Though face-to-face instruction has been suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic, school districts throughout B.C. are required to continue to provide learning opportunities for students.
Teachers in the Comox Valley are connecting this week with students by phone or email.
鈥淚t鈥檚 in the early stages right now,鈥� SD71 Supt. Tom Demeo said of the plan moving forward. 鈥淥ur goal this week is simply to have every one of our teachers connect with students. They鈥檙e doing a check-in, see how kids are doing, and they鈥檙e beginning what we鈥檙e calling a learning needs assessment.鈥�
Behind the scenes, teachers are working with administrators and support staff to determine what the next stage will look like.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to look different, but we鈥檝e got dedicated people out in the field. I know they鈥檙e going to provide learning opportunities for our students at all levels,鈥� Demeo said. 鈥淭his is new for everyone. Parents have been fabulous and understanding as we figure this out. We鈥檙e making sure we鈥檙e doing it properly. We鈥檙e taking our time, we鈥檙e not rushing. We鈥檙e asking teachers to do the same and work with families, and find out what are some of the needs. And our graduating students, make sure they鈥檙e in positions to graduate. A lot of things to think about as we move forward.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a different world we鈥檙e living in, trying to abide by social distancing and self-isolation,鈥� Demeo added.
The school board conducted a virtual meeting Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the Education Ministry announced a Zoom collaboration tool that enables teachers to use video-conferencing to communicate remotely with students.
Government has also launched Keep Learning (www.openschool.bc.ca/keeplearning), a central place where families can find ideas for educational activities, links to free learning resources, and ideas to help children learn and to ensure their well-being while at home.
SD71 continually update its website, which includes government updates on COVID-19. The FAQ section grows daily as questions arise.
FMI: comoxvalleyschools.ca
