Family Update - Remote Learning - January 8

Family Update - Remote Learning - January 8
Posted on 01/08/2021

January 8, 2021


Dear Elementary Families,

 

The Ministry of Education has announced that students in southern and central Ontario will continue with remote learning until January 22nd. Despite having been in a lockdown since December 26th, cases of COVID-19 continue to rise in Ontario. Over the past few weeks there has been an alarming increase in the number of school-aged children testing positive for COVID-19 provincially, which resulted in the decision to keep schools closed for an additional two weeks. Before and after school programs will also not be running during this school closure period. 

 

This announcement means that face-to-face elementary learners from Kindergarten to Grade 8 will work remotely from home until January 22nd. Students will continue with the remote learning program that they began this week and will access their virtual classroom (either Brightspace or Google Classroom). Teachers will continue to take daily attendance and students will be expected to participate in activities and complete assigned tasks. 

 

If your child is not participating in remote learning on any of the days during the school closures, it is important that you contact the school using the regular safe arrival/attendance procedures. Our schools are committed to working with families who may be having difficulty accessing remote learning, including access to technology and the internet.

 

Reminders

  • We want to remind families about the financial support being offered by the province of Ontario in the amount of $200 per child to support families with their remote learning needs. Access to the grant application will be made available to all families on January 11th and the deadline to apply is February 8th. More information and the application can be found on the Ministry of Education's Get Support for Learners webpage. 

 

  • In the virtual environment, it is important that a safe, inclusive, respectful and faith-filled environment is maintained at all times. We would like to highlight some important information and expectations, which must be followed by all students, staff, and parents/guardians. 

 

 

We want to return to face-to-face learning as soon as possible and so it is critical that everyone closely follows the public health guidelines that are in place during this lockdown. It is distressing to see the numbers rising so sharply in our region and we want nothing more than for our staff and families to remain safe and healthy. Our prayers continue to be with all those who are struggling with the health impacts, financial hardships, isolation and loneliness during this time. By staying home and limiting our contact to immediate family during this lockdown, we can look forward to brighter days ahead. 

 

Yours in Faith,

 

 

Frances Bagley

Director of Education