Dear Golden Horn Elementary School Families,
Yukon’s Minister of Education, Hon. Tracy-Anne McPhee, announced yesterday that face-to-face classes will remain suspended in Yukon until the end of the school year. With ongoing news regarding Covid-19 and the massive changes that it is having on everyone’s lives, I am aware that this is a stressful time for both your children and yourselves. As a school staff, we recognize the huge impact that a school closure has on families. We plan to support families until the end of the school year with at-home learning to keep students engaged and connected to learning.
Teachers will provide families with learning ideas, activities and materials to continue supporting essential learning. This is not distance learning, online learning, or homeschooling; rather, this is support for at-home learning during a time of public emergency. We understand that each family’s situation and ability to support their child’s learning at home is unique and different. Some children will be ready, willing, and happy to have more activities to do. Some children may be experiencing greater anxiety or challenges. Most families are balancing their own work commitments, family health concerns, while now also supporting their children’s learning at home. My expectation is that you care for yourselves and your families first, and then do what you can, when you can, if you can to support your child’s learning at home.
What to Expect:
· Your child’s classroom teacher will e-mail you on Thursday, April 16, with a general overview of their plan to support learning at home, weekly learning routine, and how families can support their children.
· For K-6, families will receive an e-mail from their child's classroom teacher each Monday starting April 20 with learning activities that can be supported at home. There will be approximately 5 hours weekly total of learning activities with focus on literacy, numeracy, integration of core subjects as needed (e.g., science, social studies, etc.) and one specialist area (e.g., Arts, Physical Education, GOES, French).
For grade 7, there will be approximately 10 hours weekly total of learning activities with focus on literacy, numeracy, integration of core subjects as needed (e.g., science, social studies, etc.) and one specialist area (e.g., Arts, Physical Education, GOES, French), which will be supported by the classroom teacher with scheduled online sessions and follow-up assignments for the week that will be communicated to students and families.
· We have staff that are available to support you and your children in completing weekly learning activities (by phone or virtually) if needed, which can be arranged by contacting your child’s classroom teacher.
· Evidence of learning and student-parent-teacher conferences scheduled for this month are cancelled. You can reach out to your child’s classroom teacher at any point during the remainder of the school year to set up a time to speak about your child’s learning and progress. The year-end summative report will be sent to families in June as scheduled.
· Students and families are not permitted in the school while the order for school closures is in effect. Classroom teachers may communicate with families in coming weeks with details and protocols about picking up learning packages to support at-home learning. Further communication will be provided to families later in the Spring about how and when to pick-up student belongings from classrooms, desks and lockers.
· If you have questions or concerns about at-home learning and how it will be supported, please first contact your child’s classroom teacher.
These are challenging, stressful and uncertain times for everyone. I believe that it can become a time of resilience by prioritizing connection and relationship. Please reach out as needed to myself or any school staff: we are a community and we miss you!
Sincerely,
Darcy LeBlanc
Principal, Golden Horn Elementary School
Yukon’s Minister of Education, Hon. Tracy-Anne McPhee, announced yesterday that face-to-face classes will remain suspended in Yukon until the end of the school year. With ongoing news regarding Covid-19 and the massive changes that it is having on everyone’s lives, I am aware that this is a stressful time for both your children and yourselves. As a school staff, we recognize the huge impact that a school closure has on families. We plan to support families until the end of the school year with at-home learning to keep students engaged and connected to learning.
Teachers will provide families with learning ideas, activities and materials to continue supporting essential learning. This is not distance learning, online learning, or homeschooling; rather, this is support for at-home learning during a time of public emergency. We understand that each family’s situation and ability to support their child’s learning at home is unique and different. Some children will be ready, willing, and happy to have more activities to do. Some children may be experiencing greater anxiety or challenges. Most families are balancing their own work commitments, family health concerns, while now also supporting their children’s learning at home. My expectation is that you care for yourselves and your families first, and then do what you can, when you can, if you can to support your child’s learning at home.
What to Expect:
· Your child’s classroom teacher will e-mail you on Thursday, April 16, with a general overview of their plan to support learning at home, weekly learning routine, and how families can support their children.
· For K-6, families will receive an e-mail from their child's classroom teacher each Monday starting April 20 with learning activities that can be supported at home. There will be approximately 5 hours weekly total of learning activities with focus on literacy, numeracy, integration of core subjects as needed (e.g., science, social studies, etc.) and one specialist area (e.g., Arts, Physical Education, GOES, French).
For grade 7, there will be approximately 10 hours weekly total of learning activities with focus on literacy, numeracy, integration of core subjects as needed (e.g., science, social studies, etc.) and one specialist area (e.g., Arts, Physical Education, GOES, French), which will be supported by the classroom teacher with scheduled online sessions and follow-up assignments for the week that will be communicated to students and families.
· We have staff that are available to support you and your children in completing weekly learning activities (by phone or virtually) if needed, which can be arranged by contacting your child’s classroom teacher.
· Evidence of learning and student-parent-teacher conferences scheduled for this month are cancelled. You can reach out to your child’s classroom teacher at any point during the remainder of the school year to set up a time to speak about your child’s learning and progress. The year-end summative report will be sent to families in June as scheduled.
· Students and families are not permitted in the school while the order for school closures is in effect. Classroom teachers may communicate with families in coming weeks with details and protocols about picking up learning packages to support at-home learning. Further communication will be provided to families later in the Spring about how and when to pick-up student belongings from classrooms, desks and lockers.
· If you have questions or concerns about at-home learning and how it will be supported, please first contact your child’s classroom teacher.
These are challenging, stressful and uncertain times for everyone. I believe that it can become a time of resilience by prioritizing connection and relationship. Please reach out as needed to myself or any school staff: we are a community and we miss you!
Sincerely,
Darcy LeBlanc
Principal, Golden Horn Elementary School