Friday

September 11th, 2020

Dear division 3 parents / guardians,

It is with a great deal of enthusiasm (and some nervousness) that I begin a new school
year at École Seaforth Elementary and I would like to wish you and your child a warm
welcome to our Grade 6/7 French Immersion class. First, I would like to acknowledge
that this "back to school" season is very different from previous years and will hopefully
not have to be repeated in the years to come. Through my years of experience as a
classroom teacher I have been able to develop routines and practices that I have found
successful. I will continue to do this as much as possible and will make necessary
adjustments in order to make your child's and my experience as safe as possible. I know
that we are all coming into this year, as with other years, with expectations and I hope to
meet them, but your flexibility and ability to "go with the flow" will be crucial as we
navigate through this unpresidented time. My hope is to keep some familiarity but also
being cognizant of unforseen "bumps" along the way.

Below is some important information about our class:

Physical Distancing:

"People in the same learning group don't need to stay two metres apart but they
must limit physical contact. Classrooms will be set up to promote spacing
between students where possible.

• Outside of a learning group, including extracurricular activities, middle and

secondary students and all K-12 staff must keep a healthy distance."
(BC's Back to School Plan. 2020. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-
training/k-12/covid-19-return-to-school, accessed 09-07-2020)

In our classroom, non-essential furniture has been removed to maximize the space to
distance the desks as much as possible. Please keep in mind that this physical distancing
can only be kept constant when students are seated at their desk. Because of this,
wearing a mask when not seated will be highly encouraged while in the classroom.

In all other situations, especially when interacting with students outside of their learning
cohort, the students are requested to keep at least 2 metres apart from one another or
 will need to don a mask if the 2 metre distance is not possible. Keeping the 2 metre
distance is good practice regardless if the students are in the same cohort or not.

Masks:

"Under the updated health and safety guidelines, masks are required for all staff
and all students in middle and secondary school when they are in high traffic
areas like school buses and hallways, and anytime they are outside of
their classroom or learning group and they cannot safely distance from others."
(BC's Back to School Plan. 2020. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-
training/k-12/covid-19-return-to-school, accessed 09-07-2020)

Students in BC from grade 6-12 will be required to wear a mask in certain situations that
will occur during a regular school day. Please have your child bring a clean mask
(reusable or disposable) to school each day. Your child can be provided with 2 reusable
masks upon request. Please refer to http://www.bccdc.ca/Health-Professionals-
Site/Documents/COVID19_SurgicalMaskPoster.pdf for information on how to properly
wear a mask

Although wearing a mask is not a requirement in the classroom. I highly encourage

your child to wear a mask when not seated at his or her desk. I have done my best
of place the desks to provide as much physical distance from one another. This
physical distance will be compromised as students are moving around the
classroom. As such, donning mask while moving around the classroom will be
something I am committed to do for everyone's safety and your child is invited to
do the same as well if he or she chooses to do so.

Please also send a container or bag that the mask can be stored when the mask is not
being worn to protect it from being contaminated as well as preventing the mask from
contaminating other surfaces.

School supplies:

On our school website (http://seaforth.burnabyschools.ca) the supply lists for each

grade level is posted. This is meant to be a basic list. As more class specific supplies are
required this will be communicated to you in a timely manner. Please ensure that your
child brings the required supplies to school. If you have any questions or concerns
regarding this please do not hesitate to contact me. Sharing school supplies is not
recommended at this time, so making sure is prepared each day with his or her supplies
will be extremely important to function effectively in class.

 Technology at school:

As what was very apparent with the distributed learning that took place last March until
June of last year, technology played a vital role in the classroom, whether it was
physically here at Seaforth or at home. I will be heavily integrating the use of FreshGrade
and Microsoft Teams as a means of lesson / assignment delivery and submission as well
as for assessment / evaluation and communicating student learning. Since this is
something that occurs during the school day as well, having an iPhone, iPod, iPad, tablet,
laptop, etc. is something I am requesting would be part of the regular school supplies
that would normally be brought to school. If there is a an issue providing this for your
child, please contact me. In terms of security, I am happy to lock up and secure these
items during recess, lunch, and other times that they may be left unattended. In addition
to this please go over with your child and other expectation that you would have with
him or her in regards to bringing technology to school.

Speaking French in class:

A major component in the French Immersion program is consistently speaking French in

class. Peer to peer interaction in French is expected. A daily self-evaluation is done to
help students be aware of how much French he/she speaks in class. In all subjects
(excluding English Language Arts, Music, and Physcial and Health Education) instruction
and communication will be done in French. Taking this opportunity to practice speaking
in a French environment will greatly benefit your child’s oral language development and
is needed for success in the program.

Agendas and homework binder:

All homework, notices and your child’s agenda will be kept in their cartable des devoirs
(Homework binder). Assignments in progress are meant to kept in this binder and
completed assignments will be transferred to the appropriate duotang (that will be kept
at the schools). In addition to organizing your child’s homework, it serves as a means for
communication between teacher and parent and vice versa. Messages can be left in the
agenda as they will be checked on a daily basis. Agendas are not required to be signed by
parents.

Signing tests:

To help keep you up to date with your child's progress, all tests (including our weekly
dictée tests will be sent home to be signed and returned to school. This is great
opportunity for you to discuss with your child how he or she is doing in class and where
improvements (if necessary) are needed to be made.

Ventilation in the classroom:

4.1 Classrooms
Where possible, natural ventilation should be maximized by opening the doors and
windows to periodically change the air. (Burnaby School District Stage 2 Return to School
Safety Handbook COVID-19. 2020)

All the doors and windows in the classroom with remain open throughout the school
day. As the temperatures change with the seasons, please ensure your child is adequately
dressed as the classroom may be colder that anticipated.

Class website:

You can check out our class’ website at http://laroya.weebly.com. Here you will find
updates about our class as well as our weekly dictée will be posted.

How to get in contact with me:

I can be reached via email Jeremy.laroya@burnabyschools.ca or you may phone me at

the school at 604-296-9028 and you can leave message on my voicemail if I am
unavailable. Feel free to drop by introduce yourself and say ‘hi’ afterschool when you
pick-up your child.

Take care and here's to a great start to this year,

M. Jeremy Laroya

Grade 6/7 French Immersion teacher