This Week at WMES
April 25, 2021
Dear WMES Families:

We understand that there is lots of anxiety with the rising number of cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia. 
We have received a number of emails this weekend looking for guidance for this week.  These are uncertain times, and everyone is tired. It has been a long year.

Public Health Guidelines continue to tell us that the best place for students is at school, and we are currently fortunate enough to be open.  We truly hope to remain that way.

If any cases are linked to our school, you can rest assured that you will hear about it directly from us, or Public Health.

There have also been some questions about opportunities for online learning.  Teachers are not required to teach virtually and in person.  While our school remains open, teachers will be teaching in school.  We will only switch to online learning if our school unfortunately has to close at some point.  That being said – there may be assignments, or links in google classrooms that students can work on independently if you are choosing to keep them  home.

If you choose not to send your child for school for an extended period of time you must register to home school.  You can contact Mrs. Wolfe for more information if that is your plan.

Daily COVID Checklist
The Daily Covid Checklist has been updated to reflect the current guidance that all Nova Scotians are strongly encouraged to seek COVID-19 testing, even if they don’t have symptoms or if they only have one mild symptom, particularly if they have a large number of close contacts.
https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/docs/Daily-COVID-checklist-en.pdf-

Please continue to refer to the province’s Back to School Plan for guidance around public health measures in our schools. As you are aware, on April 22 it was announced that masking now extends to all students (pre-primary to Grade 12). This was the only change made to the school masking policy and the Back to School Plan will be updated soon to reflect this.

“The success of this school year to date has been the result of a lot of hard work by everyone in our education system”.  We want to thank our staff (Caretakers, Teachers, EPA’s, Pre-Primary teachers, Excel Staff, Lunch Monitors, Main Office staff, Cafeteria staff, and all of our Support Staff).  They have been working tirelessly to keep our school safe and maintain a positive learning environment for our students.  Thank you!

We also want to thank our families, for your support this year, and for diligently following Public Health protocols and keeping students home when they are feeling unwell.   It all makes a difference!

Upcoming dates for your calendar:
May 21st – Professional Development Day – No school for students
May 24th – Victoria Day Holiday– No School

Important links for your information:
• WMES Website: https://wms.hrce.ca/
• HRCE Website: https://www.hrce.ca/
• MyBusPlanner:  hrcetransportation.mybusplanner.ca
• Up to date Public Health Information: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/
• Remember to check the Daily checklist for Covid19, or do the online check in with Public Health if you have any concerns before sending students to school each day.

Take care & stay safe
Karla Wolfe
Principal WMES