COVID-19 Reminders

Dear SFX Families,

With the new and expanded protocols announced by the Provincial Health Office (PHO) last week, it is a good idea to take a moment to remind ourselves of how we are faring as a school during the COVID-19 pandemic.

First and foremost, the cooperation of parents with different parking procedures and with restrictions around not being able to enter the school building has helped make our COVID-19 protocols effective. Our goal as a school is to take reasonable precautions in keeping the students and staff of our school safe during this pandemic. To know our parents are solidly behind our efforts makes our jobs that much easier.

However, recently I have noticed some incidents of “COVID-19 fatigue”, as old habits have crept back into the present, such as parking in the bus zone in front of the school, or double parking on East 5th Ave. We know it is tough to keep our eyes steady on the right thing, but we must stay focused on following all aspects of the protocols which are meant to keep everyone safe.

Another trend is that parents tend to congregate on the sidewalk in front of the school,  and the Daycare gate at the back of the school. Both places get very busy when classes are brought out and can cause quite the backlog of people. I know that as a community it is one of the rare times when parents can talk with each other but our main goal at that time is to get students safely in their vehicles and safely on their way. Please be aware of this situation going forward. 

This community should be justifiably proud of what we have accomplished so far; we need to stay diligent in making sure we see this through to the end.

Perhaps it would be helpful now to review some of the steps we have taken as a school to keep our students safe. They include:

  • Making masks readily available to both staff and students
  • Purchasing plexi-glass barriers
  • Air purifiers in every classroom
  • Staggered drop off and pick up times to keep our cohorts in tact
  • Stairwells designated as up or down
  • Restricting parent access to the school building during the day

I am proud of how this school community has responded to the needs of the school in terms of keeping everyone as safe as possible during this time of COVID-19.I try every day to express my personal thanks for parents who sign up for Washroom patrols on the Primary and Intermediate floors as it cannot be fun to sit outside a washroom all day!

I wish to thank each family for thus far following the protocols and procedures as laid out by the School Administration. There have been a few minor incidences of “COVID fatigue” as some staff, students, and parents have begun to lose sight of the overall purpose of these changes. We are not trying to create difficulty for the school as a whole; rather we are taking these measures to keep everyone safe. 

Finally I wish to thank the Parish Education Committee and Father Ly for their support during this time. Their unwavering support for the school and their own ideas regarding adding safety protocols such as the air purifiers shows how seriously they see their roles in keeping our school clean and safe.

We have made great strides together and working together we will do everything possible for the sake of the students.

— 

Brian Fader, Principal
St. Francis Xavier School