York Catholic District School Board

Catholic Education Centre, 320 Bloomington Road West, Aurora, Ontario L4G 0M1
Tel: 905-713-1211, 416-221-5051, 1-800-363-2711
Fax: 905-713-1272 ● www.ycdsb.ca

Office of the Director of Education

Ab Falconi

April 26, 2020

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As we enter the fourth week of distance learning I want to share my appreciation for everything that you
and your children are doing to make learning happen in your home. It is certainly a different experience
for everyone – including our teachers – and your support and understanding are key to our shared
success.

Today, Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced that all publicly-funded schools will remain closed
until at least May 31, 2020, as part of an effort to keep students, staff and families safe from COVID-19.

The extension was based on expert advice from the Chief Medical Officer of Health and health officials
on the COVID-19 Command Table, and is part of the government's ongoing effort to stop the spread of
the virus. The advice was to extend school closures for an additional period of time to permit updated
modelling and data to inform next steps.

This means that we will continue with our current distance learning model for the next five weeks, and
potentially longer.

Here are some other updates for this week.

June Events
At this point it is important to note that we have made the decision to cancel June events and
activities. Even if students return to the classroom in June, events and activities will not take place. We
will need to focus on learning and readjusting to being back together in person.

Regarding Grade 8 and Grade 12 graduations, as long as it is permissible with public health officials,
it is our plan to organize graduation ceremonies in the fall. We recognize the importance and
significance of these milestone events and will do our best to organize them for our students and
families. As the celebration of our academic success takes priority, we will not be organizing proms.

Final Marks
Many of you have expressed concern about assessment during distance learning and the impact it may
have on final grades. Please be reassured that the York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB) and
the Ministry of Education are working to ensure that no student is unfairly impacted by the school
closures.
The Ministry of Education has confirmed that final marks for all students (elementary and secondary)
will not be lower than the mark they had prior to school closures (March 13). We believe that through
distance learning students have the opportunity to improve their marks and this continues to shape our
approach to teaching during this time.

Professional Activity Days

Today the Minister of Education announced that the remaining professional activity (PA) days and
examination days will be replaced with instructional days. This means that days currently marked in our
school year calendar as PA days and exam days will now have student lessons and learning provided.

Final Assessments for Secondary Students

Due to the unprecedented situation of school closures and given the Ministry announcement that
examination days will be transitioned into instructional days, it has been decided that final assessments
in the form of examinations will not take place this semester. Culminating assignments/tasks will be
assigned instead.

Teachers will inform students directly regarding the culminating assignments/tasks for their courses in
the coming weeks.

Summer School
The status and format of summer school classes has not yet been determined. School boards across
Ontario are expecting to get direction from the Ministry of Education soon. Possible outcomes could
include holding classes as usual or with fewer students in each class, converting where possible to
e-learning courses, or cancelling classes altogether. We will provide updates as soon as they are
available. Today, Minister Lecce said that the Ministry is working on a “more robust summer learning
program to help interested students.”

Refunds for cancelled programs and activities

Recognizing that families have paid for activities, events, programs, trips, hot lunch and other items that
are cancelled due to school closures, the Board will be issuing refunds, where applicable, in the coming
weeks.

As much as possible, schools will issue one cheque per family with a record of what refunds are
included. In some cases, more than one cheque may be issued. We anticipate that refund cheques for
elementary schools will be mailed by mid-May and secondary schools by late May or early June. This is
due to higher student enrolments in high schools (i.e. 1,000+) and the larger range of programs and
activities offered. All refunds will be mailed via Canada Post.

If you made a payment by cheque and it has not yet been cashed by the school (i.e. lunch orders or
field trips), the cheque will be voided by the school and mailed back to you.

Communicating during school closures

Just a reminder, if parents or guardians have a question or would like to discuss the instruction their
child is receiving, the same process exists in the distance learning environment as during regular times.
Parents should first contact their child’s teacher. This can be done via email through the Google/D2L
classroom or by calling the school and leaving a voicemail for the teacher.

If further discussion is needed, you can contact the school principal via email or by leaving a voicemail
at the school. (Note: links to principal emails are now located at the bottom of all school websites).

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YCDSB website updated regularly
We will continue to communicate with you through emails like this during the COVID-19 school closure
period. You will also hear from your child’s principal and teachers on a regular basis. As well, our
website (www.ycdsb.ca) is being kept up-to-date with useful information and resources for parents,
students and families.
 Misplaced a parent email like this one? All updates are posted on the website.
 Wondering about how you can help your child learn at home? Read the Family Guide to
Distance Learning.
 Does your child get Special Education support? There are Special Education Resources for
parents.
 Need some mental health support for you or your family? Check out this list.
 Food on your mind? We recently added links to Food Banks in York Region.
Links to all this information and more can be found on the homepage of the website. You can also
follow us on Twitter @YCDSB

Provincial government supports for families

The Ontario government has a website where parents can learn about funding that families can apply
for if they have children who are not in school or child care because of coronavirus (COVID-19). Visit
Get Support for Families to find out if you are eligible and how to apply.

I hope that your family was able to find time this weekend to reflect and honour the resurrection of Our
Lord, Jesus Christ. I think that our faith and giving thanks is even more important during this time.
Another link on our website you may find helpful is the one for Daily Mass with His Eminence Cardinal
Collins.

As many in our community are directly, and so many more indirectly, affected by the COVID-19
pandemic, I request that you take a moment to center yourself in prayer for our YCDSB community.

Wishing your families continued health and happiness in the days ahead.

Yours in Catholic Education,

Ab Falconi
Director of Education