April 22 Update for Grade 12 students
Hello,
Dear Grade 12 Students and Families,
We are writing to provide you with some important information regarding submission of marks to post-secondary institutions for graduating high school students, as well as some details about this year’s proms.
1) Timelines for admissions to post secondary institutions are as follows:
- Grade 12 students will receive their mid-year marks from their classroom teachers on Wednesday, April 22nd
- If Grade 12 students need to drop a course, they will have a five day window to do so. This will take place from Wednesday, April 22nd - Tuesday, April 28th.
- Grade 12 students are to notify their Guidance Counsellor if they wish to drop a course by the end of the day, Tuesday, April 28th.
- Guidance Counsellors will verify all Grade 12 marks for submission on Wednesday, April 29th.
- Student marks will be sent to post secondary institutions (College and/or Universities) on Thursday, April 30th by our Guidance Department at each secondary school.
2) Grade 12 Prom Update:
Based on the continued extension of the closure of all schools, we have made the very difficult decision to cancel all high school proms for this year.
We understand that graduating students look forward to their prom with a great deal of anticipation, however, at this time our most important priority is the health and well being of our students.
In making this decision, we follow our direction from Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health and the Government of Ontario who have both indicated that gatherings of more than five people are currently not allowed.
Based on all the information we have gathered, including the fact that the provincial Declaration of Emergency was extended to at least May 12, we cannot expect that large gatherings will be allowed anywhere in Ontario by the dates for which many of our proms were scheduled.
Please understand that we do not take this decision lightly, and that it was made in the genuine interest of preventing further spread of COVID-19 amongst our student population and broader community.
In conclusion, we look forward to brighter days ahead and hope that when things return to normal, you will be able to properly celebrate with your family and friends.
Sincerely,
Terry Lyons
Director of Education
April 9 Update for Grade 12 students
Hello Parents of Graduating Secondary Students,
In this update, we want to reassure graduating secondary students that provided they have completed all of the necessary requirements, they will graduate this year.
Mid-Year Marks for Graduating Students
Mid-year marks for graduating students will be submitted to post secondary institutions, for both Colleges and Universities, between April 22nd and May 1st, 2020.
In determining mid-year marks for the admissions process, teachers will use evidence that reflects work completed prior to the school closure period, and may provide opportunities for students to submit missed and/or additional assignments to demonstrate their learning.
Graduation and Pathways
The Ministry of Education speaks to a common understanding that our students’ graduation requirements will not be jeopardized due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The programs and supports associated with pathways are integral parts of our students' experience and their post-secondary destination. We value these programs and will provide continued virtual opportunities for our students to enhance their school experience including the completion of the necessary Red Seal requirements of the Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM), Co-operative Education and most importantly, the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD).
Students registered as apprentices will continue to accrue hours as part of the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) once employment placements resume.
Community Service Hours
The 40 hours of community service hours have been waived for this year’s secondary school graduates.
Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting
More information in the area of Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting will be communicated in the next couple of weeks.
In conclusion, I want to thank all of our students and their parents for their patience as we work through these highly unusual circumstances. We are doing everything we can to support and ensure secondary students who are on track to graduate will do so as planned.
Sincerely,
Terry Lyons
Director of Education
April 2 Update for Parents
“It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
- Deuteronomy 31:8
Hello,
By now I am certain you’ve heard that the Minister of Education announced Tuesday that schools would remain closed to students until May 4th to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
I’m certain that many parents are rightfully wondering what this means for their child’s education, so we are offering further clarification in this regard.
As you can see from the Minister’s announcement, the second phase of the government’s Learn at Home plan outlines a new set of expectations that outline how many hours a week, depending on their grade level, students should be devoting to their studies.
We will officially launch the WECDSB Continuity of Learning plan on April 6.
We want our parents and guardians to know we have already been in contact with all of our employee groups and have communicated clear expectations to them regarding how much time they should be available online for students for both instruction and support.
In summary, here’s what you as a parent can expect from our teachers and support staff:
- For teacher-led instruction, classroom teachers at all levels should be available at least two times a week.
- For teacher-led support, classroom elementary teachers should be available at least three times a week, and at regularly scheduled periods of instruction at the secondary level
- For students with special needs, Individual Education Plans (IEPs) will continue to be used in teacher planning and we have provided instructions to all special support staff regarding our expectations regarding how they can continue to maintain contact and provide support
- For students in co-op and other alternative learning programs, our pathways team has been reaching out to their students and finding other options for students to complete their course load
Many of our staff are using apps like Seesaw and the Google suite of virtual education tools, and hopefully your child has already had some initial contact with their teachers. We are extremely grateful to those teachers and support staff who have already gone above and beyond to support their students’ learning since schools were ordered closed.
If your child has not heard from their classroom teacher, please contact your school office immediately. Our school directory can be found here.
We understand that this will not be easy for some students, parents and even staff, but we want to reassure you we are doing everything we can to prove the necessary support required to ensure that our students will be able to complete their academic year.
We expect that most students who requested devices should have them by April 6. If you still have not received a device or internet access, please call your school's office and we will try to accommodate your needs.
Please note that our IT Department and Curriculum Consultants are working to support those teachers who require additional help supporting virtual learning, and that we are enforcing strict observance of cybersecurity protocols to ensure that student privacy is maintained.
As an added note, we would strongly endorse proper social distancing protocols and discourage parents from allowing their children to meet in person with other students in study groups, as this would violate the rules that have been established to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
In conclusion, we completely understand how difficult it is for parents, especially those working from home or elsewhere, to continue to support their children and their learning during this extraordinary time.
During these unprecedented times, I would certainly encourage all of our students and their families to call upon our shared faith in God to carry us through to brighter days.
Sincerely,
Terry Lyons
Director of Education
وَالرَّبُّ سَائِرٌ أَمَامَكَ. هُوَ يَكُونُ مَعَكَ. لاَ يُهْمِلُكَ وَلاَ يَتْرُكُكَ. لاَ تَخَفْ وَلاَ تَرْتَعِبْ»." (تث 31:8)
مرحباً،
أنا متأكد من انكم سمعتم أن وزير التعليم أعلن يوم الثلاثاء أن المدارس ستظل مغلقة أمام الطلاب حتى 4 ايار للمساعدة في وقف انتشار COVID-19.
أنا متأكد من أن العديد من أولياء الأمور يتساءلون عما يعني هذا بالنسبة لتعليم ابنائهم، لذلك نحن نقدم المزيد من التوضيح في هذا الصدد.
لقد تم تحديد المرحلة الثانية من خطة التعلم في المنزل من قبل الحكومة. وحددت عدد الساعات في الأسبوع التي يجب على الطلاب تكريسها لدراستهم اعتمادًا على مستوى الصف.
سنطلق رسميًا خطة WECDSB استمرارية التعلم في 6 نيسان .
نريد أن يعلم أولياء أمور طلابنا أننا قد تواصلنا بجميع موظفينا وأبلغناهم بتوقعات واضحة بشأن مقدار الوقت الذي يجب أن يكونوا متاحين فيه عبر الإنترنت للطلاب لتوفير التعليمات والدعم اللازم.
باختصار ، إليك ما يمكن أن تتوقعه من معلمينا و المساعدين التربويين:
-
بالنسبة إلى التعليمات التي يقودها المعلم ، يجب أن يتوفر معلمو الصفوف على جميع المستويات على الأقل مرتين في الأسبوع.
-
بالنسبة للدعم الذي يقوده المعلم يجب أن يتوفر معلمو الصفوف الابتدائية ثلاث مرات أسبوعيًا على الأقل ، وفي المستوى الثانوي يجب أن يتوفر معلمو الصفوف في نفس فترات التدريس المجدولة للفصل الدراسي.
-
بالنسبة للطلاب ذوي الاحتياجات الخاصة، سيستمر استخدام خطط التعليم الفردي (IEPs) في خطط المعلمين ، وقد اعطينا تعليمات لجميع المساعدين التربويين فيما يتعلق بتوقعاتنا فيما يتعلق بكيفية استمرارهم في الحفاظ على التواصل وتقديم الدعم
-
بالنسبة للطلاب في برامج التعليم التعاوني ( CO-OP) وبرامج التعلم البديلة الأخرى ، معلمينا يقوموا بالتواصل مع طلابهم ليجدوا خيارات أخرى للطلاب لإكمال المواد الخاصة بهم
يستخدم العديد من معلمينا تطبيقات مثل Seesaw ومجموعة Google من أدوات التعليم الافتراضية ، ونأمل أن أبناءكم قد بدأوا بالتواصل الأولي مع معلميهم. نحن ممتنون للغاية لهؤلاء المعلمين و المساعدين التربويين الذين يقومون بدعم تعليم طلابهم منذ أن تم إغلاق المدارس.
إذا لم يسمع أبنائكم من معلميهم، فيرجى الاتصال بمكتب مدرستك على الفور. يمكن العثور على دليل مدارسنا هنا.
نحن نتفهم أن هذا لن يكون سهلاً بالنسبة لبعض الطلاب وأولياء الأمور وحتى معلمينا ، ولكننا نريد أن نطمئنكم أننا نفعل كل ما في وسعنا لتقديم الدعم الضروري و المطلوب لتمكين طلابنا من إتمام عامهم الدراسي بنجاح.
نتوقع أن يحصل الطلاب على الأجهزة التي طلبوها في موعدٍ أقصاه 6 نيسان. إذا لم تتلق بعد جهازًا أو اتصالاً بالإنترنت يرجى الاتصال بمكتب مدرستك وسنحاول تلبية احتياجاتك.
يرجى العلم أن قسم تكنولوجيا المعلومات ومستشاري المناهج لدينا يعملون على دعم هؤلاء المعلمين الذين يحتاجون إلى مساعدة إضافية لدعم التعلم الافتراضي ، أننا نراقب بشدة بروتوكولات الأمن الإلكتروني لضمان الحفاظ على خصوصية الطلاب.
كملاحظة إضافية ، فإننا نؤيد بروتوكولات التباعد الاجتماعي المناسبة و نتمنى من أولياء الأمور بعدم السماح لأبنائهم وبناتهم بالاجتماع شخصيًا مع طلاب آخرين، لأن هذا يخالف التعليمات التي تم وضعها لمنع انتشار COVID-19.
في الختام ، نحن نفهم تمامًا مدى صعوبة الوضع لأولياء الأمور في دعم أطفالهم وتعلمهم خلال هذه الفترة الاستثنائية وخاصة أولئك الذين يعملون من المنزل أو في أي مكان آخر.
خلال هذه الأوقات غير المسبوقة، سأشجع جميع طلابنا وعائلاتهم على أن ندعوا بإيماننا المشترك بالله بأن يمن علينا بأيام أكثر إشراقا.
بإخلاص،