Spring Break 2021

Well, we made it to spring break and the marking of a sombre milestone. The anniversary of the Covid-19 pandemic.

While it was in late January of 2020 that the first case of Covid was diagnosed in BC, it wasn’t until the middle of March that the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. B.C. public health officials declared a public health emergency shortly thereafter. Our Nanaimo-Ladysmith Public Schools community felt the effects when we cancelled spring break trips that many schools had planned and then went straight into quarantine at the end of March.

I bring up the Covid-19 anniversary because sometimes people have a hard time when the anniversary of an extreme or significant event rolls around. For some, it might be heightened anxiety, for others it may be nothing at all. For those who experience an anniversary reaction, it's good to recognize what is happening and know that it is a reasonable and natural response to an extremely challenging time. As the anniversary passes, so too, will that sense of heightened stress or anxiety.

The great news is we made it, Spring Break 2021 -- we are getting through this challenge. Our health professionals have learned a great deal about Covid -19 and with vaccines rolling out more widely in the near future, better things are on the horizon.

We have experienced a substantial number of exposures in our schools over the last month or so. Fortunately, very few of those exposures have resulted in school transmission. The guidelines are working, Dr. Bonnie Henry has done a wonderful job, and our local medical health officer, Dr. Sandra Allison, and her team of Environmental Health Officers have managed this crisis magnificently. I am also compelled to once again recognize all of our school staff, who have worked diligently to keep schools open and operating.

In other news, thank you to everyone who responded to the Long-Range Facilities Plan survey. If you haven’t yet responded and would like to, the survey is open until April 2nd. You can find the survey on the SD68 homepage in the quick links.

The process of planning for the 2021/2022 school year is also presently underway. All indications suggest that we will be back to business as usual, in September. We know that many students who were homeschooling this year or were attending a Distributed Learning School will be returning to their neighbourhood school in September 2021. If you have any questions contact your school principal.

One of the big changes this year was the adaptation to the Quarter system at our secondary schools. I have heard from many parents, staff and students that they would like to continue with this model once we are back to ‘normal’. We would like to get your opinion. We have developed a survey for parents and students that can be found in the quick links on our homepage. We wish to collaborate with you so please provide your input.

The pandemic has taken a toll on us all. As the weather gets warmer, we can feel optimistic about the future heading into Spring Break, but we need to be mindful that we should not be complacent in following health and safety protocols. We need to continue to follow pandemic guidelines during Spring Break to ensure we can have a safe return to school.

I hope you have a wonderful spring break. Relax, get outside as much as you can and Stay safe.

***Graphics were taken from the COVID-19 safe schools BC ministry site

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