We acknowledge that covid has been stressful for everyone (total understatement right?!?). In person? Online? Flip-flop, flip-flop, flip-flop! There is some real fear being experienced out there. Here are some helpful resource links that may help calm minds especially for those who have suffered from Covid and the stigma that may be associated with it as well as the internal struggle they may be experiencing.
Perhaps we should start changing the conversation with children about covid. No denying that covid can have a negative impact. But is there a way to reduce the fear in many little minds and reduce the dark thoughts that they may be having?
Can the conversation now shift from dire thoughts and fear to awareness and reminding families that they are strong, loved & smart about their choices like getting vaccinated, distancing and hand washing? Let’s make sure no one compares symptoms and feels bad or of lesser value if symptoms are not as strong as another. Let’s make sure we are talking to our families about concerns they may have. Let’s help everyone calm their minds as much as possible. We are in this together! We hope these resources are helpful. Please send us a PM if you have any questions. Hope to see you tonight at our EBSAC meeting!
– Diamond Dotz Junior or mosaic type calming activities-sensory experiences that use the whole body to calm (having a bath with some nice smelling salts and music or doing a puzzle while listening to calming music-breathing videos on youtube— there is something called Rainbow breathing that comes up a lot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIbBI-BT9c4
-puzzles that are a little bit too hard that maybe the family can do together-gratefulness exercises (listing things that make us feel loved, things that make us feel calm, things that make us feel lucky…etc)
With 5 cases in our school to date we would like to share upcoming vaccination clinics posted by the TDSB:
LocationTimeTuesday, January 25Michael Power / St. Joseph High School, 105 Eringate Drive, Etobicoke 3:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Thursday, January 27St Oscar Romero Catholic Secondary School, 99 Humber Boulevard S, York 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Saturday, January 29Bishop Allen Academy, 721 Royal York Road, Etobicoke 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Who’s eligible? Children aged 5 to 11 can receive their first or second dose in this kid-friendly environment.Students 12 years of age and older, staff or family members can receive their first or second dose. Boosters are available for anyone 18+ years of age.These clinics are by appointment only.
Instructions for Scheduling a Vaccination Appointment:
2. Enter this Access Code: clinic2022 and click “Sign In”.
3. Fill in your contact information and click “Continue to Make Appointments”. Note: Parents/Guardians please select “Other” from the “Position” menu.
4. Click on the Clinic Location that you want to schedule an appointment for.
5. Click on the time at which you wish to have your appointment.
6. Print out, email or copy down your schedule.The confirmation email will contain your Confirmation # (if you need to cancel or change your appointment you will need the Confirmation #).
When you attend the vaccination site you will be asked for your name and required to provide government photo ID. The vaccine will not be administered without identification. The vaccine appointment cannot be transferred to friends or family. If you are ill, have any signs or symptoms of COVID 19 please do not attend the vaccine appointment. Masks must be worn inside the vaccination centre.
As the TDSB continues to take steps to ensure a safer return to in-person learning, students and staff are encouraged to get vaccinated, as vaccines are safe, effective and the best way to protect them and others from COVID-19.Vaccination questions?Call Toronto Public Health Hotline8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. daily416-338-7600TTY: 416-392-0650
Did you know that there is a little box at the back of The Little Ones Closet (1854 Danforth) for used PPE masks? If you put the used masks into this box they will be recycled!! No more masks in landfills! This is so exciting! Please don’t put plastic bags into the box..just the used masks. If you would like more information about this program, please contact Little Ones Closet at https://www.littleonescloset.ca/ or 647-693-8677.
The East Toronto Health Partners have published their list of mobile & pop-up vaccine clinics! Check them out at https://www.tehn.ca/…/mobile-and-pop-vaccine-clinics…The list includes dates and locations as well as the eligibility.
Hello to our wonderful EB families! I know we are stressed about the return to school Monday and thought sharing a few things with you today may help. Apologies for the long post!
EBSAC was able to meet with Nina and Valia this morning to help us understand what school will look like on Monday.
***LUNCH:To clarify the messaging that went home regarding pick-up for students going home for lunch: the pick up location is GATE 1, not Door 1. Gate 1 is located on Wolverleigh Blvd: Main Yard Map: Line-Up Configuration and Entry Gates (see attached)Additionally, for students in Kindergarten, families are asked to fill out the Google Form (this link is the same link that was shared in the previous message) so that we can facilitate a safe and smooth lunch transition. Kindergarten students can be picked up from the Main Office, or parent(s)/guardian(s) can make arrangements with their child’s teacher. Please bear with us as we work through some of these processes. If we need to streamline the process, we will communicate changes to families. Thank you, and have a great weekend.Nina and ValiaThe school has sent out an email with an update about Monday including a Google Doc to help figure out how many children will be going home for lunch vs staying. Please help the administration by filling out this survey so that they can plan accordingly and be organized for the hand off of children at the beginning of lunch as well as for the return. If you are taking your child/ren home for lunch it must be lunch at home for everyday of the week and they must stay home for the full lunch hour. The school operates on a split lunch schedule (some classes eat lunch first then go outside & vice versa). We have attached the school lunch schedules and please fill out the Google Doc https://docs.google.com/…/1FAIpQLSeCVkzyRT2dE4…/viewform
POSITIVE COVID0-19 CASES: In the event of a positive covid/omicron case in a classroom, Nina will advise the families of the class only. Not the whole school.
TESTING:The school has not yet received Rapid Tests but is expecting to receive 2 tests per child which will be sent home once in receipt. It is not clear how often the school will be able to provide these tests once your 2 tests have been used. Nina will update us once she knows more.
Prior to the holidays, if there had been a positive covid case in your child’s class, the school was able to provide take-home PCR tests for everyone in that class. Due to shortages of PCR tests, the school can no longer provide these tests to the whole class. One take-home PCR test will be provided to the sick child.
PROTOCOLS:We have attached the new TDSB protocols and screening tools. We recognize this is very difficult to understand and is very stressful. Our take on it: Should you have a family member in the home that has one or more of these symptoms (even just the sniffles) everyone in the household should stay at home and isolate for 5 days. The child can return to school after 5 days and being symptom free for 24 hours. By following these guidelines, we will help keep everyone in the school and community safe.
STUDENTS NOT RETURNING OR ISOLATING:The school is working on producing asynchronous content to post online for children to follow while in isolation and we also encourage you to keep in contact with your child’s teacher to either post homework in their online classroom or to email recommended work.
CLASSROOMS:When your child/ren return to school on Monday, please send them with many layers of clothing as windows will be open and they will be spending as much time as possible outside in many varying temperatures.
Please send your child/ren with multiple good quality masks (level 3 or higher if possible). Please ensure all masks sent fit well and that your child is comfortable wearing these masks. No gaiters will be allowed (scarf style face cover). I know it can be hard to find masks that fit little faces. Here are some great tips & tricks to help ensure masks fit well. https://twitter.com/sarahjanet/status/1481480943739170819…
Teachers have been provided N95 masks. As of today, all teachers are on board with being in class Monday. There are no absent teachers so far for Monday but this could change. If, at any time, supply teachers are not available Nina and/or Valia or Special Education Teachers that are already in the school will cover for teachers that are absent.
There are no plans to combine cohorts should class attendance be greatly reduced.
EARL BEATTY COMMUNITY:We encourage you to follow us on our EBSAC Facebook page or visit our website at www.EarlBeatty.ca, Instagram @EarlBeatty4 or Twitter @EarlBeatty4 to keep in touch with our community, and to connect with further ways in which you can help keep the community safe by keeping Covid/Omicron out of our school. If you are not on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, but want more information, please email ebsacinfo@gmail.com.
QUESTIONS?If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us and we will be happy to help and get you the answers you need. We are all in this together and we just want to keep each other as safe as possible in order to keep our schools open.
We recognize how difficult it can be for kids of all ages while being at home during a pandemic and being online for school. We came across a great site that offers suggestions on what we can do for our kids to help ease their minds and help them be calm. The whole family can do these activities together! Give it a try! Visit https://positivepsychology.com/mindfulness-for-children-kids-activities/
We are extremely low on chargers for TDSB Chromebooks. Apparently nearly all Acer Chromebooks and some Windows powered Acer laptops use the same 65w charger. If anyone has any spare chargers that fit this description and are willing to donate them to the school please let us know. This will help the distribution of devices for those families in need. TIA!
Earl Beatty has a pop-up vaccination clinic for first dose only for children ages 5-11 years old on Saturday December 18 from 8 am to 4 pm. They have 200 doses available. There is no appointment necessary and its only while quantities last. For a list of more pop-up clinics, please visit: http://www.tehn.ca/VaccinePopUps
