2020 – 2021 School Year Update #3

Hello Vikings!

The 2020 – 2021 school year begins next week with Rainbow District School Board’s staggered starts, and we are certainly looking forward to connecting with everyone again. A few important messages…

Welcome Grade 9s- September 8, 2020

We are very excited to welcome our newest Vikings to Lockerby Composite School on Tuesday!

• For Grade 9 students being dropped-off by bus on Ramsey View Court, we ask that you enter the building through the Main Entrance Doors.
• For Grade 9 students being dropped-off by bus at the side of the school, we ask that you enter the building through our Guidance Doors.
• For Grade 9 students being dropped-off by parents/guardians or are walking to school, we ask that you enter the building through the Main Entrance Doors.

We will have our ‘distancing staff welcome committee’ greeting students at buses and at their entry door. Upon entry, students will be hand sanitizing, given their timetable, and shown where to go for their Period 1 class. During their Period 1 class, they will receive their ‘Vikewear t-shirt,’ learn about the school, and be involved in a Grade 9 wide school orientation to meet Administration, their Students Council, their Athletics Association, their Music Council, and to learn about our Student Services. We are hoping that by the end of their Period 1 class our newest Vikings will have some information regarding student-life at Lockerby for this year, and ways in which they can get involved in the school community!

Our Guidance Department has reached-out to all of our Grade 9 Remote Leaners to provide them with instructions for ‘Remote Learner entry’ on the first day of classes.

Staggered Start – Different Grades, Different Days

In addition to our Grade 9 students, at Lockerby Composite School, our other grades will be starting their school year on different days:

• Grade 10s: Wednesday, September 9, 2020
• Grade 11s: Thursday, September 10, 2020
• Grade 12s: Friday, September 11, 2020

Grade 10s / 11s / 12s Face-to-Face Learners

Welcome back Vikings – we are all excited to connect with you again!

• For students being dropped-off by bus on Ramsey Lake Road, we ask that you enter the building through the Main Entrance Doors.
• For students being dropped-off by bus at the side of the school, we ask that you enter the building through our Guidance Doors.
• For students being dropped-off by parents/guardians or are walking to school, we ask that you enter the building through the Main Entrance Doors.

As you enter the building at your designated entrance, you will be required to hand sanitize, find your homeroom classroom number on the walls nearby both entrances (without congregating) and proceed directly to your homeroom classroom. Students will not be allowed to congregate in the hallways in order to maintain cohorting. Students will notice posters, directional arrows and hallway divisions to ensure that everyone is moving to class in the proper direction and in ensuring distancing. As always, our ‘distancing staff welcome committee’ will be in the hallways to answer questions, show students to classrooms, and make sure that our school entry runs smoothly. Once students are in their homeroom classes, they will receive their timetables and learn about our new school procedures in these unique times. Please note that our Guidance Department will be reaching-out to all of our Grade 10 – 12 Remote Leaners to provide them with instructions for ‘Remote Learner entry’ the day before their first day of classes.

Self-Screening

It is important to note that students, teachers, and school staff must self-screen for symptoms of COVID-19 before leaving home. Students (and staff) who are unwell must stay home from school, should look to seek medical attention and testing (when recommended by health care providers). Again, students must stay home if they have symptoms or are ill. A copy of Rainbow District School Board’s self-screening form is attached below. Likewise, parents/guardians are also encouraged to use Ontario’s online self-assessment tool at https://covid-19.ontario.ca/self-assessment and follow the online instructions.

Rainbow District School Board Pre-Screening Form

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Students

The Ministry of Education has mandated that all students from Grades 4 -12 wear a non-medical (or cloth) mask. It will be the students’ responsibility to ensure that their mask is washed on a daily basis. We are recommending that students carry extra masks with them each day. Students must wear their mask throughout the entirety of the day including in hallways and during classes.

Personal Belongings

All personal belongings will remain with students throughout the entire day and all personal items will be transported with students between periods and lunch (no lockers will be issued this year). Essentially, all bags, shoes, boots, and coats must remain with students throughout the day. Personal belongings should not be left unattended (we are not responsible for lost or stolen items). We are asking that all students minimize the number of belongings they bring to school. We are also asking that students bring a refillable water bottle to school for the water filling stations (all traditional water fountains will be turned off/removed).

Remote Leaners

Please note that our Guidance Department will be reaching-out to all of our Grade 10 – 12 Remote Leaners to provide them with instructions for ‘Remote Learner entry’ the day before their first day of classes (by phone or by email). In the interim, we are attaching (below) login instructions for the Virtual Learning Environment (D2L).

Rainbow District School Board Remote Learning Login Information

Please note that we are looking to develop a protocol for material pick-up for our Remote Learners. As we move into our second week of studies, we will be communicating with our Remote Learners and their families regarding the process of material pick-up. Please stay tuned.

Student Timetables

All Lockerby Composite School students will be attending school every day each week. Students who have already chosen remote learning will connect live with the class as it occurs in the school. Synchronous learning will be delivered by the regular classroom teacher. Students will continue to take 4 credits/subjects in the first semester. The timetable below has been designed to limit contacts to approximately 100 direct contacts per week. The Week 1 and Week 2 schedule covers all periods:

Our School Day Schedule

Our School Day Schedule has been modified significantly and is divided by ‘Coded Course.’ Below are some examples of ‘Coded Courses’ that are found on student timetables (to be re-distributed on the first day of classes in homerooms).

• SNC1P0-01: Grade 9 Coded Class
• FIF2DI-01: Grade 10 Coded Class
• TGJ3M0-01: Grade 11 Coded Class
• ENG4UL-01: Grade 12 Coded Class

Students will be receiving further instructions about our school day structure in their homeroom classes on their first days. In the interim (and for our Remote Learners), below are 2-sets of our School Day Schedule (which may need to be amalgamated based on each student’s individual timetables).

Hallway Traffic and Movement

Please note that throughout the school there will be directional posters, arrows, and dots to indicate traffic flow. Again, tape will be placed on the floor to separate direction of movement and we will continue to encourage students to maintain distancing in the hallways. Our staff will be out in the hallways for all transitions to ensure distancing and proper flow to classes (based on grade-level staggering). It’s a tradition at Lockerby Composite to have staff in the hallways at the beginning of the day and throughout transitions, breaks, and lunch as part of our invitational learning initiatives.

School Signage

COVID-19 signage will be placed on walls and floors to help students maintain distance. The signage will be posted at entrances, in classrooms, large spaces, meetings spaces, and other rooms. Throughout our school, tape will be used in the middle of the hallways to separate flow of hallway movement. Likewise, floor decals (arrows and dots) will be specifically placed on the floor – please note that each colour doesn’t represent anything specific.

Lunch – Cafeteria / Auditorium

Based on our new schedule, our Grade 9/10 and 11/12 lunch start times will be staggered. Students choosing to leave the building at the start of the lunch period will be allowed to do so. Please note however that if students leave the building during the lunch period, they must remain outside until 5 minutes before the start of their Period 2 or Period 4 class. Students choosing to remain in the building will be cohorted in the Cafeteria or Auditorium with the cohort in which they arrived and there will be designated seating for each of these cohorts/classes. During lunch periods, these students will be allowed to leave the Cafeteria or Auditorium if they are a Grade 12 student with a Period 2 or Period 4 spare (they can leave the building after their Period 1 or Period 3 class); if they need to use the washroom/get a drink from the refillable station; if a school club is running; or if they have eaten and there is an opportunity go outside. Again, please note that if students leave the building during the lunch period, they must remain outside until 5 minutes before the start of their Period 2 or Period 4 class. Students re-entering the building will be following re-entry procedures (ie. hand sanitizing) and will proceed directly to their class. These students must enter through the Guidance set of doors.

Please note that our Cafeteria Servery will be open at lunchtimes only. Debit transactions or Zipthru cards will be the method of payment for Cafeteria Servery purchases. More information regarding purchases can be found at www.zipthru-card.ca and at the Cafeteria Servery. A Zipthru app will also be released on September 21st, 2020 for pre-ordering (more information will follow in our Weekly Friday Newsletters). All vending machines and microwaves are off-limits.

School Day Dismissal

Our school-day dismissal will be staggered and will begin at 2:20pm. Students will be dismissed via the PA system to preserve busing cohorts. Bus numbers (including walkers/pick-ups) and exit door location will be announced (in 30 – 45 second intervals) based on Sudbury Busing Consortium times and bus location (Ramsey View Court and Guidance Entrance). Students are asked to sit in their classroom seats until their bus is called and students will then be asked to exit the building using arrows and signage.

School Policies / Procedures / Protocols / Expectations

A presentation to students that includes new school procedures, overviews of health and safety protocols, and school-year programming expectations (by way of homeroom teachers on students’ first day of classroom instruction) will occur the first day of classes. The contents of this presentation will also be shared with our parents/guardians (by way of our website with a video explanation). Please know that we will also provide weekly Friday updates through our ‘Lockerby Newsletter’ and we will have daily school video announcements from our Student Council.

A Message from Public Health Sudbury and Districts

Ultimately, we are in the midst of the first modern-day school opening during a pandemic.  Please watch the video below from Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, Medical Officer of Health for Public Health Sudbury and Districts, sharing her thoughts on how to prepare for a healthy and successful return to school.

Video Message from Dr. Penny Sutcliffe

As always, thank you for your patience as we embark on this new school-year journey together – we are all excited for our start-up!