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Photo: Shaun Penner / EverythingGP
By Shaun Penner
Return to Class

GPCSD gauging interest in online learning hub as re-entry plan revealed

Aug 8, 2020 | 7:00 AM

Grande Prairie and District Catholic Schools (GPCSD) has released its re-entry plan for the 2020-21 school year, while additionally putting out a survey to gauge the interest level in offering an online teaching format for this year.

The plan was completed under the guidance and mandates put forward by Alberta Education and the chief medical officer throughout this summer, which will see students return to “near normal” classes on September 1, with additional health measures in place.

However, that may leave some parents, students and families feeling uneasy, which is why Superintendent Karl Germann says they want to know just how many families are interested in continuing at-home learning before they allocate teachers and resources to an online format.

“We just believe that there are some families out there that might be a little bit uncomfortable with sending their kids back to school right away, so then they can commit to that for a five-month period. Then they could come back into the schools on February 1.”

The online learning hub option would be for students in Grades 1-12 and would, as mentioned by Germann, require students at all grade levels to stay with online learning until at least the start of the second semester on February 1.

READ MORE: Peace Wapiti to offer at-home learning option for 2020-21 school year

Germann warns though that returning to an at-home learning format for the new school year will be far more rigorous than what it was from March to June.

“In the spring it was, you know, an hour a day or maybe two hours a day,” said Germann. “Now, it’s going to be far more comprehensive, and it’s going to be involving at least five hours of work and school a day.

“There will be regular teacher contact throughout the day, and students will be able to work on activities both in an asynchronistic and synchronistic way. So, sometimes they can work on it in the evening or at alternate times, and sometimes they have to be online as well.”

Germann adds that parents and students should also be aware that class sizes through the online hub will be higher and may have multiple grades in one class.

The survey is open from now until August 14 and can be found here.

As for the return to in-school learning, Germann says he is very confident in the planning the division has done to ensure a safe environment for students in their schools, adding they have gone beyond the province’s recommendations and mandates in certain areas.

One of those areas is the use of mandatory masks, which Germann says will be for all grades from Kindergarten to Grade 12, not just 4-12 as the province mandates.

“Right off the start, we’re going to say everyone is going to use masks and we are going to learn how to do that and follow our routines, in addition to making sure that we clean and sanitize.”

The school division says they will be providing each student with two free, reusable masks in addition to the two provided to each student through the province.

Germann adds the school division wanted to go above and beyond the provincial mandates to further ensure a safe school environment, however those could be eased as the year goes on.

“We’re starting at a very high standard, and if there is things that we can do to relax a little bit, that’s okay. But lets start so that we’re really, really safe and that we transition in safe.”

The division’s full re-entry plan can be found here.

The Grande Prairie Public School Division says it will be releasing its school re-entry plan on Tuesday, August 11.

by Shaun Penner