Osoyoos Secondary School. (File photo)

Scott Tremblay

Principal, Osoyoos Secondary School

Parents, Students, and Community Members, this is definitely a different Rattler Report!

As Spring Break was coming to a close for students and staff at OSS, in-class and in-person instruction was suspended indefinitely due to the COVID-19 outbreak and we began planning to deliver learning opportunities remotely. This educational delivery model is quite new to most teachers at OSS and there has been much professional learning going on at OSS and at teachers’ homes.

Supported by School District 53’s IT department and senior management at the school board office, teachers were equipped with the necessary learning tools to begin to provide education to our students and began the process of communicating with students and parents.

This is what remote learning will look like at OSS:

  • Teachers will either be using Microsoft TEAMS or Weebly to delivery their educational opportunities to students.
  • Teachers will be using either Microsoft TEAMS or ZOOM for video conferencing.
  • Teachers will be uploading daily and weekly learning schedules on TEAMS.
  • Teachers will be communicating with students using TEAMS, and students can chat and video chat with their teachers during school hours.
  • Teachers will schedule video conferencing with students during their regular scheduled class time.
  • Teachers are, mostly, working from home, so teachers exclusively communicate with students using TEAMS or ZOOM

Yes. The delivery of education looks very different at OSS, but staff have embraced this new type of teaching. From support staff to teaching staff, we have an all hands-on deck approach, which is making sure that the continuity of learning opportunities will be the best that it can possibly be for the students of OSS.

For the graduation class of 2020, these are truly uncertain times. With events like Prom, the Grad Trip, and the Graduation Ceremony, it is hard to predict the future of those events.

At this point, I have not cancelled any of the Graduation events. I am holding off on making decisions until I get more direction from the Provincial Health Officer, Ministries of Health and Education, and the School Board Office. I would love to think that the Grad Trip and the Graduation Ceremony will continue as planned, but without the most current information, it is hard to know whether postponement or cancellation are the most prudent decisions. I will be definitely reaching out to grade 12’s and their parents asking for their opinions on how to best manage the future of Graduation events.

Additionally, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the 2020 OSS Scholarships and Bursaries applications due date have been pushed to Friday, May 1, 2020. Please email me the application forms and all supporting documents for the OSS scholarships and bursaries. My email address is [email protected].

Lastly, we, at OSS, are doing our best to provide students with the most engaging and enriching educational opportunities during this unique time.

Please take care and stay safe. We MISS you!!!