Minister’s letter to parents

Since the onset of COVID-19, the Ministries of Education and Health have regularly provided updates, which SD83 is sharing with our parents and communities.

The update for June 25, 2020, the final one until September, includes a letter to parents from Minister of Education Rob Fleming and BCCPAC President Andrea Sinclair.

Also, in a news release, Fleming reports nearly 200,00 students returned to classrooms in June and that he has appointed a steering committee to work through the summer to prepare for 2020/21 school year. Click on this link to view full news release

Good News in Education! Click on the following link to view nearly 150 of good news stories from around the province about how school communities rallied around students as learning continued during the pandemic https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/administration/program-management/safe-caring-and-orderly-schools/good-news

Check here for latest daily COVID-19 report from the Ministry of Health:  https://news.gov.bc.ca/ministries/health

Useful Links:

• June 19 – BC Centre for Disease Control has updated its website with the most recent information on school safety and child care safety protocols. Please see  http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/childcare-schools​ 
• June 2 – Information Bulletin -Nearly 60,000 students return on first day of in-class instruction – https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2020EDUC0037-000999
• May 15 – News release – Part time return to school for K to 12 students to begin on June 1^st – https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2020PREM0026-000890
• May 6 – B.C.’s Restart Plan news release – https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2020PREM0026-000826
• May 6 – As part the Restart Plan news release, the province outlined the Ministry of Education’s five stage approach to supporting students, families and staff in a backgrounder – https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/BG_Parks_and_Sites_and_In-Class_Learning.pdf
• Check out the Good News in Education webpage: https://www.gov.bc.ca/safeschools/goodnews
• The BC Centre for Disease Control’s COVID-19 dashboard: http://www.bccdc.ca/hea…/diseases-conditions/covid-19/data
• The Ministry of Education Keep Learning website – https://www.openschool.bc.ca/keeplearning/
• “7 Tips for talking to kids about COVID-19”poster on the Fraser Health website – https://www.fraserhealth.ca/health-topics-a-to-z/coronavirus/resources#.XqHcNc5KhPZ
• May 15 – Frequent Asked Questions “Continuity of Learning in the K-12 education system” – https://www.gov.bc.ca/safeschools
• Education Minister Rob Fleming announces on March 17, 2020 in-school classes are suspended until further notice. The Minister’s letter to parents and staff can be found at: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/administration/kindergarten-to-grade-12/safe-caring-orderly/218690-covid-letter.pdf
• Information about COVID-19, including information for schools and families, is regularly updated on the BC Centre for Disease Control site: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/childcare-schools
• All joint statements from Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Minister of Health Adrian Dix are posted here: https://news.gov.bc.ca/ministries/health
• The Provincial Pandemic Coordination plan: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/health/about-bc-s-health-care-system/office-of-the-provincial-health-officer/reports-publications/pandemic-provincial-coordination-plan.pdf
• KIDS and COVID-19 QA:http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/coronavirus-(novel)#For–schools–and–childcare

• Ministry of Health response plans – https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/about-bc-s-health-care-system/office-of-the-provincial-health-officer/current-health-topics/pandemic-influenza
• Government of Canada – Novel Coronavirus in China Travel Health Notice: https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/health-safety/travel-health-notices/210