Dear parent/guardian,

Thank you for continuing to follow the public health and safety measures that have kept schools open and safe for students and staff. It is our collective effort that continues to ensure your children can learn in the classroom.

As per recent announcements, the province has implemented a provincewide shutdown for four weeks in response to worsening trends in key health indicators across the province.

The mental health and well-being of children continues to be a key government priority and schools will remain open for in-person learning through the Provincial Emergency and Stay at Home Order. The spring break will continue as planned, from April 12^th to 16^th, and schools will reopen for in-person learning on April 19th.

In light of the recently announced measures, it is more important than ever that we continue to follow health advice over the Spring Break to do our part to keep schools open, for in-person student learning.

At this critical point in the pandemic, the following  public health measures are crucial to help prevent and limit the spread of COVID-19:

• Socialize with your own household.
• Stay home and get tested if you feel ill.
• Participate in the targeted testing offered by your school board.
• Screen every day, including during spring break, for COVID-19 symptoms before attending child care (theCOVID-19 School and Child Care Screening Tool is available to assist families with symptom screening).
• Practice good hand hygiene habits, masking, and physical distancing.
• Refer to ca/covidresponseto learn what public health measures are in place in our community.
• Refrain from travelling.

During the spring break, students in Grades 1-8 can continue to engage in their own learning through supplemental, curriculum-linked activities available at TVO Learn and TFO IDÉLLO, apprendre à la maison. These rich, engaging opportunities allow students to keep up with their learning and interests. Secondary students can continue to access TVO's Independent Learning Centre (ILC) Open House and Portes ouvertes pour les cours TVO ILC in French-language. Mathify (English) and Eureka! (French) are also available to provide one-on-one online tutoring services for elementary and secondary students. Mathify covers online math tutoring in English for Grades 6 to 10 and Eureka! supports all subjects for French-language students in Grades 1 to 12.

For the week of April 12-18, pharmacies that currently offer testing and assessment centres across the province will accept appointments from students and education staff for asymptomatic testing (people who do not have any symptoms of COVID).  Parents/Guardians are encouraged to take advantage of this testing capacity to have their children tested to support a safe return to school on April 19. Children attending child care, and child care staff, will also be eligible to access this testing.

As a reminder, before coming back to school on April 19^th, your child must screen for COVID-19 symptoms.  Secondary students and staff will continue to use the GECDSB tool. There will be a new system for our elementary students and you will receive more information soon.

If your child or anyone in your household is ill, stay home and follow the guidance in the school screener.

Mental health supports are available here in our community.  Please also visit our website for other helpful information.  

By following public health advice, we can all enjoy a safe spring break and continue to support in-person learning in our school.

Have a safe, fun and restful break.

Sincerely,

Mr. S. Querbach

Principal

Good Morning Parents and Guardians,

Please find attached in Edsby or under School News on the school website, a letter to parents and guardians regarding the administration of the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) during April and May 2021. This year's test is a field test, but will give students the literacy requirement for graduation if they are successful. 

GECDSB secondary schools will provide an opportunity for students in the In-person / Adapted learning model to write the Ontario Secondary Schools Literacy Test (OSSLT) this year.

Successfully completing this exam is not a requirement for students scheduled to graduate in 2021. However, it remains a requisite part of an Ontario Secondary School Diploma for any students currently in Grades 10 and 11.

Why is GECDSB administering the OSSLT?

• The GECDSB wants students to have the opportunity to fulfill the OSSLT literacy graduation requirement.

Is a student required to write the OSSLT this year (2020-2021)?

• There may be extenuating circumstances in which students and/or their parents/guardians believe it would not be in their or their child's best interest to write the OSSLT.
• Parents/guardians may contact the Principal to indicate their wish to withdraw their child from participation in the OSSLT online field-test. It should be noted that these students will not be granted an exemption from the graduation requirement.

Who will be writing the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test this year?

• Grade 10, 11 and non-graduating grade 12s will be writing the test this year because the test was not offered in the previous school year.
• Only students who are enrolled in in-person learning will write the test. Students who are currently enrolled at the Greater Essex Virtual school will not write the test this year. (The exam must be written in person and proctored by an accredited member of the staff.)

What is the purpose of the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test?

• The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test is a graduation requirement that evaluates literacy skills against curriculum expectations.
• The test is usually completed by grade 10 students in pen and paper format. This year, the Education Quality Accountability Office (EQAO) will be administering the test in an online format as a field test.
• Students who are successful at the field test will be granted the literacy requirement.

When will the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test be written this year?

• GECDSB Secondary Schools will be scheduling the tests between March 23^rd and June 4^th. The schedules will be created based on school-specific circumstances.
• The OSSLT will be written during in-person instructional time. Students in grade 9 or 12 split classes who are not eligible to write the test may not have to attend school on the day their class is scheduled to complete the test. This will be confirmed by school administration.

What does the test look like?

• The EQAO is field-testing a new online format for the OSSLT. This means the test will be written online, during school hours, using a school board-based device.
• The test will be written under the supervision of a teacher during two sessions, each of which should be completed in one hour (2 hours total).

Will students receive accommodations (e.g. double time, scribing, periodic breaks, verbatim reading of questions)?

• Accommodations such as verbatim reading are embedded in the test. Schools will endeavor to arrange accommodations that have not already been incorporated into the OSSLT.