Dear Parents/Guardians of 2020 Graduates:
I, like you, have a special interest in this year’s Grad Class. Not only was I lucky enough to coach or teach many of the grads in their grade 8 and 9 year, I also have my youngest daughter graduating this year from MRSS. I recognize, therefore, that there is a helpless feeling that is present among many Grads as they watch the COVID-19 virus disrupt their lives in both big and small ways. Not surprisingly, I’ve already had quite a few emails asking about plans for graduation and I must confess that I have no answers at this point. Mr. Beale and Mr. Randle, our Grad and Dry Grad organizers, will be returning to work next week and we’ll start to have initial discussions about alternate plans and we’ll keep you abreast of any changes.
Our priority at this point is to make sure that all our grade 12’s are in a position to graduate when June arrives and therefore it is important for students complete online assignments when they start arriving April 6th. I want to assure all parents that our staff will be working hard to minimize the disruption to learning caused by the move to online instruction. My initial advice is to look over the report card that was issued before Spring Break and if you’re concerned about your student’s graduation status please let me (ken_elphick@sd42.ca) or Mr. Page (sacha_page@sd42.ca) know. There is still a term left in school so there is plenty of time to make positive changes. My second recommendation is to be a bit nosey and make sure your son/daughter is keeping up to date with online assignments. This will be big change for many of them so if they’re not giving you much feedback, please contact the teacher directly. We want to make sure no one falls through the cracks.
As for the curriculum, all of your students’ regular teachers will be teaching classes online. Therefore, starting April 6th, Grads will need to have access to a computer as their courses will be delivered online at that point. If access to technology is a problem, please let us know and we’ll try to make alternate arrangements to access a computer. Graduating students are a big priority for all our staff at MRSS and we want to assure you that they will be supported as they approach June.
Finally, I’ll restate what I mentioned in the general parent letter. When we see students face to face it is much easier to assess their readiness to learn and to connect to both their stresses and successes outside of school. We recognize that this is an incredibly challenging time for many graduating students and their families. Please communicate with us if there are circumstances that will affect your son or daughter’s ability to complete online coursework.
Please stay safe and healthy.
Sincerely,
Ken Elphick
Acting Principal, Maple Ridge Secondary
Email: kelphick@sd42.ca
Phone: 604-463-4175
Cell: 778-953-1770