Waterloo Region students return to in-person learning
Waterloo Region students returned to the classroom on Tuesday morning.
Children and teens were out in bunches Labour Day enjoying their last bits of free time before school started again..
The return to in-person learning is several months in the making and will be full of plenty of trepidation.
Charlie Hope is going into Grade 3 and knows play time with his classmates will be much different than playtime with his siblings.
“Be six feet away, or two metres,” he said. “And always have your mask on.”
His mother Courtney says the adjustments are more than worth it.
“The kids need it, they get sick of each other,” she said. “They get sick of being at home with the parents.”
Self-screening will be mandatory every single day for students, teachers, and staff all across the province. The Ontario government recently trimmed the list associated with COVID-19 down, meaning students with runny noses, sore throats, or headaches can still go to class.
“We have to show proof that we’ve done the screening and how we’re supposed to show it,” said Courtney. “Are we showing it every day? Do you print something off? Is it online?”
While some questions are still up in the air for parents, others like Tyler Schmalenberg say they’re also contending with nerves as students return to class.
“The health guidelines are clear enough, but uncomfortable because we know there is a sizeable amount of people that aren’t vaccinated,” he said.
In Waterloo Region, 68 per cent of those aged 12 and older are fully vaccinated. Both the Catholic and public school boards say that, if there’s a case in the classroom, those with both shots may go back to school quicker than those unvaccinated.
Lucia Sofronov says the return to class isn’t worth the risk, which is why their child Alex Sofronov is starting the sixth grade going back to remote learning.
“I just know kids are not going to be able to follow exactly all the rules for now,” she said. “They’re just too young to understand.”
Meanwhile, the Blackwood family says they don’t want to return to remote learning anytime soon and that their kids already know physically distanced games to play during recess.
“We have pool noodles to touch each other because we can’t touch,” said Nevaeh Blackwood.
Both school boards say they’ll be including as much outdoor time as possible when students return to class.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING NEWS Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'