and weeks. Individual teacher communication as well as communicatons from the school will come via school messenger so please ensure you are checking your email regularly.
We wish everyone a restful last few days of summer holidays and look forward to seeing you Wednesday September 1 beginning at 8:38 am!
