Provincial shut-down affects schools in Bluewater District

As announced Monday by the provincial government, all publicly-funded schools in Ontario will remain closed to students for a period of time, following the holiday break as part of the province-wide shut-down to help manage the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus). Click here to view the provincial media release.

In a press release, issued Tuesday, education director Lori Wilder states that the schools in the Bluewater District School Board will be impacted as follows:

Elementary
All elementary students will switch to full remote-learning following the holiday break, beginning Monday, Jan. 4, 2021. Unless otherwise determined by the provincial government, in-person learning will return Monday, Jan. 11, 2021, when elementary schools re-open to students.

Secondary
All secondary students will switch to full remote-learning following the holiday break, beginning Monday, Jan. 4, 2021. Unless otherwise determined by the provincial government, in-person learning will return Monday, Jan. 25, 2021, when secondary schools re-open to students. Dual credit and co-operative education programs may continue virtually during this three-week period.

“As communicated in my Dec. 17, 2020, letter to parents/guardians, elementary and secondary schools will utilize the on-line learning environment (Office 365 suite, Brightspace) for daily lessons,” states Wilder. “Your child(ren) will receive further instructions on getting set-up, along with details for on-line expectations Jan. 4, 2021. If you do not have your child(ren)’s Active Directory login(s) and password(s), this information can be provided at that time.”

Special Education
Parents/guardians of children attending a special education class placement, will be contacted Jan. 4, 2021, to discuss access to remote-learning.

Access to Internet/Technology
For those families requiring assistance with access to reliable Internet and/or devices, schools will be reaching out to you, individually, based on their previous assessments of the needs within their school communities, Jan. 4, 2021.

Student Transportation
No student transportation services will be provided during the week of Jan. 4, 2021. Student transportation will resume Jan. 11, 2021.

Remote School
For elementary and secondary students who are already attending the Remote School, it will be business as usual when classes resume Monday, Jan. 4, 2021.

Child-Care/Before-and-After-School Programs
While child-care centres in schools will remain open during this one-week period, they will be prohibited from serving school-aged children. Families may wish to contact their child-care providers to determine their availability during the week of Jan. 4, 2021. Further details regarding emergency child-care for school-aged children will be released shortly by the Ontario Ministry of Education.

Before-and-after-school programs will be cancelled during this one-week period.

Mental Health Resources
“During this critical time, I also want you to be aware of the mental health resources that are available to support students and families, including Kids Help Phone, which offers 24/7 counselling and referral services across the province,” states Wilder. To use this free resource, children can call 1-800-668-6868, or text CONNECT to 686868. School Mental Health Ontario also has many helpful resources for students, parents/guardians, and families on its website at www.smho-smso.ca. Visit the board’s mental health and well-being web page for additional resources at www.bwdsb.on.ca//students/mental_health.

Learning Resources
On-line resources are available to support students during this time. Visit the ‘resources’ section on the Remote Learning web page at www.bwdsb.on.ca/families_community/remote_learning. The education ministry has also launched two new portals, TVO Learn and TFO IDÉLLO, apprendre à la maison, which provide supports for learning remotely through access to additional educational resources developed by Ontario certified teachers. Secondary students can continue to access TVO’s Independent Learning Centre (ILC) Open House and Portes ouvertes pour les cours TVO ILC in French.

”Thank you for your continued patience, understanding, and support as we work through this closure period,” states Wilder. “Please remember that we are here to support your child(ren)’s learning and a smooth transition to remote-learning for all our families, and we will get through this together as we have in the past.

"In the meantime, I hope you will be able to take time to enjoy the holidays, even if celebrations may look and feel a bit different this year.”