OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR

Chair: Goronwy Price

C.E.O./Director of Education: Anthony Stack March 29, 2021

Dear Families,

On Wednesday March 24, we learned during the Provincial Government’s Covid-19 briefing that organized community-based sports/recreational activities would be permitted for children/youth under Alert Level 2 as of Saturday, March 27. The Chief Medical Officer of Health also indicated, however, that the latest medical advice has not changed with respect to K-12 education.

Essentially, this means the vast majority of our high school students cannot access in-class instruction at this time. We recognize the detailed planning of administrators, and the creativity and hard work of teachers, in the provision of high caliber virtual learning these past months. However, we also recognize the pressures on teachers, students and families operating in an ongoing online learning scenario.

We believe that in-school instruction offers the optimal environment for learning and well-being for the vast majority of our students.

Extracurricular activities are highly valuable for many reasons, but these are not normal times. The District continues to stress the importance of making in-school learning a priority over non-essential activities and champions the notion of a safe community being a key factor in ensuring a safe school. To that end, there will be no change to the current prohibition on all extracurricular activities, including school sports. Any altering of this prohibition will only occur after careful consideration and consultation with our school communities. This is certainly not something that would be contemplated while we have thousands of high school students throughout the province unable to access in-school learning.

Again, thank-you to you for your patience and support during these unusual times. Student learning, well-being, and preparedness for the next grade level or post-secondary pursuits remain our primary areas of focus.

Sincerely,

ANTHONY STACK CEO/Director of Education

A few updates to share:

Enjoy your holiday. We wish you all the best for a safe and enjoyable break with your family and friends.

Brilliant Labs Newfoundland and Labrador is pleased to announce that we will be offering Easter Coding camps during the Easter Break. Some of these camps will be virtual, dealing with 3D design/printing and scratch coding. Space is limited so please register soon. All of our camps are appropriate for ages 8-14.

• Our 3d Design/Printing virtual camp will be held on Tuesday, April 6th at 10:00 am. Students can register at https://forms.gle/Qky5EvCm9j8wYTVk6
• Our Scratch coding virtual camp will be held on Thursday, April 8th also at 10:00 am. Students can register at https://forms.gle/Rh688pNUEJEsqg9f8

We also are holding in-person camps in St. John’s, Grand Falls and Stephenville. Due to COVID-19 rules we are limiting these camps to 15 students per session. Students have to be masked, and physical distancing requirements will be adhered to.

• Students can register at https://forms.gle/tYqMpAB2HAzmHRJr8

We are also happy to announce a new partnership with Keyin College. It is their campus classrooms we will be using for the in-person camps.

If you want any further information please contact john@brilliantlabs.ca

Our Spirit Week will be next week! Check out the chart below for the daily theme.

The immunization days we had originally scheduled for March 1 & 2 for the Grade 9 students will be rescheduled in the coming months. Plans are underway to resume mass immunizations as of April 12, 2021. The Public Health nurse will return to the school tomorrow (Tuesday, March 23) to collect any consents that have been returned. If you have not already done so, please return asap.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our Public Health Nurse:

Trina Walsh, BNRN
Public Health Nurse, Zone 4
Charles R. Bell Building
81 Kenmount Road
(709) 752-4234
trinam.walsh@easternhealth.ca

1. Term II Parent Teacher Conferences will be held on Thursday, March 25, from 12:30-6:30pm. If you would like to make an appointment please use OPTIS. Parents/guardians have the option of doing a telephone conference or video conference. OPTIS is now open to schedule interviews.  
2. Students will be dismissed at 11:21 on March 25, to accommodate the parent teacher interviews. Busses will bring the children home at that time. 
3. We received calls today from community and Circle K employees who were  concerned about students forming large groups in the park area and Circle K Burger King at lunch time. These groups were not wearing masks, nor were they socially distancing. Can you please remind your child/ren about how important it is to wear a mask and distance at lunch time. It is only by abiding by the CHMO and Dr. Fitzgerald’s orders, that we can contain this virus. As was pointed out in the live briefing today, the latest variant spreads at a rapid rate and we all have to do our part. 
4. Cafeteria service is available, but their online ordering system is down. Students are asked to write their order, name, and homeroom teacher on a piece of paper and provide correct change, it will be collected during homeroom.  Debit is not accepted at this time. Students will not be able to get food from the cafeteria if they do not place an order during homeroom.

We are looking forward to seeing our students face-to-face tomorrow!

Just a few gentle reminders that we would like you to review with your child/ren before tomorrow:

• In-class instruction will begin Thursday, March 18. It will be Day 1. All students are expected to come to school and attend class for face-to-face instruction.
• Bussing – Bus runs will start their normal run at normal time. ALL students will be required to wear masks over their mouth and nose while travelling on the bus to and from school.
• Masks are to be worn at all times while in school (with the exception when eating and in gym). Please pack 2 -3 extra masks in case one should be misplaced. We will NOT be providing masks to students to replace lost ones. If a student does not have a mask, we will make a call home.
• Cohorts – Students cannot wander the halls or go from one class to another visiting friends. They have to remain in their class with their cohort. They are permitted to leave the school at lunch.
• Lockers – students may access their lockers only to drop off their coats and boots when they are entering and exiting the building. Their supplies will remain in their class so they will not be permitted to access their lockers at any other time during the school day.
• Cafeteria service is available tomorrow but their online ordering system is down. So students are asked to write their order on a piece of paper and it will be collected with their money during homeroom.

Thank you in advance for your continued support.

The 8-9 Virtual Museum was a project that was designed to connect the pieces of our current reality, in a Covid-19 lockdown at home, in a virtual classroom, with the history curriculum that we are studying in Grade 8. The students were tasked with asking members of their family about artifacts they might have at home and to gather information and pictures that they could then present virtually as a part of our MDJH virtual museum. With our classes being virtual and the students being home, it was the perfect time and place to bring everything together. The variety of artifacts that they found and the stories they told are incredible.

The result is a fantastic collection of artifacts from around the world that highlight our history and who we are as a society. The project has allowed students to connect with their families, their community, and each other. They became the teachers of history, and they have done their job exceptionally well.

To visit the Virtual Museum, click here.

Dear Parent/Guardian,

Your input is valuable to your school, your district, and the provincial government. We would like to thank those who have already completed the Family Survey. For those who have not yet completed the survey, we sincerely appreciate you taking the time to fill out the survey before the deadline of Friday, March 19, 2021.

Directions for Survey-Taking:

You may access and complete the anonymous survey online – from a computer or mobile device – by visiting the website below:

https://www.research.net/r/SDFamily2021EN

Thank you for your participation and for being a valued member of your school community.