THUNDER BAY – It was the longest March Break on record, but French-language students in Thunder Bay are back in class.
Day 1 was smiling eyes and relief to return to school, both for teachers and students, said Mireille Major-Levesque the superintendent of education for the Conseil scolaire de district catholique des Aurores boreales, which oversees nine elementary schools and one high school in Northwestern Ontario.
“Actually, it went very well,” Major-Levesque said on Thursday morning.
“The kids were all happy to come in. We saw some smiling faces. The teachers were ready. The plan is in place, so everything went really well to welcome the kids back.”
Like the city’s two larger school boards, the French board has spent the past several weeks putting a plan in place that meets back-to-school guidelines put in place by Ontario public health officials.
Unlike the larger boards, students at all levels will be permitted to be in the classroom full-time, though just under 10 per cent of the board’s 875 students and their parents have opted for the remote learning option, at least to start the school year.
High school students at both the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board and Lakehead Public Schools will take part in an alternating week delivery model, taking one course in person in the morning and a second online in the afternoon. Each week they’ll switch which course is being taught in person.
Still, some precautions have been taken at Ecole secondaire catholique de La Verendrye to ensure social distancing protocols are met.
“Our high school kids get to stay here all day. We have lower numbers, so we can ensure that the cohorts are respected,” Major-Levesque said.
“Our Grade 9s and 10s are separated from the Grades 11s and 12s, so it makes for lower numbers. And the Grades 7s and 8s are completely separated also.”
About 250 students are enrolled at the High Street school.
Major-Levesque said the new reality in class is going to take some getting used to, but she’s confident students and staff will quickly adapt. Teachers spent the past few days organizing their classrooms and going over the new protocols, to be sure they were ready to greet students for the first time in person in nearly six months.
Safety is the No. 1 priority, Major-Levesque said.
“I know there are parents out there who have those concerns, that have worries. Our plan is in place. It follows the ministry protocols. It respects the maximums for the cohorts. We have lots of hygiene reminders and routines in place for the kids,” she said.
“We have physical distancing protocols in place. We have everything in our plan that makes us confident that the reopening of the schools will go well.”
What students won’t be able to do is take part in extra-curricular activities. They’re on hold until further notice, Major-Levesque said.
