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STICKING TOGETHER DURING THESE TIMES
WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2020
Introducing
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SUMMER DOLLAR DRINK DAYS are back!
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McDonald’s Estevan 1310 6TH St. Estevan, SK
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New physician, Dr. Rania Eldin, is happy to be practising in the Energy City A new physician has arrived in Estevan, as Dr. Rania Eldin will commence her practice in Estevan this week. Eldin will establish her practice in the Primacy Medical Clinic attached to the No Frills Grocery Store, where she will share her practice with Dr.’s Edward Tsoi, Allison Christie, Ahmed Belal, Hanan Abou El Yazid and Germin Attia. Eldin received her medical training in Egypt and brings approximately 15 years of medical practice experience. She is a graduate of the Saskatchewan International Physicians Practice Assessment program (SIPPA), which is the competency assessment program used by the province of Saskatchewan to ensure the qualifications of international physicians prior to licensing in Saskatchewan. She has also received her License from the College
of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan and has received privileges from the Saskatchewan Health Authority. “ The arr ival of D r. Eldin will bring the number of full-time physicians practising in Estevan to 13, in addition to several providing locum services at St. Joseph’s Hospital,” said St. Joseph’s Hospital executive director Greg Hoffort. “Dr. Eldin is a welcome addition to the medial staff and the healthcare team at St. Joseph’s Hospital of Estevan and we are pleased that she has made the decision to move to Estevan to practice medicine in our community.” Hoffort credits a collaborative effort between the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation and St. Joseph’s Hospital for their success in regards to recruitment and retention of physicians.
St. Joseph’s Hospital executive director Greg Hoffort, left, with new physician Dr. Rania Eldin. Photo submitted
Cornerstone school division offers thoughts on classes resuming in the fall “Education is a social endeavour.” That statement was made by the South East Cornerstone Public School Division director of education Lynn Little near the end of a half-hour interview before the end of the school year. Following guidelines developed by the Ministry of Health, including the lead medical consultant, Dr. Saqib Shahab, the Ministry of Education and the Education Response Planning Team, the province’s regional school divisions are assembling plans that will enable teachers and students to get together again in a classroom setting. With schools set to open Sept. 1 in South East Cornerstone and the Holy Family Roman Catholic Separate School Division, Little said time was of the essence since there would be a lot to do in the interim. “ We were pro vided guidelines to support the health and the safety of stu-
dents and staff in the form of a framework,” said Little, referring to the June 18 on-line consultations with provincial authorities. Those wishing to view the status of some on these educational outlines can access them through the Re-open Saskatchewan website. Little said provincial school divisions are being given local autonomy and within that, there will be different looks in different schools since each facility will be given the opportunity and duty to align with the proposed guidelines. “A Grade 1 to 6 school will align differently from a high school, for instance,” she said. “The structure will be different. In some schools the teacher moves from classroom to classroom, in others, the students may still have to move to a limited extent to accommodate the classes being taught.” The goal is then to minimize physical contact in the school and on the school
grounds. Desks may need to be realigned to accommodate better social distancing, while recess and lunch periods may be staggered. Entries and exits to schools might be rearranged to acknowledge the fact many schools have tight hallways. On the program delivery side, the director said Cornerstone’s Cyber Stone online offerings will undergo a significant expansion to include not only Grade 8-12 programs, but now, all the elementary grades as well, with the assistance of helpful parents who can support online learning programs. “We have expanded the core curriculum for Grades 8 and 9 that formerly offered four cores. They will have the full seven cores, the same as Grades 10 to 12,” she said. “With Cyber Stone, the teachers will be assigned to conduct these classes on-line and they will be responsible for their delivery. That is different from home schooling where the parent is responsible for delivering the program.”
Little said with the additional demands expected to arise at Cyber Stone, there could be a call made for additional teaching positions, but that has yet to be determined. This will provide an option for parents and children to access full curriculum in an online environment as opposed to attendance in a physical school. It offers another option. Cornerstone teachers, in the meantime, have been checking in with the division’s administration teams, expressing excitement at being able to get back into a classroom setting, but also issuing statements of concern regarding safety. Little said she understood the mixed emotions that are accompanying the guidelines as they continue to roll out. “It’s still a little unsettling, and I think it will be for a while,” said Little. “The reconnection will help, but there will be questions, just like there has been for the general public with the re-
Happy Canada Day!
opening of businesses.” The advice being given by the consultants is to work with local medical officers and take a lead from those experts. If there are any outbreaks of the COVID-19 virus within schools or among the school populations, there are guidelines to follow. “We are talking about the regular items such as hand hygiene, soap and sanitizers. We are recommending that staff and students carry sanitizers. There is no recommendations or demands to wear the masks. That will be a personal choice for staff members and students,” Little added. If glass partitions are seen as being necessary in some areas, they will be installed. Little said public access to the schools will be very limited, at best, since there will be a need to do contact tracing in the event of an outbreak in any of the schools. Extracurricular activities will be moving out on a A2 » COMMUNICATION
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