Holiday message from the Director of Education

Limestone Learning Foundation
Holiday message from the Director of Education
Posted on 12/17/2020
Image of happy holidays graphic

Dear Families,

Tomorrow, schools across the Limestone District School Board will close for our December break after a fall season unlike any other. I want to thank all families and students for your collective efforts to adhere to new and sometimes evolving public health and safety measures. As a community, we have been able to keep our schools open and safe. 

During my school visits, I have been impressed and proud of the way students and staff have responded to the challenges and changes to daily routines. Despite this, students and staff have maintained a sense of optimism and excitement. That positive spirit is highlighted in the many, many wonderful holiday campaigns in the form of food and clothing drives, and other charitable initiatives that support our communities.

We continue to be grateful to our community partners for their ongoing support of students and families. The Limestone Learning Foundation, for example, recently made a $100,000 donation to support The Food Sharing Project which has been providing food baskets or grocery cards to families in need throughout the pandemic. Limestone staff also contributed more than $50,000 to the United Way of KFL&A campaign to support immediate needs of the most vulnerable in our communities. The pandemic, although challenging, has resulted in several positive and innovative approaches to ensure we take care of each other.

While the holidays are going to look different this year, we encourage you to stay the course. We are thankful for the ongoing support and partnership of KFL&A Public Health as we navigate COVID-19. We have worked together to intercept and manage positive cases while ensuring continued learning opportunities for students. Unfortunately, we have seen a recent increase in regional cases of COVID-19, and recently revised guidelines for symptomatic students reflect this new COVID activity. As I have said before, the health of our schools is entirely reflective of the health of our community. We encourage all families to consider what you can do during the holiday break to minimize risk and ensure a safe return to school in January 2021. We strongly encourage you to follow all KFL&A Public Health direction including recommendations that we only be in close contact with people within our own households. Please visit the KFLAPH website for more ways to determine your risk and celebrate safely.

We also know that this holiday season may be more difficult for some people as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people across our community may be struggling with their mental health. If you, your student, or a loved one needs support over the December break, there are a number of resources in our community. We have assembled these together on our board website for easy access.

When we return in the new year, self-screening, masking, hand hygiene, physical distancing, and cohorting of students will resume.  Schools will provide a refresher for students in the new year to ensure we are all working together to keep our schools safe and free of COVID-19.  While we are planning for a return to school on January 4, 2021, this could change depending on the most current public health advice or government direction. Late yesterday, we received notice from the Ministry of Education indicating the schools should be ready to pivot to remote/virtual learning so that we are ready to respond to any scenario. As part of this contingency plan, we ask that all students take home all personal belongings tomorrow, just in case. If a return to in-person school should not occur in the new year, we will share this information directly with families as soon as possible. We will use our Communicate broadcast system and post updates to the board website and social media.

On behalf of all staff, I wish every Limestone family a healthy, restful and happy holiday. Please celebrate safely and responsibly. I look forward to connecting again in 2021!

Krishna Burra
Director of Education

 

 

The Limestone District School Board is situated on traditional territories of the Anishinaabe & Haudenosaunee.