Dear HCCY members, HAY parents, and friends, please take note of the following:
During these difficult times of the COVID-19 pandemic we are all praying and holding you and your loved ones in our hearts. As a community we try to stay strong, support each other to overcome all the challenges together.
As mentioned in my previous message, the Premier’s recently announced, publicly funded schools will be closed until May 4th. In order to allow the schools time to become fully operational after the shutdown, our permit has been cancelled up to and including May 10th, 2020.
With that in mind, and having had several discussions with our Board members, our teachers and our staff, we are happy to announce that we will be able to offer our families an opportunity to continue our Greek education via online. We will utilize our existing Kids Blog (www.hccy.ca) which we are all familiar with among other platforms and methods for learning. Our teachers will be in touch with all of our families to communicate the information you will need to proceed over the next few days.
Our online learning will commence on Saturday April 25th after our Orthodox Easter.
I know, this past week, we all embarked upon a new way of learning and we are trying our best to support our children in the best way we can. As a community, we acknowledge this and we promise to not add any more pressure. We are looking forward to reconnecting with our students and we do understand that while each experience might look a little different depending on student needs and grade, we are looking diligently to deliver a learning experience that is consistent with our existing curriculum.
We would like to thank all parents for your continuous commitment and support and we look forward to working together on our new journey of distance learning based on existing circumstances and the health and safety expectations of COVID-19.
Wishing you and your loved ones a Happy and loving Easter. Below are some helpful links as we celebrate Holy Week and Orthodox Easter from our homes.
Links to YouTube Live and a way to connect to Church service during Holy week.
St. Panteleimon Greek Orthodox Church of Markham https://gocmarkham.com/live-stream
Greek Orthodox Church of Prophet Elias https://www.prophetelias.ca/
Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Toronto https://www.gometropolis.org/multimedia/live-broadcast/
Greek Orthodox Church of Saints Constantine & Helen https://www.stsconstantineandhelen.com/
We have included a link to Holy Week from Home: A Helpful guide as we approach the resurrection.
And lastly, in spirit of coming together in any way we can (but self distancing) We invite everyone on the big Saturday at 11:30pm to go out on your front porch/balconies and chant loudly the Christ has arisen. Spread the word!
May the Holy Light bring peace, hope, warmth and strength to your families.
Best Regards,
Helen A. Barbalias, MA
President, HCCY & HAY
president@hccy.ca