This week has been an unprecedented one in Alberta.

In just one short week, Alberta went from limited restrictions due to COVID-19, to shutting down all schools, bars, gyms, places of worship, and more, as the government bans gatherings of 50 people or more to help contain some of the spread. 

School board spent this week trying to determine how to move forward for the rest of the winter semester.

Director of Community Relations for the Red Deer Public Schools Bruce Buruma says their senior administration team met early Monday morning, and together with the help from principals from all of their schools, along with superintendents from all across Alberta and Alberta Education representatives to try and determine how to continue to keep educating their students during a pandemic.

"The purpose of all of that is we want to have a consistent approach as we deal with the pandemic and how schools and school authorities are responding to that. Of course, one of the key priorities the government has put in place, is they want to make sure they have continuity of learning for students. This is an undetermined length of time in which the pandemic will close schools, and actually some of the language around that, it is suspending schools, or staff is still working, they still have a responsibility to support that continuity of learning. So while students aren't in schools we're working diligently...how we, in this new world, are able to continue to providing curriculum and teaching and learning for students remotely."

Buruma emphasizes the fact that the situation changed so quickly with the spread fo COVID-19, they barely had time to process trying to teach with limited interaction before classes were officially cancelled by the Alberta Government.

"This is a new world for all of us, literally a new world for all of us and everything we are doing. From a teaching and learning perspective we need, of course, need to take a look at the outcomes that we feel are really important for students, those are going to be grade-appropriate and we are going to be taking a look at which subject areas need to be a priority. We are working on that this week and we have sent notices out to families saying please give us this week so we can make sure we are doing the very best that we can in pulling all of this together, and then we will provide information early next week in regards to specifics process that we will provide for continuity of learning. We want students to keep learning." 

He says all anyone can do right now is wait for them to figure out what the rest of the winter semester will look like. He also reminds parents to take things day-by-day, and be sure to talk to your child about what's happening and why.

"This is difficult times, and we need to ban together as a community. One of the concerns we have too is we realize that the government in making this decision, recognized the difficulties and the disruption that this causes, but it is making sure that we are trying to reduce the transmission of that. The other thing that we are all so concerned about is the wellbeing of our students, and this is a difficult time for them as well. I think things that we need to do is try to create somewhat of a "new normal" and we need to try and reduce anxiety for students around this. You can imagine for lots of kids this is an anxious time. In many ways, schools are wonderful safe places for most students to be at, and for them to be away from school is... I'm sure the first couple of weeks is going to be pretty cool. The reality of this is if we're in this for the long term, it's going to be challenging for students as well."