All K to 5 families are invited to participate in a virtual Family Literacy Games Night on Wednesday March 9th!

Participating families will receive a free Family Literacy Kit (includes letter tiles, word cards, dice, and game boards) to use during the session, as families learn fun ways to support literacy skills at home. Interested families must register by Tuesday, February 15th so the kits can be ordered and sent home with students prior to the March 9th session. A huge thanks to LASS (Literacy Alliance of the Shuswap Society) for their financial support and partnership with this event.

Registration deadline: February 15th

Registration link: https://forms.office.com/r/8Pve8nyGid

*Games Night Zoom link and Family Literacy Kits will be sent home prior to the session

Public Health and the Ministry of Education have recently updated recommendations and requirements around managing COVID-19.

Click on the link for the Daily Health Check and What To Do If You Are Sick document from public health. The Ministry’s K-12 Daily Health Check app/website is currently being updated and will be available soon.

The main message continues to be please stay home if you are sick, and to use all layers of protection available to you (vaccinations, hand hygiene, and masking). COVID-19 testing is no longer recommended for those with mild symptoms that can be managed at home. School COVID-19 Safety Plans (including hand hygiene and masking inside the school) remain the same.

There are some other changes, including how long someone with COVID-19 has to self-isolate. Please refer to the chart below:

Between January 22nd – 29th, there will be a variety of activities taking place throughout several communities in School District No. 83. We hope families take advantage of some of these opportunities and unplug from the devices and enjoy some of these activities as a family. Thank you to the Literacy Alliance of the Shuswap Society (LASS) for planning and organizing the events!!

As we prepare for your child(ren)’s return to school on January 10th, I want to express my sincere appreciation to you for your patience and understanding regarding some of the adjustments made based on the Addendums to the Provincial COVID-19 Communicable Disease Guidelines for K-12 Settings and Public Health Guidance for K-12 Schools.

In accordance with the advice and direction from the Provincial Health Officer, masks remain an integral part of the safety protocol for COVID-19. Based on the direction of the Deputy Minister, SD83 will ensure that we have sufficient supplies of appropriate 3ply disposable masks for students. The safety of your children is a key priority for us. We will continue to monitor COVID-19 infections within our schools and adjust our plans accordingly. We are asking that you continue to monitor your children for symptoms each day. If your child(ren) is/are ill, please keep them at home. Principals have been directed to send children home who symptomatic or ill.

A very small number of masking exemptions apply according to the Public Health Order dated December 3, 2021 relative to face coverings. These exemptions include: psychological, behavioural or health conditions, and physical, cognitive, and mental impairment. We are asking that parents of children who fall into one of these categories to complete a district exemption form and discuss this with the principal of their child’s school. As part of the exemption process, there will be a requirement to discuss reasonable accommodations that can be made when a child is unable to wear a mask. These accommodations are student specific and will be determined based on the reason for the exemption. Strategies will be reinforced to ensure the safety of all children and staff. In rare circumstances there may not be a possible accommodation due to severe conditions or impairment.

The exemption form will be available from the principal of your child(ren)’s school. I wish to remind any parents who have previously declared their children “exempt” that they will also need to complete the form so that the accommodation strategies can be established for return to school on January 10, 2022. As a reminder, masking remains a requirement for students travelling on SD83 buses.

Thank you for your commitment to helping reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19 within our school populations. I am hopeful that if we all do our part, we will be successful at keeping our schools open for in person learning.

I understand that we are all tired of COVID-19. The teaching staff and support staff across the district have been nothing short of heroic through these times. They have gone above and beyond to maintain a

sense of calm within our schools and on our buses. I know they have placed the safety and well-being of students above their own. I am asking you as parents/caregivers/guardians to “please” consider the safety of our staff so that we can keep schools open for all children. I have great faith that even through difficult times we can continue to demonstrate care and respect for one another. I am hopeful that now more than ever, we will return to those core values and extend them to those who serve our children.

Thank you again for your understanding and cooperation. I know there are better days coming!

Sincerely,

Donna Kriger,
Superintendent of Schools
School District No. 83 (North Okanagan-Shuswap)

SD83 Superintendent of Schools Donna Kriger hopes people have it in their hearts to put differences aside and work together to help keep schools open during this time of skyrocketing cases of COVID-19.

“I hope everyone can work towards the goal of keeping schools open for our kids,” added Kriger. “I know people are experiencing COVID-fatigue, I know people have varying opinions around COVID, vaccinations, and masking. But, I also know people love their kids. Going to school, and in-person instruction, are very important for our kids’ mental and physical well-being.”

When the region’s lower than provincial average vaccination rates, lower rates of masking, and SD83’s limited numbers of on-call staff, are coupled with the increase in cases across the province, there is the potential for severe staff shortages which could lead to functional school closures. Kriger and the team want to get ahead of this by appealing to parents to help support measures to keep schools open.

READ KRIGER’S LETTER HERE

Kriger points out in her letter that what we know about the Omicron variant is that it is highly transmissible and has a much lower incubation period. “When I reflect about whether there is a better or more effective way of keeping our schools open for in-person instruction, I continue to come back to reducing the chances of transmission within our schools. One of the easiest ways of accomplishing this is resorting to what we learned as kids, that being proper hand hygiene. As a parent I also taught my kids to respect others by covering their nose or mouth when they were coughing or sneezing. It seems simple but we all know how those sneezes and coughs can slip out before we know it.”

“Procedural, surgical, and medical grade masks have proven to be effective in reducing the transmission of viruses. Knowing that Omicron is highly contagious, my reflection also leads me to consider how masking has been approached and if there is a more effective way of doing it in the future. Beginning January 4th, our district will be working to procure a limited supply of N95 masks for staff. In addition to this, we will be sending additional procedural masks to schools for students to use in place of their cloth masks.”

Procedural masks are breathable disposable masks designed for one-time use typically in medical environments. They are used to protect both those wearing them and those around them from the transfer of respiratory droplets by coughing, sneezing or talking.

Kriger adds schools will continue following their safety plans and safety measures including hand hygiene, physical distancing, and increased ventilation. “Our Board of Education of School District No. 83 is committed to ensuring all of our students, staff and schools are safe.”