The 2019-20 school year has finally come to a close and will long be remembered as a very unique and challenging year for students, staff and parents. Thankfully, we got through this together and are stronger for it. Each of us has learned something new and together we will deal with whatever the 2020-21 school year brings.

Although the government will not be announcing their decision for the 2020-21 re-entry of students until the beginning of August, they have indicated that their hope is for near-normal school operations where all students and staff are back to school on a daily basis. Wild Rose School Division is very excited about this. We believe that for the vast majority of our students, in-class instruction where students are able to interact and collaborate with teachers and classmates provides the best possible opportunity for learning.

Although this scenario does allow all of our students back into school, it will involve some new health and safety practices including but not limited to:

• Routine self-screening for all students, staff and visitors
• Strict stay-at-home and pick up policy for anyone exhibiting symptoms
• Enhanced cleaning and disinfecting
• Physical distancing recommendations where possible
• Reorganization of classrooms and traffic flow that limits close proximity of students
• Cohorting of students that stay together all day where possible
• Hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette expectations
• Shared material and equipment handling expectations

Details regarding these and other recommendations from Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer will be sent to all parents in August along with a questionnaire to determine how many students and families will be needing to continue with at-home teacher directed learning due to health concerns.

The safety and well-being of students and staff is our top priority and we are committed to following the protocols established by Alberta Education, Alberta Health Services and the Chief Medical Officer.

We continue to be thankful for your support, patience and understanding as we move forward with our plans for re-entry into the 2020-21 school year. WRSD will continue to provide updates, as things change throughout the summer months. We miss you and look forward to hopefully seeing everyone back in our schools starting August 31, 2020.