Principal Update - Sept 13 - Health Update, Policy Change, & Friday School

Good day everyone,

         We have now finished our second week of back to school and I want to give a huge thank you to our students, community and staff.  Our students have been awesome at complying with our new guidelines in the schools.  I can safely say that I saw 100% compliance in the school hallways and not a single student has complained about the new rules, even though some may have wanted to.  Our parent community has been awesome at working with us and it is comforting to know that everyone is working together as a team to stay safe.  Our staff have been going above and beyond each and every day to meet the new challenges of teaching students in both Option 1 and Option 2.  Thank you to everyone for being a part of this team.  It has been awesome to see the smiling faces of our students making the best of a hard situation.

            I do need to make you aware of a policy change.  Originally, we had stated to students and parents that we would be informing all members of a class if a student or staff member had to go home sick.  Based on some recent conversations with Alberta Health Services (AHS), this is not the direction that we are being given.  We are being asked to follow AHS procedures which are slightly different from what we proposed to the parent and student community.  From this point forward, we will be contacting our families once a member of the cohort tests positive for CoVid.  This change still keeps the safety and privacy of all members of a cohort at the forefront at all times.

            I would also like to take the time to give an update on our Friday schedules.  As stated earlier, PBHS will not be moving forward with instruction on Fridays.  The intent of this was to give all students an opportunity to stay caught up in their studies and to give all staff a chance to keep up with both Option 1 and Option 2 students.  This last Friday was a bit awkward as teachers were just getting their courses started.  In the coming Fridays, it is more likely that a teacher may specifically request your son/daughter to come to school on Friday for that one on one assistance AND it is equally encouraged that students seek out their teachers for extra help on Fridays as well.

           Overall, I want to finish with another thank you to the PBHS community for all you are doing to try and make this new system work.  We are blessed with the enthusiasm and support that everyone is giving to make the best of this difficult situation.  Please know that this is very much appreciated.

Mr. Lowe