June 5th, 2020

Retrieving personal items from your school

Starting the week of June 15, WRDSB students and families will have the opportunity to safely empty their lockers and safely retrieve personal items from their schools. Families can expect to receive information directly from their school about the retrieval process, including the dates and times families should arrive at their school.

We do have some guidelines we are asking families to observe while retrieving their items, including completing the Government of Ontario’s self-assessment before they arrive at school.

Learn more about our process for retrieving personal items.

Information from the Province

Provide feedback to the Ministry of Education

The Ministry of Education has provided information regarding the development of a plan for reopening schools in September in Ontario’s Continuity of Learning Plan. Parents/guardians have the opportunity to provide feedback. You can provide a written submission with your input, ideas or data by sending an email to EDU.consultation@ontario.ca.

Make sure to:

  • include your name and the name of your school board/organization
  • use “Ontario’s Plan to Reopen Schools” in the subject line
  • attach your submission as a PDF or Word document

Ontario’s COVID-19 Testing Plan

On Friday, May 29, 2020, the province released its testing plan, Protecting Ontarians Through Enhanced Testing. Ontario now has the most open testing criteria in the country.

Ontario’s testing guidance now indicates that you should visit an assessment centre if you:

  • have at least one of the symptoms of COVID-19
  • do not have symptoms but are concerned you might have been exposed
  • do not have symptoms but think you are at risk through your employment (for example, if you are an essential or health care worker)
  • would like to be tested

To support Ontarians who have identified the need to get tested, as of May 24, 2020, people will no longer need a referral to go to any of the more than 130 assessment centres across Ontario for testing. No Ontarian will be declined a test.

Given this expanded guidance, if you do choose to get tested, here are a few important notes:

  • Testing is voluntary.
  • You do not need an OHIP card to be tested. It is a free service.
  • Some assessment centres may require you to book an appointment first or have certain restrictions (for example, some are unable to test young children). Find out more about an assessment centre near you.
  • You can also take an online self-assessment to help determine if you should get tested.
  • If you are free of symptoms and have not had contact with anyone confirmed to have COVID-19 when presenting for testing, you will not be required to self-isolate. However, you should self-monitor for symptoms for 14 days regardless of your test result. If you begin to develop symptoms, self-isolate and contact your local public health unit for further advice.

Stay informed and visit Ontario’s website to learn more about how the province continues to protect Ontarians from COVID-19. Local information is also available from Region of Waterloo Public Health and Emergency Services.

We want to hear from you

As school closures and distance learning continue, we are working hard to find ways to continue to support you and ensure you’re getting the information you need. To help us, we invite you to fill out this survey. We look forward to compiling the data and will share back what we’ve heard from you along with the next steps.

WRDSB@Home

As part of our ongoing efforts to support and improve the distance learning experience for our students and their families, new at-home activities focused on a variety of subjects continue to be added every day during the week.

Tech@Home

Don’t forget about Tech@Home. This website contains resources to help students and families troubleshoot technical problems they may be experiencing.

Tech at home

Thank you for your continued collaboration and we look forward to connecting with you again in a week’s time.