Students who have opted to head back to school online in September amid the COVID-19 pandemic now have a better idea of what that will look like.
Both the Edmonton Catholic School Board and the Edmonton Public School Board released their online learning plans on Wednesday.
Edmonton Catholic
Edmonton Catholic students who have opted for online instruction this fall will not start classes until after the September long weekend.
Edmonton Catholic Schools spokesperson Lori Nagy confirmed Wednesday that the first day of instruction for online learners will be Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020.
The Catholic school division is finalizing its online learning plans and said it will share more information with parents and students once student numbers are finalized.
The deadline to submit your choice for online or in-person learning has been extended until Aug. 28, 2020.
The Catholic board has also decided on staggered entry for Kindergarten to Grade 9 students. In-person classes will start on either Sept. 2 or 3, with each school to decide its own re-entry plan.
Those re-entry plans will be posted on individual school websites on Monday, Aug. 24.
Nagy said the first couple of days in school will focus on student training and making sure everyone is comfortable. It will be up to each school to decide if there will be any instruction during the staggered re-entry.
There will be no school for students on Friday, Sept. 4, 2020. Staff will be attending a development day.
Edmonton public schools
Students enrolled in the Edmonton Public School Division will head to online classes the same day their fellow students head to school — Sept. 3.
Students who opt for online learning with Edmonton public schools will be a part of a learning group with one assigned online teacher. That teacher may or may not be a teacher at the child’s school.
This format will be a combination of live, online teacher instruction and activities and assignments that students will complete on their own or in small groups.
“Students will have a chance to connect on a daily basis with teachers. That expectation is there,” board chair Trisha Estabrooks said. “There will be at least an hour every day of checking in with the teacher, as well as additional hours spent online — whether with one-on-one instruction or group instruction, for example.”
Students will need to be available to connect with their teacher every day and all classes will be delivered via Google Meet and Google Classroom, as well as other secure EPSB applications.
Teachers across the division will also be following a common schedule. This will allow students who chose to return to school or leave school and learn online to follow the same curriculum.
Students in Grades 1 through 9 will be expected to be learning online from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Students in Grades 10 through 12 will expected to be learning from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
A full breakdown of the schedule, as well as sample daily schedules, can be found on the Edmonton Public School Board website.