This week in Division 3, March 30th to April 3rd

Dear Div 3 Families,

We hope that this email finds you well and that you were able to enjoy Spring Break in spite of the pandemic's restrictions.

Education during the Pandemic:

These are the four guiding principles for schools going forward as per the Ministry's directive:

1. Maintain a healthy and safe environment for all students and families and all employees.
2. Provide services to support children of *essential workers.
3. Support vulnerable students who may need special assistance.
4. Provide continuity of educational opportunities for all students.

*Essential workers please go to this site to register your needs: https://www.sd62.bc.ca/

Planning Week: March 30th to April 3rd

To "provide continuity of educational opportunities" and to create a personalized distance learning plans, we are asking for some information. You can respond to these questions via email, but we will also be connecting via phone this week to check-in and gather information to develop practical plans.

1. Do you have access to technology?

2. Do you have access to internet at home?

3. What are you most concerned about regarding your child’s learning?

4. Are there any critical items at the school that your child needs (eg. medication, puffer, etc.)?

5. Do you prefer phone or email communication? 

6. What time of the day works for connecting with your child(ren) around their learning (eg. morning or afternoon)?

This week the Poirier staff will be meeting via video conferencing to discuss how we will coordinate communication and educational programming for our families especially for those families with multiple children learning at a range of grade levels. We don't want to overwhelm or stress our families or students, we want to be respectful and responsive.

Learning this week: March 30th to April 3rd

The BC Ministry of Education has launched: https://www.openschool.bc.ca/keeplearning/  for families who have WIFI and technology to access it. 

We also recommend the following, low tech./ no tech, multi-level, activities this week:

1. Daily Reading (30 minutes/day)
2. Journaling (15 minutes/day) (This event is history making. Students' records are historical and something they will be able to share with their children. How did they pass their days to survive the boredom of quarantine?)
3. Math Facts Practice with a deck of cards (15 minutes/day)( Draw two cards. Add/ Multiply them. Draw another. Subtract that amount from the sum/product. Look at the sums/products/differences. Are they divisible by 2? by 5? by 10? Are they prime?)
4. Food preparation. (Double the recipe or Triple it. Consider how fractional amounts add up)
5. Keep collecting empty toilet rolls.

These are only recommendations. As we connect with you this week, we will get a better idea of what is going to work for you and your family. We also recognize that what works one week, might not the next so we are promising above all to be flexible and accessible. We are here for you.

We want to thank you in advance for your understanding and patience as we navigate distance learning delivery which is a completely new medium for us. To use our proficiency scale's language, our skill is "developing" in this area and not yet "proficient". 

We miss your kids, but we really miss Division 3, our class of kids who are so beautifully different and who collectively bring us joy, laughter, and inspiration. We will be looking to recreate that connection as we move into learning in this different way.

Your teachers,

Ms Powers and Ms Bridal