Dear Parents/Guardians,
I hope that everyone enjoyed our much-deserved Spring Break! It was good to not have to wear masks and to simply recharge our batteries as we gear up for the final few months of the school year. I am looking forward to seeing and speaking with my students about their week away from school.
As you know, due to the provincial order, classes will be back to learning remotely starting Monday, April 19th. Hopefully, we will be able to return to in-person learning soon. In the meantime, I am confident that my students will be able to build on the skills they learned back in January as they learned from home, and we will make the most of our time online. Tomorrow (Monday, April 19th) will be a transition day – an opportunity for teachers, parents, and students to make the switch back to remote learning. There will be NO LIVE GOOGLE MEET on Monday. Instead, students should take some time to prepare and organize their workspaces at home and take out their learning bag of materials from their backpack that was sent home the Friday before Spring Break. In these bags are handouts and activities that we will be completing during our time learning remotely. Please only have your child complete the work that I assign and NOT work ahead. Please make sure your child visits our Google Classroom tomorrow morning as ASYNCHRONOUS work will be posted for your child to complete.
What to Expect During Remote Learning (Starting Tuesday)
Beginning on Tuesday, April 20th, we will follow the same type of daily schedule we did back in January – with synchronous (live) learning happening in the Google Meet during the first two blocks of each day, and asynchronous (independent) learning taking place during the last block of each day. As before, I will post the daily schedule each morning in Google Classroom before the school day starts. The school day will start and end at the usual time for your child. The class will have nutrition and recess breaks at our regular times. It would be helpful if you could follow the school day routine for snacks, recess breaks, and free play and ensure your child is ready for learning time. I will be taking daily attendance at the start of each day on Google Meet beginning Tuesday.
Using Google Classroom and Online Etiquette
I have been posting material to my Google Classroom every day since the beginning of the school year, all of the students have joined my Google Classroom, and we spent an entire month learning remotely and using Google Classroom, so I am confident that everyone knows how to login and navigate the different areas within Google Classroom. Your child’s login information (email and password) should be glued in his/her agenda. Please email me (Shaw.Jackson@ocdsb.ca) if your child has lost this information and I will provide it to you again.
Families (parents AND students) should also prepare for our transition back to remote learning by doing the following:
- Review instructions for signing in to my Google Classroom.
- Review remote learning netiquette.
- Review Google Meet Entry Etiquette.
- Take some time to watch these videos about Google Meet.
You can find instructions about how to access Google Classroom and other information about remote learning here.
Access to Technology
From Mr. Davidson, our VP (Sean.Davidson@ocdsb.ca): If you require access to a Chromebook, the school has a limited number available and may be able to lend one to you.
Please use the following link to access a request form for technology:
Requests entered by 10:30 am Monday, April 19th will be available for same-day pickup between 1 – 3 pm at the main front doors by the office of WEJ. Please remain in your vehicle and call 613-592-4492 to let us know you are ready for pick up. We will bring the device to your car. Arrangements will be made for later requests and families who cannot attend the above pick-up time.
Mental Health Matters
Learning remotely and managing the restrictions due to the pandemic can be challenging. Following a school routine, regular sleep, meals, and exercise can help students be ready for learning. School Mental Health Ontario has put together some excellent resources that parents might want to review.
As we begin this next phase of virtual learning, our main focus is our students well being and I am looking forward to supporting each one of my student’s academic progress as best as possible. Thank you for your support and understanding as we work through this transition. I know this will again be a learning opportunity for all of us.
I look forward to seeing my students online in our Google Meet at 9:15am Tuesday morning. The students are reminded that I will post the Google Meet link at the beginning of each Learning Block in the Stream section of Google Classroom each day.
Mr. Jackson
We will be following the general schedule below beginning Tuesday (click the chart to enlarge). More specific details regarding the day’s schedule will be provided each morning in our morning Google Meet and in Google Classroom.
