Silver Creek Elementary School

As the last week of June quickly approaches, teachers and support staff are busy finalizing report cards, gathering materials and organizing for summer school closure. This year has been like no other and it has been tremendously difficult for many of our community members, staff and families. We are grateful for so many things and first of all I wanted to thank all of our teachers and CEA’s who regularly connected with children and families over this period of remote learning. Teachers have had to quickly learn a new way of teaching and reaching out to their students. The feedback from families has been very positive and for some of our students, this connection to school has been a necessity.

Secondly thank you to our parents and guardians who have continued to foster an “educational experience’ for their children even though kids were at home. This has been an enormous job for our parents while, at the same time, working or continuing with all the tasks of managing a home. The experiences and positive connections that  our students experienced during this Covid time may be the silver lining.

Thirdly, thank you to our students who have had to adapt to “new normal” in regards to schooling, connecting to friends and filling in their day. Many of our students have said they really missed school and seeing their friends. Students have shown a strong growth mindset, being able to adapt to change with a positive attitude. This is tough for all of us and we are so proud of our students who found a new way to learn and connect.

It has been an absolute joy to have some of our students back to school in June, approximately 38% of our students returned to school on a full or part time basis. Students were positive and quickly resumed the habit of being a student. Teachers and support staff were overjoyed to see everyone.

We wait to see what September brings as we await direction from the Ministry of Education, the Provincial Health Officer and our School district. The plan for reopening school for September will be shared with our families mid August.

Have a wonderful safe and peaceful summer.

Silver Creek Staff

As planning continues for school re-start on Monday, June 1, School District No. 83 (North-Okanagan-Shuswap) transportation department has important information for the parents of any child who will be riding the bus.

Student pick up and drop off times will remain the same for their return to school on June 1st. However, due to lower ridership, parents are requested to please have their children at the bus stop a minimum of five minutes early in the morning.  In addition, some high school students may return home a little earlier in the afternoon because fewer people are riding the bus.  

Parents who have indicted their child will be riding the bus to school will be receiving an email directly from the SD83 Transportation Dept. with finalized information, later today or early Saturday. Please keep an eye out for it.

Drivers please be aware school zones are in effect. For the safety of all, we ask that everyone remember the importance of stopping for a school bus with red lights activated (We Stop – You Stop), please don’t rush the bus, and ensure you not driving distracted around our students or the bus. 

Thank you!

The survey to determine who is planning on their child(ren) returning to school on a part-time basis, and whether bus transportation is needed, will be closing at 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 28.

This will give the schools a bit of time to finalize plans before students return to school on Monday, June 1. If you have not yet filled in the survey please do so here:

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE OUR K-5 RETURN TO SCHOOL SURVEY

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE OUR GRADES 6-12 RETURN TO SCHOOL SURVEY

It would be appreciated if you respond to the survey even if you are not planning on your child returning to class at this time.

After May 28, SD83 asks parents and caregivers to contact their child’s school directly if they change the status of whether their child is attending, or not attending, school. Each week school teams will create weekly class organization structures within the 50% normal classroom limits so this information is critical to planning. Also, after May 28, if your child is a bus student please ensure you also register with transportation (250 832-9415) so that they know who to expect on the bus.

Just a friendly reminder that as of Monday, June 1 our school buses are back on the road, school zones are in effect, and school playgrounds are in use during the school day.

Our staff and students will be following many safety protocols around health checks, handwashing, spacing, equipment use and cleaning. We ask for your support in ensuring your child is not sick if attending school, and in driving safely around our buses and schools. We are also asking the public to not use our schools and playgrounds during school hours as we will be working hard to keep student and staff density low and ensuring safety protocols are followed. Your assistance would be greatly appreciated as we do our best to keep everyone safe. Thank you!

Much organization and thought has gone into preparing our schools including:

• Surveying all families to see if they intend to send their children to school, and how often.
• Follow up communication to families that have not completed the survey to ensure all families are contacted regarding their intentions for June.
• Inform parents which days their children will attend
• Reduce kindergarten to grade 5 Home Learning support and interactions for May 25-29 to allow teachers and staff to set-up classrooms and prepare to receive students
• Have Health and Safety Teams at each school review the site-based safety plans
• Put in place health and safety procedures at each school
• Have every school staff ‘practice’ the week before return to in-class instruction. This will allow us to identify any improvements we need to make before the return of students.
• Follow Ministry Guidelines around maximum class sizes (50%) and school densities (50% for K to 5) and (20% for Grade 6 to 12) and strategies to minimize physical contact
• Organize custodial staff for daytime cleaning supports in each school to accommodate occupancy

As SD83 prepares for Stage 3 (voluntary return to in-class learning), we would like to share our ongoing planning, and explain the preparations that are already under way. We will continue to update you as needed as we move towards the part-time return to classrooms on June 1 and beyond.

We would like to acknowledge that these changes may place additional stress on all our students and their families as well as our staff and their families. While there are many positives to returning to some semblance of normal, there is understandable anxiety around safety, and uncertainties around ‘how it will work’.
Much organization and thought is going into preparing our schools including:

• Survey all families to see if they intend to send their children to school, and how often.
• Follow up communication to families that have not completed the survey to ensure all families are contacted regarding their intentions for June.
• Inform parents which days their children will attend
• Reduce kindergarten to grade 5 Home Learning support and interactions for May 25-29 to allow teachers and staff to set-up classrooms and prepare to receive students
• Have Health and Safety Teams at each school review the site-based safety plans
• Put in place health and safety procedures at each school
• Have every school staff ‘practice’ the week before return to in-class instruction. This will allow us to identify any improvements we need to make before the return of students.
• Follow Ministry Guidelines around maximum class sizes (50%) and school densities (50% for K to 5) and (20% for Grade 6 to 12) and strategies to minimize physical contact
• Organize custodial staff for daytime cleaning supports in each school to accommodate occupancy

Please click here for further information on the SD83 School Restart Plan including family and school responsibilities, and a look at the increased safety measures.

What will schools look like?
SD83 will follow the expectations of the Ministry which includes voluntary in-class instruction across the district while continuing to support vulnerable learners and students with designated special needs.
Each class and school in SD83 may look different as each situation is being tailored to the number of students who choose to return to school and the number that continue with home learning opportunities.
Children attending school in K-5 will be learning and playing outside more frequently (playgrounds are open) and washing their hands more frequently. Schools will have daytime custodial staff cleaning as students are in the school. Each class will also have sanitizer and disinfectant to use as needed.

Busing
SD83 will follow the Provincial Guidelines of one student per seat, or two students per seat if from the same household. It will take some time to finalize this plan. Transportation is reviewing survey information from parents on who needs busing and is adapting/customizing routes to fit student/school needs. Parents will be contacted by email or phone about pick up times if they have requested busing.

If you are interested in further information please follow these Ministry links to additional resources:
Supporting the K-12 Education Response to COVID-19 in B.C.
MOE K-12 Provincial COVID Health & Safety Guidelines
Centre for Disease Control – Health Guidelines for the Education Sector
WorkSafe BC Education Protocols
B.C. K – 12 Education Restart Plan

SD83 recently sent an email and survey to all our parents (with an email listed with their children’s school). By any chance did we miss you?

With the positive news about the decline in COVID-19 comes recent direction from the Ministry of Education to re-open our schools effective June 1, 2020, to provide additional in-class instruction. Parents will still have the option of keeping their children at home, and some home learning opportunities will continue on-line until the end of the school year.

Stage 3 of the Ministry plan allows for students in kindergarten to grade five to attend up to two to three days per week, with students in grades six through twelve attending up to one day per week. Schools will be open five days a week for children of Tier 1 Essential Services Workers and students requiring additional supports. Busing will be available with capacity limits in place.

We are following all Health and Safety Guidelines from the Provincial Health Officer, WorkSafe BC and the Ministry of Education in order to ensure that our schools are safe places to learn and to work. These guidelines include having no more than 50% of students in attendance in grades K-5 and no more than 20% of students in grades 6-12 at any given time.

In order to meet all of the Health and Safety Guidelines, including the limits described above, we will need to know which students will be returning to schools in the coming weeks. Additional surveys will follow shortly to gather more specific information as June 1st draws closer.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE OUR K-5 RETURN TO SCHOOL SURVEY

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE OUR GRADES 6-12 RETURN TO SCHOOL SURVEY

Thank you!