Dear parents and guardians,

Please see the following message from communications officer, Meredith Caissie:

 The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development has released today a guide for parents for the return to school.

 This guide provides information to parents on the Return to School plan for September, regarding:

• Guiding Principles;
• Outbreak Management;
• Classroom; and
• Learning

Also, all schools of our district will have an operational plan in place that will include the health and safety guidelines for staff and students. The operational plan of your school will be shared before students return to school on Sept. 8.

Click here to view the document.

If you have questions about the guide, you can contact the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development by e-mail at edcommunication@gnb.ca.

We thank you for your collaboration as we continue as we move through this pandemic.

At EWG, the following measures have been put into place for the 2020-2021 school year:

• community masks will be mandatory for all students and staff (unless documented medical conditions prevent it). There will be certain situations where masks are not required, and students will be instructed regarding this when they return to school. We recommend that students have several community masks on hand to replace lost or soiled ones. Labelling the masks and carrying them in a labelled, ziplock-style baggie is also recommended.
• water fountains will be closed and replaced by bottle-filling stations. Students will be required to bring a water bottle with their name on it. A carabiner to attach these to their bookbags will be useful, but not mandatory.
• return to school will be staggered such that only the grade 6 students will return on September 8th, grade 7s only will return on September 9th, and grade 8s only will return on September 10th. All students should attend on Friday, September 11th. 
• the cafeteria will not be in operation during the first week (September 7th -11th). Students are asked to bring their own snack and lunch which should not require reheating in a microwave. Access to microwaves will be limited or possible unavailable for this year.
• when the cafeteria reopens, services will consist primarily of "cold lunches" only (wraps, sandwiches, etc). A revised menu will be available in the near future. Students are asked to bring their own utensils for use in school.
• a seating plan for breaks and lunch will be effect.
• school supplies such as pens, erasers notebooks, etc, must be labelled and sharing is not permitted. Borrowing a pencil or pen from a teacher may not be possible. Personal hand sanitizer is not mandatory, but would be a useful item to include in back-to-school supplies.
• Updating demographic forms is part of the usual back-to-school procedures. These must be completed and returned to the teachers so that we can contact the home in case of illness. Students exhibiting symptoms such as cough, sneezing, fever, etc will be isolated and must be picked-up in a reasonable time frame. Please plan for someone to be available to pick up your child in these instances. If your child has a condition that mimics these types of symptoms, but are non-contagious (seasonal allergies, asthma, etc), please indicate this on the demographic form.
• parents/guardians are responsible for screening their children for symptoms before getting on the bus. Students will not be allowed on ASD-N buses without wearing a community mask. 
• To prepare your child for the return to school, instruction in the following areas are recommended:

1. hand washing/sanitizing procedures
2. personal hygiene etiquette (sneezing into their elbow, "hands to yourself", physical distancing, etc)
3. proper use and care of a community mask (NMM: Non Medical Mask)

• Access to the school by parents/guardians will be by appointment only. The number for the office is 523-7970. Dropping off lunch money during the day is discouraged and should be by emergency only.
• There will be no early bus for middle school for the foreseeable future. Afterschool activity period (2:00-3:00) is suspended for the time being. Provisions have been made in the schedule for Social-Emotion Learning/ Study periods where teachers will offer extra help and activity breaks.

More details will be available before school resumes in September. The Operational Plan for EWG will be shared on this site as well on our Facebook page. If there are questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to the school after August 31, when teachers return to work.

Have a great end to your summer vacation and we will see you in September!

The Administration