Class Cancellation Update 5: Continuing Student Learning

Dear students, parents, guardians, staff members and volunteers:

The government of Alberta has worked with superintendents across the province to offer direction on how students will learn while in-school classes are cancelled due to the provincial health emergency.

These four principles will guide our approach in the remaining weeks of this school year:

• The safety of students and staff comes first.
• Student learning will continue.
• Provincial funding is still flowing to schools.
• Our school has the flexibility to do what is best for our community.

Learning Solutions, Grades and Diplomas

With those in mind, here are the student learning details you need to know:

• Education content will focus first on courses required for high school graduation requirements, including language arts/English, social studies, mathematics, and science.
• Content from other courses will be delivered where possible, and accommodations for students unable to complete courses are in place.
• Teachers will work with their students and their parents/guardians to access materials safely and in ways that support their success in learning.
• Every student will receive final grades and will receive a report card, appropriate to their grade level.
• Students on track to receive 100 or more credits will still be eligible to graduate and receive a high school diploma. Principals can award up to 15 credits to students in Grade 12 whose program has been negatively impacted by class cancellations. For any courses that are started, schools will complete them with the student to the best of their ability, provide a final mark and award credits.
• Grade 12 Diploma exams are cancelled (but some students may request to write one under special circumstances – contact the principal about this).

Resources for Parents

We know that some people in our school community are also responsible for younger children who cannot attend school either. If you are a parent (or know a parent) who is struggling to find resources to supplement learning, these two provincial resources are available to parents:

LearnAlberta.ca – more than 4,000 digital resources aligned with Alberta’s K-12 curriculum.

My Child’s Learning: A Parent Resource – provides parents with information specific to each grade level.

For those who may wish to access counselling supports while they are away from school, our school counsellors are available via telephone. You can contact the school directly to set up appointments.

We do not know when in-school classes will resume. You should know, however, that we are working hard to ensure that absence from the school building does not take away your opportunities to learn what you need in order to graduate high school. If this year has shown us anything, it is that our school is bigger than a building or any one person – it is a community and we can get through anything together.

Enjoy some rest with some loved ones during spring break. Stay well and watch this space for updates about how to access learning supports beginning March 30th, 2020.