At LPSD, the health and safety of our staff and students is our top priority. As we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic we are committed to communicating the most up to date information to our staff and families.
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
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