September 17, 2021
Dear UA Parents,
It appears that fall arrived a week early this year. There will be a lot of liquid sunshine to enjoy on the last weekend of the summer. It was wonderful to see those students and parents who actively braved the weather this morning and walked to the school. On the note of being active, I would like everyone to take note that UA’s new ‘Student Life’ Team has attached the Term 1 Schedule of club, outdoor and athletic offerings. It’s going to be a very busy and vibrant fall for everyone!
I was outside for 45 minutes this morning observing the drop-off routine up close. One thing that was very obvious was that many more families decided to drive their students to school today; this was especially noticeable in the roundabout drop-off. I am making the assumption that the reason for the significant increase in traffic was due to the rain. Should everyone choose to drive to school given rainy weather, our typical traffic, and parking plans will no longer be effective. As always, give yourself some extra time and please look for areas to park and/or drop-off and then walk to the school. I would also like to advise that everyone do their best to avoid driving down Rousseau past the school. The road is very narrow and if two vehicles come from opposite directions, it creates congestion of the traffic back in front of the school and sometimes even onto Braid. We do need to work together to keep drop-off and pick-up safe for everyone.
We have further clarification with regard to vaccine passports and how they will be used in the K-12 school settings. Currently, all those attending K-12 educational activities in an educational setting are exempt from showing the passport. However, if an activity requires a mix with the general public, then the public guidelines for gatherings and vaccinations apply. UA will communicate in advance any situations for which we are aware that vaccine passports will be required. While UA will not require vaccine passports, we still strongly encourage any community members of our school community who are eligible to get vaccinated.
As a reminder, it is important that parents continue to conduct Daily Health Checks with their children before bringing them to school. The K to 12 Health Check website and app can help students and parents decide if their children should attend school, based on their symptoms. Please bookmark the health check website or download the apps for iPhone/iPad iOS or Android devices.
We are very excited that we will be introducing a new ‘UA Parent Hub’ website that will be a hidden site but available to UA parents. The Urban Academy Parent Hub will be the site you want to bookmark for everything you may need from volunteer opportunities, key contacts, important forms, and documents to the UA Gala and PAX events. More information will be coming out soon. This should help the community track and/or find the information you need all in one spot.
I hope that everyone will be voting in the Federal Election on Monday. Having the opportunity to vote is an important right that we are fortunate to have in Canada. I hope that you take some time over the next few days to discuss the election with your children. Many of the classes have been learning about Canadian democracy and looking at various aspects of the upcoming election, from issues that are being debated to some of the candidates who are running in the various ridings in which our community members reside. Monday will be another notable day in Canada’s history.
Yours in education,
Mr. Slinger
