Good Morning Eardley Community,

I hope this email finds you well and rested after the long weekend. We have another first week behind us and I look forward to many more.  Our students are settling into their new routines and making the most of the new school year.  I have an important update for you this morning, please see below.

• In & Out During the Day
  • To limit the amount of traffic in and out of the building, we are asking that unnecessary pick-ups and drop-offs are avoided.
  • We understand that appointments are hard to book and therefore, if your child has an appointment during the day we ask that you inform your child’s homeroom teacher and Stephanie Lelievre in the front office.
  • We are still required to keep track of who is coming in and out of the building, for both legal reasons and for Public Health.
  • If you are picking up your child for an appointment, please report to the front office (in the lobby) and sign-out your child.
  • If you are dropping off your child after an appointment, please report to the front office (in the lobby) and sign-in your child.
• Daily Arrival
  • To avoid late arrivals, we are asking that all children be dropped off by 8:15am.
  • We have a staff member posted at the front entrance until 8:15am to ensure your child is greeted, has a procedural mask and sanitizes upon entry. This staff member will leave promptly at 8:15am to attend to other duties.
  • If your child arrives later than 8:15am due to unforeseen circumstances or an emergency, please park in our parking lot and report to the front office (in the lobby) to sign your child in.
  • Late arrivals will be recorded within our attendance system.
• Bus Lane
  • A reminder to all parent(s)/guardian(s) that our bus lane is only being used for daycare drop-off and pick-up (before 7:30am and after 3:00pm).
  • Our bus lane is to remain clear throughout the day in the event we have to call emergency services
• End of Day Routine
  • A slight change to informing the office of end of day routine – if your child’s end of day routine is changing from the regular routine, please inform BOTH the homeroom teacher and Stephanie Lelievre by 1:00pm at the latest.
  • If your child is in daycare and you are requesting an end of day change please inform the homeroom teacher, Stephanie Lelievre and Anne Carbonneau by 1:00pm at the latest.
  • This can be done by email or telephone. The cut-off time ensures that we have received the information and can act accordingly.
  • If end of day changes are requested after 1:00pm we will not be able to guarantee that this request is honored. If there is an emergency, our team will do our best to accommodate.
  • If your child is pick-up at the end of the day, they will only be released to the parent/guardian on file.  If an aunt, uncle, grandparent, friend etc. is picking up your child(ren) you must inform both the homeroom teacher, Stephanie Lelievre and/or Anne Carbonneau.  If the school is not informed, your child will not be released into the care of an unknown individual.
  • If your child has alternate living arrangements (example. One week at one address, one week at another) please inform your child’s homeroom teacher and Stephanie Lelievre regarding end of day routine.

I want to thank you for your continued support and positivity as we navigate starting another school year. As always, I am available should you have any questions or concerns.

Please enjoy the sunshine,

Samantha Halpin

Principal

Good Afternoon Eardley Community,

I hope this email finds you enjoying this gorgeous weather. As promised please find attached our Re-Opening of School Reference Guide.  It is chalk-full of important information and will be helpful as your child(ren) start another school year.

Attached you will also find our updated protocols hot off the presses from Public Health. Please note that these protocols are in place for all schools and centres across the province of Quebec and therefore, the school has little leeway. Of course, as we start a new school year, we will assess each situation carefully and make the best judgement we can as educators. If your child suffers from seasonal allergies, please inform Samantha Halpin (shalpin@wqsb.qc.ca) and Stephanie Lelievre (SLelievre@wqsb.qc.ca) as soon as possible, this will help when we are assessing your child with potential Covid-19 symptoms.

You will also find our school Calendar attached.

Once again, I want to thank you for your continued support, patience and positivity as we continue to navigate the re-opening of another school year.  We may have some challenges ahead, yet I know we will continue to face them together.

For now, please enjoy the final weekend of summer with your family. We here at Eardley are beyond excited to see our students’ smiling faces come Monday.

Wishing you all the best,

Samantha Halpin

Principal

Good Afternoon Eardley Community,

I hope this email finds you staying cool and enjoying your day. This is a quick communication to inform you all that the Parent/Guardian Portal is now up and running; therefore, all transportation information is accessible.

I have received some inquiries wondering when homeroom teachers will be contacting you at home. We have been busy getting everything ready for the first day of school and finalizing class lists (even as late as this afternoon).  Therefore, if you have not heard from your child(ren)’s homeroom teacher, do not worry the teacher will certainly be in touch by the end of day tomorrow.

Your patience and understanding is beyond appreciated as we continue to work hard to kick off the school year in true Eardley style.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions, comments or concerns.

All the best,

Samantha Halpin

Principal

Good Afternoon Eardley Community,

I hope this email finds you safe and well.  The school staff are working diligently to get ourselves organized for another successful school year. I have some updated information regarding the school start up, please see the important information below.

Public Health Updates

• As some of you may know, the Minister of Education, Mr. Roberge, made an announcement on the return to school and Covid-19 procedures yesterday afternoon. The attached letter from our Secretary General, George Singfield details the information from the press conference. Based upon the press conference, the following updated procedures and protocols have been put into place:
  • Procedural (medical masks) will now be mandated for grades 1-6 at all times inside the building. This includes common areas, transportation and classrooms.
  • *Exception – procedural masks are not mandated during physical education.
  • Procedural masks do not need to be worn by students outside during recess or outdoor learning.
  • Procedural masks are mandated for staff at all times inside the building.
  • Procedural masks are recommended for staff outside when they cannot guarantee a 1m distance.
• Eardley will provide the procedural masks to all students twice a day.
  • As students arrive and enter the building
  • After lunch
  • Of course, extra masks will be available should a student require a new one due to unforeseen circumstances

We are still awaiting final recommendations from Public Health in regards to protocols, symptoms and other final details. We are hoping to have these details by the end of the day tomorrow. Once we have all final information, our Welcome Back Guide for parents and guardians will be sent out with all necessary school organization information. This will be sent out to our community on Friday.

As always, I appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate through new information that is being shared daily. We are looking forward to welcoming all of our students smiling faces back to school! Please be on the lookout for our Welcome Back Guide on Friday. Until then, enjoy the last few stays of summer and stay cool.

I am available should you have any questions or concerns.

All the best and stay tuned…

Samantha Halpin

Principal

Good Afternoon Eardley Community,

I hope this email finds you safe and well after a relaxing and fun filled summer. The Eardley team is eager to start another school year and we are working diligently to get everything organized for the first day of school. We apologize for the lateness of correspondence, but we are still very much dealing with COVID guidelines again this year and a lot of information is still not available to us or has resulted in these last minute arrangements.

Eardley Teaching Staff 2021-2022: 

K-4 Heather Wilfong

K-5 English: Carm Reino

K-5 French Immersion: Catherine Clarke and Lorri-Anne Emery

English Program

Jessica Daley

Jennifer McMullen

Amanda Matthews

Laura O’Rourke

Jason Goss

Valerie Pinkham

French Immersion Program

Roxana Tiron-Baleanu

Lynna Lavoie

Tanya Molenaar

Stephanie Anderson

Amy Aboud

Nicole Coffin

Pascale Papin

Mirella Bertea

Carol Devine

Resource Team

Hannah Patrick & Nicole Coffin

Physical Education Team

Sherry McCorkell

Nina Saunders

French as a Second Language

Megan Kuchinsky

Your child’s homeroom teacher will be calling over the PD days (25^th – 27^th) to introduce themselves and the team.

COVID Protocols:

Here is the most recent return to school plan from the Ministry and Public Health: https://www.quebec.ca/en/education/back-to-school-2021 

We are expecting announcements in the coming days that may mean adjustments to this plan.  Next week, we will send an email update with information specific to COVID protocols and what school will look like to start the year.

Student Medical Exemptions:

Please note that as of late, the Ministry is supporting medical exemptions for students again this year.  Here is a link to more information on the WQSB website:  https://westernquebec.ca/letter-to-parents-student-medical-exemptions/

More information to follow.

Staggered Entry: 

We have just been advised to proceed with a staggered start for all grades as we did last year to ensure a safe start to the school year and to be able to review protocols with students. 

For Grades 1-6, the schedule is as follows:

• Monday, August 30: Grades 4, 5 and 6 – Grades 1,  2 and 3 are not at school
• Tuesday, August 31: Grades 1, 2 and 3 – Grades 4, 5 and 6 are not at school
• Wednesday, September 1: all grades are at school

For all kindergarten groups: K4 and K5, the schedule was mailed to you in mid-August, which includes your child’s specific schedule:

• Monday, August 30:  meeting with teachers – by appointment
• Tuesday, August 31:  one half of each of the Kindergarten classes will attend the full day (date identified in the mailed letter)
• Wednesday, September 1:  the other half of each of the Kindergarten classes will attend the full day (date identified in the mailed letter)
• Thursday, September 2:  all kindergarten students are at school

To make the first days of school a bit easier on everyone, we will allow parent(s)/guardian(s) to escort their child and stay in the school yard for the first 20 minutes of school on your child’s staggered entry date.  Each homeroom will be assigned a specific area in the back of our school yard. This information will be released when your child’s homeroom teacher calls next week. Please respect physical distancing of 2m from other people and wear a mask. This way, you can meet your child’s teacher and say hello for a few minutes then say goodbye to your child. Parent(s)/guardian(s) will not be allowed in the school.  We will be out in the yard at 7:55am.

Bussing Information & Portal:

For all new families and students: Please set up your Mozaik Portal Account. You will need your child’s permanent code, so please contact Stephanie Lelievre at SLelievre@wqsb.qc.ca or 819-684-5955 if you do not have it accessible.  The guide to set up your account is attached to this e-mail.  Please use the e-mail address that you have provided to the school in order to link your account.

All Transportation Families – bussing information will only be accessible through the Mozaik Portal and will be available on the portal on August 26 and 27^th ONLY.

If you have not already informed the school of your child(ren)’s end of day routine, please contact Stephanie Lelievre at  SLelievre@wqsb.qc.ca.  It is important for us to know where to send your child(ren) at the end of the day.  

School Fees:  will be invoiced at a later date- details to follow.

Holiday: Monday, September 6^th  is a holiday, school and daycare are closed.

Daycare:  The Daycare staff is excited to be working with your children this year, and Daycare is open on the first day of school.  They are working hard to develop exciting programs this year.  If you have any inquiries or need to contact the daycare, please call the school or email Anne Carbonneau at acarbonneau@wqsb.qc.ca.  We will be sending important information specific to daycare soon.

Recess Equipment

The school will be accepting donations of recess equipment starting the first day of school.  This is to accommodate the various interests of our students and help to provide a dynamic and innovative play experience during recess. Suggestions for donations: footballs, soccer balls, basketballs, hoola-hoops, chalk, Frisbees etc.

Meet the Teacher night, Governing Board and Annual General Assembly: September 9^th, details to follow.  These meetings will be held virtually.

School Driveways:  It is very important to understand where buses and parents are able to drive around the areas of the school.  We are expecting a very high number of students being dropped off, so there will likely be a lot of congestion.  Please be mindful and patient.  The bus zone/lane is at the front of the school and parent(s)/guardian(s) are not able to drive through, drop-off or park there at any time.  If you are dropping off your child, the parking lot will be accessible this year. Please respect the direction of the traffic for everyone’s safety and be mindful of children and cars. 

Website:  Our school website has a lot of information about the school that you may find useful.  Please visit at

Please feel free to contact the school should you have any questions or concerns.   We want every child to have a positive start to the school year.  On behalf of the staff at Eardley Elementary, we are all looking forward to seeing you soon.

Stay safe and stay tuned,

Samantha Halpin

Principal

Eardley Elementary

Good Afternoon Eardley Community,

I hope this email finds you safe and well. I have a short update for you, please see below.

Graduation

• We are pleased to announce a new graduation plan that includes families! Please find attached our graduation memo detailing the specifics for June 18^th. A reminder that our rain date will be June 21^st.
• If you have any questions regarding the graduation day, please contact your child’s homeroom teacher.

Final Spirit Week

• In true Eardley fashion, we will be ending our year in style!
• Please find attached a memo detailing our spirit week for June 21^st-23^rd.

As always, I am available should you have any questions or concerns.

Have an excellent weekend,

Samantha Halpin

Principal

Good Afternoon Eardley Community,

I hope this email finds you safe and staying cool.  I have another important update based upon a press conference held earlier this afternoon by Premier Legault.

Updated Covid-19 Measures –

• Please see the attached letter from Mike Dubeau, our Director General detailing the changes to our processes and protocol. Please note that these updates are sent from the Ministry of Education alongside consultation with Public Health. Eardley Elementary will continue to follow the guidelines set by Public Health and the Ministry.
  • COVID-19 Alert Level
    • Outaouais will be moving from Orange alert level to Yellow effective Monday, June 14.
  • Masks for students – effective June 8
    • Kindergarten are not required to wear masks at any time.
    • Grades 1-4 students not required to wear masks at any time.
    • Grades 5-6 students are not required to wear masks in class nor outside. They are required to wear masks inside the school in common areas and on the school bus. Procedural masks will be provided for grade 5 & 6 students.
  • Masks for Staff – effective June 14
    • Staff are not required to wear a mask as long as they maintain 2-meter physical distance from other students and staff.
    •  *For all mask directives, if a student or staff wishes to wear a mask in class, outside or at any time while at school they are permitted to do so.
  • Graduation Ceremony
    • The handing out of diplomas can happen during the school day, after school or on a weekend.
    • Parents can now attend the graduation ceremony.
    • A maximum of 250 people may attend the ceremony with more information to come on sanitary measures. (i.e. masks and physical distancing rules)
    • *Please note that this information was just released this afternoon and the school staff will consult the new measures and adjust our graduation ceremony to the best of our ability given the short timeframe afforded. Please stay tuned for updated information on our graduation ceremony by the end of the week.

I continue to be impressed by our staff and students’ ability to adapt and remain positive. While I understand that this is new information for many, we will continue to put the health and safety of our community at the forefront of everything we do. I want to thank you for your continued support.

I am available should you have any questions or concerns.

Please take care,

Samantha Halpin

Principal

Good Morning Eardley Community,

I hope this email finds you staying cool and hydrated.  I have an important update for you, please see below.

Effective June 8^th and based upon an announcement made by the Deputy Minister of Education, Alain Sans Cartier students will no longer be required to wear procedural masks or face coverings while at school.  The exception is our grade 5 & 6 students who will still be required to wear procedural masks in all common areas (hallways, bathrooms, lobby etc.) and school buses. The school will continue to provide the procedural masks to our grade 5 & 6 students on a daily basis. Of course, if you would still like to send your child with a mask or face covering, you are more than welcome to do so.

I am available should you have any questions or concerns,

Samantha Halpin

Principal

Good Evening Eardley Families,

Please note that there was an error to the previous subject line – schools are closed for in person learning; however, remain open and functional for virtual learning as per the plan described below; educational services remain open and functional.

Subject Line to Read – Schools Shift to Virtual Learning for June 7^th & 8^th.

How Will This Impact My Child(ren)?

• Monday, June 7^th & Tuesday, June 8^th –
  • Access to a one hour (45 min for Kindergarten) virtual check in with your child’s homeroom teacher. This virtual check-in time will be communicated by your child’s homeroom teacher – link to be sent ASAP.
  • Access to supplementary academic material – either virtual or paper copies sent home this afternoon.
  • On Monday, you will receive an information email from your child’s homeroom teacher detailing the supplementary work available.

Thank you and I sincerely apologize for the miscommunication.

Samantha Halpin

Principal

I hope this email finds you safe, well and remaining cool.

Due to weather alerts and extreme heat forecasted by Environment Canada for much of the province of Quebec, and considering the special sanitary circumstances of the current COVID-19 pandemic, all schools/centres in the Western Quebec School Board will switch to distance learning as per each school’s learning schedule for Monday, June 7 and Tuesday, June 8. This means that Eardley Elementary will be closed June 7^th, 8^th and 9^th (professional strike day). The daycare will also be closed. We will resume in-person classes on Thursday, June 10^th.

How Will This Impact My Child(ren)?

• Monday, June 7^th & Tuesday, June 8^th –
  • Access to a one hour (45 min for Kindergarten) virtual check in with your child’s homeroom teacher. This virtual check-in time will be communicated by your child’s homeroom teacher – link to be sent ASAP.
  • Access to supplementary academic material – either virtual or paper copies sent home this afternoon.
  • On Monday, you will receive an information email from your child’s homeroom teacher detailing the supplementary work available.

We will keep our plan for June 9^th, 2021 (Professional Strike Day) status quo. Please see below.

• On Wednesday, June 9^th, all Western Quebec Schools and Centres will be closed due to a strike action. The Professional Union (educational consultants, psychologists, speech and language pathologists etc.) will be striking on June 9^th until 12:00pm. Due to this, the Western Quebec School Board will be closing all schools and centres.

How will this impact my child?

• The school and school daycare will be closed for the entire day on June 9^th, 2021.
• ALL AM classes will be canceled.
• ALL PM classes will be held virtually.
• Eardley Elementary will be following our regular PM schedule for June 9^th, 2021 – the schedule will be taught remotely through our Teams platform.
• Virtual classes will start at 12:10pm – i.e. right after our regularly scheduled lunch hour.
• Each parent/guardian will receive their June 9^th PM virtual schedule by Friday, June 4^th.
• PM Recess/Snack will be maintained within the virtual schedule.
• The virtual school day will end at 2:30pm – the same as any other day.

I want to thank you for your continued support and patience as we navigate multiple changes and adaptations to the delivery of our educational services. We will continue to support your children, maintain community and focus on ending our school year with pride and smiles.

As always, I am available should you have any questions or concerns.

Take care,

Samantha Halpin

Principal

Eardley Elementary