Dear Summit Heights Parents,

Our staff will be hosting the annual Curriculum Night next week (see the schedule below).  Given the circumstances of the ongoing pandemic, this year’s Curriculum Night will be virtual or via phone calls.

Our Teachers/RECE’s will be communicating specific details about their curriculum night, including the link to the virtual meetings or how to request a phone call.  Please be on the look-out for this communication from our staff.

2020 Curriculum Night Schedule

Thank you,

Mr. B. Mah,
Principal.

Good afternoon Summit Heights Parents,

In this update you will find information on the updated COVID-19-protocols (from the TDSB/TPH), reminders about safe driving/walking during drop-off and pick-up, and a clarification about the JK/SK Virtual School student pumpkin email sent out earlier.

Updated COVID-symptom Protocols

What happens if a Student is showing symptoms of COVID-19
If symptoms appear at school students must wait in the Wellness Room until picked up or arrangements can be made.

Once the Student is picked up, the parent should:

• seek testing for COVID-19 or speak to their health care provider and isolate as appropriate
• if positive for COVID-19, inform Mr. Mah in writing
• refer to when the Student can return to School process below:

Students with symptoms
1. If a student has any new or worsening symptoms of [fever, cough, difficulty breathing or loss of taste/smell]: The student must stay home, self-isolate, and get tested or contact their health care provider. The student’s household members will have to self-monitor for symptoms. They may go to school or work if they don’t have symptoms, and the student is not a close contact of someone with COVID-19 (A).

2. If a student has ONE of the following symptoms of [sore throat, stuffy/runny nose, headache, nausea/ vomiting/diarrhea, muscle ache/fatigue]: The student must stay home for 24 hours. If the symptom is improving, they can return to school 24 hours later. Testing is not needed. If the symptom is not improving after 24 hours or is getting worse, the student should stay home, self-isolate and get tested or contact their health care provider.

3. If a student has TWO of the following symptoms of [sore throat, stuffy/runny nose, headache, nausea/ vomiting/diarrhea, muscle ache/fatigue]: The student must stay home, self-isolate for 10 days, and get tested or contact their health care provider.

Students with a Laboratory Confirmed Positive COVID-19 Test

• Students they must stay home and self-isolate for 10 days from the day the symptoms first appear. They may return to school after 10 days if they do not have a fever (without use of medication), and their symptoms have been improving for at least 24 hours.
• Students without symptoms must stay home and self-isolate for 10 days, from the day the test was done.
• Family members of the student who test positive should self-isolate and follow public health advice.

Students with Negative Test
Students can go back to school if their symptoms have been improving for 24 hours, and if they are not a close contact of someone with COVID-19 (A) or have travelled outside of Canada (B).

Students who are not tested – Alternative diagnosis
Students with an alternative diagnosis from a health care provider that is not related to COVID-19 can go back to school once their symptoms have been improving for 24 hours. Family members without symptoms, should self-monitor, and can go back to school or work.

Students who are not tested for COVID-19
If a student is not tested and has any new or worsening symptoms not related to an existing medical condition:

• ONE of the following symptoms: fever, cough, difficulty breathing or loss of taste/smell.
• ONE of the following symptoms that does not improve in 24 hours: sore throat, stuffy/runny nose, headache, nausea/ vomiting/diarrhea, muscle ache/fatigue.
• TWO of the following symptoms: sore throat, stuffy/runny nose, headache, nausea/ vomiting/diarrhea, muscle ache/fatigue].

• The student must self-isolate for 10 days from the date their symptom(s) first appear. They may return to school after 10 days if they do not have a fever (without taking medication), and their symptoms are improving for 24 hours.

Students who are close contacts of someone with COVID-19
Students in close contact with a person with COVID-19 must stay home and self-isolate for 14 days from their last date of exposure.

Back to School Confirmation Form
Parents can complete a Back to School Confirmation Form to provide to the school to confirm the child is safe to return to school.
Toronto Public Health is not recommending or requiring medical notes for return to school.

Drop-off and Pick-up Safety
A reminder to please drive slowly and cautiously when near our school (including in the parking lot, on Armour Blvd and Delhi) at drop-off and pick-up.  Likewise, parents, please use sidewalks when walking with your children.  If a street does not have a sidewalk (such as Northmount), please walk your children along the side of the street (where it is safe to do so).  If your child walks to school on their own, please review these reminders with your child.

Finally, a reminder that when parking your car on a street near our school (such as on Delhi), please park in the same direction of traffic.  Parking while facing traffic can be confusing to pedestrians and other drivers on the street, particularly when you pull out of your parking spot.

Pumpkin Delivery Email – only for JK or SK parents who’s child is in Virtual School
Please note, the email that was sent our earlier today (regarding pumpkins being dropped off) only applies to parents of a JK or SK student who is currently in the TDSB Virtual School.  Please do not reply to that email if your child is not a JK/SK student in the Virtual School right now.

Thank you for reading,

Mr. B. Mah,
Principal.

Dear Parent(s)/Guardians(s),

Following up on a previous letter sent to you earlier this week by the TDSB on teacher staffing and classroom changes at elementary schools, I am providing you an important update about the classroom reorganization taking place at our school.

Every September, schools review the actual number of students in each class compared to the initial projected enrolment. Classes are then reorganized, as required. We do our best to plan for the new school year, but there are always factors, such as new or departing students, that affect how classrooms are organized.

Typically, these adjustments are made approximately two weeks into the school year. Because the start of the school year was delayed this September as a result of the pandemic – to September 15 – we are at that two-week point into the resumption of classes when we are ready to reorganize our classrooms. While this is a routine process that happens every school year, adjustments will be more significant this fall as a result of COVID-19, the creation of the Virtual School, students changing their preference for Virtual School or in-person instruction and the importance of keeping class sizes as low as possible for health and safety reasons.

With more students enrolled in the Virtual School and fewer students attending in-person than projected, adjustments must be made to ensure that teachers are allocated where students are attending.  Further, we had fewer students accept offers of placement in the gifted program at Summit Heights this year, resulting in fewer students in our gifted classes.

As a result of changing student enrolment at our school, we need to reorganize classrooms.   The TDSB has removed one gifted class from our school.  The result is our school will have 3 gifted classes as of October 13, 2020:

Grade 4/5 Gifted – Mr. Chen
Grade 5/6 Gifted – Ms. Samson
Grade 6 Gifted – Mr. Eschle

Ms. Mercer will be teaching in the TDSB Virtual School.

These are the only changes to our school (other than placing some students returning to in-person learning from the Virtual School) at this time.

While these changes will impact class sizes, please know that these adjustments will not exceed the TDSB’s original targeted class size limits or the gifted class cap, so that health and safety standards relating to classroom size and social distancing can be maintained.

In addition, this reorganization requires the establishment of new cohorts (groups of students) within our school, including the addition of students who have recently switched from the Virtual School. We have consulted Toronto Public Health (TPH) about these changes and we are taking the following health and safety measures:

• TDSB Student Information Services will keep track of the specific details (impacted students, impacted teachers, specific dates, etc.) of all cohort changes and provide this information to TPH to conduct efficient contact tracing, should there be a confirmed case of COVID-19 in our school.
• Enhanced cleaning will occur prior to the classroom changes taking place.
• We will also continue to ensure mask/face coverings, social distancing, handwashing/sanitizing and daily school and classroom cleaning.

We understand that changing classes and/or teachers may be difficult for students and families, especially during an already challenging school year. Please know that students will continue to be supported as we make this transition. Thank you for your ongoing patience and understanding during this reorganization. Please contact me if you have any additional questions.

The parents of those students who are moving classes have been contacted today by phone.  If we were unable to reach you, we left a voicemail and sent a follow-up email .  Therefore, at this point, the re-alignment process for Summit Heights has been completed.

Sincerely,

Bill Mah,
Principal
Summit Heights PS

Dear Summit Heights Families,

The Ministry of Education announced on Thursday that it has updated its COVID-19 school and child care screening guidance. In line with this new direction, Toronto Public Health has also revised their guidance for students and related materials.

As such, there is a newly updated Student Health Paper Pass.  The TDSB is working with the vendor to update the screening app Now Mobile to reflect the updated screening.

The new Paper Pass can be downloaded at this link: Revised TDSB Student Health Pass  (clicking this link will download a pdf file from the TDSB server).

Please print and use this new paper pass for school starting tomorrow (Mon. Oct 5, 2020).

The updated screening includes the following:

Part 1:

Does your child have any of the following?

• Fever greater than 37.8 Celsius?
• Cough?
• Difficulty Breathing?
• Loss of Taste or Smell?

IF you answer YES to any of the four above symptoms, your child is to stay home, self-isolate and get tested OR contact your child’s health care professional.

Part 2:
Does your child have any of the following NEW or WORSENING symptoms?

• Sore Throat/Trouble Swallowing?
• Stuffy/runny nose?
• Headache?
• Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea?
• Feeling Unwell, Muscle Aches, Feeling Tired?

If you answer YES to 1 of the above five symptoms, then stay home for 24 hours from when the symptom started.
If the symptom is improving within those 24 hours your child can return to school without a test.
If the symptom is not improving, or getting worse, self-isolate and get tested.

If you answer YES to 2 or more of the above 5 symptoms then: stay home, self-isolate, and get tested or contact your child’s health care provider.

Part 3:
 
Answer the following 3 questions:

• Has your child travelled outside of Canada in the last 14 days?
• Has your child been identified  as a close contact of someone with COVID-19?
• Has your child been instructed to stay home and self-isolate?

If you answered YES to any of the 3 questions above, then your child must stay home, self-isolate and follow the advice of Toronto Public Health.

If your answers to all of the above questions is NO, then your child may proceed to class.

Thank your ongoing understanding and support of everyone’s health and safety in our school community.

Mr. B. Mah,
Principal.

Dear Parents,

I’ve reached out to the TDSB in regards to the Start-of-the-Year online forms and the issue that many parents didn’t receive the email OR the email/link that we’ve sent is the 2019/2020 form package.

The TDSB is now working with the vendor to rectify the situation.  Please be patient, as they might re-email our entire school regarding the 2020/2021 forms.

While I truly appreciate communicating with parents, please refrain from emailing me about the forms until this is fixed and you hear back from me.

Have a happy, not-too-busy-email, day,

Mr. B. Mah,
Principal

Good evening Summit Heights Parents,

Update on COVID-19 Screening & Protocol:

As you likely heard, Toronto Public Health announced new guidelines in terms of screening and what symptoms we should be considering in regards to what constitutes as “COVID-19-like symptoms”.  The TDSB informed Principals this evening of the following:

• As you may know, the Ontario government announced today that it is updating its COVID-19 school and child care screening guidance. As the TDSB takes its lead from Toronto Public Health (TPH), we are consulting with TPH on next steps and anticipate providing additional information tomorrow. In the meantime, all schools should continue using the existing guidelines that we have already been using.

As such, tomorrow (Friday, October 2nd) staff at Summit Heights will continue to use the existing screening protocols.  Students currently at home due to COVID-19-like symptoms should maintain the original plan as per the previous protocol.  Once the TDSB has released an updated procedure, we will communicate the information and protocols.

Start of Year Online Forms

Parents, you should have received an email from the TDSB to complete the Start of the Year Forms.  The database indicates that 99% of our parents at Summit Heights were emailed by the TDSB regarding these forms (in fact, only 4 students were not emailed).  The email’s sender should be “TDSB Online Form (noreply@tdsb.on.ca)” and the subject line should be “Summit Heights, Student Name, Date – Start of Year Form 2020/2021”.

If you haven’t found the email in your inbox, please make sure you check your junk folder.  If you still can’t find the email, please email Mr. Mah (bill.mah@tdsb.on.ca) and indicate your child(ren)’s first and last name.

Please complete the online forms, these are vital to the operation of our school.

Finally, your child’s teacher has sent home a paper copy of the data verification form for our school.  Please review the contact information, make any necessary corrections, and return the form to your child’s teacher.

Thank you,

Mr. B. Mah,
Principal.