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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, S ep te m be r 10 ,2 02 0 | 16 905-877-8262 Noel Stoyles SALES REPRESENTATIVE DIRECT: (905) 866-8923 OFFICE: (905) 873-6111 (877) 306-IPRO (4776) 158 Guelph St., Unit 4 Georgetown, ON L7G 4A6noelstoyles@gmail.com To advertise in this Full Colour Directory, please email Kelli kkosonic@theifp.ca or call 905-234-1018 Your Real Estate Resource With 40 Year's Experience. Heather Morison Broker - ASA CIA CLHMS hmorison@royallepage.ca 905-873-4266 www.REresource.ca 519-853-0924 PETER DYMOND Sales Representative DEMAND THE DYMOND STANDARD 905-456-1000 REALTY SERVICES INC., BROKERAGE www.PeterDymond.com Elaine Corris Sales Representative 647-241-9927 ElaineCorrisSells@gmail.com www.elainecorrissells.ca REAL ESTATE DIRECTORY 324 Guelph Street, Georgetown ON L7G 4B5 Direct: 905.866.8766 Office: 905.877.8262 slpaglia@royallepage.ca www.sherylpaglia.ca Sheryl Paglia Sales Representative JanMcKEOWN sales representative 905-877-5211 info@mcqwinteam.com Don't forget when your list your property with the MCQWIN TEAM you also get 3 months free storage at a secure, heated & convenient in-town Storage facility. Students are heading back to class, and they, like their parents, might need to car- ry supplies they've never had to think about before. Keeping in mind that different school boards will have their own rules and guide- lines around the use of backpacks and per- sonal items, here are some general tips from public health experts about supplies parents might want to send their children to school with. MORALE BOOSTERS Dr. Andrea Feller is the associate med- ical officer of health for the Niagara Re- gion Public Health Department, and par- ent to two elementary school students. Recognizing that the return to school amid new pandemic containment mea- sures will be disconcerting for young chil- dren, Feller urges parents to slip encour- aging notes into students' bags to help min- imize anxiety levels at school. "What I would say universally is if you want to pack things in their backpacks be- cause of (COVID-19), pack little notes of love in there," she said. "Pack little things that are going to reassure them." MASKS AND PROPER STORAGE This year, face masks and coverings will be mandatory for all students from Grades 4 to 12. Feller said any student -- or adult -- should know how to store a mask when not using it, and bring appropriate containers for doing so. "The outside of the mask is the part that's contaminated, so you take it off with your ear loops, you fold it so the outside is folded in on itself, and then you store it," Feller said, adding that masks should nev- er be worn under a chin or dangling from an ear when not in use. Wendy Pons is a certified public health inspector and a professor at Conestoga College's Environmental Health Program. She is also a parent to two daughters enter- ing Grades 1 and 4. She recommended packing spare masks and labelling masks with the child's name to prevent mixups at school. "Pack an extra mask for the student, so if one becomes dirty or wet they can change it or even just change it at lunch- time, because that's a point where they will have to take it off," she said. SANITIZER AND WIPES Pons and Feller offer different opinions about whether there's a place for hand san- itizer in a child's backpack. Feller said it's prudent for adolescents to take it, but warned parents against overloading young children with too many new sup- plies, especially if those supplies may be provided by their school. "The thing I would advise my patients is really to not try to change too much, unless you need to," she said. Pons also expects schools will supply hand sanitizer and hand-washing stations for students, but said as long as there aren't rules against students bringing hand sani- tizer, parents should feel free to pack it at their discretion. PERSONAL SCHOOL SUPPLIES AND DRINKING WATER Pons said she plans to send her daugh- ters to school with bottles of water, since their school's drinking fountains will be off-limits, and their own school supplies. "In previous years, our school has said, 'Don't send your own supplies, because we have enough for everybody,' but this year they'll be going with their own pencil case as well as notepad," she said. "Because you don't want them sharing books, pencils, erasers, any of that kind of stuff." Ultimately, she said, one of the best ways parents can keep their kids safe is to help them stay nourished and well rested, through lots of sleep, exercise and a healthy diet of immune-boosting fruits and vegetables. "The healthier you can keep your kids, the less likely that, even if they contract the virus, they'll become ill," she said. NEWS CONSIDER ADDING THESE ITEMS TO YOUR CHILD'S BACKPACK MEGAN DELAIRE mdelaire@toronto.com Parents in Muskoka are unsure about whether to send their children back to school during the COVID-19 pandemic. Highwaystarz/Dreamstime photo