#Reopenstrong Spotlight: LaSalle-Backus Education Campus

Written by Principal Shelly Gray

Our motto at LBEC is: We can! We will! Our school community believes that no matter what challenges we are faced with, when we face them together, we can overcome obstacles and achieve great things. Throughout the reopening process for Term 2, the school has focused on maintaining the LaSalle Way for teaching and learning.

We continue to focus on the LaSalle Way for school operations, which includes:

Learn all policies, procedures, and protocols.

Build a clear and consistent system for communicating in-person and virtual expectations.

Engage all in-person and virtual stakeholders in the creation of school procedures and protocols.

Commit to excellence and consistency throughout every phase of school operations so children and staff can lead, teach, and learn in a safe and joyful environment.

Reopening our Doors for CARE Programming

Students and families are experiencing a new normal regarding wearing masks, social distancing, health, safety, and hygiene protocols. Students start their day with the Ask, Ask Look Protocol.

Everyone gets their temperature checked daily. Students stand on their “bubbles.” After sanitizing their hands, students walk and chant or sing down the hall, continuing to practice social distancing and their morning hygiene routines. They are learning to properly remove their masks and put them on over their nose and under their chin. Our Leopards are learning a new way of eating and connecting. Our Leopards have also learned to show love and joy for everyone through air hugs and blowing kisses through their masks.

Our Leopards are happy to see each other. They are enjoying spending time in the garden and on the blacktop. The two options for outdoor spaces have enabled us to teach our small group of students how to play outside and maintain a healthy and safe space between each other. Our Leopards continue to receive online instruction from their teachers and Literacy Lab tutors. They are receiving a healthy balance of learning and play during their day at school.

LaSalle is committed to creating an environment that is safe, warm, and welcoming to all members of the school community. In doing so, the community is embracing the changes and the expectations to keep each other safe.

While we recognize reopening the school is not easy, we do understand the importance of engaging all stakeholders in this process — teachers, staff, parents, and the community. As we shift our planning to reopen more CARE classrooms and prepare for in-person learning in Term 3, we have expanded our school operations and planning team to consist of our Local School Advisory Team, School Chapter Advisory Committee, administration, Operations team, parents, and community members. We are committed to engaging a diverse cross-section of the school community in the process so we can continue moving forward safely and do what’s best for the entire school community.