News from the Principal's Office: Remote Learning
Hello Fern Families. We hope that you are all staying safe and enjoying a restful break!
As communicated on December 21st, 2020, the Ministry of Education has mandated that in conjunction with the province wide shut down, all schools in the province will be closed to students from January 4th - 8th , 2021. Buses will not be running during this time. Students and staff will be engaged in remote learning from home during the closure. Currently Fern P.S. is scheduled to re-open for face-to-face learning on January 11th, 2021.
The following information is being provided to our Fern families to outline basic expectations during the remote learning period of January 4th - 8th , 2021:
Virtual School:
For our students enrolled in Virtual learning, online instruction will resume on January 4th according to previously established schedules.
Kindergarten to Grade 8 In-Person School:
Families can expect that their child's teacher will connect with their students using their online platform (Google Classroom or Britespace). Teachers will follow their regularly scheduled timetable on January 4th. Teachers will post /share their weekly schedule which will include Core French, Drama, Dance, Health and Physical Education, Music and any other subjects taught by another Fern Teacher. Instructions will follow the regular school day schedule online (i.e. start time and end times). Lunch will be from 12-1pm. During this time teachers will conduct lessons online, at other times they will be available to answer questions and provide feedback.
General Timelines:
Kindergarten students should be able to access up to 180 minutes of learning each day with their Teacher and ECE. Students in Grade 1-8 should be able to access up to 225 minutes of learning each day (which also includes subjects taught by other staff).
Attendance:
During this period of remote learning it is requested that families continue to report absences using our safe arrival phone line. Vera will be checking this daily. While the instructional minutes mentioned previously must be provided, it is understood that during the week of January 4-8 not all students may be able to be online for the full 180/225 minutes.
Students with Exceptional Special Education Needs:
Program support Teachers (Resource Teachers, French and English, HSP Teacher) will connect with the families of our students beginning on January 4th in order to discuss programming needs and to put necessary accommodations in place. The Resource and HSP schedule will be followed as per in school learning.
Technology:
Families who were provided with a device last year and on the Friday before the Winter break will continue to use them for remote learning. Families who have a child in need of a device for remote learning, please contact me directly. Equitable distribution of devices will be based on student need. It is understood that for families with multiple school age children, simultaneous online learning may be difficult if there are a limited number of devices in the household. For students in Kindergarten to Grade 8, Teachers will ensure that daily work is posted so that if a student cannot connect online at a specific time, they will still be able to access learning material and assignments.
We recognize that these are challenging times for everyone and thank you in advance for your ongoing efforts to work in collaboration with our Fern staff to support continued learning for all our students.
May we continue to be safe at home during this period of shutdown and we wish you all the best for a healthy, safe, peaceful, and joyful 2021!
Yours in partnership,
R.Sardella
Principal/Directrice
