Looking on the Horizon

peterloo on May 1, 2020

  Bodwell Bulletin

May 2020

Bulletin Highlights

Looking On the Horizon

Key Points

  • Good news: British Columbia has lower numbers of COVID-19 infections compared to other places in Canada and other regions.
  • Our campus will continue an isolation model, however we are looking for gradual ways to help students and staff to enjoy the outside community and work together in the coming weeks.
  • BC has a plan to relax some restrictions this summer, but we need to keep some safety steps in place.

In the past weeks, it has become clear that our world has changed in very significant and real ways. With cases of COVID-19 surpassing more than four million worldwide, including nearly 300 000 tragic deaths, we are seeing a heavy toll on human life, as well as on our personal well-being and local and national economies. We are all worried about the health and safety of our loved ones.

While medical workers work tirelessly to save lives in hospitals, citizens have joined together to do their part in communities around the world by staying home whenever possible, keeping a distance from one another, and taking many other steps in order to slow down the spread of the virus. Humans are social creatures, so these sacrifices have not been easy, especially for young people who are out of regular school life.

The good news is that in many places, these extreme steps are working to prevent too many people from getting sick at the same time. Here in British Columbia, we have been fortunate that the public health measures have kept the number of infections much lower compared to other places in Canada and elsewhere. While we still need to be cautious, for now, our curve has been “flattened”.

As of May 6th

BC has kept the number of COVID-19 cases lower than the rest of Canada (Most cases in Ontario & Quebec)

British Columbia has announced plans to reduce some restrictions throughout this summer. However, this is not yet a return to normal. Until there is a widely-available vaccine or widespread immunity, many restrictions, including physical distancing, will need to remain for many months ahead. This is to ensure that cases of COVID-19 do not suddenly begin to rise again and overwhelm our hospitals. For now, people in BC need to continue to do our part by staying close to home, avoiding large gatherings of people (especially indoors), and paying attention to our hygiene and cold/flu symptoms.

Here on campus at Bodwell, with the support of our Live-in Boarding Team, we continue to live in a strict isolation model in order to keep safe the boarding students who could not return home. As some restrictions slowly reduce in the community, for safety we will continue to maintain an isolated campus going forward as much as it is reasonable to do, and at the same time we are planning to find more ways for students and staff to safely enjoy some summertime together out in the community, and to gradually find ways for more staff to work together here with students on campus. We have also been preparing additional steps here on campus in the unlikely event that cases of virus should appear despite our prevention measures. This includes holding “room isolation drills” for boarding students, and preparing “room isolation kits”, as well as ensuring there are reliable ways for staff to communicate with students if they need to be in their rooms during an actual health emergency. These steps will help us practice and prepare our campus for a “new normal”, so we can continue to operate safely even when in-person classes eventually resume. On a more lively note, the student-run “Bodcast” has been waking us up each morning all over campus! 

Meanwhile, in the North Vancouver community, our homestay and day students have been spending time at home with their local families. Many students have been helping around the house (and even earning volunteer hours), keeping fit, and practicing their English at home. We thank our homestay families for taking such good care of our students as if they were their own children. This Thursday, May 14 at 5 pm, our homestay and day students will be joining a special meeting with Mr. Nissen, Ms. Mitchell and Mr. Goobie to go over some updates and reminders.

Finally, on April 27, our entire school community came together in our first-ever online All-World All-School Assembly. Thank you to some of our Student Parliament members for sharing their messages from both Vancouver as well as from their home countries. Please check out the replay in this short version or the full version. Please read and review the important information below, including an exciting announcement about Graduation 2020! 2020 will be a challenging year that no one will forget, but the future remains bright. We need to stay united, as one school. Students and parents, we are with you all the way.

Now more than ever do we need an Education for a Changing World. We are called as global citizens to be courageous, caring, patient and determined to get through the COVID-19 pandemic. Bodwell students, parents and staff, we will get through this… together.

Sincerely,

Stephen Goobie

Stephen Goobie

Principal

Online Learning

Distance Learning Updates

Key Points

  • Midterm assessments finished. Midterm report cards to be ready this week.
  • Many students are highly engaged in online learning.
  • Students need to keep on gaining their Career Exploration 30 hours.
  • Students need to be active and follow all online learning instructions.

No matter whether students are still on campus, living in the local community, or are back home in cities all over the world, they are continuing their learning. Everything about our new system can be found in the Bodwell Online Learning Handbook. You will also find it useful to view two videos about online learning at Bodwell.

Recently, online midterm assessments were held, and teachers have been busy giving students feedback, compiling grades, and writing midterm report card comments. Parents can expect report cards this week.

Online learning is more challenging than in-person learning, especially when done over different time zones. However, we are pleased that many students are asking frequent questions and reaching out to teachers for one-on-one help, including quieter students who don’t normally ask for assistance. Some recommendations for students to improve:

  • Watch all teacher weekly video recordings very carefully
  • Pay careful attention to step-by-step instructions
  • Pay more attention to reading teachers’ feedback on their assignments
  • Ask questions and let your teacher know right away if you cannot meet deadlines.

Finally, students are reminded to continue focusing on earning their Career Exploration Hours (sometimes called “Volunteer Hours”). It is important not to wait too long, as 30 hours are required for graduation and offer good ways to gain valuable skills and real-world experience. There are many options that can be done from home, homestay, on-campus, or in one’s community while observing physical distancing measures. Contact Mr. Robert Sanzalone (By E-mail or on MS Teams) for more ideas and support.