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Tears, fears and cheers as kids go back to class in Simcoe County

Some parents express concern about not being able to switch their child’s learning mode until Feb. 2022, while others relay positive experiences of sending their kids back to in-person classes starting this week

When Melissa Gilkes dropped off her daughter for her first day of kindergarten this week, she was greeted with a little care package that helped ease some of the stress.

The Barrie mom was one of thousands of families who sent their kids back to school this week after nearly 18 months of COVID-19 uncertainty which has thrown the education system province-wide into unprecedented territory. Despite some bumps along the road, many Simcoe County families and school board officials are optimistic this year will push everyone forward toward a more normal school year.

Gilkes sent her daughter to junior kindergarten for the first time this week at Johnson Street Public School in Barrie. Teachers provided parents dropping off this week with care packages including a tea bag, some candy, tissues and words of encouragement.

“Our experience was great,” said Gilkes. “The teachers were all super friendly and welcoming even though they had to wear masks. I was worried my daughter would be scared, but she wasn’t.”

Sarah Darby and her husband Dave have two daughters in senior kindergarten at Forest Hill Public School.

The Midhurst couple sent their daughters in-person last year as well, and were disappointed when they spent a large part of the school year back at home due to provincial lockdown measures.

“We think they should have been in school all last year and the year before,” said Dave. “We kind of feel that the risk posed by COVID-19 is a lot less than the risk posed by the mental strains of not being in school. They missed their friends and in-person socializing.”

“We’re honestly really happy that they’re back. We’re hopeful there’s not another lockdown,” said Sarah. “The kids are so happy. They’re sleeping so much better already.”

Allison Allin’s daughters also attend Forest Hill Public School. Her eldest is in Grade 1, while her youngest started junior kindergarten this week.

“This week has gone very well for all of us,” said Allin. “My oldest is just glowing. She definitely benefits from in-person learning."

“My youngest didn’t even look back when I dropped her off this morning,” she said with a laugh.

While Allin’s oldest went in-person last year, she still had to switch to remote when lockdowns occurred and Allin found herself having to take her daughter to work with her at her north-Barrie business on multiple occasions.

“Everyone did a great job pivoting. It was more (difficult) trying to juggle helping with the schooling while running a business, but once school locked down, for the most part, I was also locked down,” she said. “It was kind of nice to be able to see and hear what was going on because normally we don’t get a snapshot into our kids’ classrooms.”

For the 2021/2022 school year in the public board, 37,935 students are enrolled in elementary schools, while 16,232 students are enrolled in secondary schools.

This year, about 1,900 elementary students and 325 secondary students have opted for the online schooling option. All others have opted to be in-class.

“It’s been very positive,” said John Dance, director of education for the Simcoe County District School Board. “We’re very happy with how things have gone. There are a lot of challenges with COVID-19 protocols, but the excitement in our schools has been really noticeable.”

At the Catholic board, 15,128 students are enrolled in elementary schools, while 7,082 students are enrolled in secondary schools.

This year, about 457 elementary students and 151 secondary students have opted for the online schooling option. All others have opted to be in-class.

“Overall we are very pleased with how school start up is going so far, especially since we are still functioning in this pandemic environment,” said Frances Bagley, director of education for the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board. “The vast majority of our students returned to face-to-face learning and there was certainly a feeling of eagerness and enthusiasm to get back into the routines and social interactions that are part of a school environment.”

Bagley noted that enrolment at the Catholic board is up by about 700 students this year which is good news for the board, but can create challenges as it means the board may have to reorganize some classes in high-growth areas.

“We do know that we will be faced with more challenges because of COVID-19, but we are better prepared as we have been through a year already and we know what works well and what doesn't – we can already see how that knowledge is making things just a little bit smoother this year,” said Bagley.

While board staff are staying optimistic about the 2021/22 school year, not all families have had the most positive first-week experience.

Surveys sent out to parents by the public board which were due back in June asked parents to make a choice at that time whether their children would be returning to school in-class or through virtual options in September. Students whose parents did not send in a survey were automatically enrolled as in-person learners.

Louise Abendroth’s children attend Ferndale Woods Elementary School in Barrie. She had wanted her son, who is enrolled in French immersion, to attend school virtually this year. After having difficulty finding the survey and filling it out ahead of the June deadline, she emailed the school directly and hoped that would be enough.

She was dismayed to discover last week that it wasn’t, and her son is enrolled in-person. She was told by the public school board she was locked into that choice and her option is to switch to an asynchronous learning model for the time being.

“We are not a French-speaking family so this is not an option,” said Abendroth. “I feel this is a violation of my child’s right to a safe education.”

Washago mom Brittany Tonello has the opposite problem.

She enrolled her four children in virtual learning at Severn Shores Public School through the survey ahead of the June deadline, with plans in place for her mother to help her kids through the virtual lessons. Over the summer those plans changed and her mother is no longer able to help, so she wants her kids to be switched to in-person learning.

“In the middle of summer I tried to reach out to change things and no answer,” said Tonello. “Children should never be refused education. Situations change.”

Both moms have been told by the Simcoe County District School Board that moving forward, new requests or changes to learning modes for September 2021 are not being accepted at the public board.

“We have heard from some parents/guardians who are requesting to switch learning modes,” Sarah Kekewich, manager of communications with the SCDSB told Village Media. “The staffing and development of both in-person and remote-learning classes require considerable coordination, taking into account multiple factors including enrolment, school composition, class cohorts and collective agreements with our union members.”

Kekewich said some exceptions to the policy have been made, but only where space exists in a school, in order to allow students to return to in-person learning.

“We understand that this was a difficult decision; however, we needed to prepare for our students to ensure that programming would be ready beginning on Sept. 7,” she said.

The board has said that students may move between remote and in-person learning at the natural term transition time at the end of Term 1 in February 2022, where space exists.


Jessica Owen

About the Author: Jessica Owen

Jessica Owen is an experienced journalist working for Village Media since 2018, primarily covering Collingwood and education.
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