Welcome back! We are now ready to begin the process of starting up our School Council at MDJH. We need:

• Parent / Community Representative

The following process will be followed for the election of the one Parent / Community representative:

▶ Any parent/guardian interested in having his/her name put forward as a candidate for election to the MDJH School Council should complete the bottom portion of this notice and return it to MS. Pike by email or to the Main Office of the school no later than 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 22, 2020.

▶ If an election is necessary (i.e there are more than three candidates), a list of candidates and their profiles will be completed and sent home on Wednesday, September 23, 2020.

▶ Elections will take place (if necessary) at the school between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on Friday, September 25, 2020.

▶ The results of the election process will be communicated to all parents/guardians of MDJH on Tuesday, September 29, 2020.

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MDJH 2020-2021 Parent / Community Representative Nomination Form/Profile

Candidate’s Name:

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Name(s) and Grade(s) of child(ren) attending MDJH:

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Briefly describe any current and/or past involvement in school-related and/or

community-related activities that you feel would contribute to your effective

participation in the MDJH School Council :

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Candidate’s Signature

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Date

If you need to download a copy of the latest Student Information Sheet / Network & Media Permission form, you can find it by clicking on this link:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qP5_Vbo8sm_wjWr8sODV-AKAO2vScLCLMa7XQJNnXyY/edit?usp=sharing

Limited spaces are available in the following City of St. John’s, Recreation Division Youth Programs!

Register now:  

• Online www.stjohns.ca through RECconnect
• In person at either H.G.R Mews Community Centre or Paul Reynolds Community Centre
• Telephone at (709) 576-8499 or (709) 576-8631

Youth Ball Hockey

This is an opportunity for youth to take part in a recreational sport night. Registration is required. Teams will be assigned on a nightly basis. Participants are required to bring their own equipment.

Date:                Sunday, September 27^th to December 6^th
Time:                6 pm to 7 pm
Ages:               12 to 16 years
Location:           H.G.R Mews Community Centre
Cost:                 $ 40.00

Youth Yoga Workshop

This is an opportunity for youth to take part in beginner yoga. Designed for new students of all fitness levels to learn a solid foundation of Yoga practice. Participants must bring their own yoga mat.

Date:                October 22^nd, 2020
Time:                6:30 pm to 7:30 pm
Ages:               12 to 16 years
Location:           Paul Reynolds Community Centre
Cost:                 $ 8.00

Youth Spooktacular Art Night

Join us for a night of Halloween themed crafts. All materials provided.

Date:                October 28^th, 2020
Time:                6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
Ages:               12 to 16 years
Location:           Paul Reynolds Community Centre
Cost:                 $ 14.00

Youth Introduction to Drawing Landscape

A focus on landscape art for those who enjoy all aspects of drawing and painting. All materials provided.

Date:                November 5th^th, 2020
Time:                6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Ages:               12 to 16 years
Location:           Paul Reynolds Community Centre
Cost:                 $ 18.00

Youth Christmas Art Night

Join us for a night of Christmas themed crafts. All materials provided.

Date:                December 3^rd, 2020
Time:                6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
Ages:               12 to 16 years
Location:           Paul Reynolds Community Centre
Cost:                 $ 14.00

Dear Parents/Guardians:

Head lice are a common problem and can happen at home, play, or school. Anyone can get head lice fairly easily. Head lice are mainly spread through direct head to head contact, but also from sharing hats, brushes, headphones, helmets, combs, hair accessories and other personal items. Research shows that mass screening for head lice is not effective for managing head lice. Eastern Health’s HI Website (hi.easternhealth.ca) contains helpful information on head lice (pediculosis).

Parents and guardians have the responsibility to take an active role in the prevention of head lice outbreaks by:

• checking your child’s head  weekly for lice or nits
• talking to your child about not sharing hats, brushes, headphones, helmets, combs, hair accessories or other personal items
• tying back long hair 

When head lice are found, parents and guardians have the responsibility to take an active role in the management of head lice by:

• treating head lice 
• informing your child’s school
• Children sometimes get lice because they play closely together. Parents or guardians may feel frustrated or embarrassed; however, the problem has nothing to do with standards of cleanliness. 

If you have any questions, please refer to Eastern Health’s HI Website for information or contact the school Public Health Nurse for advice on what to look for and information on effective treatment for your family.  

Thank you for your cooperation,

Ms. Christina Pike

School Principal

Trina M. Walsh, BN RN

Public Health Nurse 

Tel: (709) 752-4234

It’s a brand new school year, so it’s time for a brand new Parent Newsletter!

Click here to view it.

Chartwells will begin cafeteria service on Monday, September 14, 2020. There is a new practice to keep everyone safe:

1. Chartwells has new safety practices. Click HERE to view.
2. All ordering and payment will be done online. Orders will be accepted until 7:45 the morning of the order day. There will be NO in person ordering. Class reps will pick up each Homeroom order the last few minutes of Period 3 and bring back to Homeroom, where students can either:
   1. eat their lunch with their cohort in class or,
   2. bring their lunch outside – weather permitting- to eat.
3. To access online ordering parents/ guardians need to sign up for CafZone. The link is HERE.

Please keep in mind that all of our local food establishments are operating under Public Health restrictions at 50% capacity.

As students across Canada get ready to head back to school – some after nearly six months of being away – parents have many questions. The first is usually, “Is it safe to send my child back to school during the pandemic?”

The situation in your community:

The risk of COVID-19 related illness in schools depends on how much virus is in a community. Your local public health authority is the best source of this information and is giving updated guidance to schools as the pandemic evolves.

Right now, the number of people affected with COVID-19 in Newfoundland and Labrador is very low. Schools have protocols in place to reduce the risk of transmission, and there are plans to keep school partially open or closed completely if local outbreaks occur.

Your child’s overall health and well-being:

School closures, along with other restrictions on activities and socializing, may affect children’s physical, social, and emotional well-being. There are potentially serious consequences for children not attending school. This is true for child care as well, where optimal language and social development requires interaction with other children.

With all these considerations in mind, we recommend:

1. While locally there is a low spread of COVID-19 and the full school reopening model is in effect, attendance at school is recommended for all children and youth including those with immunocompromising conditions who would usually attend school.
2. Hand hygiene, keeping your distance, mask wearing and following other Newfoundland and Labrador Public Health and Public Health Agency of Canada recommendations are important for all family members. These are the most important measures for decreasing the risk of transmission of COVID-19.
3. If your child has an existing care plan on file please contact your local school if updates are needed.
4. Do not stop chemotherapy, radiation or other medication that interacts with the immune system to try to “strengthen” your child’s immune system.
5. Discuss use of any “immune boosting” therapies with your Physician, Nurse Practitioner or Medical Care Team. These may not be safe for your child.
6. Ensure all your child’s regular vaccinations are up to date. All family members should receive the influenza vaccine in the fall.
7. If your child is sick, do not send them to school or child care. Follow the school screening questionnaire and if indicated complete the self-assessment tool https://www.811healthline.ca/covid-19-self-assessment/
8. If school changes to a partial/blended model due to increased COVID-19 transmission, children with immunocompromising conditions may benefit from remote learning opportunities. Considerations related to siblings of immunocompromised students and/or other family members living in the home who are immunocompromised should be discussed with your health care provider.
9. Recommendations may change if community spread increases in Newfoundland and Labrador. Please be aware of new public health announcements.

In general, children who have asthma, diabetes, congenital heart disease, autism, epilepsy, neuromuscular disorders, and other chronic conditions are not considered significantly immunocompromised. If you have questions about whether your child is considered immunocompromised or not, please consult your health care provider.

We recommend using the following resources to find accurate information about Newfoundland and Labrador’s Public Health measures and back-to-school plans:

Newfoundland and Labrador Covid-19 website: https://www.gov.nl.ca/covid-19/

Newfoundland and Labrador Public Health Guidance for K-12 Schools: https://www.gov.nl.ca/eecd/files/Public-Health-Guidance-for-K-12-Schools.pdf

Newfoundland and Labrador English School District – A Safe Return to School Plan: https://www.gov.nl.ca/eecd/files/Safe-Return-to-School-Reopening-Plan.pdf

Back to School with Rheumatic Disease: Guidance and Reminders for Families https://covid19.cassieandfriends.ca/blog/back-to-school-covid-19

Departments of Education and Health and Community Services, in consultation with the Janeway Child Health Center, has adapted for local use: Returning to School in the Maritime Provinces: Guidance for children who are immune compromised from the IWK Health Center (24 August 2020), which was prepared by the pediatric Infectious Diseases Division and the Hematology Oncology Division of IWK, in partnership with the N.S. Pediatric Provincial Advisory group.

Dr. Janice Fitzgerald

Chief Medical Officer of Health Public Health

Health & Community Services

P.O. Box 8700

St. John’s, NL

A1B 4J6

(709)7293019

Click here to download this document as a PDF.

Here is a list of the most updated bus routes for MDJH, as of today (8 September 2020).

Click here to download the document.

The Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, Department of Health and Community Services, in partnership with the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), continues to monitor the developing COVID-19 pandemic. Cases continue to occur around the world, with noted declines in certain provinces and territories within Canada, including Newfoundland and Labrador. Most cases in this province have been linked to travel or contact with a known case of COVID-19. As a result, COVID-19 remains in low prevalence within our province. Diligence in following preventative measures is crucial in decreasing the spread of this virus.

As a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the 2020-2021 school year may look a little different. The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development and the Department of Health and Community Services will continue to work closely and monitor the situation and adjust plans as necessary to ensure the safety of students and staff, while learning to live with COVID-19. Enhanced cleaning practices to support infection prevention and control have been put in place, as well as the use of personal protective equipment, where deemed necessary. Public health measures including physical distancing, cohorting of classes, good hand hygiene, good respiratory etiquette and staying home when sick have also been recommended. Special measures will be utilized if students or staff develop symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 while at school, ensuring that safe practices are maintained and communication with parents/guardians is open at all times.

If a positive COVID-19 case or contact of a case is identified in the school environment, public health officials will work closely with regional medical officers of health to determine additional steps that may be required. If it is determined through public health’s contact tracing investigation that a student and/or staff is considered at risk, direct contact will be made with parents/guardians by a public health official. Public health officials will work with families to determine next  steps. Student and staff confidentiality will continue to be an utmost priority for public health.

Services provided by public health within the school environment will be adjusted as well. At this time, public health’s focus will be on influenza immunization, contact tracing, and follow up required for COVID-19 cases and contacts. The current role of the public health nurse in assisting parents in teaching specific health procedures to support staff for students with special health needs (e.g. tube feeding) will not change at this time. Other health promotion services may be impacted. School age immunizations will continue, but may be delivered in a different format than in previous years. More information will be provided regarding school age immunizations at a later date.

We understand the COVID-19 pandemic has been stressful. If you or someone in your family are experiencing a high degree of uncertainty, worry, anxiety and stress about the health and safety of your loved ones, we encourage you to visit the following website dedicated to mental health and wellness www.gov.nl.ca/covid-19/individuals-and-households/mental-health-and-wellness/. For questions related to COVID-19, we encourage you to visit our COVID-19 website at: https://www.gov.nl.ca/covid-19/ .

Once again, I want to take the opportunity to thank you for your patience as we navigate these uncertain times together. Your hard work and dedication has  brought us to this point where we can safely return children to school and support their healthy development.

Dr. Janice Fitzgerald
Chief Medical Officer of Health
Public Health
Health & Community Services
P.O. Box 8700
St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6
(709)7293019

(Click here to download a copy of this message.)