May 25, 2021 – The Saskatchewan Health Authority informed us that there was one case of COVID-19 at Gladys McDonald School.

Close contacts have been called and remote learning will begin for affected students.

The school remains open. Letters will be sent to all school families.

If there are any additional close contacts identified at the school, they will be contacted directly by Public Health. A close contact is someone who has been within two metres (six feet) of someone for a cumulative 15 minutes. 

If any staff, student or school family members show any symptoms, they should please stay home and contact Healthline 811. Symptoms are described here. 

For more information about the process Regina Public Schools follows when there is a case of COVID-19 in our schools, please read this on our web site. https://www.reginapublicschools.ca/keep_you_informed.

May 4, 2021 -- Regina Public Schools is excited to introduce Edsby to all staff, students and parents/guardians. Edsby is a comprehensive digital learning platform that will replace the PowerSchool Parent Portal this summer. Parents/guardians will be able to use Edsby to keep up with what’s happening with their children at school and to remain active in the education of their children.

Parents/guardians are asked to please CLICK HERE for an important document that contains the step-by-step instructions that need to be completed by June 1^st.

April 26, 2021 -- Following consultations and recommendations from Regina Medical Health Officers (RMHO), Regina Public Schools will be returning to in-class learning on Monday, May 3, 2021.

The decision to return to in-class learning follows information from RMHO showing a “distinct reduction” in new infection in both elementary and high school-aged students. RMHO supports the return to in-class learning and continues to monitor case trends.

Beginning on May 3, 2021, all Pre-K to Grade 8 students will be returning to class. Grade 9 to 12 students will also be returning and continuing their schedule of alternate day attendance. More information will be shared directly by schools and teachers.  High school students have been away from class and remote learning since March 24, 2021; elementary students have been remote learning since March 29^th. The Spring break was from April 2 to 9, 2021.

“Working with other Regina and area school divisions, we took the steps that we believed were necessary to minimize the risk to students, staff and school families,” says Greg Enion, Director of Education. “The recommendations of local and provincial medical experts guided our decisions and the number of cases of COVID-19 related to schools was significantly reduced. Regina Medical Health Officers now support a return to in-class learning. We will continue to follow their guidance. But we will stay vigilant, when it comes to in-school safety protocols, including mask use, physical distancing, and ongoing sanitization. Additionally, with the warmer weather, school staff and students will take the opportunity to spend more time outdoors in the sun and fresh air. These outdoor learning and recreation activities will complement the enhanced ventilation we installed at all of our schools and buildings.”

Regina Public Schools will also be taking advantage of Rapid Testing Kits that have been made available by the Government of Saskatchewan to add an extra layer of precaution and protection to in-class learning. Details will be forthcoming soon.

“We are also pleased that the Government of Saskatchewan prioritized vaccination for a number of groups including in-school employees, continues Enion. “Teamed with more employees and school families having already received their first vaccination, based on age-based distribution, our hope is that this prioritization will result in fewer adults at risk for severe COVID-19 symptoms and hospitalization.”

Regina Public Schools families can expect to hear more information and regular updates directly from their schools and teachers.

For more COVID-19-related information and resources, please visit the COVID-19 link at www.saskatchewan.ca.

April 20, 2021 -- Following consultations and recommendations from Regina Medical Health Officers, Regina Public Schools is extending temporary remote learning (Level 4) for all Pre-K to Grade 12.

The tentative return to in-class learning for all students will be on May 3, 2021. Previously, students were scheduled to return to in-class learning on April 26, 2021. Regina Public Schools is consulting with Regina Medical Health Officers regularly and will update the return to school date on a weekly basis. Any future decision will depend on existing COVID-19 and Variant of Concern risk in Regina and area.

“We would have preferred to have students return to their school desks to resume in-class learning,” says Greg Enion, Director of Education. “We have been informed that returning to schools now would not be the safest course and that it would not benefit our city’s effort to reduce our COVID-19 caseloads. Remote learning is not ideal, but we are confident that many of our students are continuing their learning. We are also working to keep parents informed with enough notice so they can make plans for their families.”

Regina Public Schools is also collaborating with other Regina-area school divisions to attempt to create a consistent response to the COVID-19 risk for all Regina and area students. The school division understands that the Variants of Concern continue to spread and are very contagious.

School families will continue to receive learning resources from teachers and their schools during this extended period. In addition, some school-based staff who are not directly involved in teaching students will continue to be tasked with identifying, reaching out and engaging with students who have been challenged by remote learning.

For more COVID-19-related information and resources, please visit the COVID-19 link at www.saskatchewan.ca.

APRIL 6, 2021 -- Throughout the year, Balfour Arts Collective (BAC) will be collaborating with local artists to offer virtual ArtsCool! masterclasses. The classes feature local artists sharing their skills with BAC students and our community. These lessons are designed for all levels of artists. Take a look below and try it out. Most importantly, have fun! Be sure to tag us on Instagram and share your results!

For the video on the Balfour Arts Collective website, please CLICK HERE.

YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GUdvJaQUEg

APRIL 1, 2021 -- Regina Public Schools is extending temporary remote learning (Level 4) by two weeks. This decision follows recommendations from Regina Medical Health Officers as a result of continued cases of COVID-19 and the spread of Variants of Concern.

Temporary remote learning at all Regina Public schools and for all Pre-K to Grade 12 students will continue until April 23rd. In-class learning will resume on Monday, April 26, 2021.

This is not a decision we make lightly. We have sought out the advice of local and provincial health authorities; we have listened to our school families, our employees and our Board. We have also consulted with our partners in other Regina-area school divisions. This continuation of temporary remote learning is the most prudent and proactive step we can make to minimize the very real COVID-19 health risk to our students, staff, their families and to our Regina communities.

Both the Regina Board of Education and the administration of the school division understand the challenges this two-week extension may present to school families. The school division is acting on the encouragement of the Regina Medical Health Officers and for the safety of students and staff.

It is hoped that this early notice of the extension of temporary remote learning will minimize further disruption to families by allowing them to plan for the next few weeks. Additionally, teachers and school-based staff will have the opportunity to better plan for continuing remote student learning. Regina Public Schools staff will work during this period and, as previously announced, the majority of them will continue to have the option to work from home. Schools will remain open for staff during this period. Note that all schools will be closed during the Spring Break from April 2 to 9, 2021. School families will receive more details and learning resources from teachers and their schools following the Spring Break.

During this extended period, some school-based staff who are not directly involved in teaching students will be tasked with identifying, reaching out and engaging with students who have been challenged by remote learning.

While the plan is now to return to in-class learning on April 26, 2021, consultation with local and provincial health authorities, as well as with the Ministry of Education, continues and the school division may return to in-class learning earlier if the Regina-and-area health restriction conditions merit.

For more COVID-19-related information and resources, please visit the COVID-19 link at www.saskatchewan.ca.

Greg Enion

Director of Education