Dear Black Gold Families,
As promised, on Monday, March 23, parents/guardians will have the opportunity to retrieve their belongings and pick up school supplies, lessons and information. Later today you will receive a message from your child’s school as to the times and instructions for pick up. If you have questions regarding the schedule, please phone or email your child’s school beginning at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow morning.
During the last week, your child’s teachers and school support staff have been diligently gathering materials and preparing lessons to help your child meet the outcomes for their courses.
Black Gold has a small number of Chromebooks available that have been cleaned and prepared for students to use at home. Please contact your school Friday, March 20, if you are in need of a device. Schools will prioritize distribution of the Chromebooks based on student need.
We sincerely hope that you and your family are well. We are currently living in unprecedented times. There is a lot of information being sent to you in a short period of time. As members of the Black Gold community, we will approach the upcoming days with patience, understanding, and a realization that we are all learning this “new” together.
All Black Gold schools are operating using the guidelines provided by Alberta Health Services and Alberta Education. Therefore, we must be mindful of social distancing and limiting public interaction as we allow access to the school. Thanks for your understanding.
Please read the following information carefully before making arrangements to come to the school.
Once again, thank you for your understanding during this challenging time.
Yours in Education,
William Romanchuk
Superintendent of Schools/CEO
Black Gold School Division
First, if you are feeling unwell or have any symptoms (even a mild cold), or have been in contact with anyone that is experiencing symptoms, or have been travelling within 14 days, PLEASE DO NOT COME TO THE SCHOOL. YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO ENTER.
Your family’s health, and the safety of our school community is our first priority. Community spread cases are a growing concern, and as a community we must do our part to help contain the virus.
As per the provincial government’s direction, should parents/guardians wish to access a school facility, they must follow these guidelines:
- Anyone sick with respiratory symptoms (even if symptoms resemble a very mild cold) will not be allowed to enter.
- Staff will be actively asking those who enter if they are having any respiratory symptoms, which would include (but not limited to) fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, etc.
- Only small groups of people should enter the building (e.g. hallway or gymnasium) at a single time.
- Handwashing must take place when entering and exiting the school. There will be staff members assigned the task of providing hand sanitizer to those entering and exiting.
Our expectations
- ONE (1) parent/guardian, may come to their child’s Black Gold school, according to the schedule that will be provided by your school, to pick up their child’s personal belongings and other materials.
- This schedule is in place to limit the number of individuals in the building at one time and protect your family’s health; thank you for arriving during your scheduled time.
- The principles of social distancing should apply. When you arrive for your collection time, please park in the staff lot and line-up appropriately at the main doors. A minimum distance of two meters must be maintained between individuals.
- If someone other than yourself is coming to pick up the items, please contact the school office, Friday, March 20, to let staff know. This alternate person should also not have any symptoms (even a mild cold), or not have been in contact with anyone that is experiencing symptoms, or have been travelling within 14 days.
- All student items from lockers, boot rooms and desks will be packed in a bag for parents/guardians to pick up at the main entrance of the school upon your arrival.
- Upon entrance, the parent/guardian will be met by a staff member who will request your name and the name of your child(ren). They will then obtain your child (ren)’s bag of items for you.
- Parents/guardians will not have access to classrooms or lockers.
What will you be able to pick up or drop off?
While you are here at the school, you will have a chance to pick up items that have been pre-bagged. This may include:
- An orientation package with detailed instructions.
- Hall locker and gym locker contents.
- Textbooks.
We will not be accepting at this time:
- Library materials (no overdue fines will be charged).
- Do not return band equipment until further notice (no overdue fines will be charged).
- Do not return school uniforms until further notice (no overdue fines will be charged).
- Pre-existing paper-based assignments. If students need to submit print materials for marking, please submit electronically via email (picture with your phone or scan with printer/copier from home, etc.) to their teacher.
Will you have access to teachers?
- For safety reasons and timely access, we need to ensure that the visit is brief.
- Teachers will not be available for questions at this time. The package you will receive will address many of your questions and will inform you of how to keep in communication with your child’s teachers.
Need more information on COVID-19?
- Albertans are also encouraged to continue to monitor the Alberta government’s COVID-19 coronavirus website (https://www.alberta.ca/coronavirus-info-for-albertans.aspx). It is updated daily and is the source of the most up-to-date information for Albertans.