(File Photo/northeastNOW Staff)

By Mat Barrett

Preparing for a new school year

‘The expectations are very reasonable’: NESD Director of Education pleased to see guidelines for schools

Jun 19, 2020 | 5:00 PM

Kindergarten to Grade 12 schools across Saskatchewan are set to be back in session, and in-person come September of 2020 and there are now some guidelines that will have to be followed by school divisions, and students.

North East School Division (NESD) Director of Education said the division is very pleased to have some direction when it comes to schooling in the fall.

“The expectations are very reasonable for school settings,” he said. “And that we should be able to do a good job in the North East School Division of meeting our student’s needs.”

Now that guidelines are in place, there are two main components that need to be ironed out and planned.

“Planning for remote learning,” Rempel said. “And block scheduling for our timetable are the big pieces that we’re going to attend to now.”

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Rempel said they’ve already gotten the ball rolling on remote learning possibilities if a staff member, or a student were to have to stay home. He said Google Classroom will be used for kindergarten to grade four, something staff and students are familiar with as it was used this past year as schools were closed. For students in Grades five to 12, the division will have plans to deliver course materials remotely, in-person, or through a blended model. Rempel said staff will be more prepared for online learning this year and in the future.

Making sure social distance is kept is another major piece of the Government of Saskatchewan’s guidelines for returning to school. Rempel said the school will be prepared with the ability for students to sanitize their hands or wash with soap and water constantly. The division will also be trying to limit the sharing of high touch items and limiting them to one student, and making sure cohorts are small.

“Everything from the bus ride, keeping track of where students sit on the bus, having family members sit together,” Rempel told northeastNOW. “Right up to the five hours they spend at school, five and a half hours, with small groups of students through the day, only exposed to the number of adults, and then returning home safely, I think will limit the amount of contact between students. Then common sense social distancing rules.”

Rempel added the younger students will have to adjust and respect personal space and not touch other students, while he said older students will be able to adjust to a split schedule and not sharing items. Rempel also said that if extra-curricular activities are allowed, that will also play a part in how the schools and the NESD can continue to limit transmission of COVID-19.

There’s also a plan in place if someone in the NESD were to get the virus. Rempel said they would be in contact with local health authorities, and they would be able to put into place their remote learning practices.

“We think we will be well prepared to respond locally for whatever contingences may arise,” he said.

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mat.barrett@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @matbarrett6