COVID-19 Continuation of Learning Update
Attention: HCS families and students
With Thursday’s announcement that New Brunswick schools will
remain closed for the remainder of the school year, unless the situation
changes drastically, the staff at HCS has been working and meeting virtually to
determine how we move forward with providing learning opportunities for our
students.
We recognize that each of our students/families are working
to meet their needs and each home situation is unique. Some families have had parents laid off, some
parents are required to work from home, and a variety of other circumstances
may impact a child’s ability to complete schoolwork. We want each of our families
to first and foremost be concerned with your individual needs and the physical
and emotional wellbeing of your family members. If there is anything you may
need to assist your family, please reach out to me and our staff will do our
best to support you.
The Minister of Education and ASD-W have been clear on the
guidelines for any learning opportunities schools are to provide. We will be
honoring the timelines that are required with all learning opportunities that
our teachers provide:
K-2 – 1 hour per day, focused
on Literacy and Numeracy, as well parents are encouraged to have their children
read for 30 minutes and get 30 minutes of physical activity daily.
3-5 – 1 hour per day, focused
on Literacy, Numeracy & Science, as well parents are encouraged to have
their children read for 30 minutes and get 30 minutes of physical activity
daily.
6- 8 – 2 hours per day,
focused on Literacy, Numeracy, Science and Social Studies, as well parents are
encouraged to have their children read for 30 minutes and get 30 minutes of
physical activity daily.
9-12 – 2.5 hours per day of
learning materials based on the course they were previously enrolled in,
focusing on Literacy, Numeracy, Science and History course. As well parents are
encouraged to have their children read for 30 minutes and get 30 minutes of
physical activity daily.
HCS teachers will be providing weekly learning opportunities
that adhere to the guidelines through emails. The learning opportunities will
also be posted on our school website: http://web1.nbed.nb.ca/sites/ASD-W/hcs/Pages/default.aspx As well, teachers will be available to answer
emails Monday-Friday, from 8:00 – 4:00. If you are unable to email, you may
arrange a weekly phone call with a teacher if needed. The expectation is not to
recreate the classroom environment in your home, but to provide you with access
to learning materials, to use with your child, if you wish to utilize them. At
this time, due to the State of Emergency, all forms of communication will be
electronic and paper copies will not be provided. This decision was made to ensure Public
Safety and is the directive we have been given by our Superintendent, David
McTimoney. This may change once the
State of Emergency is lifted. Students may submit materials for feedback, but
marks will not be assigned. The submission of work is not required and this will
be determined by each grade level and specific subjects. The rationale for this
is to ensure students do not feel the added pressure of receiving marks. All feedback will be formative to promote individual
student academic growth.
All students that were passing their classes as of the end of
January will be promoted to the next grade level regardless of the work
completed during the next 3 months. Any student that was not passing their
classes will be provided the opportunity to complete the core requirements of
the course to a passing level, and then they will be promoted. K-8 students
will receive credit for all classes they were enrolled in prior to the closing
of school. For students in grades 9-12, report cards will show that they were
enrolled in their courses and they will not need to repeat any of these
courses. Students can choose to either have their transcript show enrolled, and
this will not disadvantage them for postsecondary, or they can choose to earn
the credit by completing the necessary core requirements of the course, as determined
by their teacher. If a student decides to earn the credit, they will receive a "credit earned", but not a numerical grade. The expectation is that not all the
instructional outcomes will be required, only the essential ones for the course,
as determined by individual teachers.
This is a challenging, and never seen before time, for students,
families, and teachers. Education has
never operated in this fashion and we appreciate your patience as teachers are
learning how to navigate in these unprecedented times too. Our HCS staff will
strive to provide pertinent learning opportunities for all our students. Please
continue to be respectful and understanding in the weeks ahead. If you have
questions, please don’t hesitate to ask us.
We will be glad to provide clarification. While we are one school, there
will be differences between levels, between grades, and between teachers, and
that is okay. Students, families, and teachers will continue to learn together
in the coming weeks. We can make this a positive experience if we all work to
support and encourage each other.
Due to the State of Emergency, all schools are to remain
closed to the public and students are not able to access their personal
belongings at this time. Once the State of Emergency has been lifted, a plan
will be devised for students to retrieve their belongings from the school. If
there are medical items at the school that you need, please email me or call
the school and leave a detailed message. Arrangements may be made if required.
Graduation activities have not been cancelled at this time
and a decision will be made at a later date. It is my belief/hope that we will
be doing something for our graduates. It
may be later in the summer and will depend on what we are allowed to do based
on Public Safety guidelines.
Please be safe and respect all that is being asked of us by
the NB government. COVID-19 is serious and needs to be treated as such. As
well, work to spread happiness and positivity within our community, using
social media for good and not negativity. Together we will get through this and
we will be stronger for it.
Yours Truly,
Andy Clark
HCS Principal