May 27, 2020 – Update on the Rest of the School Year

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Thank you for your ongoing contributions to our online learning program and the support you’ve provided to your children as we move towards the conclusion of this unprecedented academic year. Here is an outline with key information for the rest of the school year:

Report cards

• The Ministry of Education has directed school boards to provide final report cards for all students at the end of the academic year.  
• A student’s lower assessment results or inability to participate during the closure will not negatively impact the final grades on their report card. 
• If a student has demonstrated sufficient improvement in a subject during online learning to raise their grade, this will be reflected in their final report card.
• Students’ grades on the final report card will not be lower than those on the Term 2 report card. 
• Subjects that were not addressed online this term will be identified as ‘N/A.’
• Final report cards will be released on June 23, 2020, on QuickSchools.

Grade 7 and 8 final exams

• We will hold our annual end-of-year exams in Grades 7 and 8 in order to provide our students with a first experience in studying for and writing exams prior to high school, but there will be modifications.
• There will be a one-hour exam in Math and Science, and a final project in French. These assessments will be worth 5% of the overall term mark and focus on topics covered during the final term. 
• Teachers will hold sessions on how to prepare and provide study notes. Learning how to study for an exam is as important as writing it!
• The Math exam will be held on June 15; the Science exam and French assignment will be held/due on June 16.
• Exam results will only affect the final report card mark if they increase the student’s Term 3 grade.

Dates for parents to pick up/drop off children’s belongings, books and instruments

• To ensure safe social distancing, we have designated the following days for one parent to visit the school and collect/drop-off items as needed. 
• SK-Grade 6: June 15 and 16
• Grade 7 and 8: June 17 and 19
• Homeroom teachers will share more details regarding procedures and precautions for staff and parents in separate emails closer to the dates noted. 

Graduation ceremonies 

• Graduation ceremonies are a necessary and important conclusion for our students’ academic year and will take place virtually this June.
• Each grade will participate in a virtual ceremony scheduled on one of the following dates: June 19, 22, and 23. 
• Grade 8 students will also have a virtual graduation ceremony on the evening of June 17.
• Event details will be shared in a separate email to each grade’s parents next week.

Next year – 2020/21

• The school year begins on September 8, 2020. 
• We look forward to returning to our classrooms. Our focus will be to transition back to our classrooms in the safest way possible.
• We will begin the academic year with the assessment of our student’s skills and knowledge to identify gaps related to core subject expectations likely resulting from the pandemic closure of schools.
• We will structure our curriculum to resolve these gaps within the first few weeks of Term 1.
• Specific details of our fall program will be outlined in upcoming communications as we receive more information from the Province and Ministry.