Question & Answers about the return to school on Thursday, March 18, Day 1:

1. 1. Busing – ALL students will be required to wear masks over their mouth and nose while travelling on the bus to and from school. Period 5 teachers will be asked to ensure students have their masks on when they leave the classroom and building.
   2. Online instruction will continue on Tuesday, March 16, and Wednesday, March 17.
   3. 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. Online instruction will stop with in-class instruction on Thursday, March 18.
   4. Breakfast Club will start on Thursday, with a grab and go breakfast.
   5. Cafeteria Service – For Thursday, March 18, and Friday, March 19, online orders ONLY will be accepted for the Cafeteria. Please go to https://mdjh.info/2020/08/31/cafeteria-update/ for further direction.
   6. Lockers – students can drop off their coats and boots at their lockers.
   7. Takeout food/beverages – As per restrictions, no takeout food or beverages are permitted into the building. Students are encouraged to bring a water bottle or reusable cup for their beverages.
   8. Gym and Library – Cohorts can go into the Gym/Library at their designated time at lunch.
   9. Masks – As set by the Special Measures Order of the Chief Medical Officer, students will be expected to wear masks at all times, properly covering their mouth and nose, except while eating. This is a change from previous rules when they were allowed to remove their masks while they were in class with their cohort. This is not the case any more. The only time students can lower their mask is during recess and lunch while eating and drinking when they will also be required to be seated at their desk. Students will also wear their mask while travelling on the bus to and from school, while walking throughout the building and during all classes, even when seated. More information can be found at NLESD: https://docs.google.com/document/d/17nP6QoPkDaIvWsm2XtP2u3r6alYhINIqSpas3V5QPXw/edit
   10. Sharing of materials – Students need to ensure that they have all of the supplies they need as they cannot share supplies with a classmate.
   11. Food Establishments – Under alert level 4, students are not allowed to eat in restaurants. Food may only be taken out.
   12. Chromebooks – The District has said that the Chromebooks for students will be arriving in March and April. ONLY those students and families that have returned their Agreement Form will be allocated a Chromebook. If you would like to have a Chromebook and have not already done so, please sign and return the form.

Good afternoon,

1. There will be no school on Monday, March 15, as it is a district holiday.
2. Tuesday, March 16, will be Day 6. (We lose day 5)
3. We will continue with online learning next week for Tuesday and Wednesday only. Students will come back to school for in-school learning on Thursday, March 18, which will be Day 1.
4. A detailed memo about the return to school protocols will be sent out on Tuesday.

Thanks and have an enjoyable weekend.

Online instruction will continue for:

• Friday March 12 (Day 4)
• Tuesday March 16 (Day 6)
• Wednesday March 17 (Day 7)

In consultation with the Department of Education and Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, Chief Medical Officer of Health, the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District (NLESD) is preparing to resume full-time in-school instruction for all K-9 schools in the Avalon region. Meanwhile, high schools which cannot operate in Scenario 1, due to an inability to cohort and recently revised Public Health protocols, will all operate under the Scenario 3 (full-time online instruction) model.

These models will remain in effect until at least Thursday, April 1, and will be re-evaluated at the end of the scheduled Easter Break on April 9.

Please note, in Avalon Region:

● All K-9 students will begin full-time in-school instruction under Scenario 1 (near normal) on Thursday, March 18, with recently-updated health and safety protocols in place. These students will remain within their class cohorts throughout the school day.

● All high schools will continue to operate under Scenario 3 (full-time online instruction), with the exception of a small number which can operate under Scenario 1 due to an ability to cohort within a small school population.

Please note: In schools where in-school instruction has resumed, teachers will be engaged in face-to-face instruction, and online classes will not be available.

The District will continue to work closely with the Department of Education, educational partners, the Chief Medical Officer of Health and Public Health officials in the various regions of the province, to adhere to the recommendations and advice provided as the school year continues.

Avalon Region School Scenarios The following schools, or grades within schools, in the Avalon region will be operating under a Scenario 1 or 3 model. See: Protocols for Online Learning (Scenario 3). Specific start times for schools will be communicated to staff and families by the school administration.

Scenario 1 – In-school Instruction (66 Schools) – Effective March 18

• All Primary/Elementary/Intermediate schools
• Dunne Memorial (K-12)
• Fatima Academy (K-12)
• Horizon Academy
• Hospital Schools
• St. Catherine’s Academy (K-12)
• Stella Maris Academy (K-12)

Scenario 3 – Online Instruction (19 schools) – Continuation. Effective Immediately

The March Newsletter is ready for your perusal!

Click here to view it!

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, April 23, 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.

Good afternoon, here is some information about upcoming events at our school.

1. On Monday, March 8, MDJH will be closed, therefore in-school and online learning will be cancelled for that day. Our staff will be preparing marks for Term 2 Reporting and will be participating in Professional Learning on that day.
2. At this time, formal Report Cards will NOT be distributed. This is the same process we followed during Term 1 reporting. Families will use PowerSchool data to view their child(ren)’s progress. PowerSchool represents the most up-to-date information as teachers are constantly revising student marks. All parents/guardians are asked to contact the school at if they have forgotten their sign in credentials for PowerSchool.
3. Parent/Teacher Conferences will be virtual this term. Conferences will take place March 25, from 12:30 – 6:30pm. OPTIS will be open to parents/guardians on March 19, for scheduling either a video conference or a phone interview. Please ensure that you have provided the correct phone number for the device you wish to be contacted on at the scheduled time.
4. Grade 9 Course Selections – Gonzaga. Students have until March 9, to enter their course selections for Grade 10. These are to be entered online using the student’s PowerSchool login information. Instructions can be found on Gonzaga’s web site, at this address: Course Selection 2021-2022 – Gonzaga High School.
5. Monday, March 15, is a District holiday. School will be closed.
    

Thank you for your continued support. 

There will be a Professional Development Day for teachers Monday, March 8. 2021. No school for our students on this day.

Also a reminder that Monday, March 15, 2021 is a district wide school holiday.