Message to Parents/Guardians and Students from the PSB During COVID-19.

Dear Parents/Guardians and Students;

Former automobile racer Bobby Unser once said: ‘Success is where preparation and opportunity meet’. Some would say he was fortunate to have experienced the thrill of three Indianapolis 500 victories over his career. Success, however, is rarely a matter of luck, but more a matter of preparation, and of doing what needs to be done to be in the path of opportunity.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, PSB staff have been busy preparing and working with our partners, including parents and staff from the Department of Education and Lifelong Learning, to ensure students can be as successful as possible learning from home. The efforts educational leaders and teachers have made around home learning during this pandemic has allowed students to be able to take advantage of opportunities and maintain connections. We thank parents and students for engaging with the learning materials and opportunities that have been provided. As we continue to respect the Public Health guidelines, home learning materials and opportunities for students will continue until we are able to all safely return to our schools.

Ask a Psychologist

Our Student Services team has launched an Ask a Psychologist section on their PSB Student Services Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/psbstudentservices/ . If parents are wondering about how to manage bedtime worries, what to tell their teen who wants to visit friends, where to begin to structure their child’s day, or any other questions, they can write in and ask for advice from a school psychologist. Parents and students can also email a question to askapsychologist@edu.pe.ca . Anonymous responses will be posted to the Facebook page so other parents can also benefit from the advice. Please check out the first video that answers a question that was recently posted about how to regulate children who have tantrums.

Home Learning Television Program

A great deal of preparation has gone into making the new home learning television program Head Hand Heart Connections. Tune in to the Community Channel on Eastlink (10 & 610) and take time to connect through stories, movement, music, art and language. Through a series of episodes focused on creativity, physical health and well-being; children, youth, and families can engage with educators and librarians and explore fun learning opportunities. Episodes will be aired on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday each week from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. until further notice.

Students and Parents are also encouraged to watch Language 4 Vous on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings at 11:30 a.m. on the Eastlink Community Channel. The show is suitable for children pre-kindergarten and older wishing to improve their English and French communication. Each 24 minute episode features a variety of videos varying in length on vocabulary, crafts, well-being, drawing, music, and other aspects of life. A majority of the show is meant to be interactive as students can follow along with many segments within the show and can send in their created works to Language4Vous@gmail.com . Language 4 Vous is created by a collaborating team of EAL and FAL itinerant teachers and specialists in PEI with the goal to help everyone improve.

Nothing can be achieved without preparation. We thank our staff who help prepare for student success. We thank you for taking care of each other, yourself, and remaining engaged with these educational opportunities at home.

Parker Grimmer

Director, Public Schools Branch