In a press release issued to some local media*, the Division says its key priority is student learning, including working to “address any achievement gaps that may have come about as a result of the pandemic.” Additionally, the Division says it is focused on making sure students and staff can have as close to normal a school year as possible.
“The Board is deeply concerned about the mental health and well-being of staff and students, and we want to ensure that our community is able to recover from the challenges of the pandemic with a return to normality to the greatest extent possible,” said Board Chair Noreen Radford. “Our staff have been dealing with a great deal of pressure, particularly with the recent rise in COVID-19 cases, and it is a priority for us to be mindful of teacher workload next year as we continue to feel the effects of the pandemic.”
Superintend of Schools Dr. Clint Moroziuk said staff and student support is key.
“With schools being completely closed to face-to-face learning from the middle of March through the end of June last year, and students and teachers moving between at-home and in-person learning due to cases of COVID-19 in our community throughout the course of the current school year, we want to ensure that we are doing all we can to support staff and students.”
Although no criticism was issued on aspects of the draft curriculum, the Division said it is committed to supporting and working collaboratively with the Ministry of Education to provide feedback.
The draft K-6 curriculum is online, and there is a Public Feedback Survey available online.
* Morinville Online was not sent the press release. We picked it up from the Division’s Facebook Page in passing.
