LETTER TO FAMILIES

ST. JOSEPH'S SCHOOL

34 Potts Rd., Simcoe, ON  N3Y 2S8                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    519  426 0820

April 2nd, 2020

Dear Families,

As is the staff at St. Joseph’s School, I am missing all the children in my school family! I think about you all daily and continue to hope that you are all taking care of one another. I hope this continues to find you and your family well during this time of uncertainty. As you are most likely aware by now, the Minister of Education announced this week that school closures will extend until May 4, 2020.

By now, you should have been contacted by your child(ren)’s teacher(s) for a couple of reasons. The first reason was to verify the email address that we have on file in our system and for you to confirm that email address to be the primary email address that you would like to use for correspondence related to “Continuity of Learning” for the upcoming weeks. Then, upon verification of your primary email address, the teacher(s) would have sent you login and password information for a platform called Brightspace (D2L). This is the Ministry and Board-approved learning platform that all teachers will use to ensure that learning continues as we move forward on this new journey together.

Please note that sometimes Brightspace/D2L works better with certain browsers (e.g. Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, etc.), especially updated versions. If you experience any challenges in launching the platform, first try a different browser option if possible. Also, some words of caution for homes that have multiple users sharing the same device (i.e. more than one child):

• Try using a different browser for each user/child (e.g. Child A uses Firefox, Child B uses Chrome)

• Do not click “keep me signed in” for any user, instead log in and then out each time.

You are welcome to try logging in this week, but please know that there may not be anything posted officially until April 6th. This may be different if your child(ren)’s teacher(s) have already been using this platform throughout the year. Please note, that for many educators, this is a new experience for them too and we appreciate your patience during this transitional time.

Please be kind to yourselves as you continue this new path of supporting learning at home. Go slowly. Share time together. Quite often learning comes from natural experiences that are all around us. We will support one another and get through this challenging time together. The most important thing for you and your child(ren) right now is to feel safe, healthy and loved.

Again, if you or any families you know of do not have access to technology, causing challenges with engaging in distance learning please advise your classroom teacher as soon as possible (if you haven’t already done so). Additionally, if you or any families you know of need anything during these difficult times please let us know so that we can help- we are community and community takes care of each other.

Together, let us pray:

Our Loving Heavenly Father, We have been so worried about this situation. We may see no solution or end, no way out. But we realize that we don’t have to see the answer. We need to trust You to work this out in Your way and in Your time.

In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers.

Sincerely,

Mrs. H. Graham, Principal.