THUNDER BAY - Even though schools remain closed, students went back to class as school boards across the province began Learn at Home initiatives on Monday.
The Learn at Home program is meant to keep students learning virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic that has resulted in the closure of all publically funded schools until at least May 4.
The Lakehead Public School Board began preparing for the transition to online learning last month and reached out to families and teachers with a survey to determine the needs of students.
“We want to ensure we are providing for equity of access,” said Michelle Probizanski, superintendent of education with the Lakehead Public School Board. “Based on the survey information and any information gathered by principals and teachers, we will be giving our board devices to students that need them to ensure they all have access to virtual learning.”
Probizanski said the school board will be loaning approximately 1,000 devices to families from resources it already had in place.
“The other issue might be that some people don’t have access to reliable internet or internet whatsoever,” she said. “So we are working with community partners to see if we can help with that situation.”
For those who do not have access to the internet, paper packages will be sent out on a weekly basis with protocols approved by the District Health Unit to keep families and students safe.
The Learn at Home program will include the online delivery of lessons based on grade. Kindergarten to Grade 3 students will receive five hours of work per week focusing on math and literacy; Grade 4 to 6 will complete five hours per week focusing on literacy, math, science, social studies; Grade 7 and 8 students will do 10 hours per per week in core math, science, social studies, and literacy; and secondary students from Grades 9 to 12 will complete three hours per week, per course.
“Right now Grade 12 students are the focus,” Probizanski said. “We need to have mid-term marks for Grade 12 students in at the end of April so we can continue with any applications to colleges or universities.”
Probizanski added assessments that took place before the pandemic and the school closure will be considered as well as any work that is done with the students over the next little while.
The purpose of Learn at Home is to provide a continuation of learning rather than evaluation, but Probizanski said all students will be provided with a report card at the end of June if school closures continue.
Transitioning from a classroom setting to online does present some challenges, but Probizanski said there has been tremendous support from parents and teachers.
“I think our job right now is to not stress any families out,” she said. “Our job right now is to ensure we have a continuity of learning that considers the situation we find ourselves now in the world.”
“I think everybody is really appreciative. Our teachers have been working really hard, as well as our administrators, to ensure that this is a success, keeping in mind that the ultimate goal is ensuring families and students feel supported and what is offered is acceptable and can support doing it.”
Last month the Ontario government also announced a one-time payment of $200 per child and $250 per child with special needs to support families across the province with children out of school. The online portal to apply for the one-time funding opened on Monday and can be found on the Ontario government website.
