Dear Parents/Guardians,
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) has notified the province and all Ontario school boards that its members will engage in a legal strike with a full withdrawal of services, beginning Monday, November 21, 2022 unless there is progress at the central bargaining table with the Ontario government.
At St. Clair Catholic CUPE represents custodians, early childhood educators, educational assistants, library and computer technicians, secretaries and some corporate services administrative staff. A full withdrawal of services would mean none of these important supports will be in place and the Board will not be able to safely operate our schools.
At this time, the duration of a potential withdrawal of services is not known. However, St. Clair Catholic has plans and supports in place for virtual learning for Grades K-12.
On November 15, 2022 you received an email from the Board with a link to a survey regarding whether your child(ren) require technology for virtual learning. However, due to technical issues with one of our vendors, the survey link was not operable for some families. Parents who were unable to complete the survey should ask the classroom teacher to send home any required technology at the end of the day, Thursday, November 17, 2022; or, parents attending a parent-teacher conference, may take the technology home at that time.
Please be advised of the following:
- Tomorrow – Thursday, November 17, 2022 – Students will bring home any learning materials required for remote learning, ie., textbooks/musical instruments/technology. Personal items, such as eyeglasses, articles of clothing and/or medication should also be brought home at this time.
Beginning next week, there will be further opportunities for students/parents who need to access technology devices at the school. However, schools will be closed to visitors on Friday, November 18, 2022, as principals will be leading PD sessions with staff.
- Monday, November 21, 2022 – In the event of a full withdrawal of services by CUPE, asynchronous learning opportunities begin for all students. A live Google meet will be arranged. Teachers will provide more information.
- Tuesday, November 22, 2022 – In the event of a full withdrawal of services by CUPE, synchronous instruction begins. The regular school schedule will be maintained. Attendance will be taken as required by Ontario regulation.
- Kindergarten: In order to provide small group instruction, all Kindergarten classes normally staffed by a classroom teacher and Early Childhood Educator (ECE) will be divided into two groups, with half of the students receiving synchronous instruction in the morning and the other half in the afternoon. You will receive further information from your school principal.
- Special Education: School teams involved with supporting students with special education needs will continue to work together on behalf of your child. A collaborative approach between Classroom Teachers, Program Resource Teachers and Board Special Education Teams will support student goals outlined in their IEP.
- Support – Parents who require technical support should connect with their classroom teacher or the Help Desk at https://helpdesk.sccdsb.net/
- Child Care – Parents who have children enrolled in child care centres located in the school should speak to the child care provider about delivery of services.
The St. Clair Catholic District School Board is committed to keeping parents/guardians and staff informed as new information becomes available. Please continue to visit the Board website at https://newsdesk.st-clair.net/ for updates.
In the meantime, our prayers go forward for a resolution that is fair and equitable to both parties in the dispute between CUPE education workers and the Ontario government. Should strike action go forward, we will wait in hope for our colleagues to return to their important work, so that together we can support the students and families of St. Clair Catholic in our classrooms.
Sincerely,
Scott Johnson
Director of Education