Weekly Update May 28th, 2020
Dear Sunshine Coast families,
I am so pleased to let you know that our schools are ready and safe for our students to return! British Columbia has been highly successful in dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic to a degree that this a very good time for our students to come back to school. Staff have been trained on extensive health and safety protocols and our custodial staff ensure that all high touch points are regularly cleaned and sanitized. Our teachers will help students understand the new protocols as well as we move through the first week of our re-entry to in school learning. All of our school staffs are looking forward to welcoming their students with enthusiasm and delight. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard from our staff how much they miss “their” kids!
Families who have chosen to not send their children in June will continue to receive support from their teachers and educational assistants. Please note that the time for our teachers to be as involved with remote learning as in the past will be reduced due to our teachers also working with students in their classrooms.
While we welcome many of our students back to their schools, our practices will also seem very odd to them. Here are some key differences:
- Only students, school and district staff may enter the school,
- Parents and other people will connect with our staff by phone, email, text, etc., rather than in person,
- Parents may not send their children to school if they have any cold symptoms of any sort,
- Classes will have no more than half as many students as before the pandemic,
- Kindergarten to Grade five students will attend two days per week, older grades will attend one day per week. Your principal will let you know which days your child may come to school.
- Transportation to and from school will resume but it will be different.
- Parents who indicated that they were unable to make other arrangements on the recent survey will receive bus stop instructions and times by end of work tomorrow (Friday).
- Physical distancing expectations on the buses will mean that not all students or previous arrangements can be accommodated.
- Cross-boundary and students with courtesy status should contact Thirdwave at 604-885-1260 to inquire about service.
- Basic movement in the school will be different with protocols for moving in the hallways, snack and lunch practices, use of the playground at breaks, minimal interaction with students in other classrooms and some changes to schedules within the day.
- Should a child become ill during the school day they will need to be picked up right away.
- Beginning June 1st, the children in the Essential Services Program will be accommodated for up to five days per week (if needed for working purposes) during school hours in their home schools. If required, please contact community providers for after school care.
- Celebrations at the end of elementary will also look very different. Each school is doing this in a different way that ensures physical distancing and minimal or no family members physically present.
- Grade 12 graduations will be virtual and will be broadcast at the end of June when the in-school ceremonies would have normally taken place.
- It is possible for parents who have elected to not send their children at this time to decide later in the month that they would like their children to attend school. However, in order to make the accommodations necessary for safety protocol reasons, the school may require up to a week to ensure everyone’s safety. Please connect with your school principal for further information.
As I shared last week, education in our schools this June will focus on our students reconnecting with their peers and staff and learning how to enjoy their community and activities in a physically distanced way. We will support students’ social, emotional and mental well-being and also continue to learn and practice literacy, numeracy skills and reflect on the Core Competencies. Secondary schools will have a similar focus and with more of a subject based offering to complement at-home work.
Continuation of Learning:
- Teachers will have less time to support students learning from home, but they are dedicated to continuing in a less involved way the very successful approaches that they have created in the last two months.
- This website has digital learning and support links that we have reviewed and are appropriate for our students. This will be regularly updated. https://sd46.bc.ca/families-and-students/covid-19-resources-support/
- The Ministry of Education has many more resources available as well: https://www.openschool.bc.ca/keeplearning/
Communication:
- If you have questions or comments about your child’s learning, please contact your child’s teacher. If the matter is more school related, please connect with your child’s principal. If the matter is more related to the direction of the district, please email me. If you don’t know who to talk to, contact any of us. We are here to help.
- All contact information is available on this site.
Thank you once again for your partnership, patience and care as we move through this rapidly changing story together.
Sincerely,
Patrick
Patrick Bocking
Superintendent of Schools
School District 46 – Sunshine Coast