Announcements

The April 15, 2020 regular meeting of the Board will be live-streamed at https://www.sd42.ca/online-board-meetings/ starting at 6 pm. Tune in to hear about the 2020/21 Proposed Preliminary Budget.

Due to COVID-19, all Maple Ridge – Pitt Meadows Board of Education meetings will be conducted online until further notice. Meetings will be live-streamed through the SD42 YouTube channel; the live stream will also be embedded at https://www.sd42.ca/online-board-meetings/

Invitation for Public Input

Members of the public can provide input on decision items on the agenda by emailing board@sd42.ca by no later than 5:30 pm on the day of the meeting. The email subject line should read: INPUT Regarding Decision Item. All public input received will be shared with trustees electronically. This agenda item has a time limit of 10 minutes.

Question Period

Question period will be restricted to questions only – statements and debate will not be permitted. Questions, with the exception of trustee questions, will be limited to one question per person. Members of the public can submit questions for the board by emailing them to board@sd42.ca before the start of question period. The email subject line should read: QUESTION PERIOD. All questions received before the start of the question period will be answered in the order they are received. This agenda item has a time limit of 10 minutes; extension is at the discretion of the board.

Dear families,

As we find ourselves on the other side of spring break in this unusual new context, I wanted to reach out to provide you with a few updates and to thank you for your support and patience. We have been working hard to prepare meaningful learning opportunities for our students while ensuring the health and safety of our school communities.

For some of our staff, the shift to a virtual classroom will not be new; for many, however, the rapid change to a new format of instruction may be more challenging. Thankfully we have a school district ethos of collaboration and support that is the very cornerstone of our mission, vision and values. I see our instructional staff forming teams, supporting each other, and investigating the power of remote instruction. At the same time, we recognize the uniqueness of each individual and will work to ensure that we provide diverse learning opportunities for students who may not be able to engage meaningfully in the virtual space. (more…)

Dear parents/guardians,

Please see the March 27, 2020 letter from Rob Fleming, Minister of Education and Andrea Sinclair, President of BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils.

Click to open letter

Download letter in French
Download letter in Punjabi
Download letter in Chinese

** This survey is now closed. We will review all responses and will follow up with families requesting these service provisions by Friday, April 3, 3030 **

Dear parents/guardians,

The Maple Ridge – Pitt Meadows School District is conducting a survey to determine the need for childcare and educational services for children of essential service workers in our community during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the Ministry of Education has suspended all in-classroom instruction, school districts have been asked to provide daytime childcare for children of essential service workers so that these individuals can continue to work. Essential service workers are those whose work is considered critical to preserving life, health and societal functioning.

Although the primary focus for school districts is children aged 5-12, school districts have also been asked to work with community partners and non-profits to coordinate school-aged care and 0-5 care at the same district site(s). Please note that families who qualify for this service will need to arrange transportation for drop off and pick up.

** This survey closed at 4 pm on Monday, March 30, 2020. We will review all responses and will follow up with families requesting these service provisions by Friday, April 3, 2020. **

Dear families,

As spring break draws to a close, I want to thank you for your patience as we work towards reconnecting with all students to provide teaching and learning opportunities during this challenging time. We now have extensive and clear guidance from the Ministries of Health and Education on how we are to organize for student learning in our new context.

I am writing to provide you with information about some of the changes we are making to our education system at this uncertain and quickly changing time. I also wanted to update you on the planning work our school district has been doing over the past couple of weeks. (more…)

Dear families,

This afternoon, the provincial government announced that it would be indefinitely suspending all in-class instruction for BC’s Kindergarten to Grade 12 learners. This means that schools will NOT be opening after spring break for regular daily instruction. This temporary measure is being put in place to help keep students, staff, families and wider community safe as the province responds to the COVID-19 outbreak.

I know you will have many questions about what this announcement will mean for you and your family. (more…)

Dear families,

Before we head into spring break, I wanted to take a moment to share with you some important school-related updates on the novel coronavirus.

I have attached for you a letter from Deputy Minister Scott MacDonald that highlights a number of the important announcements made yesterday by Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry. (more…)

Dear parents/guardians,

Since we are soon heading into spring break, I wanted to take a moment to highlight some important reminders about travel in the current context of COVID-19, as provided by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam.

If you are planning an international trip with your family this spring break, please remember to monitor the Government of Canada travel site for the latest travel advisories at www.travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories. Dr. Henry notes COVID-19 is currently found in 80 countries, and advises there should be both a careful assessment of and a low tolerance for international travel. Dr. Tam, in the meantime, advises Canadians to avoid all cruise ship travel.

Those with underlying health issues should reconsider trips at this time. (more…)

Dear families,

I am writing to you regarding the school district decision to cancel the field trips we had scheduled for spring break. These cancellations included two trips to Japan, a trip to Italy, a trip to Europe, as well as a trip to New York.

We know that a great deal of planning goes into these trips, and that our students and staff truly look forward to them. We also anticipated that the decision to cancel the trips would be upsetting news for many of our families. I can assure you that senior staff took all this into consideration when making this difficult decision.
(more…)