Transmission of COVID-19 in schools has remained low, however, Sault and area elementary and secondary school students and their families are being reminded a return to in class learning is postponed until Monday, Jan. 11 in view of the provincial government’s 14-day COVID-19 lockdown of northern Ontario which went into effect Dec. 26.
The general lockdown lasts for 28 days in southern Ontario.
Elementary and secondary school students, province-wide, will participate in remote learning from Jan. 4 to Jan. 8, 2021. In-person instruction will not be permitted during this period.
The Algoma District School Board (ADSB) states Kindergarten students will be required to take a minimum of 180 minutes of direct online instruction daily, Grades 1 to 8 students a minimum of 225 minutes daily, and Grades 9 to 12 students 120 minutes per course in quadmestered schools.
The ADSB says its students will be provided work Jan. 4 asynchronously through Edsby (the board’s online system), and staff will be available via Microsoft Teams at the elementary level from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., and at the secondary level from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m.to 2 p.m.
Fully synchronous learning will be available beginning Jan 5. Students needing access to an electronic device from Jan. 4 to Jan. 8 are asked to complete a form or call their school to make arrangements for curb-side pick-up on Jan. 4. The devices must return with the student on Monday, Jan. 11. Paper packages can be arranged, where needed, by contacting their schools.
The ADSB will be providing some in-person help for students with high special education needs beginning Tuesday, Jan. 5. Families eligible to access this opportunity will be contacted prior to Jan. 5.
No student transportation services will be provided Jan. 4 to Jan. 8, except for some services for students with high special education needs. When students return to in-class instruction Jan. 11, student transportation services will start up again.
Further updates will be posted to the ADSB website as necessary.
The Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board (H-SCDSB) states its Kindergarten students must take part in 180 minutes of daily online instruction, students in Grades 1 to 12 225 minutes of synchronous (real time) instruction.
Huron-Superior parents who wish to have their children exempted from synchronous learning are instructed to contact their local school by voicemail, email or other means as soon as possible to make arrangements for asynchronous learning instead (but are unlikely to receive a reply until Jan. 4).
Families of H-SCDSB students needing a Chromebook to take part in remote learning are asked to contact their local schools through voicemail, email or other means, but pick-up opportunities will not occur before Jan. 4 and will need to be scheduled.
The Huron-Superior board states families with children who are non-verbal and/or those who have high medical needs receiving individualized support will have been contacted by Jan. 4.
H-SCDSB families are encouraged to visit the board’s website for ongoing updates.
Conseil scolaire publique du Grand Nord de l’Ontario (CSPGNO) teachers will contact families Jan. 4 to continue their children’s home learning. Details regarding the type of support offered, means of communication, teaching methods and technological tools used will be shared at that time.
Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario (CSCNO) information was not immediately available Thursday.