Welcome to Another School Year!

Hello again, Chester Ronning School Community!

It is with both anticipation and excitement that I welcome our students and families back to classes on Tuesday, September 7th. I hope that everyone has enjoyed a terrific summer holiday and is feeling recharged for another year of great successes!

As seems to have become the norm, we enter this school year with changes. And, practically as I write this, a new announcement has come out from our Provincial Government so perhaps there are even more changes that I'm not yet fully aware of!

As things currently stand, Chester Ronning School and Battle River School Division remain committed to providing the safest learning environment possible for our school communities.  I know that there are a number of questions about the approaches that will be taken and I am providing links to both BRSD's 2020 Re-entry Plan and our school's specific information, all of which can also be located on our CRS website. Some of the things that helped us to successfully navigate the 2020-2021 school year will remain at least partially in place and, as the pandemic continues, we will need to remain vigilant about keeping ourselves and each other safe and healthy. Plans will be reviewed frequently and it is a near certainty that  some rules, expectations and protocols will need to be revised as circumstances continue to evolve.

What I do know is that all of our teachers are excited to begin this year with a great deal more flexibility to make learning meaningful and engaging and to bring back many of the "fun things" about school. We are planning to have more opportunities to gather as a school for assemblies and other events, field trips are being planned, students will be more able to play with friends in other classes and grades, we expect to bring back a hot lunch program and more! We are also excited to have parents and guardians begin visiting the school building more regularly. Volunteering, meeting with teachers or with me, and visiting the school are all possibilities this year, with a scheduled appointment which can be arranged with your child's teacher or by calling the school office. 

A couple more things:

Sign up for School Messenger Test Messages

If you have not already done so, please consider signing up for alerts from our school messenging system to stay up to date on any information that we send out. Simply text "yes" to 978338. (Standard text message data rates may apply.)

CRS Replacement School Construction Continues

Whether you are brand new to CRS or returning, you probably have noticed that we are located in the middle of a construction site! Our new building remains on track and we are expecting to move over the November break. In the meantime, please notice that the North sidewalk on 43rd Avenue remains barricaded and that there are a number of potential tripping hazards in front of the school. 

As the building nears completion, contractors may require additional vehicles coming in and out of the construction site but they have agreed to halt there traffic until after 9:00am and between 3:00-3:30pm. Safety patrol should be up and running in a couple of weeks but we will have an adult presence to supervise the crosswalk and the potentially hazardous areas before and after school. 

Welcoming Students on the First Day 

As mentioned, our staff is very excited to welcome students back on Tuesday, September 7th and most families should have already received a welcoming phone call or email message earlier this week. On Tuesday, all students will meet their classes and teachers on the North side of the school, towards the playground. Please arrive around 8:30am and find your child's teacher near a pylon marked with the appropriate classroom. (For example, "1A" refers to Mrs. Anderson's Grade 1 class.) There will be several staff members with class lists patrolling around to help you if you are unsure about your child's class.

Sometime after 8:35am, teachers will escort their classes inside and begin their first day. We're not yet back to where we can have parents coming in to see them off but don't worry, your children are in excellent hands! And, last year, we actually discovered that there was far less separation anxiety in our younger students by doing it this way. So give them a hug and a kiss when your drop them off and give them to us... we've got them!

Outdoor Assembly on Thursday, September 9

Weather permitting, we will have a very brief assembly on the grass beside the playground on Thursday, before heading in for classes. Having had a couple days to settle back into routines, the purpose of this assembly will be to welcome everyone back and to come together as an entire school. The entire staff will be introduced as well.

I hope that's it for now but please don't hesitate to call our office if you have any questions or concerns! (780-672-5588)

Yours in education,

Reid Lansing

Principal