April 29th, 2020

Dear WRDSB Family,

We hope this communication finds you in good health.

Clearly we still find ourselves in unfamiliar circumstances and we continue to look forward to the day when we can welcome you back to school. Thank you for all you are doing to limit the spread of COVID-19 and sincere thanks to all of you who are involved in front-line or essential work.

Since our last communication, the Minister of Education has announced that schools will remain closed until May 31st at the earliest. During this time our school communities may be staying physically distant, but we are working every day to keep them socially connected.

We would like to acknowledge the tremendous efforts of our students, parents/caregivers and staff over the past several weeks. Our transition to distance learning has been made possible by the hard work and flexibility of the entire WRDSB family and we are so very appreciative of this accomplishment together.

COVID-19 is affecting all of us but in very different ways. We recognize the anxiety caused by the continued uncertainty and remind everyone to take things slowly. Student and staff well-being continues to be a focus and together we will weather this storm.

We also want to let you know that we are beginning to work on a plan for the return of students to schools. We are pleased that our Provincial government has stated that the timing of this decision will be based on science and we will follow their recommendations. The health and safety of our staff and students is our number one consideration and you will be the first to know about this plan as more information becomes available.

If you have questions or concerns about student issues, we encourage you to reach out to your teacher or school principal, and for all other questions, you can connect with us on social media or email at info@wrdsb.ca.

Be well.

Sincerely,

Jayne Herring Chairperson, Board of Trustees

John Bryant Director of Education