"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called 'Opportunity' and its first chapter is new Year's Day." - Edith Lovejoy Pierce
"We are all afraid. We are all confused. We are doing our best, no matter what it looks like. We are all lonely and weird and beautiful. And we are all here together. We should remember that more."
- Nanen Hoffman
Welcome 2021!
Happy New Year Everyone!
I have thoroughly enjoyed the 16-day break from school, as I am sure all other teachers, students, administrators and parents have as well. It was definitely a different holiday season - completely unlike any other I have celebrated in a very long past - thanks to the impact of the pandemic on pretty much the entire world and definitely in Alberta. I do not recall a quieter, more confined break ever!
We return to school on Monday, January 4/21, although our first day will be a professional day with no children in attendance. And, as per provincial mandate, our school will also be virtual for the remainder of the first week, with an expected return to in-class learning on Monday, January 11, 2021. We have shared our plans for online learning with families and are ready to go!
When school returns to in-person learning next week, we will be focused on persevering with precautions, doing our best to keep things as safe as possible while ensuring students are growing as learners. While vaccinations are clearly on our horizon, persevering with layers of protective actions will continue to be our primary focus for the foreseeable future. The promise of a return to a typical schooling experience is certainly on the horizon, but we have months of persevering with protective practices before that becomes our reality again. We know there will be challenges; we are ready to persevere.
There are multiple layers of protective practices we have established and will continue to keep in effect in the coming months. The most visible, of course, are the three strategies we emphasize daily with the children and have captured in our school healthy triad poster. 
Other protective strategies include those mandated by the Calgary Board of Education, such as not allowing visitors in the school or on school property, all grades wearing masks in the school any time 2 m distancing cannot be sustained, and enhanced cleaning of the school each day with additional staff assigned for these purposes. Strategies that include distancing, assigned seating, use of PPE and daily checks at home for absence of any signs of illness begin with provincial mandates. And then there are strategies developed or enhanced by the school to provide additional precautionary layers of protection from COVID-19.
Pre-cautionary strategies that our school uses include:
- staggered entry and exit times for all students
- mask wearing at all times, inside and outside, except for mask-free designated areas and physical activity outside
- hand sanitizing/washing when entering/exiting the school or classes
- individually wiping surfaces after we are finished with them (eg. tables, shelves)
- students cohorted in class groupings at all times, both inside and outside and during lunch hours
- individual supplies in labelled, personalized containers for each student
- managed used of reading books to limit cross-contact, with 'book spa' time (3 days) between users
- no use of Learning Commons, Maker Space or other shared spaces, manipulatives or resources
- controlled, supervised access to washrooms and hallways
- 4 mask-free zones in the school where a supervised cohort of students may safely take a break 2 m apart for a story or lesson
- open windows where appropriate to facilitate air flow
- occupancy limitations for staffroom and other working areas, and use of virtual meetings for staff
These strategies offer precautionary layers of protection for students and have been in place since the fall. We will definitely persevere with them as the winter progresses into spring, appreciating the support of our families, carrying a great deal of hope and optimism for keeping the virus at bay until the realities of vaccinations are able to keep us all safe and able to have learning look more like school used to and will again.
It has been a restful break, preparing us for the immense work ahead - we are energized and ready to begin learning again - with appropriate cautions well in place. Welcome back to 2021 - a whole new year of growth, challenge and (I expect) many surprises :)
Lorraine Kinsman, Principal
Eric Harvie School
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