Charlene Seguin, superintendent of schools for School District 91, reported that given the current status of the negotiations, she sees no end in sight to the current teacher strike.
She noted that while teachers are continuing to teach and assess students and provide extra assistance where needed, at the provincial table both sides remain far apart on the issues.
Seguin is pleased that relationships in our district remain strong; teachers and administration are working on maintaining these vital relationships.
However, there are cracks and administrators are feeling the strain. For example they are feeling frustration because of the limitations placed on communications. One unfortunate result of the strike is that some school and district-wide initiatives are not moving forward in all schools. School and district administrators have also had to take on many of the supervision duties that teachers are not required to do during the strike.
The school board expressed appreciation to management for taking on these responsibilities on top of their regular work.
November is usually time for the first official report card from schools. The current Labour Relations Board ruling is that teachers need not provide official report cards.
In many cases, when report cards are sent home there will be no formal grades provided, unless the student is taught by a principal or vice-principal.
If parents are not receiving information from teachers regarding student progress they are encouraged to contact the teacher. There are some Grade 12 students who have to show grades for scholarship or post secondary applications they are now submitting; these students should go to their school counselor who can help them gather these grades.