Students to start new education program next week

MUSKOKA, ON-The Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) is going to start e-learning next week while students are at home during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Starting April 6th, students from Kindergarten to grade 12 will continue teacher-led learning through alternative measures that are still being looked at.

Catherine Shedden from the TLDSB said students from Kindergarten to grade three will get five hours of work per week with a focus on literacy and math. 

Students from grades four and six will receive five hours of work per week with a focus on literacy, math, science, and social studies. 

Grades seven to eight will get 10 hours of work per week with a focus on math, literacy, science and social studies. 

Grades nine through 12-semester students will undergo three hours of work per course every week while non-semester students will only get 1.5 hours of work per course each week.

Shedden said that currently, teachers are reaching out to parents to find out what their capacity is for learning at home. This includes the devices they have available, their connectivity and how much time parents have to supervise their children.       

When asked what the plan is for families who do not have access to the internet or devices to connect with the teacher, Shedden said the board is in the process of trying to figure that out. 

Shedden said that the TLDSB Directors of Education and school board staff have been working over the past two and a half weeks with the Ministry of Education and unions to come up with the best plan during the COVID-19 outbreak.      

In order to stay up to date with the TLDSB and its plans moving forward, the board is asking parents to visit their site daily, which can be done here.