Monday Memo
Week of June 22, 2020
Race to the finish line.....
Well folks, we've almost made it! This was not written by me, but sums up best what I'd like you to know....
Dear Kawartha Heights,
Being an educator is a heavy responsibility. Everything is your fault if it goes wrong, the entire world is on your shoulders, and everyone is expecting you to have all of the answers. Unfortunately, this pandemic has placed you in a very unusual position. For the past few months, you've had to utter three words that you barely use, "I don't know."
Not knowing, places an educator in a very uncomfortable position. However, in the midst of not knowing, you discovered you knew exactly what to do, and that was to stay focused on the child. When schools shut down in March, immediately, there were discussions on " how will students eat, how will student's social-emotional needs be met, and how will we continue learning and recover lost learning? Did you notice the order of the questions you asked yourself? Look at what was last. It was the curriculum and content.
Therefore, even when you were beating yourself up for not knowing, you knew exactly what to do, and that was to focus on the people as opposed to pedagogy, points, and percentages. Think of the greatness that emerged during the pandemic: 1) increased parental engagement; 2) digital divide exposed; 3) teachers and students knowledge of e-learning improved immensely; 4) innovation is at the forefront of every decision; and 5) everybody is talking about education. Even though "we don't know" how school will look in the fall, we do know that we as educators will rise to the occasion and do what's best for our students. That's what we do! I'm excited about what's next!
Jenn
A little sneak peek at our "see you soon" video...
A few other bits of information......
Staffing Week
Just a little reminder that starting Monday, we are into CUPE staffing week. This is a very tense and stressful time for all our CUPE staff. Fingers, toes and anything else I can find are crossed hoping we get to stay together as a team next year. I will keep you apprised of any changes OR news that there is no change (I hope!).
Report Cards and IEP's
Thank you so much for all your hard work on these! Sherry and I will now be taking over and finishing the process of getting them out to parents and completing all that needs to happen with OSR's. You're finished!
Virtual Clap Out
Please join us on Monday at 10am to pre-record a virtual clap out for our Grade 6's. You can join on WebEx at: https://kprdsb.webex.com/meet/jsampson
Cleaning Products
Further to the information provided last week, the board has shared that Purell hand sanitizer and scent-free Lysol wipes are approved cleaning products. HOWEVER - if these products are to be used in schools, they are to be purchased by the school and stored safely. More information to come when we're back in August.
Summer Mental Health Supports
The Board has recently received additional Ministry funds to provide some mental health services to support students and families over the summer.
Below you will find a menu of services being offered, including individual and group counseling opportunities. The board is hoping to contact families as soon as possible, in order to obtain consent and start services during the week of July 6th.
Please consider your students and who may benefit from a referral. All services will be provided in a virtual platform by KPR professional services staff. If you have a student in mind that you think would benefit from participation in services please email me directly. I'll then ask you to speak to the family to see if they are interested. Once we have a list of students, I'll contact your Joe Hadzi who will follow up with parents to answer questions and obtain consent. Please note that space will be limited in order to keep the groups small and allow for interaction.
Interested in an AQ, ABQ or PQP Course this summer?
The attached flyer and information below provides information regarding Trent University’s online Summer AQ, ABQ and PQP courses. Courses are accredited by the Ontario College of Teachers and offer teachers the opportunity for continuation of their professional learning.
Please note that the deadline to register is June 29, 2020.
Supervision Schedule - September 2020 DRAFT
Attached below is the DRAFT Supervision Schedule for September 2020. Please know there is a good chance that this will change, once we have a better idea of what the school year will look like - but here it is for now. If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch.
Just one more thing....
Jennifer Sampson
Email: Jennifer_sampson@kprdsb.ca
Website: KawarthaHeights.kprdsb.ca
Location: 11 Kawartha Heights Blvd, Peterborough, ON, Canada
Phone: (705)742-7521
Twitter: @KawarthaHPS