Lessons Learned from a Great First Day of School

Thank you for an amazing first day of school.  It was such a joy to see the smiles on children’s (and parents) faces once again.  It was actually a relief to get move on from the weeks of planning and see school finally back in session.  Overall today was extraordinarily safe.  The students we compliant with the new protocols and procedures and the teachers were diligent in instructing and supervising the students on our safety plan. 

Every day during this return to school is going to be a learning experience for everyone.  A couple of things happened at drop-off and pick-up time that we can learn from:

a)    Parking Lot Parents and Maintaining Distance

I understand it is the first day of school.  It is a day we hold our children’s hands, take pictures, and watch them as they join their classmates.  For this reason, more parents than usual were standing by the drop-off zone or in the parking lot.  I would ask that for now, parents spend less time in the parking lot, maintain 2m distance from others, and make sure there is space for others to walk by without getting within 2m.  If we can work together and be considerate, we can avoid having to make rules that limit pedestrian parent access to the parking lot.

b)    Crowding Around Gates to Enter the Field (see map at the bottom of the page)

There are actually 3 ways students can access the field to line up for class in the morning and leave after school.  The majority of students this morning entered by Gate 2.  This resulted in some crowding around that entry which may have made some people feel unsafe.  To encourage a more even use of different entry points, we are going to have the Grade One and Two classes line up on the blacktop outside the gym.  At a minimum, those students should enter by Gate 1.  Other students are also encouraged to enter that way, thus reducing congestion at the other entry point.

 Gate 3 will be for Kindergarten students to enter and meet their teacher when they join us full-time.

Overall, today was a great start to the year.  Tomorrow will be another new challenge, as we welcome the entire student body back for the first time in nearly 6 months.  Please be patient, be kind, and be understanding as we do our best to keep the kids safe and happy at school.  We are all learning together. 

Sincerely, 

Mr. Jason Borkowski