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May 14, 2020

Important CoVID 19 Information

Dear SCS Community,

Independent Schools COVID-19 Update – June 1, 2020

Please watch Dr. Henry’s message to teachers and staff as more children went back to classrooms today: https://youtu.be/Aieq1MWFHXA

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix announced 24 new cases of COVID-19 in B.C. over the past two days (9 new cases Sunday and 15 new cases today), bringing the total number of cases to 2597. The joint statement will soon be posted on the Ministry of Health newsroom – https://news.gov.bc.ca/ministries/health

PARENTS – please read! Minister Fleming along with  BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils and la Fédération des parents francophones de la C.-B have written a letter to parents. Please the letter available in English, French and Chinese on our website at: www.gov.bc.ca/SafeSchools

Useful Links

• May 15 – News release – Part time return to school for K to 12 students to begin on June 1^st– https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2020PREM0026-000890

• May 6 – B.C.’s Restart Plan news release – https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2020PREM0026-000826
• May 6 – As part the Restart Plan news release, the province outlined the Ministry of Education’s five stage approach to supporting students, families and staff in a backgrounder – https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/BG_Parks_and_Sites_and_In-Class_Learning.pdf

• Check out the Good News in Education webpage: https://www.gov.bc.ca/safeschools/goodnews
• The BC Centre for Disease Control’s COVID-19 dashboard: http://www.bccdc.ca/hea…/diseases-conditions/covid-19/data
• The Ministry of Education Keep Learning website– https://www.openschool.bc.ca/keeplearning/

• “7 Tips for talking to kids about COVID-19” poster on the Fraser Health website – https://www.fraserhealth.ca/health-topics-a-to-z/coronavirus/resources#.XqHcNc5KhPZ

• May 15 – Frequent Asked Questions “Continuity of Learning in the K-12 education system” – https://www.gov.bc.ca/safeschools
• Education Minister Rob Fleming announces on March 17, 2020 in-school classes are suspended until further notice. The Minister’s letter to parents and staff can be found at: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/administration/kindergarten-to-grade-12/safe-caring-orderly/218690-covid-letter.pdf
• Information about COVID-19, including information for schools and families, is regularly updated on the BC Centre for Disease Control site: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/childcare-schools
• All joint statements from Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Minister of Health Adrian Dix are posted here: https://news.gov.bc.ca/ministries/health
• The Provincial Pandemic Coordination plan: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/health/about-bc-s-health-care-system/office-of-the-provincial-health-officer/reports-publications/pandemic-provincial-coordination-plan.pdf
• KIDS and COVID-19 QA:http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/coronavirus-(novel)#For–schools–and–childcare
• Ministry of Health response plans – https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/about-bc-s-health-care-system/office-of-the-provincial-health-officer/current-health-topics/pandemic-influenza

• Government of Canada – Novel Coronavirus in China Travel Health Notice: https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/health-safety/travel-health-notices/210

 

Our hope in sending out this communication is that you can have the most up-to-date information and can plan accordingly.  With that in mind, the following points should be noted:

These are unique times in which we find ourselves journeying together. I would invite each of us to exercise caution, not only for ourselves but also for those in our community for whom this virus presents a much higher risk.  Let’s collectively commit to praying for and supporting each other as a community.

While this is certainly a turbulent time, we also remain hopeful and optimistic knowing that our world belongs to God, and that He holds all of this in the palm of His hand. We continue to ask that you hold up our school community, and the health of our larger global community, in prayer. If you have further questions, please speak to your child’s campus principal.

In Christ,

Mark Nill
Sylvia DeWeerd
Danny Nagtegaal
Darry DeBoer
Dave Loewen
Matthew Beimers