Chere Families of Deep Cove Dophins....
We hope that you and those you love are safe. We hope that you were able, during this unsettling and unexpected Spring Break time to find some joyful and memorable moments with the ones you love best. As difficult as it has been to navigate these strange days, finding ways to acknowledge small, heartfelt moments does have a positive effect on an optimistic world outlook and this will help build resilience and strength in our children and family units. I would encourage you to set an intention of finding 1 – 2 small joyful moments or experiences each day with your child. This, in addition to acknowledging the multitude of challenges we all face with this new and hopefully temporary reality, will help to keep us calm, connected and optimistic about moving forward.
Like you, many of our Deep Cove teachers have children currently attending Saanich Schools and we acknowledge and understand the worry, anticipation and unknown specifics of the next few weeks. We wish we could articulate exactly how the next few weeks will evolve but we know this would be a false promise. Instead what we offer is our commitment and dedication to navigating the next several weeks with an open heart, a commitment to doing the best for students and a willingness to work together in the best way to develop a pathway through this new landscape of learning.
During this upcoming week, our efforts and concentration will be on supporting staff as they navigate a new way of connecting with and offering learning opportunities to your children. For them, this means possibly learning new ways of communication ( between school staff as well as between families and classroom teachers), identifying strategies (digital and non digital) to support meaningful off campus, learning experiences for students, and defining what learning will look like in this new context. Learning will look different than anything that has been previously offered as teachers will be creating new ways for families to engage in learning opportunities vs moving their “classrooms” to a digital platform. The intention will be to provide opportunities for learning at home verses the regular classroom instruction experience.
During this week the focus is on CONNECTION. Teachers will be (and have already been) connecting with families and students and will aim to strengthen/reconnect the many strong relationships that already exist. Staff are reconnecting and finding ways to collaborate in different digital platforms. You can stay connected with your child(ren)’s teacher as well as through the Saanich District Website (www.sd63.bc.ca) where Superintendent, Dave Eberwein, will provide current updates from our District and the Ministry of Education, as well as any new Provincial Health orders that impact student safety. At the school level you can stay connected by subscribing to the Deep Cove Website (https://deepcove.sd63.bc.ca/mod/forum/post.php?forum=1) for latest posts, correspondence and some NEW school wide connection opportunities – coming soon!
Next week, teachers will be more specific around educational opportunities for your child and this will be built around the recommendations from the Ministry of Education. Likely you will receive a general learning overview that supports the continuity of learning for for your children. Thank you for your patience as we navigate this new reality
I can say with confidence, that the staff at Deep Cove have the capacity, ability and integrity to navigate these new waters. They have the experience and creative initiative to problem solve problems that have not yet arisen. They have the commitment (individual and collective) to ensuring that the best will be done for your children. Together we will move through this.
Thank you for your patience as we work through these extraordinary times and seek to find answers collectively to questions that have never been asked of us as educators. Moving forward with learning opportunities for your children is a priority and we are committed to working together to support children and families in the best possible manner.
With gratitude,
Shelley Hardcastle – Principal Ecole Deep Cove
