Teaching and Learning - Lambton Kent District School Board

Scheduling: Elementary

Students in Kindergarten to Grade 8 will attend full days, 5 days a week, with enhanced safety measures. Based on the choice for in-person or Learn at Home attendance for students, schools will be reorganized before the school year begins, and periodically during the school year to allow for adjustments between in-person attendance or Learn at Home.

All students with special needs will attend a full day of school, five days per week. Students in self-contained ALLP classrooms will attend a full day of school, five days per week.

School re-organization before the school year and at specific dates during the school year will consider class size, timetable, and public health considerations. Flexibility to change from in-person attendance or Learn at Home may:

Be limited due to school enrolment, class size, timetables, and public health guidance;
Be different from school to school (based on the number of students, staff, etc.); and/or
Not occur until the next re-organization date.

Due to school re-organization, before school begins, students may not have the same teacher that was communicated in June to families.

Scheduling: Secondary

As school reopening planning has continued to evolve, we have had to make some revisions to our original plan. All secondary students will resume daily full-time, in-person classroom learning unless they choose Learn at Home.

To support school orientation for our incoming Grade 9 students, classes for Grade 9 students will resume on Monday, September 14. Students in Grades 10 – 12 will resume classes on Tuesday, September 15.

LKDSB is adopting the quadmester approach. The school year will be divided into four blocks of approximately 44 days of instruction. Students will participate in one course per day, alternating weeks for two courses in a quadmester, rather than the usual four periods per day over a full semester. In total, students will take eight courses per year in the quadmester approach, the same number of courses as in a traditional semestered approach.

Refer to Tentative Quadmester Dates for secondary schedule.

TENTATIVE QUADMESTER DATES:

QUADMESTER 1	QUADMESTER 2	QUADMESTER 3	QUADMESTER 4
September 14 – November 13 (includes exam days)	November 16 – February 1, 2021 (includes exam days) Feb. 2 is a PD Day	February 2 – April 19, 2021 (includes exam days)	April 20 – June 28, 2021 (includes exam days)
Students will participate in Courses A and B from their quadmestered timetable. Students will alternate Course A one week, Course B the next week	Students will participate for the full-day in Periods C and D courses from Semester 1 timetable. Students will alternate Period C course one week, Period D course the next week	Students will participate for the full-day in Periods A and B courses from Semester 2 timetable. Students will alternate Period A course one week, Period B course the next week	Students will participate in Courses A and B from their quadmestered timetable. Students will alternate Course A one week, Course B the next week

Note: Should conditions change secondary scheduling may be revised

Sample schedule for Quadmester 1: Period A and B from regular student timetable*

Week of	Students will attend:	Week of	Students will attend:
September 14	Course A	November 16	Course A
September 21	Course B	November 23	Course B
September 28	Course A	November 30	Course A
October 5	Course B	December 7	Course B
October 12	Course A	December 14	Course A (week before Winter Break)
October 19	Course B	January 4	Course B
October 26	Course A	January 11	Course A
November 2	Course B	January 18	Course B
November 9	Course A	January 25	Course A (2 days) Exams Jan. 28, 29, Feb 1

*Dates are subject to change

Moving Between Face-to-Face Learning and Learn at Home

Families wishing to transfer between face-to-face learning to Learn at Home or transfer from Learn at Home to face-to-face instruction must contact their principal according to the following timelines:

Fall date: Families notify school by October 22. Student begins new program type on November 16.
Winter date: Families notify school by January 12. Student begins new program type on February 2.
Spring date: Families notify school by March 22. Student begins new program type on April 19.

Students moving between program delivery choice (i.e. face-to-face learning or Learn at Home) should anticipate changes in teacher(s).

If space is available, the LKDSB will attempt to accommodate all requests sooner than the dates above; however, this will vary from school-to-school and grade-by-grade and may not be possible. Transportation delays may also occur.

Click here to view the Return to School Checklist.

Pre-registration

The Education Act notes that schooling is mandatory for students under 18, so daily attendance (whether face-to-face or electronically) is expected. As such, LKDSB parents/guardians are required to indicate whether their child(ren) will be attending in-person classroom learning or Learn at Home.

After August 28, parents/guardians will have limited opportunities within the school year to switch their child’s school experience from Learn at Home to face-to-face instruction (or vice versa). Families must notify the school in advance and there may be a waiting period prior to their child’s admission to school, depending on scheduling and availability of classroom space.

Parents/guardians who did not complete the pre-registration survey (either by phone or electronically), or have further questions about their selections, are encouraged to contact their child’s school.

Learn at Home

Please see the Learn At Home page for detailed information.

Individual Education Plan (IEP)

For all students with special education needs, accommodations and/or modifications will be implemented as outlined on their Individual Education Plan (IEP). In developing and updating IEPs, changes to the learning environment and remote learning needs will be considered. Parent/guardian consultation is a critical component of the IEP development and families are encouraged to work with their child’s school team to review and update the child’s IEP.

Special Education Staff Support

Teachers, Educational Assistants and other special education support staff essential for daily academic programming in the classroom will use personal protective equipment when physical distancing is not possible. School teams will organize available resources to support the needs of the students within their school. Sensory supports will continue to be available for student use. Itinerant special education supports such as Speech and Language Pathologists, Psychoeducational Clinicians and our High Needs Team will be scheduled at the school and service will be provided outside of the regular classroom area, respecting all necessary safety requirements.

Community agencies LKDSB partners with to support students, such as those provided by Pathways Health Center for Children and Children’s Treatment Centre of Chatham-Kent, will continue to be provided in the school setting. School teams will work directly with community agencies to establish the schedule for service. Service will be provided outside of the regular classroom area, respecting all necessary safety requirements.

MEDICALLY FRAGILE STUDENTS

In addition, for students who are medically fragile, consultation with the school team, including community agencies and parents/guardians will take place to create and implement plans to support the health and safety needs of the student and the staff who work with them.

Mental Health

As a result of the time away from the school setting, we understand that students may be struggling with mental health concerns, such as anxiety and depression. In preparation for the return to school in the fall, members of our school teams will be available to support students and families. Families are encouraged to contact their school team to discuss their child’s transition back to the school setting.

Our staff will be provided with additional training and resources to support them to understand how to identify students who may be struggling and who may require additional mental health supports to assist them to be successful.

Parents and Guardians who believe their child may require mental health supports are encouraged to contact their school to discuss their concerns.

For additional resources, please access information at: https://www.lkdsb.net/Board/Community/MentalHealth/

Programming: Elementary

ELEMENTARY CURRICULUM SPECIALISTS

Student will continue to be taught by curriculum specialist teachers which may include the subjects: French, Indigenous Language, Arts, Music and Physical Education. Each classroom will be limited to a homeroom teacher and two curriculum specialists. Rotary instruction will not occur.

MUSIC

Students will continue music instruction with some safety precautions. The precautions include:

No shared instruments (including recorders, keyboards, and ukuleles);
Upon completion of use, instruments will be thoroughly cleaned and stored for five days before being assigned to another student for exclusive use;
Vocal music will only occur outdoors, it will not be part of indoor music class at this time; and
Curriculum partner teachers who provide music instruction will teach in the homeroom.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Students will continue Physical Education (P.E.) instruction with some safety precautions. The precautions include:

Activities are to be non-contact;
Equipment will be distributed to each classroom and balls, etc. will be brought to the P.E. class location;
Before and after the P.E. activities, students will wash or sanitize their hands;
P.E. classes should make use of outdoor spaces as much as possible;
During P.E. classes outdoors, masks are not required, however indoor P.E. classes require Grades 4 to 8 students to wear a mask; and
Students will bring their water bottles to P.E. class

FRENCH IMMERSION

Students enrolled in French Immersion will continue to be provided with instruction according to district guidelines. For French Immersion classrooms who share teachers, students will remain in their classrooms, and teachers will move between rooms. Minimizing student movement will reduce congestion and student-to-student interaction between classrooms.

Programming: Secondary

OSSD GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

For those students graduating before February 2021 who have not yet met the literacy graduation requirement, they will be enrolled in the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC) in the first quadmester. Graduating students will need to meet the 40-hour community involvement graduation requirement. Virtual opportunities to meet this requirement are being sought.

ART, DANCE AND DRAMA CLASSES

Adaptations for Art, Dance and Drama courses will reflect adherence to physical distancing expectations. Use of shared objects will be limited where possible. Students will be encouraged to practice proper hand hygiene before and after use of shared objects or equipment. The following documents provide additional resources and suggested practices:

CO-OPERATIVE EDUCATION, OYAP AND SHSM

To the extent that work placements are available, all cooperative education (including specialized co-op) and Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) students will attend work placements. As always, coop teachers conduct site visits and placement assessments to ensure that it is a safe environment, that students are following protocols specific to the site and are in accordance with the Ministry of Education curriculum. Sector-specific training and certification will be provided prior to the work placement for OYAP students. Cooperative education is a key component of the Specialist High Skills Major Program, OYAP and Dual Credit Program.

DUAL CREDIT COURSES

College partners have determined that Semester 1 Dual Credit courses will be delivered virtually. Classes will be held synchronously on Thursdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. from October 1/2 to December 17/18.

FAMILY STUDIES

In foods classes students may be involved in preparing food. However, students may not share food with other students.

The use of shared objects in sewing and parenting classes will be limited. Students will be encouraged to practice proper hand hygiene before and after use of shared objects or equipment (i.e. sewing machines). To start the semester Virtual Care babies will not be used.

MUSIC

Most overall expectations from the secondary music curriculum can be met without the use of instruments. As such, semester one instrumental music classes will begin without the use of instruments. The use of instruments will be re-evaluated after the start of the semester at which time students will be assigned one instrument for the quadmester. Vocals classes will be paused until further notice.

Further resources and recommendations can be found on the Ontario Music Educators’ Association (OMEA) website here.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

For Health and Physical Education courses, efforts will be made to address the overall expectations of the Active Living and Movement Competence strands. Teachers will plan physical activities that support physical distancing while also limiting the use of shared equipment. Where possible, consideration will be given to holding physical education classes outside. Gymnasiums will be used where physical distancing measures can be followed. Students must wear mask for indoor activities in the gymnasium. Masks are not required for outdoor activities.

Use of shared equipment will be limited. Students will be encouraged to practice proper hand hygiene before and after participating in physical activity and equipment use.

Further resources can be found at Ontario Physical and Health Education Association (OPHEA) website here.

SWAC

School Within A College (SWAC) classes are traditionally hosted at Lambton College (Sarnia) and St. Clair College (Chatham). At this time both colleges are starting the Fall semester with virtual course offerings – as such SWAC classrooms will be temporarily relocated until the colleges re-open for face-to-face learning.

TECHNOLOGICAL EDUCATION

Teachers will plan activities that support physical distancing while also limiting the use of shared equipment. Students will be encouraged to practice proper hand hygiene before and after equipment use. Further resources and recommendations can be found at the Ontario Council for Technology Education’s (OCTE) website here.

Extracurricular Activities, Field Trips and Large Gatherings/Assemblies

ELEMENTARY

Initially, there will be no extracurricular activities or field trips. We will monitor the situation and make decisions about these activities on a case-by-case basis.

Any large gatherings, such as assemblies, will be cancelled for the foreseeable future.

Only students who are attending in-person, classroom learning can participate in school-based activities, field trips, and gatherings. Class and school cohorts must continue to be maintained to support well-being.

SECONDARY

LKDSB will start the year with no in-person extracurricular activities (sports and clubs). The situation will be monitored, and individual activities may be reviewed on a case-by-case base.

Any field trips that require group transportation will be cancelled until further notice. Local walking class excursions to an outdoor setting may proceed.

School assemblies or other large gatherings (e.g., concerts or dances) are cancelled until further notice. Virtual options should be offered instead of in-person gatherings.

For secondary graduation ceremonies that were postponed from the spring, schools will engage with their school community to determine how to conduct the celebrations in order to meet physical distancing and safety guidelines.

Adaptive Learning Model and Full Learn at Home Model

In addition to the plans above, the LKDSB has also prepared comprehensive plans should public health or Ministry of Education require a shift to an Adaptive or Full Learn at Home model.

The Adaptive model limits cohorts of students to 15 in each classroom. This requires students attending alternate days.

Full Learn at Home would be implemented if schools are closed for a short or long term.

Parent/Guardian Daily Student Screening for Possible Symptoms of COVID-19

A vital required element of the Lambton Kent District School Board’s COVID-19 Safety Plan is student self-screening. Please use this checklist to perform daily screening of your child, before your child arrives at school. The list of symptoms below are based on the COVID-19 Reference Document for Symptoms (Version 5.0 – May 25, 2020).

Does your child have any of the following symptoms of COVID-19: (Identify any/all that are not related to seasonal allergies or pre-existing medical conditions)

Fever
New onset of cough
Chills
Unexplained fatigue
Headache
Sore throat
Runny nose
Stuffy or congested nose
Lost sense of taste of smell
Difficulty breathing
Difficulty swallowing
Pink eye
Digestive issues (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain) or
For young children; sluggishness or lack of appetite

Students must not come to school if they are experiencing any of these symptoms. Please seek testing and appropriate medical attention. Any students who are ill should not attend school. Students who test positive for COVID-19 should follow the directions of their local public health unit and/or health care providers.

Students who have been exposed to someone with a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19, should follow-up with the child’s health care provider, contact Telehealth Ontario (1-866-797-0000), or visit an assessment centre for testing.

Parents/guardians should follow the established procedure for notifying the school administration of the child’s absence from school.

Timelines for the individual student or staff member to return to school or work will be under the direction and guidance of the local Public Health authority.