Infectious Disease Information

Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

June 10, 2020 UPDATE

Dear parents and guardians,

With just a few weeks left of the 2019-2020 school year, I want to thank families for your patience and perseverance as we all adapted to a new way of teaching and learning.

Throughout this time of distance learning, staff have focused on continuing the development of students’ learning and learning skills, while supporting their well-being and mental health needs. In recognition of the challenges for students associated with this change in teaching and learning, teachers have assessed and evaluated student learning using a Do No Harm philosophy. This philosophy, simply put, entails that students can only improve their marks from March 13th on, not decrease their marks.

Students will receive final report cards, with marks reflecting work completed up to March 13th, as well as any work completed after April 6 that serves to improve the student’s final mark. Report card comments will focus on what students have learned, describe significant strengths and identify next steps for learning and improvement.

We are beginning to plan for what September might look like with respect to returning to school. This planning continues to follow the guidelines from health officials and direction from the Ministry of Education, in order to ensure the health and safety of students and staff. To assist us in this planning, we invite you to share your thoughts on the question, what do we need to consider to make sure you feel safe and supported as we plan for an eventual return to the classroom? Please visit: https://my.thoughtexchange.com/scroll/548774114.

To further support our students in their learning, we will be offering various programming for students, including an online Summer Learning Program for students in Kindergarten (Year 2) to Grade 5 from August 10-28, 2020. To register, please visit http://www.rrdsb.com/summer_learning_2020. There will also be options for Credit Recovery and eLearning. More information on dates, course offerings, and registration details will be sent out shortly.

While schools remain closed due to the pandemic, we have worked to launch an online registration process. Students who are new to RRDSB can register online by visiting us at www.rrdsb-registration.com.

Once again, thank you for your continued partnership in support of your children during this unprecedented time.

Sincerely,

Heather Campbell
Director of Education

A FACT SHEET IS AVAILABLE FOR YOUR REFERENCE

CLICK HERE TO VIEW FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

CLICK HERE FOR ONLINE LEARNING RESOURCES

For general inquiries during the shutdown, please email [email protected]
Messages will be checked once daily.

Please note: RRDSB playgrounds are closed until further notice due to public health recommendations for limiting the spread of COVID-19 and to protect the health and safety of the public and our staff.

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The health and safety of students and staff is always our top priority. As with all public health matters, the Rainy River District School Board is working closely with Northwestern Health Unit and other health agencies to monitor and address concerns regarding COVID-19.

Communication to families
We are committed to providing staff and families with updates as we receive new information and direction. View letters to families:

March 11, 2020 - March Break travel considerations regarding COVID-19
March 11, 2020 - March Break travel considerations (from NWHU)
March 13, 2020 - School Closures due to COVID-19
March 20, 2020 - Letter to parents from the Director of Education
March 22, 2020 - Letter from the Minister of Education
March 30, 2020 - Letter to parents from the Director of Education
March 31, 2020 - School closures extended
April 1, 2020 - Letter from the Minister of Education
April 3, 2020 - Distance learning to begin
April 7, 2020 - NWHU urges everyone to stay home
April 17, 2020 - Update from the Director of Education
April 27, 2020 - School closures extended until May 31
April 28, 2020 - Letter from the Minister of Education
May 19, 2020 - Letter from the Minister of Education
May 22, 2020 - School closures extended for remainder of the school year
June 3, 2020 - Information about Ontario's COVID-19 testing plan
June 25, 2020 - Letter from the Director of Education

Helping families cope

Click here to access resources

Counselling support through KRR

1. The Kenora office reception will remain open to receive urgent messages at 1-800-465-1100 (toll-free) or 807-467-5437.

2. Messages will be relayed to the appropriate personnel. All KRRDCFS staff not away on vacation will continue to be available by telephone and email.

3. Core Child Welfare teams will continue to operate in each office community and respond to urgent needs.

4. We want to ensure you that our Child and Youth Mental Health Team remains dedicated to supporting children and families in the Rainy River District. We understand that the rapidly changing circumstances resulting from COVID-19 virus can be stressful to child and caregivers alike. Although in person sessions are on hold at this time, if you require support, please contact our toll-free number as above. Same day sessions by telephone can be arranged for youth and caregivers and will be available Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. The Suicide Risk response will continue to be available 24/7.

5. All non-essential face to face contacts, family visits, therapy appointments and home visits will be postponed until further notice. Contacts, visits and appointments can be maintained by telephone, email, FaceTime, Skype or using any technology that we can make available to the families, youth and children we service.

Help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses

The Northwestern Health Unit has shared the following tips to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses, such as novel coronavirus:

Stay home if you are sick.
Avoid other people who are sick.
Cover coughs and sneezes with your sleeve.
Wash your hands with soap and water or with alcohol-based hand rub.
Parents are reminded to consult their physician if they have any concerns.
Residents who return from recent international travel with history of travel to affected areas and become ill with respiratory signs and symptoms such as fever and cough should report their travel history to any health professional or emergency department staff when they visit.

Proper Hand Washing

Public health agencies agree that hand washing remains the best method to prevent the spread of the virus. Use these proper hand washing techniques:

Remove hand and wrist jewelry
Wet hands and wrists with warm water (do not use a stoppered sink or container)
Apply liquid soap from dispenser to your hands
Lather all surfaces of hands well using a lot of friction for 15 seconds
Rinse well under warm water
Use paper towels to dry your hands
Turn the taps off with paper towel (taps may be contaminated)
Discard used paper towels into lined trash container

Alcohol-based hand rubs: These products can be extremely effective in situations where no running water is available (i.e. field trips).

Trusted sources of information

Please use information from official public health agencies as trusted sources of information, including the Northwestern Health Unit, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ministry of Health and Public Health Ontario.

For more information about COVID-19, contact the Northwestern Health Unit, talk to your doctor or call TeleHealth at 1-866-797-0000.

Additional information:
Riverside Health Care
Atikokan General Hospital