The following is information for families with students enrolled in the Elementary Virtual School only (online school). All families should have received this email from the board yesterday, but we wanted to share it here as well.
September 9, 2020
Dear Families of the Elementary Virtual School,
We hope that you and your families are healthy and keeping well during this time of global pandemic. We look forward to welcoming our students into the Elementary Virtual School (EVS), which currently comprises over 28,000 students and over 1,000 staff members.
Our staff have been working closely with the Ministry of Education and York Region Public Health to plan for the 2020/2021 school year. We thank you for your understanding and patience as we navigate through this unprecedented time in education. We are committed to providing optimal learning experiences for our students and are working diligently to ensure inclusive and inviting learning environments for all our students. Please visit our Elementary Virtual School (EVS) website for more information.
Orientation Days
We will provide an update on the virtual school plan on Thursday, September 10 and Friday, September 11 that will ensure a supported entry for all our students. Regularly scheduled classes will resume on Monday September 14.
EVS Supported Entry Plan – Orientation to the Elementary Virtual School (EVS)
| Date | Time | Activity |
| Thursday, September 10 | Link will be posted here by 1:00 p.m. | Part 1: Focus on School Operations Orientation for Supported Entry (30 minutes) followed by Asynchronous Activities for Students |
| Friday, September 11 | Links will be posted here by 1:00 p.m | Part 2: Focus on Curriculum Orientation for Supported Entry (30 minutes) followed by Asynchronous Activities for Students |
| Monday, September 14 | 8:45 am – 3:15 pm | Full Day of Classes EVS |
Timetable/Class Placement Information
By noon on Sunday, your child’s teacher will be sending a welcome message to your child with more information including access to the Google Classroom that will be used as a platform for learning this year. A schedule is below.
| Elementary Virtual School (EVS) Schedule: K-8 | ||
| Time | Mins | Days 1-5 |
| 8:45 – 9:35 | 50 | Period 1 |
| 9:35 – 10:25 | 50 | Period 2 |
| 10:25 – 10:55 | 30 | Break |
| 10:55 – 11:45 | 50 | Period 3 |
| 11:45 – 12:35 | 50 | Period 4 |
| 12:35 – 1:35 | 60 | Lunch |
| 1:35 – 2:25 | 50 | Period 5 |
| 2:25 – 3:15 | 50 | Period 6 |
Switching Between In-Person and Virtual Models of Learning
We appreciate that with new information and demands of this time, parents/guardians may wish to request a switch between the in-person and the virtual models of learning. Transfers from in-person to virtual cannot be accommodated at this time. Elementary Virtual School (EVS) is timetabling and staffing and must work with the numbers that have been shared already to complete this process. Subject to the availability of space and program, additional transfer requests will be considered when the initial timetabling and staffing process is complete and we have had an opportunity to verify the data. Home schools will hold on to any past requests at this time which will be placed on a waitlist. During the week of September 14, 2020, families will receive information on how to request a transfer between the models, i.e., online transfer request form. Students new to YRDSB should be registered and timetabled in home schools, pending consideration of their request to attend EVS.
French Immersion Update
EVS will offer French Immersion for Grades 1 to 8. For primary EVS students, Grades 1 to 3, French Immersion students in the virtual school will receive 150 minutes of French instruction per day and 150 minutes of instruction in English per day. Similarly, Grades 4 to 8 will receive this same amount of French and English daily instruction. The provision of French instruction will enable us to meet the Ministry of Education requirements for French Immersion, while allowing maximum use of teachers with French qualifications to maintain the offering of French Immersion in EVS.
Core French
Students in the regular track in Grades 4 to 8 will be receiving 150 minutes of French Instruction each week. This amount of time will meet the Ministry requirements of 600 minutes by the end of Grade 8.
Virtual School Digital Tool Supports for Families
To support you and your child accessing learning materials and synchronous learning tools through Google Classroom, a number of online resources are available:
- Family Tip Sheet for Accessing Google Classroom
- Family Tip Sheet for Accessing Google Meet through Google Classroom
- Information regarding Tip Sheets for Accessing Zoom will be available soon
For more digital tool resources, including video screencasts, please visit our parent resource page on the Board website. In the near future, you will also be able access Frequently Asked Questions for families specific to the Elementary Virtual School (EVS).
If your child requires technology, families can make requests for devices and internet access by contacting their home school, who will then complete the request for technology on your behalf. If you require further technical supports for board provided devices, please fill out the Student Tech Help. Students who are new to the board, or have forgotten their Username or Password, should contact their “home school” office staff to retrieve their Username and Password.
YRDSB held a Virtual Town Hall meeting recently in order to answer families’ questions about our reopening plan. It was live-streamed on Wednesday, September 2, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. Click on this link to watch the recording.
| Regional Principal: Bernadette Smith EOAA: Margaret Burns | |||
| Site Administrators | |||
| West elementary.vs1@yrdsb.ca | North Including: Aldergrove, Armadale, Beckett Farm, Cedarwood, Randall elementary.vs2@yrdsb.ca | East elementary.vs3@yrdsb.ca | Central elementary.vs4@yrdsb.ca |
| Heather Zaitlan Rebecca Greaves Stacey Taube | Bruce Baynham Monica Wand Priya Rajan | Heather Stevens Nan Mantle Helen Ou-Hingwan | Paul DeSousa Julie C. Scott Jordan Appelberg |
| Administrative Assistants | |||
| Traci Shatz | Josie Altieri Cecilia Clarke | Elham Ebrahimi Sheila Lau | Angela Tsigoulis |
| Email: elementary.vs@yrdsb.ca Twitter: @EVS_YRDSB |
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