New Changes / Faces

peterloo on November 16, 2020

  Bodwell Bulletin

OCt 2020

Bulletin Highlights

New Changes

+ some Familiar & new Faces

I hope you are doing well and staying safe as we approach the end of October and the middle of the Fall 2020 Semester.  I’m pleased to let you know that the school year—although unusual—is going smoothly and students are studying very hard, despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic affecting many of our communities worldwide.

We are a smaller school this year, but we are thankful that many returning students have been able to return here to continue their academic studies this year.  Thanks to all of the safety preparations by schools such as Bodwell, including our special quarantine procedures, the Canadian government has begun to allow more international students to arrive in Canada, and we are now able to announce that “Bodwell High School is a British Columbia provincially approved designated learning institute (DLI) to accept international students” in spite of the border restrictions.  We look forward to welcoming back more returning students as well as new students as soon as possible to benefit from learning and living in-person at Bodwell.

The pandemic has inspired us to find new and innovative ways to do all of the special things that Bodwell students have come to love and benefit from:

  • Our classes make use of online learning tools, allowing some students to join on a Livestream from our Learning Centre.
  • Our new G-Block has offered students extensive academic support
  • Boarding activities have emphasized small group gatherings and outdoor recreation
  • All-school events such as assemblies have been run online, while we are planning for physically-distanced Halloween festivities.
  • Meanwhile, our Saturday Enrichment Program this year has allowed students in smaller classes to have a break from their computer work and to focus on hands-on engagement.

Parents are encouraged to regularly check the MyBodwell App for the latest updates on their child’s studies and engagement as well as for weekly video messages from administrators and other staff.

In the coming weeks, we will continue to keep parents up-to-date with the latest COVID-19 developments here in British Columbia as well as more information on our ongoing efforts to help students improve their academic English in preparation for university studies.

With Care,

Stephen Goobie

Stephen Goobie

Principal

COVID-19 Updates

Key Points
  • The second wave is here: cases of COVID-19 in some parts of Canada have been rising. In British Columbia, we have seen an increase in recent weeks.
  • So far, no Bodwell student has tested positive for COVID-19. About 10% of students have gone for testing.
  • Students and teachers are now asked to wear masks in all indoor classes.
  • Following the latest science, we are increasing access to fresh outside air in the building. Student need to dress more warmly.
  • If a positive virus case occurs, students will temporarily return to their rooms and learn online until contact tracing is complete.

For the latest research and safety measures for COVID-19, click to the play the video above.

As you may know, certain regions in Canada are having higher case counts of COVID-19 lately, and while British Columbia is not as severe as some other provinces, we have been told that we are now in our “second wave”.  Some additional restrictions in the community are being implemented, such as further limits on social gatherings.  We’ve been tracking virus exposures at schools around our province and in the Vancouver area, with some school districts affected more than others.  Several local schools in North Vancouver, both public and private, have had exposures and some individuals or groups of students at these schools sent to isolate at home.

Here at Bodwell, with our robust safety plan in place, we’ve gone through the first 8 weeks of school without any positive cases in our student population, including all those students who went through quarantine after arriving from overseas.  As a precaution, we have sent any students with new persistent cold symptoms for COVID-19 testing and all have come back negative.  This is about 10% of the student population so far.  Staff have also been very careful and have worked from home whenever any symptoms occur.  It seems our many safety measures have been working and I’m thankful to students for cooperating – although some students need frequent reminders!

We have also been reviewing the latest scientific research on COVID-19 spread through airborne aerosols and “super-spreader” events, so we are updating our safety measures according to this research.  Students and teachers are asked to wear masks throughout all indoor classes.  Additionally, we are increasing ventilation and fresh airflow to the building and all communal spaces.  Given the colder weather, it will mean students will need to dress more warmly, but we feel this is necessary for safety reasons.  Other previous safety measures will remain unchanged.

What would happen in the unlikely situation that a positive case of COVID-19 should occur in our school community?  Out of an abundance of caution, in this scenario, we plan to ask all Bodwell students to temporarily return to their boarding rooms (or homestay/homes) and join their classes live-streamed online until thorough contact tracing has been completed.  Staff will remain on hand to tend to all student needs.  Then, with the help of Public Health Officers, those student groups who have had no exposure risk will be released and may once again attend their in-person classes, while others will continue to self-isolate until the risk has subsided.  Students have practiced this procedure and we feel confident this will keep all groups as safe as possible.  We will keep parents well-advised if this situation occurs.  The flexibility of our “in-person online learning” mode of teaching will help prevent any interruption of classes.

In addition to this research, for your reference, you may also find the following BC Provincial COVID-19 documents useful, as they have informed Bodwell’s safety plans.  Together, we will get through this!