Students in Prairie South School Division (PSSD) who participate in division-organized learning activities now — whether online or offline — should be well prepared for school in September, the director of education says.
The division implemented its pandemic preparedness plan in March after the provincial government ordered the closure of all schools. This included beginning phase 1 of its supplemental learning plan, which included posting material to Facebook and the division website, and having educators teach students digitally and even dropping off homework at students’ homes.
“In some ways, it is an adequate replacement and in other ways not so much,” said education director Tony Baldwin. “It really depends on the individual situations for kids, families and staff. (But) I’m confident the work we’re doing is going to mean the kids will be able to return to school in September.
“We might have a little bit of cleanup to do in mathematics (since that curriculum is tricky), but in all the other curricular areas they’ll be ready to go and they won’t miss a beat.”
Phase 2 of PSSD’s pandemic preparedness plan kicks off on Monday, April 20 and runs until Friday, May 15. This phase will focus on family well-being and further planning for the future.
Phase 3 begins in late May and runs until June 30. Phase 4 would run in July to August, while Phase 5, if necessary, would occur in September if students are unable to return.
“I’m feeling good about the opportunities the kids have. And I’m feeling good about their prospects for success when we get back … ,” said Baldwin.
Family well-being
School staff will reach out to families during the week of April 20 to see how remote learning is working. Parents can then identify anything that would help support them and their children.
School principals will also reach out to families to make arrangements to pick up possessions from school. This means if your child left a tuna sandwich or shoes in a locker, you can pick up those items by appointment.
In a letter sent to families, the division office acknowledged some families are receiving too much material from schools. Families are encouraged to let the teacher know to slow the flow of information. Conversely, there are many enriched learning opportunities in which families and students can participate. This includes incorporating cooking, yardwork and house projects in students’ learning schedules.
Since teachers normally prepare classwork for a five-hour school day, educators are still learning how much work to push out, Baldwin said. Some of that work has been similar to drinking water from a fire hose — it’s a lot. However, he thought it was better to have too much work than too little.
There is a physical distancing plan at every school, which means teachers and school employees must tell the division where they will be working. Baldwin noted caretakers are working as normally as possible at schools, while teachers are either at home or in their classrooms.
The supplemental learning appears to be popular at Central Collegiate, he added. One teacher there believes at least 400 students have accessed the material online.
For more information about Prairie South’s supplemental learning, visit www.prairiesouth.ca.
