​January 7, 2022

Dear ASD-S Families,

Last week the province announced that there will be no classes on Monday, January 10 and that students will participate in on-line/at home learning Tuesday, January 11 until Friday January 21. The situation will be evaluated, based on the status of COVID-19 in the province and individual health regions, during the week of January 17.

On-line/ At Home Learning

Your child’s school or teacher will contact you or your child, depending on their grade level, with information on plans and expectations for learning. Some students with exceptional needs will be permitted to attend school in-person during this time. Schools will communicate directly with these families about this option.

Grades K-5: Learning packages will be distributed starting Monday. More information will come from your child’s school. Learning packages will provide meaningful work to support the continuation of classroom learning and specific learning outcomes. Resources will be primarily paper based, however some on-line opportunities may be offered. We understand the challenges with child-care faced by families and that the ability to connect on-line will vary amongst students.

Grades 6-12: Schools will provide an opportunity for students to pick up books and learning materials starting Monday. More information will come from your child’s school. Learning will be primarily on-line through Microsoft TEAMS, with additional meaningful learning provided through independent homework, reading, virtual group work, etc.

Middle schools will provide loaner devices wherever possible, however devices are limited.

Teachers will be continuing classroom concepts and specific learning outcomes. Assessment will continue as appropriate and attendance will be taken. Students are required to engage in on-line learning and keep up with new materials and assignments that are introduced during this time.

Public Health Updates

The province has moved schools to at home learning due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. As such, Public Health has made fundamental shifts in their approach to testing, isolation, and contact tracing. You can find the most updated COVID-19 news and guidelines here.

Our staff are working very hard to prepare meaningful work for their students. While on-line/at home learning cannot replace in-person attendance, there will be valuable learning opportunities and experiences taking place for our students and we thank you for supporting your child during this time.

We appreciate your continued cooperation and patience through the pandemic. We know this is a challenging situation for many students and families, and we thank you for your understanding as we work to respond to the changing situation. These changes are in place to enhance the protection of the province's most vulnerable and assist with managing the burden on our healthcare system.

We wish you the best for the New Year and look forward to welcoming your child back.

Sincerely,

Zoë Watson,

Superintendent​