April 2, 2020
COVID-19 Principal’s Update
Dear Families,
I know that these are challenging and uncertain times, but I would like to welcome everyone back after Spring Break. I certainly had a different email/newsletter in mind coming back after break then the one I am sending you today. We want you to know that we have been thinking about you and your family members over the last 2 weeks and hope that you are keeping safe and healthy.
By now, you will know that on March 17, 2020, under the directions of the Provincial Health Officer, the Provincial Government directed all K-12 schools to immediately suspend in-class instruction until further notice. With Spring Break at an end, I know that many of you will have questions about what comes next. While there are still many questions to be answered, I wanted to provide you with an update for the week ahead. The suspension of in-class instruction will mean that the way in which we do our work will be different. Still, I want to assure you that we are working hard to develop plans so that learning can continue while your children are at home. During the next week or two, our dedicated teachers will be collaborating with colleagues and developing thoughtful plans for how remote learning will move forward. We thank you for your patience during this time and assure you that the teachers, if they have not already, will be reaching out to students soon.
Maintaining a focus on relationships in this time of physical distancing is paramount and I am confident that we will meet this challenge together. I would like to thank you for responding to the request to complete the district wide survey. Your responses will help us in understanding your family’s needs, especially as they pertain to childcare, food security and access to technology. Over the next week, we will be reviewing this information and I will be in touch with you directly if you identified specific needs. If you did not have a chance to respond to the survey and have immediate needs, please contact me about your situation.
As we move forward, communication will be key. To that end, I will share information and keep you informed through email and you can expect a weekly update from me. In addition, please do not hesitate to contact me should you wish to connect. For this week, I would like to share the following update:
- The health and safety of our community of staff, students, and families is the top priority and we ask that you not visit the school at this time. For those of you that are wanting to visit the school to retrieve essential belongings, resources and supplies, this will be organized at some point later with a plan to ensure the safety of staff, students and families. We will be communicating this information once our plans and schedules are finalized. At this time students and parents are not to be coming to the school for any reason.
- Your child’s teacher(s) will reach out to you and your child with an initial communication this week.
- The District will continue to keep families informed of matters related to the COVID-19 response on the website at newwestschools.ca. In addition, you will find learning resources on the website to assist you in getting started with remote learning including how to establish a daily routine for your child.
https://newwestschools.ca/remote-learning-starters-laying-ground-for-the-plan-ahead/
I hope this message provides you with some clarity regarding what to expect this week. We kindly ask for your patience and to be mindful that administrators, teachers and staff may not have all the answers. This is an unprecedented time, and we will strive to do our best to support our students and families. Also, please keep in mind circumstances and expectations may change as we go along on this unique journey. If at any time you have a question or concern, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child’s classroom teacher or myself and Mrs. Young.
Our school community is a place of caring and belonging. Together, we will get through these challenging times. We miss you all!
Kind regards,
Karen Catherwood
Principal