April Newsletter

Upcoming Events
Apr 15 – PJ &/or Hat Day $2
Apr 16 – PD Day (no classes)
Apr 22 – Grade 6 – HPV #2
May 7 – PD Day  (No classes)
May 19 – Welcome to Kindergarten
May 24 – Stat Holiday (no classes)
June 4 – Kindergarten Orientation
June 24 – Grade 6 Closing
June 28 – Last Day of Classes

PEANUT FREE
Bloomfield Elementary is a peanut-free school.  Students are not allowed to bring any food containing peanuts or any traces of nuts. The Public Schools Branch also has a policy that peanut butter substitutes are not allowed in school.

Virtual Book Fair
Will be held April 12th – April 23rd.  There will be a link to the Scholastic site sent home as the date gets closer as the link will only be activated on April 12th.   Books that you order will be shipped directly home.  There will be free shipping on orders over $40 and there will also be free shipping on orders placed April 14th – April 21st during the hours of 6-8 p.m.  As in previous years all proceeds will go towards purchasing books for the school.  Any questions please contact Jill MacNeill-Porter at jmporter@edu.pe.ca

School Calendar
The 2021-2022 school calendar is available at https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/information/education-and-lifelong-learning/2021-2022-school-calendar

Home & School News:

PJ &/or Hat Day:  Students can wear PJ’s or a Hat on Thursday, April 15th for $2.  Money raised will go towards paying the loan for the playground equipment.

Hot Dog & Juice Day:  Students can order a hot dog and/or juice on Thursday, April 22nd.  These items are included on the lunch order form that was sent home.  Hot dogs are $2 each and juice $1.  Money raised will go towards paying the loan for the playground equipment.

AGM:  The Home & School Federation’s 68th Annual Meeting will be held May 10th virtually on Zoom.  Registration & meeting materials will be circulated electronically in April.

Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program Consultations:  Share your ideas!  Currently, 76% of Island four-year olds are enrolled in pre-kindergarten.  A new Universal pre-kindergarten program will help ensure that the cost is not a barrier to a child’s development and success.  Please complete the online survey before April 9th  at  https://prekindergarten.questionpro.ca/

New Program to Connect Children Waiting for Autism Assessments with Interventions:
A new Health PEI Program will provide early intervention for children who are waiting an autism assessment from a Psychologist.  The Social ABC’s is for children between the ages of 12 and 36 months.  The social ABC’s program has been successful in other parts of Canada.  Parents have seen a significant increase in positive affect-sharing and social communication in toddlers.  For Autism Assessment details please visit  https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/news/new-program-connect-children-waiting-autism-assessments-interventions

Summer Camps
Steam PEI is offering a brand new Bio Science summer camp in Alberton in English and in Evangeline in French this year.  The Bio Science camp is for students ages 8-12 and explores topics including human health, biomechanics, biochemistry, climate change and sustainability.  The cost for the BioScience camp is just $50 for the week.  For more information and to register visit www.steampei.com

Steam PEI in Partnership with Canadian Parents for French are offering a Junior STEAM camp in Tignish.  This camp will be delivered in French.  Students (ages 5-12) will spend the week exploring Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math through hands-on activities both inside and outdoors.  Includes a special visit from Bricks 4 Kidz and Kids Code Jeunesse for coding, engineering and LEGO fun!  Students may be registered through the Canadian Parents for French PEI.  https://pei.cpf.ca/en/cpf-summer-camps/ or email ed@cpfpei.pe.ca

Book Fair

April 8, 2021

Dear Parents,

As you may remember, due to Covid restrictions, we had to cancel our book fair that we had planned for early March. We are pleased to tell you that in place of the March Fair, that we will be having a virtual book fair from April 12th to the 23rd. We will be providing a link to the scholastic site as the date nears as the link will only be activated on April 12th. As in other years, proceeds go to buying new books for our school.
Books that you order, will be directly shipped to your house. There will be free shipping for orders over $40.00 also there will be free shipping on all orders April 14th and 21st from 6-8 pm.
Any questions or concerns please contact Jill MacNeill-Porter (jmporter@edu.pe.ca)

Thank you for your continued support,

Bloomfield Staff

March Newsletter

Upcoming Events
Mar 15 – 19 – March Break
Mar 22 – 26 – French Week
Apr 2 – Good Friday (no classes)
Apr 5 – Easter Monday (no classes)
Apr 16 – PD Day (no classes)
Apr 22 – Grade 6 – HPV #2
May 7 – PD Day (No classes)
May 19 – Welcome to Kindergarten
May 24 – Stat Holiday (no classes)
June 4 – Kindergarten Orientation
June 24 – Grade 6 Closing
June 28 – Last Day of Classes

French Week:
Will be held March 22nd – 26th. There will be daily trivia as well as announcements in both English & French. French Music will be played each morning.

Classes will be decorating their classroom doors to represent French Week.

Monday – Blue Day
Everyone can wear blue which is one of the colors in the Acadian Flag

Tuesday – Red Day
Everyone can wear red which is one of the colors in the Acadian Flag

Wednesday – White Day.
Everyone can wear white which is one of the colors in the Acadian Flag.

Thursday – Yellow Day
Everyone can wear yellow which is one of the colors in the Acadian Flag

Friday – Everyone can wear any or all of the colors of the Acadian Flag (red/blue/yellow/white).

Dental Clinic:
Just an update for parents to let you know that the dental clinic has moved to our school and will begin seeing students immediately after March Break. As with all things they have changed the way they operate during Covid and want to assure you that they are following all Public Health guidelines.

March Break:
On behalf of all of our staff, I want to wish everyone a safe, happy and relaxing March Break. As you may remember, the reality of Covid was just hitting as we came upon March Break last year and our school year was certainly altered. It is amazing to think back on the events of the past year and to know that Public Health measures have allowed us to attend school safely this year. That being said, it is a great chance to thank you and your children for helping this to be a successful school year thus far. Your children have been nothing short of amazing in following guidelines to keep them safe. Thanks to you all and enjoy a chance to relax.

March 3rd, 2021

Dear Parents – 

We look forward to welcoming our students back into school tomorrow for in-person learning. As we return to classes, some modified measures are needed to align with the Circuit Breaker and current public health guidelines. They include:

• All school-related sports games are paused. However, existing practices may continue, as can existing before and after school activities.
• All community use of school facilities will be paused, effective immediately and until March 21, 2021 (end of March Break). 
• All field trips involving busing are canceled until further notice.
• Daycares and early learning centers operating out of schools will continue as normal, including the before and after school programs.

As we communicated earlier this week, parent-teacher interviews will be held virtually or by phone. Your school will be in touch with you to make arrangements if they haven’t already. 

Please note that there are no classes on Friday. 

We will be following the same masking guidance as before the Modified Red Alert. You can find the details at https://edu.princeedwardisland.ca/psb/2020/12/30/back-to-school-masking-guidance/. 

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

Norbert Carpenter

Acting Director of the Public Schools Branch

March 1st, 2021

Dear Parents and Guardians,

While we expect to be back in school on Thursday, March 4, we anticipate some public health restrictions may continue. As a result, parent-teacher interviews WILL continue as planned on Thursday, March 4 and Friday, March 5, however, they will NOT be held in-person. 

You can opt for either a phone interview or Google Meet interview. Your school will be in touch with you to provide more information on these changes. 

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

Norbert Carpenter
Acting Director of the Public Schools Branch

February 28th, 2021

Dear parents ,

This evening, Premier Dennis King and Dr. Heather Morrison announced the implementation of a three-day, province-wide Modified Red Alert, as a result of the increased number of COVID cases and to give Public Health sufficient time for COVID-19 test results to come in.

Effective Monday, March 1 at 12:00am through Wednesday, March 3, a number of new restrictions are in place: https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/information/health-and-wellness/covid-19-alert-level-system-pei-0 Among the new measures, Islanders are strongly encouraged to stay at home as much as possible, only going out for essential purposes. 

This means all PSB schools will be closed to students Monday through Wednesday. 

Details include:
– Child care facilities that operate inside schools will remain open.
– We will not be permitting student/parent entry to the buildings at this point (except child care facilities) and we will not be permitting student retrieval of items at this point. 
– Please note that we will not be moving to remote learning over the next three days.
– We will communicate further about parent-teacher interviews in the next couple of days. We have been working closely with the Chief Public Health Office. There is no indication that any school has been affected in the recent COVID-19 cases. The current plan is to re-open schools on Thursday and any necessary modification of that plan will be communicated as needed. 

Take care,
Norbert Carpenter

Acting Director of the Public Schools Branch

February Newsletter

Upcoming Events
Feb 24 – Pink Shirt Day
Feb 26 – PD Day (no classes)
Mar 3 – Report Cards sent home
Mar 4 – Parent Teacher Interviews (evening)
Mar 5 – No Classes – Parent Teacher Interviews
Mar 15 – 19 – March Break
Apr 2 – Good Friday (no classes)
Apr 5 – Easter Monday (no classes)
Apr 16 – PD Day (no classes)
May 7 – PD Day (No classes)
May 24 – Stat Holiday (no classes)

Kindergarten Registration
A friendly reminder that Kindergarten Registration for the 2021/2022 school year was held in November. If you have not registered yet please stop into the school to register. Children must be 5 years of age by December 31, 2021 in order to be eligible for Kindergarten

Heart Art Show
Thank you to everyone who helped make the Heart Art Celebration a huge success. We have raised a total $3,433.00 for the IWK in memory of Kameron Cooke.

Parent Teacher Interviews
A reminder to parents that parent teacher interviews are on Thursday evening, March 4th and Friday morning, March 5th.

Book Fair
Will be held the week of parent teacher interviews and will follow a format very similar to the one held during the fall. At this point, details are still being finalized and as soon as we have those, we will send along more information.

PEI Healthy School Food Program
School Closure due to Weather: If you have ordered a meal on a day that school is closed for the day due to weather then you will receive a credit on your account for the next ordering cycle.

Bring your own cutlery: A friendly reminder to please send cutlery to school as vendors will no longer be providing the cutlery as of Tuesday, February 16th.

Pink Shirt Day
Together we can make a difference. Wear something pink on Wednesday, February 24th to symbolize that we will not tolerate bullying and that we are promoting “Being Kind” at Bloomfield Elementary.

Home & School News
Staff Appreciation week will be next week, February 22nd -26th. Bloomfield Home & School is looking for donation of muffins, loaves and cookies for Monday morning (February 22nd). All baked goods must be individually wrapped. Please check Bloomfield Home & School Facebook page for more information and we are looking for volunteers to help out with supervision at Recess on Tuesday, February 23th

Home & School Fundraiser
Please join the Facebook page Bloomfield Playground Fundraiser 2021 to keep up to date on fundraisers to pay off the loan for the playground equipment. Thank you!

Student Drop Off & Pick Up
As you know, our drop off and pickups at Bloomfield look very different this year than they have in the past. This has all been to ensure that kids have the lowest possible number of contacts in the event of a case or cases of Covid. As a result, we have many more busses entering and exiting our parking lot this year, than in the past and because of this, it affects our drop off and pickup times which we want to remind everyone about:

Morning:

• Regular Drop off runs from 7:50-8:20
• Late Drop off would be after 8:45

Afternoons:

• Early Pickup can happen until 2:15
• Regular Pickup begins at 3:00

December 6th, 2020

Dear Parents –                                                                                                          December 6^th, 2020

This evening, Dr. Morrison announced that, out of an abundance of caution, the Province of Prince Edward Island has updated its back to school plans.

For the next two weeks, December 7-18, 2020, high school students in the Charlottetown area will move to remote learning. This includes Colonel Gray High School, Charlottetown Rural High School, and Bluefield High School.

All other schools will remain open to in-person learning.

Before and after school activities and community use of school facilities in all schools will be paused, effective Monday, December 7.  Field trips that have been booked during the regular school day will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

With the closure of in-person dining, students who typically leave school property for lunch should consider bringing a lunch from home.

As a reminder: Public health measures are in place to prevent the impact of COVID-19. We can protect ourselves and our community by screening for symptoms, good hand hygiene, staying home when ill, physical distancing wherever possible, keeping your circle of contacts as small as possible and following masking guidance. If symptoms develop, get tested and isolate until you receive the results and, as an additional layer of protection, you are encouraged to download the free COVID Alert App (https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/information/health-and-wellness/covid-alert-app). 

To learn more about the changes to PEI’s COVID-19 guidance, please visit the Prince Edward Government website at https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/covid19. 

Andrew Stewart

December Newsletter 2020

Upcoming Events
Dec 14 & 15 – Christmas Flea Market
Dec 14 & 15 – Christmas Concert Filming Days
Dec 16 – Christmas Concert 1:00 p.m.(virtual)
Dec 18 – Last Instructional Day for 2020
Jan 4 – First day of classes for 2021

On behalf of the staff at Bloomfield Elementary, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a most blessed and joyful holiday season. I hope the time you spend with your loved ones will be filled with many happy moments that will create lasting memories for everyone.

During this time of Covid, we have changed many routines, ways of doing things and we sincerely appreciate your unending flexibility and support. Covid has been hard on everyone and I sincerely hope that Christmas is very much a great time for your family to relax and recharge. Let’s hope that 2021 is a brighter year ahead and that life for you returns to normal. Take care and Merry Christmas!
Sincerely,
Mr. Stewart

Christmas Flea Market
Our Annual Flea Market will take place this year on Dec. 14th & 15th. We are now accepting donations at the school. The students will be able to buy items as Christmas presents for their family for $2.00 per item. Parents are asked to donate some used articles from home that are clean and in good condition. The items must be small in size as the children will be taking them home in their back packs. Suggested items are: tools, books, golf balls, movies, costume jewelry, knick knacks, Christmas decorations, etc. Please no clothing, except for accessories like ties or scarves.

Christmas Concert
This year Bloomfield Elementary students will be performing their Christmas Concert in a very different way. The concert will be posted to the Bloomfield Elementary Facebook page at 1:00 p.m. on December 16th. This Facebook page is open to the public and you do not need to have a Facebook account to view this.

Students will be filming this concert on the 14th and 15th of December. As long as there are no storm days between now and then and in case your child wants to dress up for the recording, the following classes will be recording on the 14th: 2B, 3A/4A, 3B, 1C, KC, KB, 4B. On the 15th we will have 5A/6A, 6B, 5B, KA, 2A, 1A, 1B, KD do their recording. Also, if we happen to miss either the 14th or 15th of December, the release of the concert online would move to December 17th at 1:00 p.m.

While this certainly will not be the same as the regular in person concert, our students are extremely excited to perform and they have been working very hard with Mr. Voye to prepare.

Free Milk Day
The School Milk Program is pleased to offer all students one free milk day this year. All students will have the choice of a free white milk or chocolate milk on Friday, December 11th

Kindergarten Registration
A friendly reminder that Kindergarten Registration for the 2021/2022 school year was held during the week of November 16th – November 20th. If you have not registered yet please stop into the school to register. Children must be 5 years of age by December 31, 2021 in order to be eligible for Kindergarten.

Home & School News
Extra Mile Award 2021 – Nominate a deserving school staff individual for recognition by the PEI Home & School Federation.
Extra Mile awards recognize teachers and other staff (EA’s, Custodians, Admin Assistants) who exemplify going the extra mile – over and above the call of duty.
Describe the nominee’s contribution in the following areas:

• Demonstrated caring attitude towards Island students & youth
• Evidence of going the extra mile in assisting students to achieve academically, socially and/or in other areas of school life
• Demonstrated ability to motivate young adults
• Evidence that time given bettered the life of these individuals
  Recipients will be announced and a presentation arranged with the school administration. Submit nominations by Jan 22, 2021.

Bussing Change

Dear Parents,

It is hard to believe how fast our fall has been going and that we have already started into the month of November. As the fall has progressed, the Transportation Department of the Public Schools Branch has been reviewing bus runs and changes all across the Island that were made to protect against Covid. As they reviewed the new bussing arrangement in our family of schools, they had concerns regarding the afternoon. The three main concerns were the length of time that Bloomfield students were on busses, the impact that was happening in regards to Hernewood’s dismissal time and lost instructional time for Bloomfield as our school was having to dismiss a few minutes early. As a result of these two concerns, changes are going to be happening for the afternoon only and it means that transfers are going to begin happening again at Hernewood. This change is going to take effect on Monday November 9th.

As a result of the good place that our province has been placed in regarding Covid 19, the Public Schools Branch believes it is safe to resume transfers in the afternoon at Hernewood with the precaution that two additional busses will be leaving Bloomfield each afternoon and will minimize the number of kids on each transfer bus. They have also been clear that if the situation in the province changes, that they may resume the practice that we have been using up to this point and stop transfers again.

This will mean a few changes for you and your children:

1) In regards to bus numbers the afternoon will look as follows:

• 682 Charlene Costain will transport her students only
• 622 Loman Murphy will transport his students only
• 541 Donna Campbell will transport her students only
• 750 Adair Shaw will transport his students only
• 751 Tommy Smallman will transport his students home and the students on bus 680 Randy Adams to Hernewood for Transfer to Randy.
• 564 Jamie Hierlihy will transport his students home and the students on bus 752 Kevin Bonnis to Hernewood for Transfer to Kevin.
• 582 Adam Henderson will transport his students home and the students on buses 543 Virginia Gray, 505 Michael MacDonald, 534 Michael Cahill and 597 Rodney MacIsaac to Hernewood to transfer to Virginia, Michael M, Michael C and Rodney.
• 550 Derrek McCormick will transport his students home and the students on buses 771 Krista Bulger to Hernewood for Transfer to Krista.
• 773 Michelle Hickey will transport her students home and the students on buses 774 Adam Buchanan, 772 Justin Rogers, 760 Carol Gillis to Hernewood for Transfer to Adam, Justin and Carol.

2)Busses will now be leaving Bloomfield in the afternoon at 2:55 instead of 2:40. So that means that early pick up of students in the afternoon could happen until 2:15. After school pickup would now be able to happen beginning at 2:55 once the last bus has left the parking lot.

In closing, this has certainly been a year of change. We have so appreciated your support and cooperation with all of the protocols implemented to keep your children safe this year. As we continue to navigate this together, don’t hesitate to sing out with a question or concern. Thanks and take care.

Andrew Stewart

Principal, Bloomfield Elementary