August 4th, 2020
Dear parents and students:
By now I am sure you have heard that the Ministry of Education announced that our province will be moving to modified Stage 2 of B.C.'s Education Restart Plan, and safely bringing K-12 students back to class full time for September 2020. A link to the ministry news release on this plan is here: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2020EDUC0040-001415. You can also watch July 29th's press conference with Minister of Education Rob Fleming and Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoqjWBNMBSE.
Modified Stage 2 involves the full return to in-class instruction for all students for the maximum time possible within learning group limits. Therefore, following the advice of the provincial health officer, in Stage 2, students in all school districts will be organized into consistent learning groups of staff and students. Learning group size limits have been set at a maximum of 60 people for elementary schools and a maximum of 120 people for secondary schools. These learning groups will help reduce the risk of transmission, enable quick contact tracing, and allow for more in-class learning time as well as increased peer interaction and support.
A learning group will consist of a group of students and staff who primarily interact with each other and who will remain together throughout the school quarter, semester, or year. The group can be made up of a single class of students, multiple classes that sometimes join together for additional learning activities, or a group of secondary school students with the same courses. Additional information about learning groups is available on the Ministry of Education website.
School districts will continue to follow enhanced health and safety measures following the guidelines developed by the BC Centre for Disease Control and the BC Ministry of Health, and outlined in the updated COVID-19 Public Health Guidance for K-12 School Settings manual. These measures include enhanced cleaning and disinfection procedures, more individual and smaller group activities, and limitations on assemblies and other large gatherings.
Student transportation will be available in Stage 2; details will follow in the coming weeks. Doubtlessly the Ministry of Education will be developing additional operational guidelines over the coming weeks to further assist school districts with their planning for September. I will provide you with all updates as soon as they become available.
We will be reviewing the revised health and safety guidelines and making detailed plans for their implementation. I will provide you with an update on how our school district is implementing these guidelines, organizing learning groups, and establishing bell schedules as soon as our plans have been finalized. The provincial government is adding additional funding to help support continued extensive cleaning and other safety measures.
The organization of our schools is a complex task, and it will involve some significant changes to how we usually organize our schools, most especially the development of middle and secondary timetables. We will need to work in concert with our school principals, unions, district staff, multiple ministries, and health authorities on these plans.
You are welcome to contact me at angus.wilson@mpsd.ca should you have questions. Thank you for your continuing support and understanding as we work to ensure your children are both safe and receiving a strong educational program. You can expect further communication from our district and your school in the weeks ahead. In the meantime, I wish you a wonderful rest of your summer.
Sincerely,
Angus Wilson
Superintendent of Schools
