ENGLISH FOLLOWS

As the start of the school year approaches and in accordance with the government’s update, the CSFP informs that the school year will begin on Wednesday, September 7, 2022 for students from kindergarten to grade 12, with the exception of Rocher-du-Nord, which will start the school year on September 12.

After three school years in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s priority is to maintain in-person learning. Students, teachers and school staff should expect schools to reopen under the same conditions as those imposed on classes that ended in June 2022:

• Masks continue to be recommended in schools. The prevalence of illness-related absences will be monitored throughout the school year and, if necessary, masking requirements will be imposed in a school or region to maintain in-person classes.
• Students, teachers and school staff should stay home if they are sick. However, people with symptoms of COVID-19 related to another known cause (e.g., runny nose caused by allergies or a persistent cough from a previous illness) can still go to school.
• All students, teachers and school staff must be up to date with their vaccinations. These are essential to minimize disruptions during the school year by reducing the period of self-isolation and allowing for a faster return to class.
• Parents, especially those of kindergarten students, should ensure that their children begin the vaccination process as soon as possible. For more information, please visit the following website: www.gov.nl.ca/covid-19/vaccine/fr .
• All classrooms and most common areas in schools across the province have air filtration and purification systems that were installed last year.
• Students in the middle and high school grades will continue to have access to Chromebook devices. Chromebooks have been essential for online learning over the past year and will continue to be useful in supporting learning both inside and outside of the classroom.

On August 23, the Ministry of Education joined more than 90 front-line teachers, educators and representatives from both school boards, the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers’ Association, Memorial University and the College of the North Atlantic for a second symposium on the impact on K-12 school-based learning. The first session, which focused on the post-secondary education system, highlighted the need for better collaboration between all parties in addressing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the second session, a work plan will be developed and released this fall.

See the press release in pdf

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Covid-19 health measures for the 2022-2023 school year

As the start of the school year approaches and in accordance with the government’s update, the CSFP advises that the school year will begin on Wednesday, September 7, 2022 for students in kindergarten through grade 12, with the exception of Rocher-du-Nord which will begin on September 12.

After three school years spent under the COVID-19 pandemic, the priority for this school year will be to maintain in-person learning. Students, teachers and staff should expect schools to reopen under the same conditions as when classes ended in June 2022:

• Masks continue to be recommended in schools. The prevalence of illness-related absences will be monitored throughout the school year and, if necessary, masking requirements may be introduced at a school or regional level to maintain in-person classes.
• Students, teachers and staff should stay home if they become sick. However, people with COVID-19 symptoms related to other known causes (e.g. runny nose due to allergies or lingering cough from prior illness) can still attend.
• All students, teachers and staff should stay up-to-date on their vaccinations. These are key to minimizing disruptions during the school year by lessening self-isolation timeframes and allowing for a faster return to the classroom.
• Parents, especially of Kindergarten students, should ensure their children start the vaccination process as soon as possible. For more information, visit www.gov.nl.ca/covid19/vaccine.
• All classrooms and most common areas in schools throughout the province have air filtration and purification systems which were installed last year.
• Junior high and high school students will continue to have access to Chromebook devices. These were instrumental for online learning during the past year, and they have ongoing value for extending learning inside and outside the classroom.

On August 23, the Department of Education brought together over 90 front-line teachers, as well as educators and representatives from both school districts, the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers Association, Memorial University and College of the North Atlantic at a second learning impact symposium, focusing on the K-12 system. The first session, which focused on the post-secondary system, highlighted a need for greater collaboration between all parties in addressing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. After the second session a working plan will be developed, which will be released publicly this fall.

View the press release in pdf