Hello LKS Families.
We hope all of you are well.
Today will be our second last update for the 2019-20 school year. Time sure flies when we have been in COVID-Lockdown for 100+ days!?
Thank you for helping us make the pick-up of student belongings relatively smooth. We still have a few items throughout the school but overall did clear most items out. For those of you who might still have school items (i.e. library books, textbooks), please keep them safe over the summer and you can return them in the Fall.
We continue to wait for recommendations from the Ministry on schools reopening in the Fall. All parents did receive a survey this week and I encourage all of you to fill it out. Your voice is extremely important in these discussions. The link is below for your convenience.
In this weekly update you will find:
- Kindergarten Communication of Learning and Grade 1 to 8 Report Cards.
- Parent Survey on School Reopening.
- Guide to a Healthy Summer
1. Kindergarten Communication of Learning and Grade 1 to 8 Report Cards
During this exceptional school year, we would like to provide you with some information in advance of you receiving your child’s report. The Ministry of Education provided direction that all students will receive a report card in June. The Toronto District School Board will be providing electronic report cards for our students. Our goal is to have all electronic copies of report cards distributed to families by June 26. Families will be notified when their child’s electronic report card is ready and instructions for access to the report will be provided in that communication. The file will be password protected with information about the format of the password being sent in the email with the electronic report. If you do not have an email address on file, reports will be mailed home. There did appear to be some discrepancies with missing e-mail addresses sent to us by the Board, so you might get a hard copy in the mail and an electronic copy. If you do not receive anything for your child by Tuesday June 30, please e-mail me at john.currie@tdsb.on.ca and I will send you the report.
For students in JK to Grade 8, grades/comments will be determined based on their learning from the beginning of Term 2, January 20 to March 13, 2020. Students’ grades/marks should not be negatively affected by performance during online learning from home after the start of school closures due to COVID-19.
For grades 1 to 8, the code “I” is used on report cards in place of a grade/mark due to extenuating circumstances such as the current school closure, when there is insufficient evidence to determine a fair and valid grade/mark for report card purposes. It is important to note that this is not a penalty to the student, nor is it a statement about the student’s competence or capacity to learn.
Where instruction in a particular strand/subject began after the school closure, a grade/mark will not be provided. The teacher will use code “I” and may include the statement, “Due to the school closure period, there is insufficient information to determine a grade/mark.”
Note: In Grades 7 and 8, please disregard the Median column in this report card as the use of the “I” may result in some inaccuracies in calculations.
Comments may accompany a strand/subject that was reported as an “I.” Your child’s teacher will use their professional judgement to determine which aspects of learning to include in the comments related to what your child has learned, and possible strengths and next steps.
As always, the code NA is used when a subject or strand is addressed in another term.
2. Parent Survey on Reopening
As we look ahead to September, we know that school will look quite different as a result of continued efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19. We have been planning for our return considering all possibilities ensuring that student and staff well-being and safety is the priority. Much of the direction will come from both the Ministry of Education and Toronto Public Health and it is expected to be announced before the end of June, allowing us to plan and prepare throughout the summer.
We would also like to hear from you, our parent/guardian community, on your family’s experiences on remote learning, how you feel about returning to school, what concerns and expectations you may have and what supports you would like to see in place. Your feedback will help guide our conversations and ensure student voice is front and centre in our re-opening plans.
We invite you to complete this short survey by Tuesday, June 30. It should take no more than 10 minutes and is anonymous.
Also, we will be sending all students in Grades 7 to 12 a survey to their TDSB Gmail accounts. This survey provides an opportunity to share thoughts on their well-being, experiences on remote learning and their concerns and expectations about returning to school in the fall. Hearing directly from our students is important as we plan for the new year so please let them know to look out for it.
3. Guide to a Healthy Summer
Please take a moment to read through “A Guide to Having a Healthy Summer”, which is being shared by the TDSB’s Behaviour Regional Services Team. We hope that you find it helpful now and throughout the summer, as a reminder of some important things to keep in mind to keep our children safe and healthy, and how to connect with your children about these important topics as the summer goes on.
A Guide to Having a Healthy Summer.pdf
Have a great weekend.
John and Kimm
LKS Parent Council 