An announcement from the Government of Alberta, Alberta Health Services, and Alberta Education today has indicated that Alberta School Divisions, including Foothills School Division, will be entering School Relaunch Scenario 1 when classes resume this fall.
This means that our students, families, and staff can expect near-normal operations with many health measures in place. Some of these measures include Alberta Health recommendations around physical distancing when possible, daily health screening of all students and staff, and prompt pick up or departure of individuals who demonstrate symptoms while at school. This will also include enhanced cleaning protocols in all schools and Division points of service.
Foothills School Division and the Board of Trustees have been preparing for scenario 1 since May. Many plans are already in place and we will be ready to resume operations and welcome students and staff into our school settings on August 31, 2020. We are also actively working with our Foothills School Division School Relaunch Committee and school and system leadership teams to finalize plans that meet all provincial recommendations. Foothills School Division believes that we have a collective responsibility to ensure that multiple layers of protection are in place in order to provide safe, caring, and welcoming learning spaces for our children and staff.
We appreciate the level of trust parents have in order to send their children into our care. FSD has always believed that it is important to consistently make information available to our community, and this has guided our work with COVID-19 from the outset.
Families can expect to receive detailed information regarding routine protocols and restrictions that apply to the Division and all of its schools prior to school start-up. Information will include staggered entry schedules for the first week of school, health screening information for parents to use with their children daily, as well as any new routines that will be in place as part of our collective responsibility to student, staff, and community safety and wellbeing at school.
Stay tuned for more information throughout the first few weeks of school as many of these new routines will undoubtedly need to be adjusted as they are implemented. Thank you for your support and for being an integral part of the collective responsibility we all share in the best interest of students, staff, and families.
In addition to our rich classroom experiences, Foothills offers a variety of flexible programming options to our families. Beginning September 2020, the Foothills School Division Hub Program is expanding to offer online programming from Grades 1 to 12. Hub@Home is designed for students and families who are interested in learning from home, need greater flexibility in pacing, when they access their learning, and where they learn. Students remain connected to their school and will access resources and teacher support through the Hub@Home program. You can learn more by visiting our website and clicking on Flexible Learning in Foothills.
Chris Fuzessy, Superintendent of Schools says, “We recognize the significant impact COVID-19 has had on students, families, and our staff team. We understand that there are many unique challenges and circumstances across the Foothills community, and we are committed to working together to ensure we provide ongoing high quality education to our students throughout the school year. We look forward to welcoming our students back to our schools”.