East Ridge Community School is located on the east side of Owen Sound, near Georgian College. Our school offers classes from JK to Grade 8 both in the English and French Immersion streams
May 3rd, 2021
Parents/Guardians,
We would like to take the opportunity to thank you, our partners in education, for everything you have done and continue to do on a daily basis to support learning within Bluewater.
We need to determine the actual numbers for remote learning through a survey process. This commitment must be made for the entire school year.
Please only complete the survey if you wish to enroll your child(ren) in a remote learning program for the entire 2021/2022 school year. If you do not complete the survey, your child(ren) will be enrolled for in-person learning September 2021. Please contact me at sara_morrow@bwdsb.on.ca if you have any questions.
Remote Learning Program Survey: https://bit.ly/3eSRkrA
Thank you,
Sara Morrow, principal.
April 18th, 2021
Hello Families,
We hope that our families had a restful week for the April break. As we found out during the break, we will be making a switch to online learning with no return date set at this time.
Classes will be using the same platforms as they did in January.
Tomorrow, April 19th, teachers will post an activity in their online classroom for students to complete independently, while they connect with families to make sure students have what they need to begin online learning.
Synchronous learning will begin on Tuesday, April 20th.
Mrs. Kastner has sent out communication to families needing to borrow technology regarding pick up procedures.
We know that it is not easy to make the switch from in person to remote learning. We understand how difficult it is to balance remote learning with the already full plates you have as parents/guardians. Please reach out to the school if needed, we are a team with you to support your child's education. We will work through challenging times together.
East Ridge Community School.
March 11, 2021
Bonjour les Familles,
You may have noticed the Canadian Flag at ERC flying at half mast today. This was in observance of the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic by the WHO. How much has changed in the past year and yet, we continue to grow stronger as a community and show innovative ways to address the problems caused by the pandemic.
It is MUD season at East Ridge! We must continue to keep classes with their cohort during recess following our zones. We are making adjustments, sometimes daily, to change the areas they access to avoid the muddiest parts of the yard, but kids are still finding mud! Please be prepared for some muddy clothing coming home and you may want to send a change of clothes with your child.
SCC meeting for March is Wednesday, March 17th at 6:30. If you do not receive the meeting invites already, please contact Sara Morrow at sara_morrow@bwdsb.on.ca to be added to the invite.
Attention Owen Sound! The Food Bank needs help, and so we have entered a friendly competition with our local schools to see who can collect the most donations for the Food Bank. East Ridge and Alexandra schools are partnered to compete against Hillcrest and Keppel. It’s the East against the West! We will begin collecting non-perishable foods starting Monday, the 15th of March and our last day to accept donations will be on the 31st of March. The losing principals will dress up in an outfit chosen by the winning schools. More information will be sent out soon!
We will also be competing to see which school will have more students dress in green for St-Patrick's day, the 17th of March! Go Falcons Go!!
Merci!
February 19, 2021
Bonjour les familles d'East Ridge
Just a quick update because we have a few things happening next week!
Wednesday Feb 24th - Pink T-shirt day (It is a day when people come together by wearing pink shirts to school or work to show they are against bullying). Also report cards are sent home!
Friday, Feb 26th - Sports shirt or jersey day. Wear anything sports related or you can wear East Ridge Colours
Across town basketball challenge ALERT. COVID has not allowed our schools to participate in extra-curriculars. Normally East Ridge and Hillcrest have an intense cross-town rivalry. So, in place of this we are going to have a free-throw basketball challenge between our 2 schools. Grade 6s, 7s, and 8s will participate and a champion will be crowned. The Principal from the losing school will have to wear the opponents' school sweater for a day. Good thing Mr. Wilson has East Ridge Gear, because we all know that Falcons soar!! Go Falcons Go!!!!
Have a great weekend everyone!
January 22, 2021
Hello Families,
We are so happy to be welcoming our students back to in person school. We want to take this opportunity to review our protocols to ensure that we are providing all the layers to protect our staff and students to prevent the spread.
- All students from grades 1-8 must wear a mask. If you don’t have a mask, we will provide students with masks. They should have a few masks each day so they can switch if they become wet or dirty. Kindergarten students are strongly encouraged to wear a mask. Students will be permitted to remove their masks outside, if they can stay distanced. For those who are playing closely with others, we will require them to wear their mask at recess.
- Please follow the online screener each morning to ensure your child can pass the screener before sending them to school. Students who develop symptoms throughout the day, will be sent home. You can find the screener at https://covid-19.ontario.ca/school-screening/ If you need a paper copy, just ask! If you have questions about the screener, please call the school or email Ms. Morrow at sara_morrow@bwdsb.on.ca
- Morning drop off time is 8:45 am. Please do not drop your children off before this time Students in Grades 4-8 cross at the corner of the bus loop when they are dropped off. Students in Kindergarten to Grade 3 should cross at the front of the bus loop and enter the playground at the first two gates. Parents if you are walking your child to the gate, please wear a mask, it is hard to distance on our sidewalk. For students walking home at the end of the day, we will be ensuring they leave the school at the bell. For students assigned to a bus, bus pick up and drop off times remain the same unless you have been contacted by the bus company.
“To prevent further spread of COVID-19, school boards have been asked to highlight the importance of students not congregating before school starts, at lunch time if they leave the school, and returning directly home after school. We are asking parents to reinforce this message in the home prior to our return to face-to-face learning. By working together, we can keep students, staff, and families safe.”
- Everyone entering the school must use hand sanitizer once inside. For our students, they will remove their mitts and hand sanitize then go to their classrooms. Because of frequent hand washing, you may want to send your child with a scent-free hand moisturizer for them to use independently.
- Please plan for traffic when dropping off and picking up. We know that our parking lots are very full, please plan on 5 or 10 minutes to leave the parking lot during peak times. Please remember you can exit by Georgian College as well as directly on 8th Street. Please do not use the bus loop exit during peak times, it is important that our buses are able to get off the road.
- Families who borrowed school technology, please return it to the school on Monday. If your child is able to bring it back safely, that is great. If you don’t feel safe sending it with your child, please drop it off at the office. We want to get these devices set back into classes for students to access at school.
By working as a team, we can ensure that we are providing the safest environment possible for our school community. We appreciate your hard work and support over the entire year, but especially during the last 3 weeks of remote learning. It isn’t easy! Thank you for preparing your child(ren) for the return to school.
Your Partner in Education,
Sara Morrow, principal.
December 14, 2020
As we wrap up 2020 and prepare for winter break, we have several events going on at the school this week.
First, THANK YOU! to our families for the donations to support Safe and Sound. We ended up with over 3, 374 items, the HIGHEST amount ever collected at East Ridge!!
Congratulations, Falcons support their community!
Thank you to Foodland for donating the ice cream sandwiches to our winning classes and for the paper bagst to collect items in.
Top Classes are: Kindergarten - Mme Bell; Primary - Mme Law; Junior - Mr Greenfield/Ms Walsh; Intermediate - Mme Doneathy.
Tuesday is a spirit day - Wear your PJs
Friday is a spirit day - Ugly sweater or Holiday sweater day.
During the week we will be sending out a link for our winter celebration. Many classes will be contributing to the video which is the closest we are able to have for a winter concert at this time. This should be out to families by Friday.
Also, we have a TON of lost and found items. Please see link of a video of the lost and found items. If you see anything that you think belongs to your child, please let the school know. Lost and Found Video
We also ask that we continue to minimize items brought to school. Exchanging gifts with peers should be done outside of school to avoid bringing extra items to school.
Many families like to give their child's teacher a gift or a card. This is never expected or necessary, however, if you choose to do this, we ask that you: wash your hands before wrapping or creating a card. Have the gift/card brought in on the Wednesday before the holidays so that it can sit for at least 24- hours. One of the greatest parts of giving is watching it being opened! This time frame allows for safety and joy to happen together.
Thanks
École East Ridge Community School
December 13, 2020
Hello Families,
If you are wanting to switch from in person learning at East Ridge to the Remote School, the deadline to notify us is January 8th, 2021 at 9:00am. The actual transition between schools will take place on Wednesday February 3rd, 2021. Therefore, if you choose to switch to the Remote School, your child will continue to attend East Ridge until February 1st, then they will start with the Remote School on February 3rd. This is the start of term 2. Please contact Mr. Corey Smith, vice principal, at 519 376-2010, or email corey_smith@bwdsb.on.ca to notify us of your intention to transition or if you have any questions.
November 27, 2020
Thank you for your flexibility as we moved our parent/teacher interviews virtually this year. While there were some technical errors, generally we have had great feedback and for the most part, school and home were able to connect. If you were not able to connect and are wanting an opportunity to meet with your child's teacher, please reach out to the school.
For next week,
Scholastic Book Fair is Here!
Our school’s Book Fair is going ONLINE, so save the date!
From November 23-December 6, take the opportunity to refresh your home libraries, grab some meaningful gifts, or find your next read! Discover the newest books hot off the press, from the comfort of your home.
Bonus: Every purchase supports our school and keeps kids reading!
https://bookfairs-canada.myshopify.com/pages/5152163
December 2nd is a spirit day, "Dress As Your Favourite Literary Character" Prizes to the classes with the most participation, keep it simple! Students must still be able to wear their cloth masks and we ask for no additional props.
Have a wonderful weekend, Falcons!
November 20, 2020
Parents/Guardians,
On the evening of November 26th, and morning of November 27th, we have our Parent/Teacher Interviews. With our COVID protocols, these will look different this year. All interviews will be virtual or on the phone.
I highly encourage all families to book an interview. This is an excellent way to connect with your child’s teachers as well as continue to build a strong team between school and home.
To book your interview time, please click on the link below:
https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/EastRidgeCommunitySchool@bwdsb7.onmicrosoft.com/bookings/
Once on the site –
- Select one of the two types of interviews – JK-Grade 3 or Grade 4-8. This narrows the list down to staff for those grades.
- Select your child’s teacher. If you are wanting to meet with multiple staff, you can go through these steps and book other meetings with additional staff.
- Select the date and times available.
- Scroll down and enter your name and email. Then add your child’s name.
- Hit the book button
You will receive an email confirming your date and time, as well as the link to the TEAMS virtual meeting. At the time of the interview, please click this link to automatically join in the virtual meeting with the teacher. You can join this meeting from any browser, on a smartphone or computer.
If you have any difficulty booking your appointment, please try a different browser (ie chrome, firefox, etc). If you continue to have trouble, please call the school.
Thank you for your continued flexibility,
Sara Morrow, principal
November 10, 2020
Some updates from East Ridge!
Tomorrow we will continue to observe Remembrance Day through a virtual assembly. Many classes have participated in adding to our assembly through readings and artwork. We will continue to acknowledge this important day in Canadian History.
Our next SCC meeting is on November 18 at 6:30. If you would like to attend, please send an email to sara_morrow@bwdsb.on.ca. These meetings are still organized through a virtual TEAMS meeting. Those who attended the last SCC meeting do not need to ask for an invitation to the meeting, you will be automatically sent an invitation.
Progress Reports will be sent home with students on November 20th.
Parent/Teacher Interviews will be held the evening of November 26th and the morning of November 27th. These meetings must occur virtually at this time. We will share how to book an interview time with you soon. We encourage every parent to touch base with your child's teacher at this time.
Thank you for your continued support
East Ridge Community School Staff
November 6, 2020
We are just preparing in the event that there is a school closure and we need to learn from home. Please reply to the survey by clicking the link below.
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=GAmpRLReCU2WCd35yhGvQvyPzF42KEJNmfKq4gJPKMNUODFaR0JVUkFQRkJYNlREVkIxRlQ3SE9PMi4u
November 3, 2020
Hello Families,
On November 5th and 6th we will be having a school wide cross-country race here at East Ridge while still adhering to our new health and safety protocols. The race course will be well marked around our school property and the students will complete a certain distance depending on their grade. Students will race with their class only and we will record their times. Participation ribbons will be awarded, and we will also acknowledge the top 3 times in each grade. Please send clothes and running shoes that you don’t mind getting muddy and a change of clothes.
Thank you,
East Ridge Community School
August 28th, 2020
Hi Falcon Families,
Please see below for our supply list for September. It is broken into must have supplies and optional supplies. If you have questions, please reach out to the school.
More informationa bout our start up is coming!
School Supplies Required for September:
-Indoor shoes
-water bottle (fountains are closed but we will have water bottle refill stations)
-back pack
-lunch kit (with containers that students can open independently)
-Extra clothes for our kindergarten students
-a few face masks (Can be the cloth washable type) This is mandatory for Grades 4-8 and highly recommended for K- Grade 3.
Optional School Supplies:
These items are optional, the school will provide them but often children like to have their own special supplies! All supplies will be personal supplies and they will not be shared with other students. Please label. We ask that supplies remain at school to reduce items being taken back and forth between school and home
-pencils
-pens (grade 6 and up)
-scientific calculator (Grade 6 and Up)
-math set (grades 6 and up)
-simple calculator (grade 4-5)
-pencil crayons (all grades)
-crayons (Kindergarten and grade 1)
-erasers
-pencil sharpener
-markers
-lined paper