By Paid Partnership

Saskatchewan Rivers Public School Division: We’re Ready!

Aug 31, 2020 | 3:10 PM

As parents grapple with the question of whether its safe to send their children back to class, the Saskatchewan Rivers Public School Division (SRPSD) is sending a clear message: We are ready for your child.

Director of Education, Robert Bratvold said schools play an important role in student’s educational achievement, health and wellbeing. Beyond academics, access to school nutrition programs, community services, social-emotional support from peers and educators, and transportation have all been taken into consideration, among many other things within the SRPSD’s Back to School Plan. A remote learning option is also available for students in Grades 1 – 12.

“This is a dynamic situation. As we learn more about best practices, our staff continue to adapt and work together with the Ministries of Health, Education and with our local families to make sure that schools are safe, positive learning environments,” Bratvold said.

As the SRPSD prepares for the return of the school year, attention has been given to mental health and wellness of returning staff and students. (Submitted photo/SRPSD)

The school division has been actively working with the Ministry of Education and the Saskatchewan Health Authority since June on how they can create great learning opportunities given the restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Protocols around managing student groupings and movement while maintaining physical distancing have been developed including staggered times for breaks and recess, flow in traffic in hallways and cohorting students.

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“We’ve always valued interaction between grades in the past, like having Grade 3 students work with Grade 4 students on projects or Grade 6 students reading to their Grade 1 reading buddies, for example. However, we’ll be doing less of these kinds of activities to maximize physical distancing. Students will be staying with the same group of peers as much as possible,” he said.

Attention has also been given to mental health and wellness of returning staff and students. Bratvold said the school division is implementing guidance from the North American Centre for Threat Assessment Trauma and Response which offers expert advice on how to support staff and students, provide good leadership and establish sound support for the school. That includes making it a psychologically safe place to work and learn.

“Schools are encouraging staff and student conversation and providing social work support, counselling services and many other forms of mental health support,” Bratvold said. “Many staff have received training in Mental Health Literacy, and Mental Health First Aid and those kinds of tools and programs help us to be better able to support students and each other.”

The start of the SRPSD school year will begin with a gradual return to school for the first week. Schools will divide each classroom so that half of the students will attend on Tuesday, Sept. 8 and Thursday, Sept. 10 and the other half of students will attend on Wednesday, Sept. 9 and Friday, Sept. 11. Families with multiple children in the same school can plan to have children attend on the same days. Normal daily student attendance will resume Sept. 14 unless otherwise directed. Masks will be mandatory for students in Grades 4 to 12 and for all staff. Students and staff are encouraged to provide their own masks, but masks will be distributed to students and staff as needed. Face shields are permitted as an alternative when there are learning specific requirements and when medical or safety concerns exist.

“We are ready for the safe return of students now,” Bratvold assured. “As the situation evolves, we will work with families and the Ministries of Education and Health to make the necessary changes to keep our schools safe learning environments.”

Parents and caregivers who have not yet registered their students are encouraged to do so as soon as possible. Registration forms can be found on local school websites or can be obtained by calling the Education Centre at 306-764-1571.

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*This content was created by paNOW’s commercial content division.