April 14th, 2020

April 14, 2020

Dear students and families,

Welcome to an exciting week of Laurelwood distance learning. This past week included the launch of our classroom platforms, starting to reconnect our class communities, and ensuring our students and families had the access they need to engage with our learning communities. Today, we dig into curriculum and learning!

Our school board and our Laurelwood staff are considering your child’s Mind, Body and Heart as we embark on distance learning. Learning activities have been developed that support children’s cognitive, social-emotional, and physical development. Each day, the goal is to include some academic learning in the focus areas identified by the Ministry of Education, some movement, and some activities that bring joy and well-being to each student’s learning experience. Although different grades have recommended areas of focus, students will continue to have learning opportunities in all areas of the curriculum.

The Ministry of Education has outlined targets of 5 hours a week for Kindergarten to Grade 6 students, and 10 hours a week for Grades 7 and 8 students. Most of our staff are using Google Classroom to share learning activities and to connect with students and give feedback on their work and demonstrations of learning. In line with the Ministry of Education guidelines, students will receive formative feedback to help them with their learning. Report cards will be issued in June that will reflect learning data from the entire school year.

Some of our staff will provide learning activities daily, while others will provide the week’s worth of learning activities on the first day of the school week to be paced by the student and family in a way that best suits the routines and needs of your family life. Our school board, in their recent letter to our WRDSB parents, shared sample structures to organize and pace your child’s learning each week. You can find them here:

Sample Schedules for A Week at a Glance of Distance Learning

Our staff will be in regular contact with your children each week through phone, email, or the learning platforms that they are using as a teaching tool. While distance learning is not a replica of the regular classroom, our care for and investment in your children has not changed. Here’s to a great week of “back to school.”

Sincerely,

Mr. Berndt (Principal) and  Mrs. Fay (Vice-Principal)