Dear Parents and Guardians,
Re: Returning to School Options
As indicated by the Minister of Education yesterday, the Province is providing districts with funding to allow for a remote learning option for those parents/guardians who are not yet ready to have their child(ren) return to in-class instruction. The purpose of the email is to provide you with a description of the options available to you as we begin school in September. We are providing a Declaration Form so we can accurately plan for start-up in the limited amount of time we have before school begins. It is important we receive a form for each child who will be entering Kindergarten through Grade 12. Please complete the Declaration Form no later than Monday, August 31st at 3:00 pm. This information is critical to our planning as we ready for school in September.
Families will need to select from 1 of 4 instructional methods for each of their children:
- Student will return to In-Class Learning at school (Elementary and Middle 100% attendance model; Secondary 75%-100% attendance model).
- Student has been enrolled in Distributed Learning. Please see the following link for more information about this option: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/support/classroom-alternatives.
- Student will Learn Remotely through the district and maintain a place in their school for when they are ready to return. **Please see the information below regarding this option.
- Student will enroll in Homeschooling. Please see the following link for more information about this option: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/support/classroom-alternatives.
Link to Declaration Form: https://www.sd63.bc.ca/Return-To-School-Declaration
Option #3: Remote Learning
On August 26th, the Minister of Education announced that districts will now provide a remote learning option as part of their offerings to their community. Link to Minister’s announcement: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2020EDUC0057-001592
In Saanich, the Remote Learning option will have the following components:
- Students will learn remotely at home with the assistance of a teacher assigned by the district (not their regular classroom teacher).
- Teachers will connect with students periodically throughout the week.
- The focus for all levels will be on core academics:
- Elementary / Middle – Language Arts and Math
- Secondary – Core Academic Subjects (no electives will be offered due to their instructional nature).
- French Immersion will be supported for Elementary, Middle and Secondary.
- Individual Education Plans (IEPs) will be followed and supported.
We expect the Remote Learning option to begin sometime during the week of September 21, 2020. Students who are enrolled in the Remote Learning option will have the option of returning to In-Class Learning in their school at natural breaks during the year (i.e., Quarter-semester breaks: 10 weeks/20 weeks) as well as after the Winter and Spring Break time periods. This is to minimize changes to Student Cohorts (Learning Groups) within the school.
Immune-compromised Students: If your child has a medical condition that prevents them from learning at school, please contact your local school directly for more information. As we have always done, schools will continue to work with families to best support your children who are medically compromised.
We know that this time of uncertainty has been challenging for families. Our goal continues to ensure that we build a robust educational program in our schools to meet your needs. Thank you for your continuing patience and understanding.
Please complete the Declaration Form by 3:00 pm on Monday, August 31, 2020.
Link to Declaration Form: https://www.sd63.bc.ca/Return-To-School-Declaration
Sincerely,
Dave Eberwein
Superintendent of Schools
DE/klg