Although the last week has had difficulties, we have much to be thankful for. Barrhead Composite High School is thankful for our program assistants who have willingly done whatever they could to help with all of the new and different things that have come up this week. We are thankful for our office staff who have made sure that information was gathered and properly communicated to those who called and came in. We are thankful for the custodial staff who have worked hard to regularly, properly sanitize the building to keep people safe. We are thankful for our teachers who have worked to build new programs for students and communicated with parents and students. We are thankful for all of the understanding and encouraging parents and students who contacted us or came to pick up materials from the school.
If you were unable to pick up student materials, please contact the school to arrange pick up after Spring Break.
We are also thankful for the relationships our staff have built with students over the first part of the year, and we look forward to expanding on those relationships and helping students learn in new ways as we go into the weeks after Spring Break.
As we have been telling students and parents this week, we will be using Google Classroom for all initial contact and instruction for students. Students should check their school email for Google Classroom codes from their teachers. If a student does not know their Google log in information, they should contact the school and we will provide that to them. We are also working on getting devices for students who do not have them. By Monday, March 30, we will have a plan to get Chromebooks to families requiring them. Please watch your email, our website (barrheadcomposite.ca), and our Facebook page for details.
Although you may have received Google Classroom invites to a number of classes, we will focus our teaching on the four core subjects: English Language Arts, Math, Social Studies and Science. Some students may have different teachers in core courses, as we balance teaching loads and focus on these courses.
During the first week after Spring Break, teachers will be working on renewing relationships with students and reviewing material, as we learn and adjust to a distance education format. In the weeks that follow, teachers will go deeper into instruction. Although teachers may not be experts in teaching in these ways, we know that teachers will do their best to help students learn at a distance. We have seen this clearly over the last few days, as teachers worked diligently, exploring and learning new ways to meet students’ educational needs. Please continue to be understanding as we may make mistakes as we go.
For more information on the return to school after Spring Break, please see this Pembina Hills School Division post (https://www.pembinahills.ca/our-division/news/getting-ready-for-a-new-first-day-of-school/)
Once again, thank you for your understanding and support. We have been greatly encouraged by the many positive messages we have been receiving. Barrhead Composite has a strong and resilient community, and we will not only survive the changes ahead of us, but we will thrive.
From the BCHS Administrator Team
Darcie Eamor – Principal
Greg Ferguson – Associate Principal
Prakash Raju – Associate Principal