COCHRANE— Holding a seminar to help ease parents’ concerns about students returning to school, The Town of Cochrane Social Recovery Task Force hosted a round table on COVID-19 and back to school questions on Tuesday (Aug. 26).
The "Feeling anxious about back to school?" session was available to attend online and in-person at the Cochrane Alliance Church. The panel of eight speakers featured school board representatives and health experts including Mental Health Clinician at Cochrane Addiction and Mental Health Services Eric Howey, Rocky View Schools board of trustees chair Fiona Gilbert, Calgary Catholic School District Chair Mary Martin and Cochrane Home Schooling Assitant Director Amy Cousine.
Councillor Susan Flowers opened the evening addressing the anxiety many people in the community are feeling due to the reopening of schools. She added that regardless of if students are choosing online learning or in-class learning going back to school is an experience filled with many questions as families choose the path that is best for them.
“We heard parents are concerned about their children and we’re worried about with what would happen in the fall with going back to school,” Flowers said. ”We are truly all in this together.”
She added that as a community there is a need to support each other, while being open to learning new ideas to help alleviate the anxiety many are feeling during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Guest panellist Eric Howey, Mental Health Clinician at Cochrane Addiction and Mental Health Services, noted that some parents may be feeling overwhelmed given the uncertain future of the pandemic.
“One of the most important things for folks to know is anxiety is an incredibly normal, healthy response to uncertainty and risk at any time in life,” Howey said. “Most certainly during this pandemic it has been a time of uncertainty and risk— In some ways, it would be more concerning if you were feeling incredibly OK about this situation.”
The return to school is a personal decision, Howey said, based on life and health circumstances. The key thing to keep in mind is the social and emotional impact on children during the first few key weeks of school as relationships are formed and they adjust to being back in classrooms or logged in online— This makes it essential to have a plan in place that families can stick to for the year.
He added children may have different concerns than their parents, and this may include separation anxiety when they return to school after being home for six months.
Howey said parents should keep in mind that children are watching adults and taking cues on how they should feel and handle the return to school. He explained it is pivotal that parents take steps to role model positive behaviours, including self-care and providing support, while giving children the space to explore how they feel about going back to school.
“You’re looking for a sense of realism that validates some of the feelings that they may be feeling,” he said. “It can be all sorts of different feelings— Some kids are incredibly excited about going back and that’s great.”
To help prepare children Howey recommended providing age-appropriate information about COVID-19 and answering any questions they may have about the year ahead.
“Revisit with your children when they’ve faced a similarly challenging experience in their life— Maybe it was going to summer camp for the first time, learning to ride a bike or their very first sleepover with a friend,” Howey said. “This gives you a great opportunity to talk about their capacity to do scary things and how they translated this to success… They can translate that same success into the fall at school.”
He added this same principle can be practiced when encouraging and normalizing the wearing of masks. Parents can gradually expose their children to face-coverings by wearing them while doing fun activities and talking about why masks are important to keep yourself and others safe.
“The wonderful thing about kids, especially younger kids, is they are amazing at new things. They have to pick up new things all the time,” Howey said. “We might be surprised at how well kids do with going back to school.”
Rocky View Schools Board of Trustees chair Fiona Gilbert was on hand for the seminar and explained there have been many operational changes put in place to keep students safe.
The goal of Rocky View Schools remains the safety and well-being of students and staff, she said, adding regardless of the learning scenario families choose students will receive a quality education.
“Back to school is an exciting time— The energy in the building on the first couple of days of school is just tremendous and I really don’t think this year is going to be any different,” she said. “I truly believe kids have missed being at school.”
Gilbert recommended that parents keep in mind that the return to school offers a chance for students, families and teachers to reconnect.
Safety measures have been put in place based on recommendations from Alberta Public Health, she said, but students will still have familiar activities like recess, friends and math tests when they return.
While there are some risks families will face during the pandemic, Gilbert reiterated that if schools and the greater community collectively work together they can help mitigate the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
As part of these efforts, it is essential to keep children home if they are feeling ill and do a health check each day before school to ensure students do not have any COVID-19 symptoms.
She added masks will be mandatory in Grades 4 to 12 in Rocky View Schools and face-covering must also be worn on buses to help prevent the spread of the virus. She noted schools will have extra masks on hand if a child needs one.
Calgary Catholic School Board Chair Mary Martin echoed Gilbert’s sentiments, adding that schools are not opening in the same scenario they faced when they closed in March.
School boards have learned a lot since the virus first arrived in the province, she said, and have been working with the province and Alberta Public Health to ensure the return to school takes place in the best scenario possible.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming our kids back, to welcoming our staff back. We’re realistic but we’re optimistic at the same time,” Martin said.
