Wednesday, February 13, 2019 [Evening] ~ WEST SHORE & SOOKE.
~ West Shore Voice News
6:30 am Feb 14: Yes, SD62 schools are open.
Posted mid-day February 13:
Unless there is a major blizzard overnight, SD62 schools will be open again tomorrow, on February 14, Valentine’s Day.
This comes on the heels of three consecutive Snow Days, February 11 to 13, due to inclement weather. And comes one day ahead of a regularly-scheduled Pro-D Day on Friday February 15 (no school).
So it will be back to routine for only one day this week in the west shore and Sooke. Followed by a ‘long weekend’ as Monday February 18 is the BC Family Day statutory holiday.
Deep snow and icy roads and sidewalks made travel potentially unsafe, and SD62 decided it was best for students to remain home and drivers (parents in cars and buses) off the road.
This evening SD62 posted: “Please make sure to be very careful walking and wear appropriate footwear for wet and slippery conditions. We will confirm with you by 6:30 a.m. tomorrow morning!”
Declaring a snow day (i.e. schools closed or classes not in session) is not taken lightly. Three in a row is a new record. SD62 Superintendent Scott Stinson realizes that parents often must get to work and also may not be able to find child care for any children that cannot get to school. Teachers and facilities staff as well as bus drivers must also be advised in a timely manner.
Employers, businesses and other services are also affected by snow days, when employees cannot get to work or arrive late. A range of services to the public can be affected.
The Sooke School District SD62 serves Langford, Colwood, Highlands, Metchosin, Sooke and Juan de Fuca areas and some parts of View Royal. There are 24 regular schools in SD62 plus the Westshore Centre for Learning & Training campuses (one in each of Langford, Colwood and Sooke).
“A snow day is typically not called until morning,” Stinson said on Monday evening. The decision requires an early morning out on the road with the transportation director, facilities director and some bus drivers at 4:30 am to assess the road conditions, in time for a 6 am snow day announcement.
Losing three days of instruction time will impact learning schedules. In particular, high school students (now in Semester #2 of the 2018-2019 academic year) will see their teachers adjusting lessons accordingly, says Stinson. “Teachers will do a little extra work to make sure students are ready for exams.” Stinson said. Some academic course material can be advanced by email and online with high school students when the regular classroom is not available.
The Sooke School District SD62 can be followed on Twitter @SD62_Sooke hashtag #sd62
Related articles:
Snow Day #3 on February 13, 2019
Snow Day #2 was called the night before for Tuesday, February 12
Heavy snowfall Monday night February 11 into Tuesday
On Sunday night, SD62 waited to decide about Monday February 11 being a Snow Day