Teachers in SD6 have returned to work after Spring Break, although not all are in the same place.
Superintendent Paul Carriere says that families were surveyed and then staff followed up with them individually and there are some essential service workers’ children at school in all three zones and they expect more as the pandemic continues.
As for children staying at home, Carriere says what’s going on is not home schooling in the traditional sense.
“The work we are doing as a system to support student learning is not “home schooling’ in the traditional sense. While we need parents to be involved and supporting their children, home schooling is where the parent is the sole teacher. This is distance learning, where the teacher is still providing the program, but there is no face to face instruction, other than what happens through video conferencing software.”
He says that last week, district teachers were focused on connecting with students and families and beginning the planning process.
“Last week, teachers were focused on connecting with students and families and beginning the planning process,” Carriere said. “Teachers are not all in the same place, but generally they have started working with their students on learning activities this week. There are lots of resources being shared to help with this work.”
Each family will find the experience a little different, he says.
“We are not trying to replicate face to face learning in an online format. Rather, teachers are introducing learning opportunities with their students over time, trying not to overwhelm, and attending to the curriculum in different ways, including by providing helpful resources.”
There are also a lot of resources available for parents at sd6.ca
”There is a regularly updated Ministry FAQ for parents, we put out an update on April 3, and there is a remote learning support resource on the main website. The letter I sent to parents on March 26 set the stage for the work, and then the communication that has happened since then has been archived in date order on the website.”
Please see www.sd6.bc.ca and click on COVID19 Communication for more information.
READ: B.C. to suspend K-12 schools indefinitely due to COVID-19
READ: B.C. schools Zoom to online education amid COVID-19
carolyn.grant@kimberleybulletin.com
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