District News: ASD-W Family Update - November 3, 2021

Title: ASD-W Family Update - November 3, 2021
Body: November 3, 2021

 

Dear ASD-W Parents and
Guardians,

 

Many families have reached out
over the past couple of days regarding the recent work stoppage and the move to
distance learning this week. Therefore, I am reaching out to you today to offer
some help in understanding the scenario as it currently stands. 

 

CANADIAN UNION OF PUBLIC
EMPLOYEES (CUPE) LOCALS 2745 & 1253

 

At the moment, distance
learning continues due to the labour action involving two specific local
bargaining groups, CUPE 2745 and CUPE 1253.

 

CUPE 2745 includes the
following: Educational Assistants (EAs), Student Attendants (SAs), School
Administrative Assistants (SAAs), Library Workers (LWs), and District
Administrative Assistants (DAAs). Some EAs are designated as essential.

 

The other local bargaining
unit, CUPE 1253,  includes bus drivers,
custodians, and maintenance repair workers. Some maintenance repair workers are
designated essential so that required building checks and emergency building
response can continue.

 

SCHOOLS WITH CONTRACTED
CUSTODIAL STAFF

 

There are 16 schools and two
district settings in ASD-W with non-unionized, contracted custodial staff who
continue to work during job action. These buildings include:


Assiniboine Avenue Elementary School (Oromocto)
Burton Elementary School (Burton)
Carleton North High School
(Florenceville-Bristol)
District Office - Office of the Superintendent
and Fredericton Education Centre
Fredericton High School (Fredericton)
Gesner Street Elementary School (Oromocto)
Harold Peterson Middle School (Oromocto)
Hubbard Elementary School (Oromocto)
Leo Hayes High School (Fredericton)
Lincoln Elementary Community School (Lincoln)
Nashwaaksis Middle School (Fredericton)
Oromocto Education Centre (Oromocto)
Oromocto High School (Oromocto)
Ridgeview Middle School (Oromocto)
Royal Road Elementary School (Fredericton)
Saint Mary's Academy (Edmundston)
Summerhill Street Elementary School (Oromocto)
Sunbury West School (Fredericton-Junction)





 

These long-term arrangements
have been in place for an extended period of time.

 

The other 53 schools and the
Woodstock Education Center are cleaned by CUPE custodial staff.

 

Early Childhood Centres in 12
of our schools remain open and functional unless closed by the operator.

 

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

 

Extracurricular activities for
the 53 schools cleaned by CUPE custodial staff can continue outside or at
selected offsite locations, as supervision permits.  Access to the inside of the school is not
available.

 

For the 16 schools with
non-unionized, contracted custodial staff, extracurricular activities can
continue inside and outside, as supervision permits.

 

Community use of schools allows
for the same as above, where circumstances permit.

 

STUDENT LEARNING

 

Students in Kindergarten to Grade
2 have been provided with home learning packages.  There may be other strategies that teachers
are using to engage in learning and stay connected. Teachers are expected to
connect with families regularly.

 

Students in grades 3-8 may
have a mix of online learning and home learning packages, depending on
arrangements made by the teachers and connectivity opportunities for families.
Attendance will be taken where possible. Teachers are expected to connect with
families/students regularly.

 

Students in grades 9-12 are
expected to participate in online learning daily, following their daily class
schedule. Attendance will be taken. A daily connection between teacher and
student is expected.

 

We recognize that the ability
to maintain school routines, especially for younger grades, will vary. Teachers
have been asked to continue providing meaningful instruction, and students who
do not participate are at risk of falling behind in their studies.

 

Arrangements can be made to
pick up items at the school if need be. Please don't hesitate to get in touch
with the school or teacher directly to make arrangements. While the buildings
are not "open," they are accessible as required. The 16 schools noted
above with contracted cleaners have more flexibility. Schools have communicated
some scheduled pick-up times.

 

Families
with students in grades 9-12 may apply for a student laptop subsidy. Please go to thispage
to see the latest information on the process.

 

If you
need assistance with the application, please call 1- 833- 901-1963, or reach out by email at EECDRTS-EDPERAE@gnb.ca .

 

In
some cases, middle school students or upper elementary school students are in
need of an electronic device to log on and learn online. If your teacher
determines that an online connection is part of their learning plan and you do
not have a proper tool, don't hesitate to get in touch with your school
directly. Many schools are equipped with loaner devices. If a loaner is not
available, other learning arrangements will be in place.

 

OUR
ROLES

 

Contract
negotiations are between the bargaining units (CUPE) and the Province of New
Brunswick (Finance and Treasury Board).

 

The
superintendent works with the Department of Education and Early Childhood
Development to communicate provincial decisions, and school principals follow
these directions.

 

Please
know that teachers are not involved in any of the decision-making related to
the labour action. Their responsibility is only to continue with learning for
students as best as possible during this time.

 

We ask
that parents do their best to support their children in participating in
distance learning. Continuity helps to keep students connected and committed to
their schooling. However, we recognize that there may be circumstances that don't
permit this. Therefore, families should communicate with their children's
teachers to share the challenges and discuss proactive alternatives. If
families refuse to participate in ongoing learning, they should share this
decision with their teacher or school administration for information purposes
only. As noted above, there is a risk of falling behind. We ask that everyone
shows kindness and respect when dealing with their schools.

 

COMMUNICATIONS

 

Our
official mode of communication for the district and schools is through
SchoolMessenger. Messages will come from the Director of Communications, me or
a specific school administrator or delegate. They often include a voice
message, email and text, although not all users use all three modes of
communication. You are registered for this through your school database system.
If you are not receiving messages, please contact your school with updated
information when the work stoppage ends.

 

We
also regularly use our official Twitter account (@ASD_West) for important
alerts and updates. However, from time to time, as superintendent, I will tweet
from my own account.  I will use Twitter to
share information and items of interest but do not engage in responses to
questions on this platform.

 

Within
these first two months of the new school year, we have already faced many
challenges. Having said this, I believe we can continue to learn and grow in a
positive manner, despite the adversity we are facing.  Parent support is essential for student
success.

 

Thank
you.

 

Sincerely,

 

David
McTimoney, Superintendent.

Expires:
Rollup Image:
Last Printed: 11/3/2021 3:00 PM
News Category: Regular News
Posted: Nov 03 2021, 2:19 PM
Creation: Nov 03 2021, 2:19 PM
CreatedText: Nov 03 2021

Created at 11/3/2021 2:19 PM by jennifer.read
Last modified at 11/3/2021 2:19 PM by jennifer.read
 
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