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.

Girl’s Jamboree  Tuesday March 3rd  @ Belmont High School  3:30 pm

Boy’s Jamboree Thursday March 5th  @ Belmont High School 3:30 pm

NED’s Mindset Mission was very inspiring this past week. The Yo-Yo’s for the “pay it forward” campaign will be sold this week at recess and after school on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Children will have an opportunity to practise their yo-yoing skills in the NED zone at recess and lunchtime this week.

            NED stands for:

                        Never give up

                        Encourage others

                        Do your best

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.

PAC MESSAGE: The spring dance is coming up on March 6th and the PAC is asking for parent volunteers to make the event a success. If you are available for a shift or two please sign up here:https://signup.com/mobileweb/2.0/vspot.html?activitykey=237013184952972056#anonymous_invite_page

The school dance is for RUTH KING students only and the children must be accompanied by an adult.

Coming Up:

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.

PAC MESSAGE: The spring dance is coming up on March 6th and the PAC is asking for parent volunteers to make the event a success. If you are available for a shift or two please sign up here:https://signup.com/mobileweb/2.0/vspot.html?activitykey=237013184952972056#anonymous_invite_page

The school dance is for RUTH KING students only and the children must be accompanied by an adult.

I hope you all had a fabulous long weekend with your family. The weather seems to be getting a little better and the cherry blossoms have popped out over the weekend. Time to start thinking about starting some seeds indoors if you are a gardener. Enjoy the day off tomorrow!

This Week:

Messages:

• 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.
• Please remember to drop your children off on Madson Road rather than at the front entrance of the school. It is much safer on Madson Road. Thank you for your attention to this.
• Please send a spare set of clothes to school with your child in case they get wet at recess or lunch. It has been very rainy lately so it is important to send them to school with rain gear or an umbrella as we go outside at recess and lunch.

PAC MESSAGE: The spring dance is coming up on March 6th and the PAC is asking for parent volunteers to make the event a success. If you are available for a shift or two please sign up here:https://signup.com/mobileweb/2.0/vspot.html?activitykey=237013184952972056#anonymous_invite_page

The school dance is for RUTH KING students only and the children must be accompanied by an adult.

Coming Up: