March 26, 2020
Tansi Ohpikinahawasowak (Parents and Guardians),
As part of our ongoing dialogue, I am providing an update on your awasisak & oskayak’s education and the next steps for student learning at MESC.
First and foremost, the safety and wellbeing of students and staff remains our top priority. As Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta Chief Medical Officer of Health said, ”There are no easy solutions to the situation we are in. We need to face this together, and respond to this extraordinary crisis with extraordinary kindness.” We will continue to work together with our Maskwacîs partners to provide ongoing support to MESC students.
I have never been more proud of our staff and our schools for how they are all stepping up to the challenge that has been laid in front of us.
Student Learning Support Information:
Note, provincial achievement tests are cancelled for students in Grade 6 and 9 and all Grade 12 diploma exams have also been cancelled. Students on track to receive 100 or more credits will still be eligible to graduate.
Moving forward, Alberta Education has shared their expectations for student learning to continue. These expectations align with the programming plan we have set in place to maintain student learning.
Kindergarten to Grade 3 will focus on language/literacy and math/numeracy with an average of 5 hours of work per week.
Grades 4-6 will focus on language/literacy, math/numeracy, and some time spent on Social Studies and Science with an average of 5 hours of work per week.
Grades 7-9 will focus on Language Arts, Math, Social Studies and Science, with an average of 10 hours of work per week.
Grades 10-12 will focus on core courses required for high school graduation – which are English, Math, Social Studies,Sciences with an average of 3 hours of work per course per week.
Please note that every student will receive final grades and will receive a report card, appropriate to their grade level. All students who were on track to progress to the next grade will do so.
Ohpikinahawasowak (Parents and Guardians) Resources
MESC school administration and teachers will return on Monday, March 30, 2020 to complete our plan and prepare student learning material.
We will have student learning materials ready for all K-12 students as soon as possible. At-home student learning will be either online or in the form of learning packages. If you haven’t done so already, please contact your child’s school to provide you with access to the Parent Portal to monitor your child’s progress online.
The following provincial resources are also available to parents:
- My Child’s Learning: Parent Resource at https://www.learnalberta.ca/content/mychildslearning/
- The website LearnAlberta.ca has more than 4,000 digital resources aligned with Alberta’s K-12 Curriculum.
MESC is working on a plan to ensure counselling supports are available to our students while classes are cancelled. If you or your child(ren) need immediate mental health support please call Maskwacis Mobile Mental Health at 780-362-2150. If you have questions or concerns, please contact your child’s teacher or school, after the miyoskamin break, by phone or email.
We appreciate your patience and understanding as MESC staff work to determine how to ensure student learning continues during this very challenging time.
Ay-hay, ekosi pitama,
Brian Wildcat
MESC Superintendent
