Education continues, despite challenges
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/01/2021 (866 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Happy New Year everyone! Best wishes for 2021.
Louis Riel School Division staff were very busy during 2020, continuing to provide quality education to students during the pandemic and I commend all staff for their tremendous efforts. Whether learning was taking place at school or online, it was definitely happening.
To give you a glimpse of what has been going on in LRSD, I start with Samuel Burland School. Principal Ross Cathers said staff and students embraced Project Joy, with students in all classrooms making ornaments to share with personal care homes, including Golden Links Lodge. Students used some of their ornaments to decorate the fence and path near the school. In keeping with their spirit of generosity, Samuel Burland also collected for Harvest Manitoba, the Christmas Cheer Board and Main Street Project.
Principal Lyette Carriere informed me that École Julie-Riel focused on well-being in their lessons and activities. Students took part in a Healthy Hunger Hot Lunch program twice a month, ordering from restaurants such as KFC and Subway. Funds raised during spirit week were donated to Harvest Manitoba, with many parents purchasing clothing with the school logo, and EJR students also participated in Project Joy.
In addition, the EJR parent association committee provided treats for staff, including a luncheon and goodie bags. PAC meetings are held virtually each month while staff have one-on-one check-up meetings and socially distanced lunches. Six extra hand washing stations have been installed in the school during this pandemic to help keep students well.
Lyette says families have been supportive and understanding and have expressed their appreciation to staff through calls and emails. She said the experience can be exhausting but morale is high with students and staff making a tremendous effort to remain positive, follow protocol and continue to learn and grow.
At Victor H. L. Wyatt School, principal Laurie Ryz says teachers and students have been optimizing use of outdoor spaces as meaningful learning extensions to formal classrooms. The outdoors provides a springboard to a variety of subject areas where curricular outcomes are intentionally woven into the experience. Discovery, creativity and problem-solving skills are at the forefront of learning experiences.
Several classrooms have made community walks a part of their learning, providing opportunities to explore, question and observe nature with sightings of wildlife happening.
As Laurie states, “There is something special about learning underneath the open sky with art at our feet.”
The year cannot end without a seasonal concert, which I had the opportunity to see when Nordale School performed it first ever virtual concert. Principal Dave Everley narrated The Night Before Christmas while video recordings of classrooms were shown with students making music through percussion instruments and movement as well as guitars. The performances were innovative and delightful, including a rendition of The 12 Days of Christmas where students created posters to depict each part of the song What a wonderful and positive way to end 2020!
And here we are beginning 2021. I have no doubt that the students, parents and staff in LRSD will continue their efforts in working through this pandemic with the hope of better things to come.
You are our heroes.
Josie Landry is a Ward 3 trustee for the Louis Riel School Division.
Josie Landry
Louis Riel School Division trustee report
Josie Landry is a Ward 3 trustee for the Louis Riel School Division.