April 9, 2021
Dear UA Parents,
A BIG thank you to all of our students who seamlessly adjusted to wearing their masks at school. I know the staff and many families really appreciate the effort that the community is making to keep UA as healthy as possible. On that note I want to remind people that students and staff may be away for a variety of reasons and speculating on why is not helpful for the community. It is inevitable that our community will be touched by COVID whether directly or indirectly. I appreciate that everyone is acting with ‘an abundance of caution’ and when in doubt staying home from school/work. Should there be a confirmed case of COVID and an exposure event at UA, I will communicate to the classes where the exposure occurred directly, as well as sending a notification letter to the entire school community informing them that there has been an exposure. UA will continue to follow the Provincial Guidelines for K-12 Education as we work through what I hope are the last weeks of the pandemic. If you or a family/household member are contacted by Fraser Health/Vancouver Coastal Health or have tested positive or been a close contact of a confirmed case, please reach out to me directly. Please continue to do your part in keeping the community healthy.
It was brought to my attention yesterday afternoon that we have some parents who are still choosing to park illegally in the neighbourhood around the school. This may include: parking in a no-parking zone, parking in a permit-only spot, or parking across residential or workplace driveways. One parent even refused to move from a ‘no-parking’ spot when asked by UA staff to do so. This type of behaviour is unacceptable and reflects very poorly on UA. I would hope that all parents recognize that we are in this together and that we have certain agreements with the City of New Westminster to uphold. We must be mindful to avoid creating or exacerbating any issues with our neighbours or with the City, especially as we are in a construction period and need all the cooperation possible from the community. So please take the few extra minutes to park in an appropriate parking space, even if you are waiting in your vehicle.
You will notice a number of PAX activities in the email below. I want to take this opportunity to thank our hard-working PAX for all their initiatives this year. As with everything, their activities required fresh planning as well as changing many of their activities from in-person to online. Thank you especially to Tammy Diesner for helping UA’s PAX make the online move by developing the PAX website, the Used Uniform Store, and the Volunteer Hours Registration Form.
The weather is going to turn warm next week… possibly hitting 20 degrees! That will really feel like Spring and makes me think of one of the UA rituals of Spring: the Gala. Please remember that the Gala early bird ticket sales wrap up by the end of the day today. So if you haven’t yet purchased your tickets to what I know will be a fantastic event, you can still do so here.
Have a wonderful and healthy weekend.
Yours in education,
Mr. Slinger
