Dear Families,
Earlier this week, we sent home a letter to families that outlined the steps the Board was taking to move learning opportunities online with our new Learning and Caring Plan. Today, I am pleased to provide you with another update and share additional information about what students and families can expect in the coming weeks.
This plan has four steps that outline how teachers will implement and deliver teacher-led learning to our students, in line with Ministry of Education requirements. We have posted an overview of the Learning and Caring Plan on the Board website at www.yrdsb.ca/covid19, along with our FAQs section that provides the most up-to-date answers that are frequently asked.
This week, your children’s teachers are contacting families, preparing their online platforms, conducting curriculum checks and planning. Next week, teachers will begin to clarify expectations for students and implement teacher-led learning. This will be an exciting time for students, teachers, principals, and support staff. As we move into this next stage of teacher-led learning, there will be many opportunities for exploration, collaboration, and engagement. Together, we will accomplish great things.
As outlined by the letter you received yesterday from the Minister of Education, teachers will deliver learning by grade groupings as follows:
- Kindergarten-Grade 3: five hours of work per student/week
- Grades 4-6: five hours of work per student/week
- Grades 7-8: 10 hours of work per student/week
- Grades 9-12: three hours of work per course per week for semestered students; 1.5 hours of work per course per week for non-semestered students
I want to assure you that we will continue to plan for the needs of all of our students, including students with special education needs and English language learners. Teachers have been provided supplementary resources to design learning opportunities to engage students in accessing concepts and skills based on the Ontario curriculum.
We will be reaching out to families who have requested technology and internet service in the coming week to share how we can provide the support your family needs to access teacher-led learning.
As we implement our Learning and Caring Plan, we know that each class may look different depending on the student and class needs, area of study, and teacher’s professional judgement. We ask for your patience as we chart this new course together. I want to acknowledge the work of our educators and staff in preparing for this transition to new ways of teaching and learning.
I know our educators are looking forward to reconnecting with their students, and we will continue to navigate these uncertain times together, keeping our students at the centre of all that we do.
Sincerely,
Louise Sirisko
Director of Education