We know you have many questions about the start of the school year. Health and Safety is our top priority for all who enter the building. As well, the focus for this new school year, will be connecting with our students and creating an engaging learning environment. Routines will be our focus for September as we move back to in-person learning for many and virtual for some. We will be hosting the Grade 4 Virtual class for four schools including the Grade 4 Buchanan students who have chosen the virtual option. All other virtual students from Buchanan have been placed at other schools and will be receiving messages from their other school.
In place for the first day of in-person learning:
School Day, Drop off and Pick-up routines:
- Entry Bell: 8:43
- School Day Begins: 8:45
- Lunch - JK/SK 11:20-12:30
-Grade 1-8 - 11:30-12:30
Grade 1-8 - 3:15
Please do not use the playground areas before school begins or after school as students need to remain cohorted during this time.
Screening
Before school, students must be screened for COVID-19 symptoms. Go to https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/994c-Screening-Questionnaire-Child-Care-Day-Camp-School.pdf to find the latest Health Screening Tool.
Safety
- Students will line up with their classes and will remain with their class cohort for the day. Before entering the school in the morning and after each recess, students will use hand sanitizer. Students will also sanitize their hands before going outside at recess to use equipment.
- All caregivers, family members, students and staff must be masked on school property when dropping off and picking up your child/ren. Parents need to remain in the designated parent waiting areas and away from student lines. Please drop off quickly and do not congregate on school property at this time. We hope that once again, we will be able to have the social feeling of Buchanan as a community hub in
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the very near future, until then, we ask that adults keep our students safe by stopping the spread of COVID between adults through gatherings.
Attendance
Punctuality is very important for the Mental Health of your child. When they are on time, they enter the class together with their classmates and don’t have the stress of walking into the class alone.
If you bring your child late to school, please wait outside the front door until we can screen your child. Students will enter the building alone and proceed to the office for a late slip. Kindergarten students will be brought to class by a staff member.
Materials
Please provide two filled water bottles each day and two masks. Water fountains are closed and bottle filling stations remain open. Children will be changing masks after lunch.
Lunch- please provide a lunch in the morning at the beginning of the day. We hope to limit visitors to the school and lunch drop offs cause extra screening protocols for our secretaries.
Air Circulation
Each class has an industrial HEPA filter unit for air filtration which will remain on all day. All classroom windows in our school remain open to allow for fresh air to circulate. This will continue even in the cold weather so as you begin to make clothing purchases for fall and winter, please send your child to school with layers that can be put on and removed easily.
Recesses and Lunch
Grade 1-8 classes will be cohorted at recesses and lunch time in different areas of the school yard with a rotation to a new area each day. Recesses are at 10:05 and 1:50 and Virtual Students will follow the same recess schedule. Grade 7 & 8 students are encouraged to go home for lunch to limit our numbers at lunch and allow our lunch supervisors to focus on the younger students.
Students will have mask breaks while outside and be taught and encouraged to socially distance when playing.
Daycare
Please contact Family Day Daycare if you require before and after daycare: https://familydaycare.com/contact/childcare-inquiry-form/