School is continuing in Bashaw despite the actual classrooms being closed.
On March 15, all Alberta schools were shut down due to the COVID-19 crisis which tossed a huge curveball at the educational system.
However, the teachers at Bashaw School and the rest of the Battle River School Division (BRSD) have worked hard on coming up with ways to deliver an online education.
“Teachers in Bashaw, and throughout BRSD, are finding new and innovative ways of connecting and engaging students,” explained BRSD director of communications Diane Hutchinson via an email.
“We’re seeing a lot of Google classroom work, videos, online chats and more. Schools are also able and willing to support families who prefer a paper-based method of learning.”
Hutchinson added the school division is encouraging staff to work from home as much as possible, both to reduce the physical number of people in buildings and to lower the exposure risk for those who can’t work remotely such as administrators, administrative assistants, custodians and facilities and technology staff.
“We appreciate your patience and support as teachers explore new methods of staying connected to students. It might not be perfect on Day 1 or 2, but we will all get more skilled. That’s the beauty of learning together,” said BRSD superintendent Rita Marler in a letter to parents on March 30.
“With the realities of the pandemic continuing to increase and more restrictions continuing to be put in place, life can seem anxious and unsettled. A new section is being created on our BRSD website, where we will post wellness and learning resources you may find helpful in supporting your children and yourself. In the meantime, we will continue to focus on the reason for this disruption — to help keep students, families, staff and communities safe and healthy.”
If any students or parents have any questions, staff and teachers are working and can be reached by either phone or email.
Budget hit
BRSD, like other school divisions, wasn’t too pleased with the provincial announcement March 28 that funds slated to go to support staff, educational assistants and other expenses were going to be cut for the rest of the school year.
For BRSD, that’s another 14 per cent reduction to an already extremely tight budget.
“When school buildings were closed in mid-March, we were told that funding would remain intact, but clearly government priorities have changed,” Hutchinson said.
“Because we value the contributions of every member of our Battle River team, we are trying to find ways of making changes that allow us to retain as many staff as we possibly can. More information will be shared in the days ahead, as it becomes known.
“We recognize the unprecedented nature of the current situation and try to remember that all of these measures are important and temporary steps intended to help keep our students, families, staff and communities safe and well.”