Public and Catholic schools in the Lambton-Kent district are excited to welcome students back as curriculum changes come into effect.
The first day of school for many students in the region will be on Tuesday, September 5.
Prior to the summer break, the Ontario Ministry of Education announced curriculum changes at the elementary level in language and a de-streamed English course for Grade 9 students.
Lambton Kent District School Board (LKDSB) Director of Education John Howitt said they will be offering supports and resources for students as the changes come into effect, as will the ministry through its digital curriculum website.
"We're not 100 per cent familiar with [the changes] yet, of course, as we have not gone through a cycle of teaching a full year under the curriculum," said Howitt. "We're quite excited about the focus on early literacy. We know that when we can support students early - as early as possible - that any interventions that we apply will just pay dividends down the road."
The Ministry of Education is also putting a greater emphasis on school attendance this year.
Howitt said the goal is to have 90 per cent of students attend school regularly, so the LKDSB will be focused on offering supports rather than handing out punishments for those who are absent.
"We know that students who are absent multiple days in a row, that their chance for a positive learning outcome declines significantly and their wellbeing declines significantly as well," Howitt said. "We want to be working with our families to remove barriers that are limiting student attendance."
Howitt said very rarely do students choose not to attend school and their absence is usually related to adult challenges with work, where a high school student may need to stay home to care for a younger sibling.
Families who face barriers that affect student attendance are asked to contact the school principal or vice principal for assistance.
Total enrollment numbers for the LKDSB are currently unavailable. However, Howitt said just under 60 elementary school students and just under 150 high school students have opted to continue with remote learning.
The LKDSB will also provide the virtual learning program to a secondary student within the St. Clair Catholic District School Board (SCCDSB).
SCCDSB Director of Education Scott Johnson said very few students opted to participate in virtual learning this year so it made sense to partner with other school boards.
"We have seven students who have chosen [virtual learning] in elementary and that program is being offered by Waterloo Catholic [District School Board]," Johnson said. "We simply couldn't run a remote program for one secondary student or seven elementary students."
Johnson also noted an increase in enrollment both at the elementary and secondary school level.
"Across our 23 elementary schools, we're expecting approximately 6,250 students and in secondary we're looking at 2,700," Johnson said. "So our total population will be approaching 9,000 which is more than we've seen for the last number of years."
For those attending high school this year, Johnson's advice is to get involved in a club or a team.
"We are really excited to welcome our secondary students back where we have no restrictions put in place from the ministry and we are running a full breadth of programming for academic, athletic, artistic, social justice, and faith formation," he said.
While there are no ministry or public health restrictions related to COVID-19 or other respiratory illnesses, both school boards are encouraging students and staff to practice good hygiene and stay home when sick.
-With files from Stephanie Chaves