Please find below the latest information shared with our ASD-S families regarding Return to School - September 2020.
Return to School -Gr K-5 .pdf
Return to School -Gr 6-12 .pdf
- - -
Dear
Parents/Guardians of our K-5 Students (6-12 follows below),
We are excited to
be welcoming your child back in September! We know there are many questions and we will
do our best to answer them as more information becomes available.
Further details
will follow in the coming weeks, however outlined below is some of what
students and families should expect as we return in the fall, as well as some
of the health and safety measures that will be in place to prevent the spread
of COVID-19.
The District and
the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (EECD) have been
working closely with Public Health and WorkSafeNB to ensure we continue
providing a safe environment for our students and staff. Each school is developing
a site-specific Operational Plan which will include the measures they will have
in place to support the unique needs of their school. You will hear more about
these plans from your child’s school as they are finalized in late August.
Please note: This
information is subject to change given the evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Families will be kept up-to-date with any additional information.
What’s New
· --
Specific health and safety protocols will be implemented in schools
across the province this fall. EECD, along with Public Health are finalizing
these plans and will be communicating what these practices will look like in
the upcoming weeks.
· --Students in grades K-2 will be grouped in classes of approximately 15
students. In grades 3 to 5, classes
sizes will be reduced wherever possible. ASD-S has added 75 additional
homerooms at K-5 to accommodate these smaller class sizes. Classes will serve
as social “bubbles” to help reduce the potential spread of COVID-19. Students may interact with others in their
class but will physically distance from those in other classes. This includes during morning drop off,
afternoon pick up, lunch and recess.
· --Access to schools from the public will be limited in the Fall. Each
school will communicate their process for parent/guardian access to schools.
· --Students are asked not to share their personal items. Sharing and borrowing of school supplies,
food, etc. must be avoided. Common
classroom items, such as books, games, and learning tools may be shared, as per
the direction of the teacher.
· --Schools will be cleaned frequently throughout the day with an increased
focus on common spaces, regularly touched surfaces, and items such as gym and
play equipment, musical instruments, and technology devices.
· --Water fountains will be replaced in September with bottle filling
stations. Please provide your child with
a reusable water bottle for use at school and clean it regularly.
· --Schools will not have cafeteria service the first week of school. Cafeterias will re-open through the month of September.
Please plan to pack your child a lunch
until you have confirmed their cafeteria service has resumed. In schools with no cafeterias, we will work to
continue breakfast/lunch programs following guidelines from Public Health.
Returning to
Classes
Our schools will
implement staggered start dates to help familiarize students with the new safety
protocols in the school. You will
receive a message from your child’s school regarding the return to school
schedule for the week of September 8-11, 2020. You can find the 2020-21 school
calendar on the
ASD-S website.
We appreciate that
students have not been in a traditional school setting since March. Teachers are familiar with working with
students at varying levels and will meet them where they are academically to
ensure that each student is achieving the appropriate outcomes. As well, educators are mindful that some
students have been impacted socially and emotionally over the past 5 months and
will be sensitive to this.
Busing
Students
who must take the bus will be required to follow physical distancing measures. Students in K-5 will be required to sit one
per seat, however students from the same household will be seated
together.
ASD-S has 228 buses covering 990 runs and physical distancing of
students may require us to alter our schedule. We are working to minimize any disruptions,
but families should anticipate changes to our bus service. We recognize the importance of getting this
information to families as soon as possible and will share more information as
it is finalized.
The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development is asking
families to consider providing transportation while these physical distancing
measures are in place. All families should have received an email from
the province detailing how to opt out of transportation services if you are
able by August 7, 2020.
Please note: Families who wish to request transportation to an alternate address,
such as after school care, are asked to complete this form as soon as
possible.
Thank you for
taking the time to review this important communication. The health and safety of our students and
staff is our top priority and we are committed to providing a safe environment
for your child to learn. We will
continue to provide updated information throughout August. Watch for updates
from our School Messenger messaging system, our ASD-S website, Twitter and
Facebook. Please ensure your contact information is kept up to date. If you
would like to update your information, please email asdsinfo@nbed.nb.ca. We look forward to welcoming families back to
the start of a new school year!
Zoё Watson
Superintendent
- - -
Dear Parents/Guardians of our Grades 6-12 Students,
We are excited to be welcoming your child back in September! We know there are many questions and we will
do our best to answer them as more information becomes available.
Further details will follow in the coming
weeks, however outlined below is some of what
students and families should expect as we return in the fall, as well as some
of the health and safety measures that will be in place to prevent the spread
of COVID-19.
The District and the Department of Education and Early Childhood
Development have been working closely with Public Health and WorkSafeNB to ensure
we continue providing a safe environment for our students and staff. Each school is developing a site-specific
Operational Plan which will include the measures they will have in place to
support the unique needs of their school. You will hear about these plans from your
child’s school as they are finalized in late August.
Please note: This information is subject to change given the
evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic. Families will be kept up-to-date with any additional
information.
What’s New
· -- Specific
health and safety protocols will be implemented in schools across the province
this fall. EECD, along with the Districts and Public Health are finalizing
these plans and will be communicating what these practices will look like in
the upcoming weeks.
· -- Students in
grades 6-8 will attend regular class each day. Students may interact with others in their
class but will physically distance from those in other classes. This includes during morning drop off,
afternoon pick up, lunch and breaks. Classes
will serve as social “bubbles” to help reduce the potential spread of COVID-19.
· --In grades 9
to 12, students will attend school on a rotational basis (minimum every other
day). This schedule will be provided by your child’s school. When students are not physically in school,
they will be engaged in various learning activities, such as online learning,
guided projects, and experiential learning. When they are in class and common areas of the
school, students will be required to physically distance.
· -- Students in
grades 6-12 will be asked to wear a community face mask when they are
unable to physically distance, such as in common areas like halls, locker areas
and on the bus.
· -- Students in
grades 9-12 will now be expected to bring their own electronic devices for
learning as part of a shift toward a more tech-based learning model. A subsidy program is available for eligible students/families
who do not currently own a device. Enquiries
may be made by calling 1-833-901-1963 or by emailing EECDRTS-EDPERAE@gnb.ca.
· --Access to
schools from the public will be limited in the Fall. Each school will
communicate their process for parent/guardian access to schools.
· -- Students
are asked not to share their personal items. Sharing and borrowing of school supplies,
food, etc. must be avoided. Common
classroom items, such as books and learning tools may be shared, as per the
direction of the teacher.
· --Schools
will be cleaned frequently throughout the day with an increased focus on common
spaces, regularly touched surfaces, and items such as gym and play equipment,
musical instruments, and technology devices.
· -- Water
fountains will be replaced in September with bottle filling stations. Please provide your child with a reusable
water bottle for use at school and clean it regularly.
· --Schools
will not have cafeteria service the first week of school. Cafeterias will re-open through the month of
September. Please plan to pack your
child a lunch until you have confirmed their cafeteria service has resumed. In schools with no cafeterias, we will work to
continue breakfast/lunch programs following guidelines from Public Health.
Returning to Classes
Our schools will implement staggered start dates to help familiarize
students with the new safety protocols in the school. You will receive a message from your child’s
school regarding the return to school schedule for the week of September 8-11,
2020. You can
find the 2020-21
school calendar on the ASD-S website.
We appreciate that students have not been in a traditional school
setting since March. Teachers are
familiar with working with students at varying levels and will meet them where
they are academically to ensure that each student is achieving the appropriate outcomes.
As well,
educators are mindful that some students have been impacted socially and
emotionally over the past 5 months and will be sensitive to this.
Busing
When physical distancing is not possible on the bus, students in
grades 6-12 will be required to wear community face masks. Students of the same household will be assigned
to sit together.
Students who must take the bus will be
required to follow physical distancing measures. Students in K-5 will be required to sit one
per seat, however students from the same household will be seated together.
ASD-S has 228 buses covering 990 runs and physical distancing of
students may require us to alter our schedule.
We are working to minimize any disruptions, but families should
anticipate changes to our bus service.
We recognize the importance of getting this information to families as
soon as possible and will share more information as it is finalized.
The
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development is asking families to
consider providing transportation while these physical distancing measures are
in place. All families should have received an email from the province
detailing how to opt out of transportation services if you are able by August
7, 2020.
Please note: Families
who wish to request transportation to an alternate address, such as after
school care, are asked to complete this form as soon as possible.
Thank you
for taking the time to review this important communication. The health and
safety of our students and staff is our top priority and we are committed to
providing a safe environment for your child to learn. We will continue to provide updated information
throughout August. Watch for updates from our School Messenger messaging
system, our ASD-S website, Twitter and Facebook. Please ensure your contact
information is kept up to date. If you would like to update your information,
please email asdsinfo@nbed.nb.ca. We look forward
to welcoming families back to the start of a new school year!
Zoё Watson
Superintendent