Dear Parents/Guardians,

As you have likely heard by now, all BC school districts are moving toward a return to in-class instruction. This will be different from how on-site learning was delivered prior to spring break.

The next step provides parents of Kindergarten to Grade 5 students with the option of sending their children back to classrooms on a part-time, voluntary basis.

To help us plan for what this will look like we need to have a sense of how many students might return on a voluntary, part-time basis.  Please take a couple of moments to complete this short online survey as soon as you are able: https://www.sd62.bc.ca/survey-return-in-class-instructions

 We understand it may be difficult to decide on whether or not to send your children to school. When we know how many children to expect, we can work out the details of what part-time in-class instruction will look like and will share that with you well before your children return. 

 Our school and school district continue to follow the guidance and directives from the Provincial Health Officer, public health and the Ministry of Education and your children’s health and safety is always top of our minds. 

Thank you in advance for your help and continued patience and understanding.

 Respectfully,

Ms.V.Ives

Hello Families;

We miss you! Here is a video made by Mr. Stephenson, with dancing and messages from the Ruth King staff, that goes out to all of our students and their families. Thanks to all who participated.

We are thinking about you! Click here to get dancing!

Hello Families,

Once again I hope you are all doing well.  I have had a chance to touch base with some parents/guardians over the last few weeks but wanted to let you know that I am truly missing all of you and the children.

This is just a reminder that the Frozen Food Program is continuing as usual and will be handed out on Mondays from 12:00pm to 12:45pm for Ruth King families and 12:45pm to 1:30pm for Spencer families.  If you have children in both schools, you can come in any time between 12:00pm and 1:30pm.

The meals will be handed out in the caged area by the intermediate playground.  Please remember to follow the physical distancing rules stated,  wear gloves when picking up the food, and bring a bag to put your food in.  If you have not signed up and would like to join the program, please email me back and I will add you to the list.  Please remember to pick up your food, as our freezers will only hold so much food and I will have to give your food away if you do not pick up during these times.  If these times do not work for your schedule, please let me know and I can make arrangements with you individually.  Take care and be safe!

Here is a message from the District:

Please remind your families that our school play grounds are off limits. Our fields are open for individual play (not for groups or organized sports) and that though we love pets, dogs are not allowed on school grounds and we appreciate families’ continued attention to that.

While schools are closed to in class instruction, most school zone speed limits don’t apply. However, the 30 km/hr speed zones around schools where we are providing care for the children of essential service workers (Saseenos, Colwood and Lakewood) DO still apply. It is important that we are mindful of this for the safety of the students and staff at those sites.

Respectfully,   Ms.V. Ives

Welcome back from Spring Break!  I know that this break was not exactly how everyone envisioned it to be but I hope you are all staying safe and home as much as possible.

At this point, your child’s teacher will have reached out to you in the form of an email or a phone call.  The purpose of this is to connect with families and to find out how the school can support you and your children in this very unique learning situation.  This week is a planning week, where we are gathering information from families, and planning our lessons accordingly.  We will be starting at some point next week.  Every teacher is doing their own planning, sometimes in grade groups, and sometimes not.  We are trying to be as consistent as possible across the district.  Please respond to your child’s teacher as soon as possible so that the lessons can move forward.

Ruth King Elementary School has a lunch program that we would like to continue in a modified fashion.  The delivery of food will take place on Monday’s at Ruth King in the covered caged area from 12:00pm to 12:45pm. The meals will be frozen and will be for the entire school week. (5 days)  Please fill out this form attached if you will take advantage of this service so that we know how many meals to prepare.  See you on Monday for pick up.

Here is the link to the survey:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSes8-lN9WOBGqcTtOv4Z7j5hxmNuFzxsA8w3Wzk-rPfM74dGA/viewform?usp=pp_url

Respectfully – Ms. V. Ives

March 27, 2020

Message to SD62 Families,

Dear Students and Families,

I hope this letter finds you all healthy and in relatively good spirits in this unprecedented time. I want to thank you for your patience as we draw to the end of our spring break and prepare for a very different conclusion to the school year.  I know that many of you are concerned about your health and well-being as well as the continuation of educational programs.

By now, you will be aware that the Ministry of Education, under the advice of Dr. Bonnie Henry, the Provincial Health Officer, has closed schools to in-class instruction. Schools will continue to provide learning opportunities for students in a different and reduced manner.

Parents should not plan on dropping their children off at schools next week as per normal practice.  If there is an urgent need for childcare please email the District at info@sd62.bc.ca.

The Ministry of Education has set the following four priorities for school districts at this time:

1. Maintain a healthy and safe environment for all students and families and all employees.
2. Provide services to support children of essential workers.
3. Support vulnerable students who may need special assistance.
4. Provide continuity of educational opportunities for all students.

Most of our staff will be working remotely from home for the next while as we await further direction from health officials.  This will mean that schools will only be available to the public through pre-arranged appointments with the school principal or vice-principal.  Signs will be located on all school main entrances indicating the best phone number or email address to contact school officials.  This will allow us to ensure that our schools remain clean and disinfected for the safety of those staff that will be required to work on site.

Because this is all new to us, we will be asking teachers and other staff to use the week of March 30 to April 3 as a planning week.  Teachers will begin to provide learning opportunities as soon as practical and no later than mid-April in keeping with the Minister of Education’s directions.  During this time, you can expect your classroom teachers to reach out to you to check in and assess the ability of families to connect online for learning.  This will take us some time to organize and fine tune, so we ask for your continued patience with us as we slowly get this up and running.

In these times of uncertainty and angst, families have many things to think about. While we want to ensure continuity of learning, we are also cognizant of overwhelming families with educational demands.  Please keep in mind that there is no intent to replicate a regular school day virtually for all students.  Teachers will be providing essential learning as well as opportunities for teachers to connect directly with students.  We will also provide links to resources on our website for families looking to supplement their children’s learning.

The school district is also committed to supporting families of essential service providers.  The Government of BC has developed a list of essential services to assist in this determination.  When teachers reach out to families, they will be asking about this and directing families to an online portal to register for services.

To our grade 12 students, wondering about scholarships, graduation and post-secondary transition, we will be sending information out to you specifically in the coming days.

I would encourage parents to check our district website at www.sd62.bc.ca for the latest updates related to COVID-19 and the District’s response.

Please take this time to follow the advice of health professionals, particularly Dr. Bonnie Henry, by maintaining physical distancing, observing proper health etiquette and staying home as much as possible. It is important that while we distance ourselves physically we still maintain social contact.  I encourage you to connect with your friends and family whether it be through text, email or phone calls. Let’s all look out for one another.

Take care,

Scott Stinson,

Superintendent of Schools, School District #62 (Sooke)

Due to recommendations from the province to not hold events greater than 250 people, tonight’s Open House & Literacy Fair has been cancelled.

Thank you for all the support in “paying it forward” for another school to get the Mindset Mission Presentation. We sold many, many yo-yos and brought in over $1000.00 to go toward another school’s event. Way to go Ruth King! Hopefully your children are enjoying the yo-yos and are learning to do some of the tricks outlined in the guide.

Thank you also goes out to the PAC for organizing the “Spring Dance” and for those of you who volunteered at the dance or by making cupcakes etc. The kids had a blast!

It’s Literacy Week and we have several things happening. Please see the schedule below.

This Week:

Messages:

• Please send a spare set of clothes to school with your child in case they get wet at recess or lunch. Please also LABEL your children’s clothing and other items. Our lost and found is overflowing with unclaimed items!! We end up taking bags of items to the thrift store because items are not claimed.
• NO HOME TOYS AT SCHOOL – Reminder to check your child’s backpack before sending them to school. Some students are still bringing toys to school from home. This includes sports equipment such as basketballs etc. “Show and Tell” items are okay.
• Cell phones need to stay in student back packs while at school. There is a school phone for students to use in case of an emergency.
• Please remember to drop your children off on Matson Road rather than at the front entrance of the school. It is much safer on Matson Road. Thank you for your attention to this.

Coming Up:

For your reference we have included the letter sent to all families on March 4th.

COVID-19 Letter to Parents – March 4, 2020[3]

A few reminders to stay healthy during this time: 

• Wash hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds,
  or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer especially after coughing or sneezing
• Cough and sneeze into arm or tissue
• Stay home if your kids are not feeling well
• Keep hands away from face and mouth
• Stay healthy by eating healthy foods, keeping physically active, and getting enough sleep

If your child is absent please email  the school at  ruthking@sd62.bc.ca .   Please indicate your child’s first and last name and reason for absence.   The safe arrival phone is no longer used for this purpose.