Dear Grade 2 and 3 Parent/Guardians: 

Over the past 20 months, COVID-19 has caused a number of learning disruptions for students worldwide. The Government of Alberta has identified that students who are currently in Grades 1, 2, or 3, have been impacted the greatest, as these years provide the foundation for Math and Reading. In May 2021, Alberta Education announced a Learning Disruptions Grant which recognizes the impacts of learning disruptions on Grades 1, 2, and 3 students due to COVID-19.

In the Black Gold School Division (BGSD), teachers have been using classroom screening tools in Math and Language Arts for a number of years to help them understand what students know at the beginning of the year.  These are very short samples of student work that focus on key skills and knowledge that students need to be successful. The information teachers learn from screening tools allows them to fill in gaps in students’ understanding so they can be more successful.  With the learning disruptions that have occurred due to COVID-19, there is an increase in the number of students who need additional support to understand the foundational skills and knowledge in Math and Reading.

In September, BGSD used the data from classroom screening tools to apply for this grant to allow us to provide targeted programming to enhance the literacy and numeracy skills of students in Grades 2 and 3.  At the end of October, we were delighted to learn that our grant request had been approved and we received $490 for each student who was identified as being impacted by the learning disruptions in literacy and/or numeracy skills.  While the money for an individual student doesn’t seem like much, we are using the funding our school received to hire an additional teacher, provide professional development for teachers and educational assistants and purchase supplies to work with students on reading and math skills in small and large groups. With a focus on accelerating student learning (in response to the COVID-19 learning disruptions), staff will work with students to provide support in those areas of Math and Reading that have been identified through the screening tools. 

We look forward to January when we are able to apply for this grant to provide the same type of support to Grade 1 students.  If you have any questions or concerns, we would be happy to talk with you. Please call the school for further information.