January 7, 2021
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Today, the Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. David Williams, announced that elementary schools in Southern Ontario will remain closed to in-person learning for two more weeks. As a result, all York Catholic elementary schools will remain closed and students will continue to participate in online remote learning until Friday, January 22, 2021. This extension also applies to Grade 7 & 8 students at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Academy and all students at St. Luke Catholic Learning Centre.
The government is deferring the return to in-person learning in elementary schools to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, in the face of record high daily case counts and rising community transmission rates.
Secondary school closures remain in effect until Friday, January 22, 2021.
Before and after care programs will not operate while schools are closed to students. For child care centres, please check with your child care provider.
Elementary students (and students at St. Luke CLC) are expected to return to in-person learning on Monday, January 25, 2021.
Secondary students are expected to return to in-person learning on Monday, January 25, 2021. Connecting to the Virtual Classroom:
Students will continue to attend school through their teachers’ virtual classrooms. Student schedules will remain the same.
Resources for Families
Parents/guardians looking for additional resources, including assistance on how to navigate virtual classrooms such as Google Classroom and Brightspace D2L, can visit the Parent Resources section of the Board’s website. The Ministry has also made available some online
resources on the following Ministry and TVO/TFO websites: https://www.ontario.ca/page/learnat-home, TVO Learn and TFO IDÉOLO, apprendre à la maison.
Technical Support
Families looking for technical support during remote online learning are encouraged to visit our Call Centre website http://help.ycdsb.ca/vle.
Mental Health and Well-Being
The mental health and well-being of students continues to be important during these challenging times. If you are concerned about your child’s emotional well-being, please contact your child’s principal. Mental health professionals are available for assistance, and resources are also
available on the Mental Health and Well-Being page of the Board’s website. You can also stay up to date on what the Mental Health Team is providing by following them on Twitter @YCDSB_MH
Thank you for your ongoing support and patience. We will continue to share updates and information as they become available. For information and updates please follow the Board on Twitter @YCDSB or visit: www.ycdsb.ca .
Yours in Catholic Education,
Maria Battista, Interim Director of Education