LETTER: Outdoor recess reinstated for kindergarten students

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Re: Icy playgrounds recess ban taking toll on young students

I wanted to follow up on the progress the York Catholic District School Board has made regarding the icy playground at Notre Dame Catholic Elementary School in Newmarket’s Stonehaven neighbourhood.

The thick layer of ice that prevented the school’s youngest students from playing outside during recess was removed about two weeks after NewmarketToday published a story on the issue Feb. 14, 2019, and recess was reinstated in the kindergarten yard.

Before this occurred, the teachers had to use their precious class time to take the children outside in the older children's yard because the kindergarten yard was left unmaintained all winter.

I attended a parent council meeting to discuss the issue of play area maintenance and the school principal, Mr. Fitzpatrick, said the school board has plans to install a maintenance gate so the yard can be properly maintained during the winter months.

Having had two children in full-day kindergarten sit out of recess most of the winter and with another child entering her first year of kindergarten this September, I hope the maintenance gate will promptly be installed so that all the kindergarten children in York Catholic District School Board care enjoy their right to recess during our long Ontario winters.

Thank you for your assistance in this matter!

Rachel Bausch, Newmarket