Fall 2020 Programming Update for S.M.I.L.E.
August 7th, 2020
With our community still facing challenges brought forth by COVID-19 this Fall, The School of Kinesiology (SOK) and the Centre of Lifestyle Studies (COLS) at Acadia University have been planning for the Fall term by following Public Health Guidelines as well as the University policies for a safe return to campus.
As you know, we offer numerous programs for our local community (from Kinderskills, AAA, S.M.I.L.E. to Cardiac Rehab and Active for Life) which involve close contact between community members, students, faculty and staff.
At this point in time, we have made the following decisions, which we believe are in the best interest of our program participants (many at higher risk), students, faculty and staff and are in keeping with the requirements we must follow.
We regret to inform you that due to the risks of COVID-19, our university re-opening procedures, the unknown number of students who may choose not to attend classes in person in the fall, the significant issues with cleaning and sterilizing equipment, social distancing regulations, facility occupancy maximums, etc., we have made the difficult decisions to suspend the in-person delivery of our SOK and COLS community programs, including Acadia Active Aging, Kinderskills, S.M.I.L.E., Cardiac Rehab, and Active for Life, for the fall semester.
For participants in the Acadia S.M.I.L.E. program, we wanted to let you know that although we are unable to provide in-person sessions in the fall, we have secured resources to continue to support you. We will be able to continue to
· offer virtual sessions (3 throughout the semester).
· provide planned weekly physical activities for you to complete on your own.
· deliver education sessions and other health and wellness support.
The details of these programs will be identified in the next few weeks. We will send you another email to outline the specifics at that time.
Communication about the winter semester plans will be forthcoming in late November/early December. We will email this to participants and update our websites.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Director of the School of Kinesiology, Dr. Rene Murphy (rene.murphy@acadiau.ca) or the Administrative Coordinator for COLS, Kim Vaughan (kim.vaughan@acadiau.ca).
