A.L. Fortune Secondary School

Close to 60 people joined an online presentation featuring Dr. Sean Larsen who discussed a Practical Approach to Managing Anxiety in Children on March 10 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Director of Instruction Carol-Ann Leidloff was pleased with the turnout and said this online workshop was presented to help parents and educators with some essential tools to better understand anxiety in children, recognize when it is becoming problematic, help children build the capacity to overcome it, and create environments to foster better outcomes for those struggling. She noted Dr. Larsen has agreed to allow the recording of the session to be shared so that those who couldn’t attend can watch it at their leisure.

View recording of Thursday’s presentation here

View pdf of Dr. Larsen’s slides here

Drawing on literature on brain development, emotional regulation, psychology, and years of clinical experience Dr. Larsen wants to help others better understand children’s anxiety and how to support them in more meaningful ways.

Problematic anxiety in childhood is common and disrupts opportunities for healthy experiences. Anxiety can influence a child’s ability to achieve academically, make friends, or find reward in the activities they take part in.

He notes that about one in ten Canadians will access mental health support for mood and anxiety disorders in their lives and a far larger percentage could benefit from these supports and a better understanding of what anxiety is and how it impacts their lives.

Leidloff adds the district hopes to have Dr. Larsen return in the fall with presentations on how to help children sleep better, and on digital parenting.

It is almost time to take off your mask, if you so choose, but not quite!

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has announced that masks are no longer required in public indoor places as of midnight March 10th, however this does not apply to certain areas including schools and medical/health facilities. This means, in accordance with the Public Health Order, SD83 students and staff continue to be required to mask indoors at school.

Henry announced B.C. students from Kindergarten until grade 12 will no longer be mandated to wear masks after their return from Spring Break which in SD83 is from March 21 to April 1, 2022.

B.C. takes next step in balanced plan to lift COVID-19 Restrictions

If they so wish, SD83 students and staff can once again resume using cloth or non-medical face masks.

When schools re-opened in January, with the highly contagious Omicron variant spreading, SD83 made the decision to supply medical three-ply masks to all students and medical or KN95 masks to all staff, in an effort to help keep everyone healthy and schools open. With numbers now trending downwards, and as promised, this short term measure has now ended.

The district has a good supply of 3-ply children’s masks, which will still be available to students.

Thank you to everyone for continuing to do the daily health check, staying home if you are ill, washing/sanitizing your hands, and wearing masks indoors.

Public Health and the Ministry of Education have recently updated recommendations and requirements around managing COVID-19.

Click on the link for the Daily Health Check and What To Do If You Are Sick document from public health. The Ministry’s K-12 Daily Health Check app/website is currently being updated and will be available soon.

The main message continues to be please stay home if you are sick, and to use all layers of protection available to you (vaccinations, hand hygiene, and masking). COVID-19 testing is no longer recommended for those with mild symptoms that can be managed at home. School COVID-19 Safety Plans (including hand hygiene and masking inside the school) remain the same.

There are some other changes, including how long someone with COVID-19 has to self-isolate. Please refer to the chart below:

Just a friendly reminder to parents & guardians that your student should be picked up or dropped off in front of the school’s main doors. The back parking lot is not set up for that type of egress. This also assists the office staff when confirming a student is getting picked up by the parent during school hours.