Dear parents and guardians:
Thank you all for your hard work, patience, and courage during these last weeks. Young people across our District are learning in new ways because we have all worked together to keep them at the heart of what we do.
We are following the Provincial directive to continue educating learners and serving the other vital roles that schools play in communities. Whether providing on-site learning services for more than 550 children of front-line workers or distributing over 7,000 meals a week to students, our school communities continue to do their part in fighting this pandemic.
We appreciate our students who are responding to the challenges with kindness and resilience. From the youngest learners connecting remotely with their classmates to our student leaders on District Student Council finding new ways to connect with their peers, we see innovation, collaboration, and contribution at all levels of the school system.
Physical distancing is not easy on us, but it is clearly helping. We sincerely appreciate the ways that everyone is doing their part to keep us all safe: staff establishing and following safety protocols at our schools, people working remotely, and students finding ways to stay connected to their school communities. Students, we know there are many things you miss but you're helping everyone stay safe and we look forward to getting back to normal as soon as possible.
When teachers began connecting with families in the first days after Spring Break, they took on the new challenge of discovering how over 23,000 unique students would learn remotely. Since then, our Learning Technology Department coordinated the delivery of over 2,000 devices to make sure each student can connect to their classes. While learning looks different right now, our commitment to learning together remains the same. We encourage parents or guardians to contact school staff with any questions or feedback.
The Board of Education would also like to acknowledge the leadership in our District, who developed a Learning Framework to move us forward. At every level, our staff continues to ensure our District is a leader in progressive education.
Our Board committees continue to meet for planning and budget development. Although we have to reschedule our strategic planning, we still want to hear your thoughts and priorities. Public Board of Education meetings also continue uninterrupted. We are now meeting through ZOOM and community members can join us on line. Information on upcoming meetings is posted on the School District website.
Trustees continue to work within our communities. We hope you will reach out to us to help us understand your personal experiences of the changes to learning. Trustees' contact information can be found on the School District Website under Board of Education.
Thank you all for helping us continue to fulfill our mission and the priorities set out by the Provincial Health Officer and the Minister of Education.
Be safe, be kind, and stay connected. Yours sincerely,
Central Okanagan Board of Education