Dear Students and Parents,
We are happy to welcome back our students on Tuesday February 16, 2021. We missed you very much and cannot wait to see you all back. In this newsletter the following subjects are included:
- New covid-19 regulations
- Bring back containers with school material
- Tax Receipt explanation
- Report Cards
- Early Bird registration
- Covid Protector competition
- Computers’ Parental Control
- Dress up according to weather
Return to School – New Regulations
On Wednesday, February 3, 2021 the Minister of Education announced schools in York Region will re-open for in-person learning on Tuesday, February 16, 2021.
York Region Public Health reassures you it is safe to return to school. UMCA is taking all appropriate steps for the health, safety, and well-being of our school community. This includes updating our screening guidance and implementing more stringent protocols.
Updated screening guidance
All students and staff are required to complete the covid-19 screening questionnaire which can be found on our website (umca.ca). Daily confirmation of screening will be required for staff and secondary students.
Effective immediately:
- If a student or staff member has ONE symptom of COVID-19 they are required to stay home from school and child-care and get tested for COVID-19 at an Assessment Centre
- If anyone in a household has travelled outside of Canada, everyone must stay home from school and child-care until the 14-day quarantine period has finished
- If anyone in your household is sick and has not tested negative for COVID-19, or does not have an alternative diagnosis from a health-care provider, all others in the household must stay home from school and child-care until the results are known or an alternative diagnosis is provided
- If someone in the household is identified as a high-risk/close contact of a confirmed COVID-19 case, the whole household is required to stay home from school for the 14-day quarantine period, except for essential reasons**
** Please note: Individuals in a dismissed cohort do not need to have the rest of their household stay home from school or child-care unless contacted by Public Health. Public Health will work with the affected school or child-care setting to identify individuals within cohorts that may be at increased risk of exposure to provide further direction.
Health and Safety Measures
There are some new health and safety measures in place, including:
- Masks are now required for students in Grades 1-12. Students in kindergarten are encouraged to wear masks. Parents are encourages to have a conversation with their child (grades 1-3) to introduce mask wearing and bring 3 sets of masks to school in a labelled zip lock bag.
- Masks are now required outdoors where social distancing cannot be performed, as well as common areas, in addition to in-class.
- Students are discouraged from congregating before and after school.
- York Region Public Health is recommending that students wear three-layer masks. Two layer masks are permitted if they are clean and fit appropriately.
- Families dropping off and picking up their children at school are reminded to wear masks and not congregate while on school property.
- Please continue to reinforce hand hygiene practices.
What happens if there is a case of COVID-19 in my child’s class?
Any staff or children who have had close contact with a probable or confirmed COVID-19 case in a school will receive a letter from York Region Public Health advising them to stay at home for 14 days. Certain individuals may receive more instructions from Public Health if the investigation reveals the student/staff/essential visitor is at increased risk of exposure. These individuals will receive a phone call from Public Health to outline any additional requirements, including isolation of household contacts. The identity of any person who contracts COVID-19 is protected under privacy legislation and cannot be shared. You would want this same privacy if your family was affected. We remain committed to respecting the privacy of all students and staff.
We are all looking forward to seeing students in-person next week. It is our commitment to continue to prioritize safety and well-being for all students and staff.
Containers with School Material
It is extremely important students will bring for the first day their container with all the books, binders, duo tangs, pencil cases etc. A student without his container and school material will not be able to work productively in class as s/he will miss the material to work with.
Students should also bring labeled water bottle, as well as an extra set of mask.
Pencil cases should include sharpened pencils and only items needed for work in class. No toys, cards or dolls are allowed in class.
Tax Receipt
All preschool and Elementary school students will receive or have received already their 2020 Tax Receipt. As some parents contacted us with questions, we wanted to provide a short explanation as to the amount you see on your tax receipt.
The tax receipt is not the same as an invoice. In invoices, the full amount you paid is declared. However, for tax purposes, the tax receipt shows only a certain percentage of the tuition fee you paid, which is the “child-care” portion (for an elementary school student grades 1, 2 and 3, it shows 50%, for grades 4 – 8 it shows 60%, for preschool students it is 100%). Only this percentage of the tuition fee is considered “child-care expense”. The maximum child–care expenses that can be claimed per child each year is limited to $5,000, $8,000 or $11,000 (the last is for disabled children) depending on the circumstances.
When you get your tax receipt you will notice that the amount on the receipt is 60% (or 50%, or 100% for preschool) of the tuition fee you paid in between January 2020 and December 2020. Registration fees, supplies and other fees are not included in this receipt.
Report Cards
Please note that reports cards are being sent by email to parents and students, and all students should receive their report cards by the end of the week. If you do not receive it by the end of the week, please contact Ms. Sara at sara@umca.ca.
Early Bird Registration
Please see this as a friendly reminder that early bird registration will end this month. As of March 1st, new tuition fees will apply towards 2021-22 school year. Register now and save in tuition fees as well as reserve a spot for your child. We intend to keep our small class size next year as well and therefore spots are limited.
For registration, please follow this link: https://reg.umca.app/
Covid Protector Competition
For a positive implementation of the covid-19 rules in an encouraging and motivating way, we initiated a competition for grades 1-5, called “Covid Protector”. Students who follow the rules, keep social distancing, wash their hands, and implement all the rules diligently will receive a pin saying “Covid Protector”. By the end of the week, the class with the most students carrying the pin, will be the winning class, and will receive a prize. We hope this will encourage students to follow Public Health rules in a way that supports their team work effort, as well as personal contribution.
Computer Parental Control
Our children are spending nowadays more time than ever on their computers. Sometimes we do not know which websites they have visited. One of the parents brought to our attention this sensitive issue and we wish to share his recommendation for a software that can monitor and prevent children from visiting inappropriate websites and records everything they do and alerts parents. The link to that software is: https://www.kaspersky.ca/safe-kids
Dress Up for the Weather
Please be reminded that students go out every day. As the weather is extremely cold in the past couple of weeks, we kindly ask you to dress your child appropriately to the weather. Do not forget to send him/her with a warm jacket, a hat, gloves and snow pants. Please label everything as children tend to lose their belongings.
UMCA wishes you all a wonderful long weekend! See you on Tuesday!
