Gift Lake School

**Parent and Public Sessions on the K-6 Draft Curriculum** On March 29, 2021, Minister of Education, the Honourable Adriana LaGrange released the draft Kindergarten to Grade 6 curriculum, which is available for review on www.alberta.ca/curriculum. Please visit www.alberta.ca/curriculum-have-your-say for a list of sessions and to register. Sessions will be offered in both English and French, during both the day and evening.... **Parent and Public Virtual Sessions** Albertans are invited to attend a virtual session hosted by Alberta Education staff. Register now: Wednesday, May 5 from 7 to 8:15 pm (English): https://us02web.zoom.us//register/WN_c8hcCZdRScyfBG2Vta9AWQ Thursday, May 6 from 2 to 3:15 pm (English): https://us02web.zoom.us//register/WN_4eiBk9_BTfOBl6qbIwbBKw Thursday, May 6 from 7 to 8:15 pm (French): https://us02web.zoom.us//register/WN_jp3PFxOySkW-1l-UX3c_fw Thursday, May 13 from 7 to 8:15 pm (English): https://us02web.zoom.us//register/WN_Z40s2a8QSquVxscWDVvoiA If you have questions about registration, please email [email protected].

Attention K-6 Parents/Guardians: If you have not picked up your child's package and chromebook please do so this morning. Please find a livestream class schedule and zoom etiquette reminder in this post. If you have any questions or technical problems please call Ms. Kristel at the school.

Important update for parents and guardians May 2, 2021 Dear Parents and Guardians:... We have been informed that three positive cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed at Gift Lake School. We are working closely with Alberta Health Services (AHS) to ensure that all necessary measures are in place to protect all students and staff. Out of an abundance of caution, the school custodial services team maintains a schedule of enhanced cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting protocols. This includes using the Clorox 360 machine to ensure all surfaces are properly disinfected and sanitized. Out of respect for the individuals and in accordance with AHS guidelines, we cannot disclose personal details. However, we are able to share that we learned about the positive case on May 1, 2021. Based on protocols by AHS, students/staff in Kindergarten to grade 6 are required to quarantine and transition to at-home learning until May 6, 2021. Students/staff in Kindergarten to grade 6 will return to in-school learning on May 7, 2021. Gift Lake School will continue to take the steps necessary to help mitigate the risks of COVID-19 transmission for the safety of students and staff. With everyone following protocols, we can be assured of a school environment that is as safe as is reasonably possible. Parents and guardians, we thank you for taking the time to have serious conversations with your children to reinforce how important it is to follow the safety guidelines and protocols, both in school and out. If you are looking for resources, please visit the Northland School Division Mental Health Resource webpage https://www.nsd61.ca//post/covid-19-mental-health-resources. We remind families to monitor for any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 using the Alberta Health Daily Checklist https://tinyurl.com/y2rwl5hx (see paper copy). Please remember to complete the checklist each day prior to attending school. If you or a member of your family has any symptoms of illness listed, please fill out the online AHS COVID-19 self-assessment or call Health Link at 811. Thank you for your continued support. Be safe. Sincerely, Dr. Nancy Spencer-Poitras Superintendent of Schools Northland School Division

Follow-up information from Alberta Health Services regarding a positive case at Gift Lake School

**New Bus App coming soon for NSD families** A new app will soon be available for NSD parents and guardians to use for monitoring a school bus status! The new app is called StopFinder. The engagement app allows parents and guardians to see their children’s bus schedules in real-time and receive bus cancellations or changes immediately. The Transportation Department and registered users stay connected by sending and receiving messages through the secure StopFinder app directly... on their phone or tablet. This is another example of how we are better leveraging the use of technology, said Dr. Nancy Spencer-Poitras, Superintendent of Schools. The StopFinder app is just another way we connect with our parents and guardians and enhance student safety. Transportation plays an integral role in making sure students arrive safely, attend school regularly and achieve success, said Robin Guild, Board Chair. The Board appreciates the ongoing efforts made by NSD to better leverage technology to support student learning and engagement. The app will work alongside the Bus Status available on the NSD website https://www.nsd61.ca/departments/transportation/bus-status. Parents and guardians who have students riding a Northland/contract bus will receive an email in the coming months to download the app.

Important notice for parents and guardians May 1, 2021 Dear Parents and Guardians:... We have been informed that a positive case of COVID-19 has been confirmed at Gift Lake School. We are working closely with Alberta Health Services (AHS) to ensure that all necessary measures are in place to protect all students and staff. Out of an abundance of caution, the school custodial services team maintains a schedule of enhanced cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting protocols. This includes using the Clorox 360 machine to ensure all surfaces are properly disinfected and sanitized. Out of respect for the individual and in accordance with AHS guidelines, we cannot disclose personal details. However, we are able to share that we learned of the positive case on May 1, 2021. Based on protocols by AHS, the identified contacts of the grade 4 class will now need to quarantine until May 6, 2021. The students/staff of the grade 4 class will return to in-school learning on May 7, 2021. Gift Lake School will continue to take the steps necessary to help mitigate the risks of COVID-19 transmission for the safety of students and staff. With everyone following protocols, we can be assured of a school environment that is as safe as is reasonably possible. Parents and guardians, we thank you for taking the time to have serious conversations with your children to reinforce how important it is to follow the safety guidelines and protocols, both in school and out. If you are looking for resources, please visit the Northland School Division Mental Health Resource webpage https://www.nsd61.ca//post/covid-19-mental-health-resources. We remind families to monitor for any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 using the Alberta Health Daily Checklist https://tinyurl.com/y2rwl5hx (see paper copy). Please remember to complete the checklist each day prior to attending school. If you or a member of your family has any symptoms of illness listed, please fill out the online AHS COVID-19 self-assessment or call Health Link at 811. Thank you for your continued support. Be safe. Sincerely, Dr. Nancy Spencer-Poitras Superintendent of Schools Northland School Division

**Another opportunity for NSD parents to participate in their child’s education** Parents and guardians have another way to participate in the education system at Northland School Division (NSD). Until the end of April, NSD schools will be working with parents to fill out the Alberta Education Assurance Survey. Alberta Education Assurance Survey, parent and guardian participation rate is of high importance to NSD, said Robin Guild, Board Chair. We want to have as many pare...nts and guardians as possible complete the survey. We need parental involvement so we can learn what is working in schools and what needs improvement. The Alberta Education Assurance Survey uses a set of 16 indicators. Data on these indicators consists of surveys of students, parents, guardians, and teachers on various aspects of education quality, student outcomes such as dropout and high school completion rates, and provincial assessments of student learning. All surveys are anonymous and ask questions about experiences with your school. In addition to English and French, the parent survey is available in Cree and Dene. The responses collected in the survey are provided to and reviewed by all school staff, the board of trustees, and the Alberta Government. The feedback we receive from parents and guardians in the survey will help to shape school and divisional planning which directly impacts the educational experience for each child, said Dr. Nancy Spencer-Poitras, Superintendent of Schools. All of us working together will positively impact the success of NSD students. Thanks so much for participating in this important survey! The surveys are being delivered to all NSD schools. Parents and guardians who have in-school learning or at-home learning students in grades 4, 7, and 10 will be asked to fill out the survey (unless the school has fewer than 120 students in grades 4-12 in which case the survey will be expanded to include all parents and guardians). Schools are implementing strategies to help parents and guardians fill out this important survey. Please contact your local school if you have any questions https://www.nsd61.ca//another-opportunity-for-nsd-parents-.

Reminder that today is a PLC day which means it is a 1/2 day for students. Tomorrow is our local PD day - no school for students. Have a fantastic long weekend! Be safe!

Ms. Kristel wants to send a huge shout out to her awesome teachers and support staff. You have all been working so hard to deliver programming for both our in-class and at-home learners. You have gone above and beyond and I appreaciate every one of you more than you will ever know. Thank you for all that you do for our kids and I wish you an amazing 3rd term! Way to go Gift Lake School!

A few more pictures from our winter fun day! Enjoy!

Gift Lake School 2020-21 School Success Report

Thank you so very much to the parents who arranged to meet with their child's teacher virtually this evening for Parent/Teacher Interviews. Your commitment to to your child's academic success is much appreciated. Have a great evening!

Pink Shirt Day is coming February 24th! Get your Gift Lake School pink shirt today. You can use this online form --> https://forms.gle/xkFcGZrpabXEYdZ96 or print one out to make your order and either send cash to the school or etransfer [email protected] Orders must be in by Friday, February 5th. (The date on the order forms that went home today was a typo.)

At-home learning packages are ready and waiting at the school. Remember that your child needs these to follow along in their online classes and stay up to date with class work.

Jan 26-29 - Route 403 (Doreen) Cancelled Please make arrangements to drop off and pick up your children. Classes will still be in session. If your child will be absent due to the bus cancellation or for any other reason, please notify the school to make arrangements for alternate programming. Due to a shortage of bus drivers and spares, compounded by COVID-19 self isolation requirements, we are having issues finding drivers for some routes. If you know of anyone interested i...n completing the training necessary to become a bus driver, please contact our transportation department. To find out the status of your bus visit: https://www.nsd61.ca/departments/transportation/bus-status

A few things to remember when participating in at-home learning.

**Inclement Weather Communication** Attention students, parents, guardians, and community members: When the weather out there is frightful, we have a process for that.... You can also refer to the following administrative procedures we have in place: - Administrative Procedure 132 - Emergency School Closure Due to Inclement Weather https://docs.google.com//1Hiwdte3Ybep7WRjHTDH5m39GPsE/edit - Administrative Procedure 563 - Transportation in Cold and Inclement Weather https://docs.google.com//1xgRMVJAdzy4NcizmQtQISmwo21p/edit