Dear Parents/Guardians:

As announced today by the provincial government, all publicly funded schools in Ontario will be closed to students for an undetermined period following the April break as part of province-wide efforts to manage the spread of COVID-19. The government did not provide a timeframe for when schools would reopen but indicated that they would be carefully monitoring the status of COVID-19 cases in the coming weeks. Click here to view the provincial media release.

Our schools in Bluewater District School Board will be impacted as follows:

Elementary
All elementary students will switch to full remote learning following the April break on Monday, April 19, 2021 until it is determined by the provincial government that elementary schools will reopen to students.

Secondary
All secondary students will switch to full remote learning following the April break on Monday, April 19, 2021 until it is determined by the provincial government that secondary schools will reopen to students. Dual credit and co-op programs may continue virtually during this period.

Elementary and secondary schools will utilize the online learning environment (Office 365 suite, Brightspace) for daily lessons during this time. Your child(ren) will receive further instructions on getting set up, along with details for online expectations on April 19, 2021. If you do not have your child(ren)’s Active Directory login(s) and password(s), this information can be provided at that time.

Special Education
Parents/guardians of children with intensive special education needs who cannot be accommodated through remote learning will be contacted on April 19, 2021 to discuss in-person learning and transportation.

Student Transportation
Student transportation services will only be provided for intensive special education needs students who cannot be accommodated through remote learning. Parents/guardians of those students with intensive special education needs who require transportation are asked to discuss this with the school principal on April 19, 2021.

Access to Internet/Technology
For those families requiring assistance with access to reliable internet and/or devices, schools will be reaching out to you individually based on their previous assessments of the needs within their school communities on April 19, 2021.

Remote School
Elementary and secondary students who are already attending the Remote School will continue with their usual daily routines when classes resume on April 19, 2021.

Child Care/Before and After School Programs
Child care centres in schools will remain open during this period for non-school aged children. We understand that free emergency child care will be available for school-aged children of eligible health care and frontline workers. Families may wish to contact their child care providers for further details.

Before and after school programs will be cancelled during this period.

While the closure of schools in our area was unexpected at this time, I know that we will get through this temporary period as we have done on more than one occasion in the past.

Thank you for your continued patience and understanding as we work through this together. We are here to support your child(ren)’s learning and a smooth transition to remote learning for all our families. If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to your child(ren)’s school(s) on Monday, April 19, 2021.

Sincerely,

Lori Wilder
Director of Education