Saskatchewan Ministry of Education Updates:
UPDATE March 28, 2020 --
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Welcome back! We have missed our students and their families.
As you know the health and wellness of our students and staff is the top priority in LPSD. This past week school divisions across Saskatchewan paused educational services to allow staff to attend to their own health and wellness, and provide time for the Sector to develop plans to support the delivery of education while navigating the COVID-19 pandemic.
Given the rapid increase in positive tests within the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, Lloydminster Public facilities will remain closed to the public until further notice. We are aware that some families have been unable to pick up their children’s possessions, and we will provide this opportunity once it is safe to re-open our buildings.
Beginning on Monday, March 30th, LPSD staff will be contacting families to begin phase one of a two phase supplemental learning plan. Phase one will run until Easter and will focus on reconnecting with our families and students, discussing educational delivery options, and sharing educational resources to support your child’s education up to the Easter Break.
The Response Planning Team, which has been established by the Ministry has developed a broad framework that all school divisions will utilize to guide the development and delivery of their supplemental program. The framework is provided below for your review:
1. School Divisions are committed to providing all students an opportunity to learn and to support well-being.
2. Families and caregivers are not expected to deliver the Saskatchewan curriculum.
3. Teachers, administrators, and school staff want to remain connected to students, families, and communities they serve.
4. Teachers are best positioned to offer, during this time of physical distancing, some learning opportunities to the students they are currently teaching, should their students/families choose to take advantage of them.
5. In an effort to engage all students, we will need to support teachers and staff in many different ways of delivering and offering learning opportunities.
6. The learning opportunities will be to support families and caregivers in a continued learning structure for students if they choose to use them.
7. Learning programs and decisions should be made with the most flexibility to ensure vulnerable students are given the opportunity to be successful.
In preparation for your conversation with our staff next week, I would ask that you begin to consider the following questions:
1. Is your family interested in having your children participate in our supplemental learning program?
2. If so, what mode of delivery will best meet your child’s needs? Would your child be more successful in an online environment or a traditional paper-based environment?
3. How will you make yourself available to connect with your child’s teacher? What time of day are you available? Do you prefer a phone call, text message or email?
4. How will you provide the space and structure your child will require to successfully engage in their learning?
As mentioned previously, In addition to discussing the above items, you can expect our staff to provide you with resources and strategies that you can utilize to engage your children in learning and wellness while we take some time to prepare your phase two program. This engagement and planning process is going to take time and you should not expect your phase two program to begin until after the previously scheduled Easter break. In addition to resources shared by our staff, we have created daily activities that will be posted on our division and K-9 school Facebook pages leading up to Easter. These are optional learning challenges that are meant to be engaging and fun for your child.
In the meantime, we want to encourage all of you to stay at home as much as possible. When you are away from home, always practice social distancing and ensure that everyone in your home is washing their hands frequently, sneezing and coughing into their elbow, and trying to resist touching their face.
LPSD is committed to the wellness of our students and staff. The rapidly evolving circumstances around COVID-19 and its saturation of the media can cause anxiety and stress for your children. Ensure you take time to spend with your children playing games, reading a book, or doing whatever your family loves to do. Ensuring our children feel a sense of connection and love is critical in helping your children cope with these uncertain times.
As always, we want to ensure you have access to current and reputable information as well as quality resources, and as such we have included the following links to assist you in this regard.
Resources:
● Saskatchewan Health
● Alberta Health Services
● Lloydminster Public School Division
We want to thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding during this challenging time. As a division, we are excited to reconnect with your children and to begin planning an educational program that will meet your unique needs.
Take care!
Todd Robinson,
Director of Education
UPDATE March 19, 2020 --
Dear LPSD Families,
This letter is an update to the provincial response to COVID-19 and the plans that are underway in Lloydminster Public School Division. We know that there is much uncertainty for families and staff, and wish we had all of the answers to your questions. Our goal continues to be to support your children and your family, and we are committed to providing information as we become aware of it.
On March 16th, the Government of Saskatchewan announced the indefinite suspension of schools in Saskatchewan beginning Friday, March 20th. “Indefinite” may mean that school is finished for the year, or it may mean that when the COVID-19 outbreak stabilizes, we will be able to return to school sometime sooner than next fall. When we have more
information from the Ministry of Health, we will let you know.
The Ministry has also announced an education pause period for school programming in Saskatchewan from Friday, March 20th to Friday, March 27th inclusive. As a result of this announcement, Lloydminster Public School Division has activated our Business Continuity Plan to ensure essential business services continue to function while ensuring the safety of all our staff. This plan will include availability for the public to contact the division office if they have questions or concerns that need to be addressed during this period. We would ask that during this time, you refrain from contacting your child’s teacher. Although eager to reengage in offering learning opportunities all LPSD teachers are following the direction of the Ministry in Saskatchewan to pause and take care of themselves and their families.
During this education pause period, education sector partners will be developing a plan to guide the work of school divisions in serving the learning needs of students across Saskatchewan. When the pause is lifted, our teachers will reach out to provide instructional support for students and resources for parents.
We appreciate fully the concerns that many of you have regarding your child’s education, however now is the time to focus on the health and wellness of our families. Please make the next week a memorable one with your children, read books together, bake some cookies or spend time playing a board game. Monitor what, and with whom, your children are interacting with online and most importantly keep your children at home, practice social distancing and increase prevention measures to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Lloydminster Public School Division is collaborating with the Ministry of Education and other Sector partners to ensure your child’s return to educational activities will be smooth and efficient. We appreciate your cooperation and patience as we work through this challenging period.
Once again, further information will be posted on our Facebook and Twitter pages as well as posted on www.lpsd.ca. For more information about COVID 19, please visit saskatchewan.ca/coronavirus.
Thank you for your continued support and understanding.
Sincerely,
Todd Robinson
Director of Education
UPDATE March 18, 2020 --
A Response Planning Team has been established by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education to work diligently with school divisions through the details of school being suspended and what that will mean for our students’ marks and achievement.
This team intends to respect and align its work with the provincial government’s decision while striving to be consistent and equitable given the diversity in our schools. A hard deadline for marks and a reporting process has yet to be established.
Right now, our primary concern is the health and safety of our students, staff, and families. The major important action right here and right now is stopping the spread of COVID-19.
Learning is important, however, for the time being, health is more important. Please keep your children at home, increase prevention measures and practice social distancing as much as possible.
We will continue to work with the Ministry and follow their direction regarding transitions, curriculum, and grading. Once we receive any information that impacts LPSD families, we will share expectations with our teachers, as well as parents.
Thank you for your cooperation and patience as we work through this.
Government of Saskatchewan latest news release
UPDATE March 17, 2020 --
On behalf of the education sector Response Planning team and in conjunction with advice from the Chief Medical Officer of Saskatchewan, starting Friday, March 20, all 27 Saskatchewan school boards should pause educational operations for a one-week period. This one week away will allow the Response Planning team and individual school divisions to put in longer term plans to support students, staff and families moving forward to ensure that no student’s education is negatively impacted by closing schools indefinitely.
To achieve this, all school staff will be directed to stay home until end of day Friday, March 27. This includes teachers, support and professional staff.
LPSD will be enacting our business continuity plan to ensure that core functions such as payroll and building security continue to function while ensuring all staff safety.
Division Personnel will be available for Parents, families, and staff to call or email if there are questions during this time.
We thank you for your continued work and support in ensuring the needs of students, staff and families are met.
Below are some websites that you may find helpful:
UPDATE March 16, 2020 --
Dear Parents and Guardians,
As you know the health and wellness of our students and staff is the top priority in LPSD. The last week has been challenging for all involved as we navigate the emergence and rapid growth of the COVID-19 pandemic.
LPSD is committed to sharing updates about COVID-19 and how this is impacting our schools.
Today we received notice that schools in Saskatchewan will be suspended indefinitely, effective March 20, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. For the period of March 17th to 19th, Parents who are able to keep children home should do so immediately with no absence or grade impact.
We understand the significant impact that today’s announcement will have on families who require childcare. Therefore, schools will remain open until end of day on Thursday, March 19th to accommodate the necessary arrangements that families must make in short order. Busing will be provided as scheduled.
Schools will be communicating with families within the next 24 hours with regards to how they can proceed with gathering their child’s possessions.
Every student who is eligible to graduate from Grade 12 this year will graduate. For the rest of the regular school year, the Ministry of Education will work with School Divisions and Saskatchewan teachers to implement a supplemental curriculum program through distance and alternative learning methods. LPSD will commit to communicating the specifics of how we intend to deliver the supplemental curriculum. The suspension of schools has led to the cancellation of Student-Led Conferences in their current format. Teachers will connect with families to provide communication on their child’s progress.
As mentioned earlier, LPSD is committed to the wellness of our students and staff. The rapidly evolving circumstances around COVID-19 can cause anxiety and stress for your children. Ensure the information you are sharing with your child is from a reputable source and provide them with tools to navigate this unique environment. We have included a few resources that will provide you with quality information on COVID-19 as well as some excellent resources for working with your children.
Resources:
We want to thank-you in advance for your cooperation and understanding during this challenging time. As a division, we commit to promptly communicating any new developments on our Social Media channels and Division website.
Take Care!
Todd Robinson,
Director of Education
UPDATE March 15, 2020 --
Dear Parents and Guardians,
We have received confirmation from the Ministry of Education in Saskatchewan that schools in Lloydminster will be closed to students for Monday, March 16. Schools will remain open to staff.
Further updates regarding school closures beyond March 16 will be provided tomorrow.
UPDATE March 12, 2020 --
At Lloydminster Public School Division (LPSD), the health and safety of students, staff, and school communities is the top priority. LPSD takes its direction from the Saskatchewan Health Authority and Alberta Health Services on all health matters that concern students and staff members.
We understand that many families have questions and concerns. With the World Health Organization declaring COVID-19 (coronavirus) a pandemic, we have taken preventative measures to ensure the safety of all staff and students. As of March 12, there is one confirmed case of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan and in Alberta, there are 23 confirmed cases as of March 12. However, both provinces have stated the risk remains low for the general population.
We would like to share the following preventative measures that are also being shared with our school staff for everyone to practice:
- Practice proper cough and sneezing etiquette (into the bend of your elbow)
- Wash your hands often with soap and water; if soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
- Maintain safe food practices
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick
- Avoid large crowds and practice social distancing (do not shake hands or hug)
- Avoid unnecessary travel
If your child is sick, we ask that parents and guardians help by keeping the child home from school. If you have concerns about your health please contact the Saskatchewan or Alberta Healthline at 811. Parents and guardians are asked if they have any questions to contact their child's school.
