Good afternoon AY Students and Parents,
Welcome back! I am writing to provide some information on the startup of the school year at AY Jackson and some changes you can anticipate to support the health, safety, and learning for our students. This is an email to update students and parents on in-person learning. Students who have elected to join the new virtual high school will receive updates in the coming days. Before you read through the information that follows, I want to provide some assurance for parents and also for our students that we are ready and very excited to be welcoming our students back to AY! While there will be some changes to our timetable and our structures - students will feel the same enthusiasm, warmth, respect, and energy for which AY is known!
Opening Week:
Beginning September 8th we will be welcoming students back to classes. Our ASD-system class students will attend full days beginning September 8th. Also on September 8th, grade 9 Cohort A will attend from 9:30 am to 1:23 pm. During that time they will be greeted by our school team, they will meet both their period 1 and period 3 teacher, they will have a tour of the school, and they will meet with some of our senior J-Crew leaders! On September 9 we will repeat this schedule for grade 9 Cohort B students. On September 10th all Cohort A Students in grades 9-12 will attend their period 1 class. On September 11th all Cohort B students in grades 9-12 will attend their period 1 class. Each student will receive a personalized email from their period 1 teacher with instructions on which school entrance to use and the location of their period one class.
Cohorts:
Approximately 725 students have selected in person learning and will be returning to AY in September! Approximately 360 students will attend daily. Our students will be divided alphabetically into two cohorts:
· Cohort A: A-K
· Cohort B: L-Z.
Below I have attached two maps that separate AY into 8 zones. On the first floor we have four internal zones plus an additional zone for portables, and we have three zones on the second floor. Every student will enter and exit the school using the entry/exit designated for their classroom zone. Daily we will have an average of approximately 45 students in each zone which will greatly assist us in achieving physical distancing, reducing contacts, and preventing the spread. Before September 10th, each student will receive an email advising them of the room number for their period 1 classroom as well as their designated entry point.
Transportation:
A reminder for students accessing yellow school buses, that OSTA transportation will be operating beginning September 14th. If students are unable to attend prior to OSTA transportation commencing, they can arrange course work at home with their Period 1 teacher.
Schedule:
Students are welcome to enter the school anytime after 9 am. Our daily start time will remain at 9:15 am. From 9:15 am to 9:30 am we will have a staggered entry and classrooms will be open. In order to maintain physical distancing, students will ideally arrive at 9:15 am. Our first period of instruction will commence at 9:30 am daily. Students will be asked to bring everything they need with them to class each day. This will include a water bottle, food, outdoor clothing, learning supplies, and a laptop/device if they so choose. Similarly, to prevent the potential spread of the virus, students are expected to take all food wrappings, etc. back home for disposal each day.
Daily Schedule
9:00 Doors open
9:15 Teachers open classrooms
9:30 – 11:22 First block
11:22 – 11:32 In-class break
11:32 – 1:25 Second block
1:25 Dismissal
2:05 Remote student support
COVID Protocols:
Within each class cohort, students will have a daily assigned seating plan to ensure physical distancing and that each desk is cleaned between student uses on consecutive days. No two students will use the same desk on the same day. Each teacher will maintain a sign-in/sign-out sheet to assist with potential contact tracing. We will control and track student movements within the school including anytime they leave class. We will expect each student to wear a mask throughout the day. We will always have an ample supply of masks, other PPE, hand sanitizer, and other cleaning supplies on hand throughout the school at all times. On advice of OPH lockers will not be available.
If a student is ill at school we will care for that student, escort them to the main First Aid room, seek medical care if necessary, contact parents, have the student taken home and, where necessary, advise testing. In partnership with Ottawa Public Health we will be working with OCDSB staff and a dedicated Public Health Nurse to track any potential positive cases, ensure accurate reporting, track contact tracing, and where necessary advise any individuals who may have been in close contact with any person who has tested positive.
Our Chief Custodian, Mr. Blais, and his team have done great work cleaning the school and preparing for our students to return. They will be performing a deep-cleaning of all spaces daily and overnight to ensure our classrooms remain healthy at all times.
The culture and climate of AY will begin to shine brightly again over the coming days and weeks. We are ready to restart many hands-on courses such as Tech Studies, Foods, Band, Co-Op Ed, Music, J-Crew, Visual Art, Ceramics, and Physical Education - all with appropriate adjustments and protocols to prevent the spread. Clubs, some activities, virtual clubs, and Students' Council will all be restarting this month. We are looking forward to welcoming all of our students back to school. To those of you who are new to AY Jackson, we look forward to meeting you all and having you joining the AY family.
Thanks, Patrick McCarthy, Principal.
AYJ 1st Floor Plan Floor Covid.pdf
AYJ 2nd Floor Plan Covid.pdf