Back to the books: What to expect on the first day of school
Ontario students of all ages will once again be returning to school in a pandemic—but this time the majority will be learning in the classroom.
Children haven’t physically been inside a classroom since mid-April when the province shuttered schools to in-person instruction as a result of rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
While many may be looking forward to a return to normalcy this year, there is a lot that parents and students need to be aware of before heading to school on that first day. What safety protocols are in place currently? What happens if there is a COVID-19 case at a school? Will children need to play catchup when it comes to their studies?
In Episode 9 of Life Unmasked, the team hopes to answer some of these questions and look back at what teachers, parents and students have learned over the past year. Dr. Lana Parker, professor of education at the University of Windsor, joins the podcast to talk about why parents shouldn’t be too concerned about learning deficits and why in-class learning is invaluable.
We’re then joined by Ryan Bird, spokesperson for the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), who provides some insight into what parents should expect when they send their children back to school.In early August, the province released a 26-page back-to-school plan providing guidance on masking, cohorting, extracurricular activities, and infection prevention measures.
Since then, each school board has also been adjusting their own policies to deal with more local pandemic challenges. The TDSB has provided a few additional public health measures, including a ban on in-person assemblies and differences with extracurricular activities as well as cohorting. They have also mandated vaccinations for all staff, trustees and visitors.
Life Unmasked airs first on the iHeart app every Thursday morning before becoming available on other streaming platforms. If you have questions for the podcast team, or an idea for an episode, please email lifeunmasked@bellmedia.ca.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Most of the city is evacuating': Gridlock on Alberta highway after evacuation order in Fort McMurray
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
Sask. police seize 1.5M pieces of evidence, lay 60 more charges in child exploitation case
Saskatchewan RCMP have revealed that a historic sexual assault investigation has led to the discovery of alleged crimes against children dating back to 2005.
'Inappropriate' behaviour shuts down Dublin to New York City portal
Less than a week after two public sculptures featuring a livestream between Dublin, Ireland, and New York City debuted, 'inappropriate behaviour' in real-time interactions between people in the two cities has prompted a temporary shutdown.
Oilers starting Calvin Pickard in goal for Game 4 vs. Canucks
The Edmonton Oilers will start Calvin Pickard in net Tuesday for Game 4 of their playoff series with the Vancouver Canucks.
Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker rails against Pride month, working women in commencement speech
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker railed against Pride month, working women, President Biden's leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and abortion during a commencement address at Benedictine College last weekend.
King Charles III unveils his first official portrait since his coronation
King Charles III has unveiled the first portrait of the monarch completed since he assumed the throne, a vivid image that depicts him in the bright red uniform of the Welsh Guards against a background of similar hues.
Full List Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Alberta announces the 4 health agencies that will replace AHS later this year
The province has released more information on its plan to break up Alberta Health Services and replace it with four sector-based health agencies.
Biden administration moving ahead on US$1 billion arms package for Israel, AP sources say
The Biden administration has told key lawmakers it is sending a new package of more than US$1 billion in arms and ammunition to Israel, two congressional aides said Tuesday.