March 18, 2020
Dear Families,
Thank you for the amazing support you have provided to our schools and our staff during this uncertain time. It is during these challenging times that it becomes so clear the importance of relationship and understanding. Thank you for your care and encouragement.
You will know that classes have been suspended indefinitely starting March 20, 2020. We would like to know how long this suspension will last, but we do not have that information. In the mean time, there are several things to note:
The division has activated its Business Continuity Plan and most of the school division operations will be paused, except for essential business services.
Schools are closed from March 20-27, 2020. If you have a school-related emergency, please contact the Education Centre at 306-764-1571. We may have some division staff in schools after March 27, but classes will remain suspended indefinitely.
Families are not expected to deliver home-based education to ensure students meet curricular outcomes. However, we know that parents are a child’s first and most important teachers. Time spent with your child reading and talking about the book has a wonderful impact on a child; cooking together and measuring ingredients is great for developing number sense in young children. Talking with your child about their interests and concerns will help your child feel settled and comforted during this challenging time.
We continue to work actively with the Ministry of Education to plan for continued learning opportunities for students and we will have more information for you related to this in the coming weeks.
Current direction from the Ministry of Education is that every student will receive a final grade based on their current grade, and students will progress to their next grade level next year. Every student who is eligible to graduate from Grade 12 this year will graduate. When we learn the details about how marks, high school credits and transition to post-secondary will work, we will let you know.
Please know that our teachers and staff are distressed by the sudden suspension of classes and the loss of daily connection with your children, but they are anxious to support students in their learning over the coming weeks. Many students will have received learning resources from their teacher already, but we have been asked by the Ministry to wait before we do further work on how we support learning while classes are suspended.
In closing, please be sure to take precautions so that you and your family help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Hand washing, coughing etiquette, social distancing and appropriate self-isolation are crucial. Current information about prevention, self-assessment and other details are available at www.saskatchewan.ca/coronavirus.
We will provide updates to families as information becomes available. Messages will be sent through School Messenger and will be posted on www.srsd119.ca a as well as on our Facebook page. Take care of each other.
Yours in Education,
Barry Hollick, Board Chair and Robert Bratvold, Director of Education