During the week, administration and staff have made a number of visits to the school to survey the conditions of our property, as well as the streets and sidewalks in our neighbourhood. We have also been in contact with the City of St. John’s regarding updates on snow clearing around the school.
Decisions around the reopening of St. Bon’s are being decided with one thing in mind: the safety of our students. During a tour of our neighbourhood today, we realized that the majority of the streets still have not been properly plowed. Mullock Street has not been widened and the sidewalks around the school are still covered. The current condition of Mullock Street is causing safety concerns regarding morning drop off and after school pick up. As well, the sidewalk leading from our school to the Basilica is not currently clear. The Basilica parking lot is a secondary meeting place for our school during an evacuation when the field is inaccessible. With the current state of the sidewalks we cannot ensure our students can travel safely to the Basilica in the case of an emergency. As a result, St. Bon’s will remain closed tomorrow (Monday, January 27).
We are making this announcement now to allow families time to make arrangements for childcare.
We understand that this is an inconvenience for most families, but please know that this decision has not been made lightly and is made with our students’ safety in mind. We will continue to monitor the conditions around our school and hope to welcome our students back soon.
Thank you for your patience and understanding during this time.
Sincerely,
Cathy Bennett
Interim President
