High schools there to support online learning
Schools in B.C. will reopen on a voluntary, part-time basis Monday, but classes technically won’t begin at Mount Boucherie Secondary School until Tuesday.
Mondays and Wednesdays will continue to be remote learning days at secondary schools, said MBSS principal Scott Sieben.
At Boucherie, students will be split up alphabetically. Those whose last names begin with A to G will come to school Tuesdays, H to M on Thursdays and N to Z Fridays.
Because secondary students will only be in school four times in June, Sieben said the classes will play a supporting role.
Teachers won’t be able to get into anything in-depth and with a maximum of one-third of the class present at any one time, it would be difficult for teachers to present new lessons.
Classes will consist mostly of teachers working with students on assignments handed out by remote learning.
Derek Smith, who teaches social studies, at Mount Boucherie, was preparing his classroom last week to welcome returning students.
“I’m looking forward to welcoming them back, be it in June or September,” Smith wrote in an email.
Since Smith will only see some of his students in June, his goal will be to review what they’ve done, support them in their efforts to get caught up and give them a chance to ask questions.
“What I won’t be doing is adding any extra work or assessments beyond what I am already delivering online for all the students,” Smith said. “Those who chose to stay home will not be disadvantaged.”
For those students who return to the classroom, Smith said the shared part of the pandemic experience will make it easier for everyone to relate to one another.
“Kids who missed a family or school trip should feel safe to be sad about that, but we also need to talk a bit about perspective and understand that this has been an extremely traumatic experience for some,” he said.
This is where B.C.’s chief medical officer Dr. Bonnie Henry’s message to be kind really resonates, said Smith.
“We’ll definitely talk about the range of experiences, the importance of supporting each other and what we can learn from this,” said Smith.
Sieben said as of Monday it was difficult to say how many students would be returning to Boucherie.
Precautions at school include desks being spaced apart, students, educators and staff being required to clean their hands before entering the school and there well-stocked hand-sanitizing and cleaning stations.