Catholic board director answers your back-to-school questions

In less than a week, students from kindergarten to Grade 3, along with students in Grade 7, will returnto Ottawa's English Catholicschools.

With just days to go before staff welcome students back, Tom D'Amico, director of education for the Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB), answeredyour questions on CBC's Ottawa Morningabout what those first dayswill look like.

The OCSB's plan this fall will see the youngest students and Grade 7 studentsreturn on Sept. 8, while students in grades 4-6 and Grade 8return the following day, Sept. 9.

High school students in the Catholic board will be split into two cohorts, A and B. Cohort A returns Sept. 14, while Cohort B starts Sept. 15.

Class sizes

This year, class sizes will be smaller than ever before, and D'Amico said that's because the board has a plenitude of teachers."We've left every one of our schools overstaffed," he said.

Those extra teachers will support online learning, D'Amico said. Since 24 per cent of all OCSB students will be learning remotely this fall, some classes will be "collapsed" together, but D'Amico said average class sizes will still meet the ministry's requirements.

Ninety per cent of grades 1-3 classes will have 20 students or fewer, he said. In grades 4-8 the average class size will be 24.5, while kindergarten classes will average 26 students.

High school class sizes will be reduced to between 12 and17 students "in most cases," the OCSB says.

Physical distancing

D'Amico said each classroom has been designed to maximize physical distancing, andmost schools have done away with traditional desk arrangements."There are tables, there are counter spaces, there could be a picnic table inside," he said.

While he notedpublic health officials have acknowledged that a distance of onemetrebetween studentsis acceptablein most school settings, D'Amicosaid that'snot the only form of protection in place. Masks are mandatory for students in Grade 4 and up both in school and on the bus, and proper hygiene practices will be observed.

"They're all layered approaches," he said.

• Ottawa Public Health: Supporting schools during COVID-19

Large classes might be moved to larger spacessuch as gyms, common areasand even outdoors, D'Amico added.

Staff assignments

Teaching assignments are still being finalized, D'Amico said, a complicated process that includes ensuring staff with medical accommodations are assigned accordingly. That means not all teachers who have volunteered to teach online will get their wish.

D'Amico said all staff teaching grades1-6 should gettheir assignments Friday.

"So it is a tight timeline, but we recognize that and we appreciate the patience and understanding of our staff," he said.

Easing into things

"Next week really is a trial run," D'Amico said, adding that with no school buses running yet and parents dropping off their kids, it will feel "almost like a snow day."

The plan is to start slowly, so teachers won't be jumping right into the curriculum. "Instead, what we'll be looking at is social emotional learning, hygiene practices ...icebreaker activities, learning the platforms," D'Amico said.

Details of the OCSB's remote learning program haven't been released yet. Teachers will send a link to students by Tuesday morning, he said.

"We could have put information out a week ago, but there would be a lot of changes. So we're leaving it now, right till the end, so that there's less changes to impact both our educators and our students and parents."

ESL support

The school board has not cut support to English as a Second Language (ESL) programs, D'Amico said, but some teachers have been reallocated to provide support online.

"They are being spread outbecause we have to cover two environments and we have the same number of specialists."

The same applies to special needs educators, D'Amico said.

What if there's a case?

Any student suspected of having COVID-19 will be sent for testing, and an Ottawa Public Health nurse willdetermine who else needs to be isolated.

• Here's what happens when there are COVID-19 cases in Ontario schools

If that happens, kids needn't worry about missing out: teachers will post learning materials online for students who are showing symptoms and are unable to attend class in person.

"In that case, they could very quickly and seamlessly, hopefully, transfer over to the learning online," D'Amico said.

The board has an extensive list of frequently asked questionson its website.The OCSB is the second-largest school board in the city and provides Catholic education to more than 42,800 students at 84 schools.

Do you have questions about back-to-school for Dr. Vera Etches, Ottawa's medical officer of health? She'll joinOttawa Morninglive on Tuesday, Sept. 8, after 7:30 a.m. Email your question to ottawamorning@cbc.ca