Guest Spot – SD70 (Alberni) Message from the Superintendent

Since departing for Spring Break on March 13, 2020, government has indefinitely suspended in-class instruction, meaning that children will not return as scheduled on March 30th and will remain at home until further notice. In place of in-class instruction, government has directed school districts to explore continuity of learning and to consider ways to support parents deemed essential service workers by government (ie. frontline health care professionals, emergency responders). The latter may eventually include providing on-site care to younger students to enable these Essential Service Workers to continue working.

For School District 70, our immediate tasks include determining the availability and capacity of our workforce, particularly given Provincial Health Officer directions regarding large gatherings, self-isolation and physical distancing; to identify and assess needs of essential service workers; and to practically consider what continuity of learning opportunities means for our students. To accomplish these tasks, the week of March 30th – April 3rd will be a planning week across the school district and students and parents should not expect any substantial learning materials until Monday, April 6th at the earliest. Instead, it is expected that early next week parents/caregivers will be contacted by teachers to reconnect, discuss learning options, explore access to technology and digital resources, and consider ways to help parents support students while more detailed learning plans are being developed. Schools will not be open to students and school personnel will not be on site next week.

For more information please visit https://www.sd70.bc.ca/. The Ministry of Education also released an FAQ document for parents which can be accessed here.