Hello Tiger Families!
This has been a fun and spirited week at Odessa PS thus far and we are looking forward to an exciting Thursday and Friday. We wanted to take a moment to wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season and to share some information with you.
Fundraising – Big News
We are very excited to share that, through the generosity of our friends at Riverside United Church, CPs Pizza, and the Corner Pocket we have distributed over $6000 to our families in the community. The efforts of our community partners has been an amazing support and we are so appreciative of it. We are also excited to share that our student generated fundraiser for the Kingston Youth Shelter raised $1300, making a big difference to this community organization. Truly, we have all been moved by the spirit of the season!
Just in Case
Currently, our hope and plan is that, following the break, students will return to school on January 4th. Last March, many students left personal items at school that they needed when we moved to Remote Learning. As a precaution, we will be sending students home with their personal belongings at the end of the day on Friday in the event that they are needed at home. This will have the added benefit of reducing clutter in classrooms, making it easier for them to be deeply cleaned over the break. Should the Minister of Education make any announcement changing the learning plan for January, you would be notified through the School Messenger communication system. Should a Covid case related to the school be reported following the 18th, we would also notify you through the Messenger system. Again, our hope is to return to school!
Virtual Celebration
You may have heard about our virtual assemblies from your child – Domingo Bingo has been a huge hit! We will be having a virtual assembly again on Friday but we also wish to make you aware of our Virtual Holiday Event. While we are sad that we can’t come together to fill our Gym (hard to imagine, really) we couldn’t let the season pass without sharing the work of our students! Stay tuned for details on how to access the holiday video from home!
Government Support for Families
We wanted to make you aware that the Government of Ontario has introduced additional support for families impacted by COVID-19. Parents can apply to receive a one-time payment of $200 for each child aged 0 to 12 or $250 if their child or youth is aged 0 to 21 with special needs. https://www.ontario.ca/page/get-support-learners. The deadline to apply for these funds is January 15, 2021.
Finally, we would once again like to wish you a safe and happy holiday. We look forward to seeing everyone again in the New Year.