NU Government: COVID-19 Department of Education Services update
Press Release
11 November 2020
Department of Education Update – November 11, 2020
K-12 Schools
- There is a confirmed case of COVID-19 in Rankin Inlet.
- According to Nunavut’s Chief Public Health Officer, Rankin Inlet is now in Stage 4: Confirmed positive case of COVID-19, until further notice.
- Schools in Rankin Inlet will be implementing their Stage 4 action plans.
- All schools in Rankin Inlet are closed to students, staff, and the public until further notice from the Chief Public Health Officer.
- All instruction in Rankin Inlet will be conducted remotely.
- Remote learning will be done by telephone and learning packages.
- Teachers/school staff will be contacting their students and families as soon as possible.
- Updates on community stages will be posted on the Department of Education website: https://gov.nu.ca/education/information/2020-21-opening-plan-nunavut-sch…
- The school closure in Rankin Inlet will not affect staff pay.
- The department recommends that the Rankin Inlet District Education Authority (DEA) staff not attend work.
- Funding to the Rankin Inlet DEA will not be affected, and the Rankin Inlet DEA is encouraged to continue to pay their employees as normal.
- DEA staff in all other Kivalliq communities (Stage 2 communities) should attend work for essential duties only and coordinate with school leaders regarding their presence in schools.
Early Learning and Child Care
• Because of the confirmed case of COVID-19 all child care facilities in Rankin Inlet have been recommended to close by the Chief Public Health Officer.
• Government of Nunavut funding to licensed child care facilities in Rankin Inlet will continue as normal.
Department of Education Update – November 9, 2020
K-12 Schools
- According to Nunavut’s Chief Public Health Officer, Sanikiluaq will continue to be in Stage 4: Community Transmission of COVID-19 until further notice.
- No other communities or schools are affected at this time.
- The department is preparing internet-ready laptops that will be deployed to students and staff at Paatsaali High School to support continued learning.
- At this time, the students and staff of Nuiyak Elementary School will not be receiving digital devices, as the department is currently waiting for a shipment of internet sticks suitable for iPads. When the department has received and prepared them, they will be sent to Sanikiluaq. Until this time, remote learning for the elementary school will be done through phone contact and learning packages.
- All Nunavut school staff, including those in Sanikiluaq, have completed their training on the Edsby online remote learning platform. The department is aiming to have Edsby accounts for Sanikiluaq staff set up by mid-week, and then teachers will invite their students to join Edsby.
- Safety protocols for the distribution of digital devices and learning packages will also be provided to schools.
- Sanikiluaq schools received additional cleaning supplies in October, and more PPE will be sent to Sanikiluaq to support the distribution of digital devices and learning packages.
- To see how the Department of Education is keeping students safe visit: gov.nu.ca/education.
Department of Education Update – November 6, 2020
K-12 Schools
According to Nunavut’s Chief Public Health Officer, Sanikiluaq is now in Stage 4: Community Transmission of COVID-19 until further notice.
All schools in Sanikiluaq are closed to students, staff, and the public until further notice from the Chief Public Health Officer. All instruction in Sanikiluaq will be conducted remotely.
Teachers/school staff will be contacting their students and families as soon as possible.
To see how the Department of Education is keeping students safe visit: gov.nu.ca/education.
The school closure in Sanikiluaq will not affect staff pay.
The department recommends that the Sanikiluaq District Education Authority (DEA) staff not attend work.
Funding to the Sanikiluaq DEA will not be affected, and the Sanikiluaq DEA is encouraged to continue to pay their employees as normal.
Early Learning and Child Care
Because of the confirmed case of COVID-19, child care facilities in Sanikiluaq have been recommended to close by the Chief Public Health Officer.
Government of Nunavut funding to licensed child care facilities in Sanikiluaq will continue as normal.
Department of Education Update – October 26, 2020
With the funding provided by the Government of Canada’s Safe Restart Agreement, the Department of Education purchased 1600 digital devices for Nunavut schools in the event of school closures due to an active case of COVID-19 in a community. Of these 1600 purchased devices, 800 iPads have already been delivered to the department for formatting.1400 more devices will be ordered soon, thanks to funding from the Government of Canada’s Safe Return to Class fund.
The Department of Education is also ensuring that learning will continue even if schools are closed due to COVID-19, by testing the use of an online learning platform called Edsby. Edsby is a comprehensive digital learning system designed to support both in-class and remote learning. The easy-to-use interface, similar to social media sites, is intended for students from Kindergarten to Grade 12, teachers, and parents. It can be accessed from almost any digital device such as a laptop, a tablet, or a smartphone.
Finally, the Department of Education has secured additional cleaning and health and safety supplies so schools can continue to meet the enhanced cleaning standards and health and safety measures that came into effect due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Department of Education Update – October 19, 2020
School action plans
- All schools are developing an action plan for each stage of COVID-19 risk. Action plans for stages 2, 3, and 4 will focus on supporting remote instruction and alternatives to in-class learning
- The Department of Education has provided guidelines and toolkits to support schools as they develop these action plans, which include:
- A plan for a staff member to have daily contact with each student they have a relationship with.
- How students will be supported if they do not have access to digital or computer technology at home, using alternatives such as telephone, radio, package delivery, etc.
- Development of “ready to go” learning and well-being packages for each student, in case a community enters stages 2, 3, or 4.
- Instruction and support for students on Individual Student Support Plans (ISSPs) will continue to be in place at all stages.
- Details on how schools will operate during each stage, including fire drills, food programs, and administrator classroom visits.
- Most schools have completed their action plans for stage 1 and are working on completing their stage 2, 3, and 4 action plans. Regional School Operations staff are working closely with school leaders to review and approve draft plans.
- 21 out of 45 schools have completed and submitted final action plans for all stages.
- Some schools have developed additional wellness support tools, for example Qiqirtaq High School in Gjoa Haven has a student wellness survey as part of their action plan.
Learning Packages
- Learning packages have been developed for each student as part of the stage 1 action plan. These packages are adapted to fit the varied needs of each student.
- Learning packages will be continually updated with new and revised material as students progress through the curriculum. These will be used, as needed, when a community moves from stage 1 to stage 2, 3, or 4.
Read More
IHT5