March 30th,
2020 email
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
We
understand that this is a challenging time for families as we try to
navigate the unknowns of COVID-19 and its impact on our daily lives. We
hope that you are keeping well
and finding time to celebrate moments of gratitude and kindness as we
work together to support ourselves and others in our communities.
These
are exceptional times and our primary goal is to work together with you
to support your child’s health, well-being, and growth. Many resources
will be shared but families
will have the ability to choose the types of learning opportunities
that will work best for their family. The reality is that learning will
look different for every child and every family and that is OK. The goal
is not to replicate regular classroom experiences
in your home. We do not want to add any further stress or anxiety to an
already stressful situation. What we do want to do is provide a variety
of meaningful learning opportunities for your child. In partnership
with your child’s teacher, parents/caregivers
can help facilitate these learning opportunities in whatever way works
best for you and your family.
Teachers,
administrators, school staff, and the SD83 Learning Team will be
working hard to create and share helpful resources to support your
child’s well-being and learning.
Here is a general outline of SD83’s Learning from Home plan:
Phase 1: Reconnection (March 30th
to April 3rd)
- Teachers will be contacting all parents and students sometime during this week
- Teachers
will be checking in to see how you and your child are doing and
gathering information about learning opportunities moving forward (email
address,
access to technology, specific learning needs, etc.)
- During
this week and in the weeks moving forward, teachers and school staff
will be working hard to plan ways to best support and provide Home
Learning
Opportunities
- If
your child has some personal belongings at school which are urgently
needed, parents can contact the school principal to make arrangements to
pick these
up
Phase 2: First Steps (April 6th
to 10th)
- Teachers will start sharing possible Home Learning Opportunities with families
- Teachers will check-in with students on a regular basis starting this week (phone calls, emails, online conferencing, etc.)
- Grades K to 8: The main focus will be on 3 key
areas – Health & Well-Being, Literacy, and Numeracy
- Grades 9 to 12: The main focus will begin with
a review of previous concepts learned in each specific course area
- In
all grade areas, teachers will be exploring a variety of ways to share
Home Learning Opportunities with students and families (online
platforms, emails,
video links, paper learning packages, etc.)
Phase 3: Home Learning Opportunities (Beginning April 14th)
- Teachers
will begin to share more in-depth Home Learning Opportunities and
check-in regularly with students each week moving forward
- It
is important to remember that the goal is not to replicate regular
classroom learning; rather, we will focus on providing a variety of
creative learning
opportunities and families may choose the activities and timelines that
work best for their situation
If you have any general questions about SD83’s Learning from Home plan, please contact:
Jennifer Findlay
District Principal, SD83 Learning Team
If
you have specific questions about your child’s individual Learning from
Home plan, please connect with your child’s teacher when they do their
regular check-ins with you
and/or your child.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
In
addition to the regular contact from your child’s teacher(s), the
school district website will continue to be updated with important
school district communications and
resources.
The
Ministry of Education has also created a helpful Keep Learning website
which provides a variety of resources for parents and educators on the
following: Learning from
Home, Everyday Learning Activities, Resources, and Keeping Healthy.
The Ministry has also shared some helpful responses to frequently asked questions at this link.
These
are challenging and unprecedented times and the introduction of this
new format of learning is definitely a marathon, not a sprint. We need
to take things slowly as
we are creating a new and unique learning journey for educators,
students, and parents. Each parent/caregiver will need to decide how
much time and focus will be spent on learning opportunities. The intent
is not to have families recreate a school day but
rather to provide learning that you and your child can access as best
fits the needs of your child and family. Please be patient and kind with
one another and reach out for support wherever it is needed. We are a
strong, caring, and supportive learning community
and we will get through this together.
Sincerely,
Carl Cooper
Assistant Superintendent - Instruction
Jen Findlay
District Principal, SD83 Learning Team
