Message to In-Person Families re: Shift to Remote Learning

This evening, the DDSB sent the following messages to in-person families with information following today’s announcement by the Government of Ontario that all schools will be moving to remote learning until at least January 17.

Message to Elementary In-Person Families RE Temporary Shift to Remote Learning

January 3, 2022

Subject Line: Temporary Shift to Remote Learning

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Further to last week’s announcement delaying the start of school, the Government of Ontario announced today that all schools will move to remote learning until at least Monday, January 17.

Elementary schools will begin remote learning on Thursday, January 6 once elementary schools have been able to deploy technology to any families who do not have access to a learning device. Your child’s school will be seeking more information on families’ technology needs. Please note that we do not have sufficient devices for every student and this initial deployment will focus on one device per household.

Your child’s school will be in touch on Wednesday to outline the plan and schedule for remote learning during this time. By then, we will be able to develop school-wide schedules that meet the requirements of remote learning and make arrangements for any staff absences.

During this temporary period of remote learning, the vast majority of students with special education needs will also access remote learning. School teams will be connecting directly with families/caregivers to plan for consideration of remote learning, and where essential and learning needs cannot be accommodated remotely, for in-person learning.

As the situation continues to evolve, we will not be sharing additional information about changes to in-person health and safety measures until the in-person return date is confirmed. Schools will also not be open for students to come in and access any materials at this time.

With the uncertainty of the Omicron variant and its impact on school operations, we will be delaying the option to change elementary learning preferences to/from DDSB@Home until we receive more information from the province about learning modes for this school year. More information will be shared once we have a better understanding of future direction from the Ministry of Education.

We know that this additional change can be challenging for many, however, this is being done in accordance with today’s announcement by the Province to temporarily move to a modified step two of the roadmap to reopen to help stop the spread of COVID-19 Omicron variant.

We recognize that this shutdown will have an impact on many families that we serve, and our goal is to support your child through what may be an unsettling time. We also recognize the complexities of both DDSB staff and parents/guardians having work responsibilities at the same time students are learning from home and the additional stressors that may cause. We, therefore, ask for your continued understanding as we all work through less than ideal circumstances. These last two years have impacted well-being and mental health for many and the more we can be compassionate about others' circumstances, the better we will emerge as a community from this pandemic.

Please continue to follow the advice of the Government of Ontario to stay safe. Thank you in advance for your understanding during this unusual time.

Sincerely,

Norah Marsh
Director of Education

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Message to Secondary In-Person Families RE Temporary Shift to Remote Learning

January 3, 2022

Subject Line: Temporary Shift to Remote Learning

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Further to last week’s announcement delaying the start of school, the Government of Ontario announced today that all schools will move to remote learning until at least Monday, January 17.

Secondary schools will begin remote learning on Wednesday, January 5. As the situation continues to evolve, we will not be sharing additional information about changes to in-person health and safety measures until the in-person return date is confirmed. Schools will also not be open for students to come in and access any materials at this time.

During this temporary period of remote learning, the vast majority of students with special education needs will also access remote learning. School teams will be connecting directly with families/caregivers to plan for consideration of remote learning, and where essential and learning needs cannot be accommodated remotely, for in-person learning.

We know that this additional change can be challenging for many, however, this is being done in accordance with today’s announcement by the Province to temporarily move to a modified step two of the roadmap to reopen to help stop the spread of COVID-19 Omicron variant.

We recognize that this shutdown will have an impact on many families that we serve, and our goal is to support your child through what may be an unsettling time. We also recognize the complexities of both DDSB staff and parents/guardians having work responsibilities at the same time students are learning from home and the additional stressors that may cause. We, therefore, ask for your continued understanding as we all work through less than ideal circumstances. These last two years have impacted well-being and mental health for many and the more we can be compassionate about others' circumstances, the better we will emerge as a community from this pandemic.

Please continue to follow the advice of the Government of Ontario to stay safe. Thank you in advance for your understanding during this unusual time.

Sincerely,

Norah Marsh
Director of Education