Young people across the country are heading back to school this week, and there’s going to be a lot of pressure; pressure to get back to normal, pressure to catch up on lessons after pandemic hiccups, pressure to succeed in a world full of uncertainty… It’s no wonder that four out of five local young people between the ages of 12 and 26 say they’re in need of mental health assistance. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #338 – The Quest for Healthy Young Minds”
You know fall is close when the students return to the University of Guelph. This weekend, it might be best for you to avoid this particular stretch of Gordon Street because over 5,000 students will be moving in to their dorms, and the U of G admin has some notes for them and the greater Guelph community. Meanwhile, the City of Guelph is looking to next weekend, and the start of the annual Safe Semester program. Continue reading “U of G Students Move In This Weekend, and Safe Semester Begins!”
The University of Guelph re-opens for in-person learning on Monday, and members of the executive team held a town hall on Thursday to send students, parents, staff and faculty a unified message: They were ready for the return, and all measures are being taken to make sure everything will be as safe as possible. In fact, it was phrased as something of an imperative that students return to campus on Monday. Continue reading “U of G Execs Confident They’re Ready for Monday Re-Opening”
One week from today, the University of Guelph will welcome people back to in-person classes. It’s about a week later than originally planned in December, but it’s a return to campus at a time when health authorities are hoping that the worst of the Omicron wave is in the rearview mirror. Still, the senior leaders of the U of G are confident that they’re ready to deal with people on campus again in the safest possible way. Continue reading “U of G is Going Back to In-Person Classes Next Week”
Ontario’s school students were supposed to be going back to in-person learning on Monday, but Mother Nature had other ideas. This probably came as a relief to parents, young people, teachers and other school staff who now have an extra day to psych themselves up, which makes you think again about the mental health cost of the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday, Guelph MPP Mike Schreiner was thinking about it too. Continue reading “Schreiner Calls for “Significant” Mental Health Investment for Young People”
For hundreds of thousands of Ontario school students, Monday’s a big day. Schools province-wide are re-opening, and that brings with it certain concerns about health and safety with the Omicron variant still spreading. Perhaps the public could use some reassurance? A letter from Medical Officer of Health Dr. Nicola Mercer offers some of that, but it also reminds the community that protecting schools is a group effort. Continue reading “Words of Encouragement From Medical Officer of Health Before Monday”
In terms of breaking news, it wasn’t that surprising when it was announced Wednesday afternoon that Ontario’s school kids are going back to in-person learning on Monday. Instead, Minister of Education Stephen Lecce and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore were pressed for some assurances: Will schools be safe when the children return on Monday, and are school’s prepared if they’re not? Continue reading “Lecce and Moore Acknowledge Uncertainty, But Schools Will Still Open on Monday”
School begins on Wednesday, but unlike the original plan just a week ago, students across Ontario are going back to school at home, and on their computers. On Tuesday night, the Program Committee of the Upper Grand District School Board had to deviate slightly from their previously released agenda to deal with the numerous changes to education created by the Ontario government over the holiday break. Continue reading “School Board Adjusts to the New Face of the Pandemic”
On the same day that new restrictions went into effect for long-term care homes, the Chief Medical Officer of Health for Ontario unloaded a bunch of new information for the rest of the province to absorb. In brief, kids are going back to in-person school next Wednesday, not everyone will be able to be tested now, capacity limits at large indoor settings will be reduced further, and fourth doses are coming to long-term care residents Continue reading “Moore Announces Return to School Delay, New Testing Measures, and New Capacity Limits”
Although it will not be formally announced until Wednesday, Ontario’s opposition parties are already unimpressed with the Government of Ontario’s back to school plan. No Ontario school students have received in-person learning since the end of March due to the third wave of COVID-19, and opposition politicians are concerned that the government is showing a dearth of pre-planning just one month ahead of the new school year. Continue reading “Knives Already Out for Ontario Government’s Back to School Plan”
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