Newsflash – August 30

Dear Parents:

We look forward to seeing your child/children on Tuesday, September 7. 

The SMS start-up is beginning to feel more familiar however, there are a few specific routines that will be explained this week.  Thank-you for your patience and support. We will communicate on a regular basis with families as we prepare for this next phase in student learning.

School District 83, following the direction of the Ministry of Education and the BC Ministry of Health is developing a return to school plan. SMS will be implementing the plan to meet specific needs of our students and the building in which we all work and learn each day. The information may be updated depending on the circumstances of our specific health region. This will require parents to visit the school website or the SD83 website to be best informed. 

Helpful Info @ a Glance

• First Day of school is Tuesday, September 7.  This is a partial day.  Students will be dismissed at 11:35am.

• SD 83 Buses are running 3 hours earlier than a regular school day to match the partial day. Students need to register through SD 83 Transportation to ride the bus. Contact Phone number: 250-832-9415. Students from grades 4-12 are required to wear masks while riding the school bus, as directed by the Ministry.

• All K-12 staff are required to wear a mask indoors in schools. Students in grade 4 -12 are required to wear a mask indoors in schools.

• Regular handwashing will continue throughout the day. Hand sanitizer is available for students at every entrance and students may also bring their own. 

• Students are not allowed to share items that come in contact with the mouth (food, drinks, unwashed utensils, instruments). We have seen a significant rise in vaping and some smoking among students. Vaping products and tobacco products are not permitted at school at any time however, we hope parents will also speak to their children about the hazards of sharing these items.

• Students need a water bottle; fountains are closed but we have 3 filtered bottle filling stations. Please label water bottles students name to avoid usage by the wrong student.

• Parents/caregivers are to conduct at home health checks each morning prior to sending their child to school. It is mandatory for students to stay home when sick.

More information will be emailed Wednesday September 1st.

Class placements and first day arrival instructions for students will be emailed Friday September 3rd.

Kind regards,

Sydney Griffith,

Principal