Community

DECEMBER 7, 2020 -- Regina Public Schools is announcing that all schools will move to temporary remote learning. Effective December 14, 2020, all Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 12 students in all elementary and high school classes will move from in-class learning to remote learning, and will return to in-class learning on January 11, 2021.

All Regina Public Schools staff will continue to work safely in schools and offices. Teachers and school-based staff will provide ongoing online learning coursework and resources for all students to continue their learning for the weeks of December 14^th and January 4^th, with the scheduled holiday break taking place from December 21, 2020 to January 1, 2021.

The decision, locally made by Regina Public Schools, to move to remote learning for all students is a proactive intervention to ensure safe continued learning for students, for the health of all student and employee families, and for the ongoing business continuity of the School Division and its schools.

Regina Public Schools hopes to avoid a prolonged move to Level 4 remote learning across the division and in all schools by taking this proactive intervention, by adding one week of remote learning to either side of the scheduled holiday break. Provisions have been made to allow high school students to complete Quint 2 classes before December 18^th and for all elementary students to continue their learning during that period.

As of December 7, 2020, Regina Public Schools has seen:

• 63 student and 26 staff COVID-19 positive cases
• 39 (out of 57) schools affected
• 56 classrooms closed
• 8 elementary schools closed, 1 collegiate closed
• More than 8,422 employee absence days so far this year (24% more than at this point in a typical year)
• More than 1,100 employee absence days due to quarantine leave
• Chronic shortfall of replacement staff due to more employee absences and a reduced pool of available substitute staff
• Growing anxiety and other mental health challenges to all employees and students

Safe operation of schools requires an appropriate number of adults in the buildings. Teachers, support staff, administrators and facilities staff are all essential to student safety. Increased employee absenteeism due to COVID-19 and our inability to fill those absences is challenging the ability of school staff to keep students safe.

Business continuity is an important element of this proactive intervention. By reducing the number of people in all schools and buildings and allowing for more physical distancing, the fear and anxiety of becoming exposed to COVID-19 at work may be minimized. Taking these temporary measures will ensure that students will continue with uninterrupted learning. Also weighed in the decision were the following key benefits:

• Teachers and all employees can continue to teach and work without disruption. Currently, the impact of one school-based student or staff member diagnosed with COVID-19 can affect multiple people in a school. This proactive intervention can help ensure that a single case will not disrupt and affect the learning and working of many others.
• Students can learn from home without the fear of exposure to COVID-19 at school or of exposing others.
• High school students can complete Quint 2 and be ready for Quint 3 in January.
• As a measured action to reduce in-school risk, this proactive intervention may allow all schools and buildings to reopen and in-class learning to resume on January 11^th.
• Attempt to reduce possibility of a long-term School Division-wide move to Level 4 described in COVID-19 Response Plan.
• The School Division will continue to provide supports for vulnerable students, such as community food programs and the provision of devices for students that need them to learn remotely.

The Regina Board of Education supports this move to a proactive intervention. Currently, more than 1,000 families have had to plan, almost overnight, for their children to learn from home when a classroom or school is closed. It is hoped that this plan provides families the peace of mind that students will continue their learning and will not get sick at school or be identified as a close contact and have to be quarantined from their loved ones over the holiday period.

This is a summary of the schedule for all students of Regina Public Schools for Monday, December 14, 2020 to Monday, January 11, 2021:

The Organizational Meeting of the Regina Board of Education was held on November 17, 2020. Mr. Adam Hicks was declared elected by acclamation to the office of Chairperson, and Ms. Tara Molson was declared elected to the position of Vice-Chairperson, both effective immediately.

In addition, the Board adopted the following motion:

That, during the period December 2020 to September 2021, regular meetings of the Board be held on the following days:

Tuesday, December 8, 2020      Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Tuesday, January 12, 2021        Tuesday, May 4, 2021

Tuesday, February 9, 2021        Tuesday, May 25, 2021

Tuesday, March 2, 2021            Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Tuesday, March 23, 2021          Tuesday, September 7, 2021

commencing at 5:30 p.m., to be held at the Regina Public School Board Office, 1600 4th Avenue, Regina, unless otherwise scheduled by resolution; and that the 2021 Organizational Meeting be held on Tuesday, September 28, 2021, at 5:30 p.m., in the Regina Public School Board Office, 1600 4th Avenue, Regina.

More information about the newly elected and re-elected trustees and the subdivisions they serve, meeting agendas and meeting minutes can be found at https://www.reginapublicschools.ca/board_meetings.

Because of COVID-19 restrictions, ongoing health and safety protocols, and until further notice, meetings of the Regina Board of Education will be closed to the public. They are, however, live streamed and recorded for public viewing. To see the board proceedings from the November 17th meeting, to watch previously held meetings or to watch any future meeting, please visit https://www.reginapublicschools.ca/watch_board_meetings.

NOVEMBER 17, 2020 -- Please click on the letter below to read an important message from the Saskatchewan Association of School Business Officials (SASBO), Saskatchewan School Boards Association (SSBA) and Saskatchewan League of Educational Administrators, Directors & Superintendents (LEADS), requesting that we all do our part to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Regina Public Schools is an active member of each one of these Saskatchewan education sector organizations.

Open Letter from Saskatchewan’s Education Partners

NOVEMBER 5, 2020 – Effective Monday, November 9, 2020, all Regina Public Schools students from Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 12 will be required to wear a non-medical  mask in school and on school buses. This change comes at a time when all schools and the school division are working to focus on limiting health risks to students and staff and to minimize disruptions to student learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Please read the letter to all parents and guardians from Director of Education Greg Enion. It explains the background and the rationale for this decision.

We have also updated a number of documents to reflect this change. This is a great time to review these documents below.

If you have any questions, please direct them to your school principal.

Re-open Plan

Return-to-School Parent Handbook

Return-to-School Safety Plan Poster

OCTOBER 22, 2020 -- A key component of keeping Regina Public Schools students breathing safely at our schools and buildings is the installation of new air filtration systems. The filter technology is called bipolar ionization. This technology:

• Reduces particles and smoke in the air
• Kills pathogens (bacteria, viruses, molds) including human influenza viruses, coronavirus and SARS
• Helps control allergens and asthma

Following a request for proposal process, work on acquiring these units began in September and Phase One is estimated to be complete by the end of November. This first phase includes installing systems on rooftop units, unit ventilators and furnaces. Phase Two is anticipated to begin in late November once the equipment arrives and will include the installation of large-scale air handling units on school buildings.

Regina Public Schools staff and external contractors, who are following all safety protocols and are focussed on minimizing any disruption to school staff and students, are doing work. This complex work involves more than 800 individual installations. Work is proceeding well with Phase One approximately 25 per cent complete as of October 21, 2020. Regina Public Schools appreciates the understanding and patience of staff and school families as work is done to complete this important component of the Regina Public Schools Return-to-School Safety Plan.

October 22, 2020 -- Provincial and civic elections are around the corner. The provincial election will be held on October 26, 2020. Twenty-six Regina Public schools will be used as polling stations. This day is a school division-wide professional development day and there will be no students in schools. School staff will be at work on those days.

For the safety of staff and voters, we have worked with Elections Saskatchewan to ensure that all voting activities and elections staff follow health and safety protocols, including the use of different entrances and exits for school staff and for voters.

The civic election for City Council and School Boards is on November 9, 2020. The majority of the 13 schools hosting polls will have virtual conferences with parents on that day, meaning students will not be at school, although staff will be working. Regina Public Schools has worked with Elections Regina to ensure that all safety protocols are in place for the safety of staff and students.

Regina Public Schools asks all voters and members of the public to follow the signage and rules that Elections Saskatchewan and Elections Regina will have posted and will be monitoring at all of our buildings. For the safety of everyone in our schools, we also ask all voters and visitors to our schools to wear non-medical or disposal masks.

For more information about the provincial election, please visit www.elections.sk.ca. For the civic election, please visit www.regina.ca/elections.

OCTOBER 20, 2020 -- Winter conditions have now arrived so it's time to take extra precautions to avoid slips, trips and falls.

Please CLICK HERE for some winter safety tips.

OCTOBER 15, 2020 -- As COVID-19 cases increase in our city, Regina Transit is reminding all passengers to continue to wear masks on public transit. Starting on October 19, 2020, Regina Transit will be denying service to elementary and high school students who do not wear a mask or alternative face coverings while boarding and riding the bus.

If students do not have a mask, it is recommended that they source one to avoid being denied rides in the future. Passengers can wear non-medical face masks, including alternative coverings like a bandana in two layers wrapped around the mouth and nose. It is important to note that mask exemptions are still in place for children under five years of age, persons with medical conditions, or those who cannot place or remove masks without assistance.

Mask use should be combined with other protective measures, such as physical distancing and proper hygiene, including hand washing, not touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands, and, of course, staying home if you are not feeling well.

SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 -- Before school, check for symptoms. If not feeling well, stay home and call 811. Use the SHA online self-assessment tool. Please contact school if student will be away. Remember that students with any cold or flu-like symptoms should not return to school until they have been symptom free for 48 hours.

See the Regina Public Schools’ Return-to-School Safety Plan infographic and read the Return-to-School Parent/Caregiver Handbook.

SEPTEMBER 25, 2020 -- With the fall weather moving Canadians indoors, it's important that all tools be used to fight the spread of COVID-19. Health Canada has requested that we share information about the COVID-19 alert app for all of our school families and staff. Please consider downloading this app.

To view the Health Canada poster, please CLICK HERE.