School District 83: Preparing for return to part-time, in-class learning

As B.C. schools prepare to reopen on June 1st, School District No.83 (North Okanagan – Shuswap) wants to give parents a preview of what Stage 3 will look like.

“We would like to acknowledge that these changes may place additional stress on all our students and their families as well as our staff and their families,” staff said in a release.

“While there are many positives to returning to some semblance of normal, there is understandable anxiety around safety, and uncertainties around ‘how it will work’.”

What is Stage 3?

• Voluntary in-class learning for students in Kindergarten to Grade 5 (K-5) on a part-time basis (up to 50 per cent)
• Voluntary access to in-class learning as needed for Grades 6 to 12 on a part-time basis (up to 20 per cent)
• Remote and online learning continues to be available for students

SD83 lists a number of changes and preparations for June 1st:

• Survey all families to see if they intend to send their children to school, and how often.
• Follow up communication to families that have not completed the survey to ensure all families are contacted regarding their intentions for June.
• Inform parents which days their children will attend
• Reduce kindergarten to grade 5 Home Learning support and interactions for May 25-29 to allow teachers and staff to set-up classrooms and prepare to receive students
• Have health and safety teams at each school review the site-based safety plans
• Put in place health and safety procedures at each school
• Have every school staff ‘practice’ the week before return to in-class instruction. This will allow us to identify any improvements we need to make before the return of students.
• Follow Ministry Guidelines around maximum class sizes (50%) and school densities (50% for K to 5) and (20% for Grade 6 to 12) and strategies to minimize physical contact
• Organize custodial staff for daytime cleaning supports in each school to accommodate occupancy 

What will schools look like?

SD83 says it will meet the expectations set by the Ministry of Education, which includes voluntary in-class instruction while continuing to support vulnerable learners and students with designated special needs.

Each class and school may look different as each situation is a case-by-case basis, according to the school district.

Children attending school in K-5 will be learning and playing outside more than normal (playgrounds are open) and will be made to wash their hands frequently, according SD83.

Schools will have daytime custodial staff cleaning during school hours.

Each class will also have hand-sanitizer and disinfectant.

Busing

School district staff say they will be following provincial guidelines of one student per seat, unless they’re from the same household.

Survey information from parents who will need busing is being reviewed by staff.

They say the busing plan has not been finalized and will take some time.

SD83 says it sent out a survey, in an email, to all families involved but they may have missed some.

You can take the survey here.

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