Dear Secondary families:
We’re entering our first full week of remote learning and our teachers and EAs are looking forward to connecting regularly with students once again. At this point, all students should have joined their Google Classrooms by following invitations sent to their student email by their teachers. If you need information about student emails, please see our April 1st communication on myPCS.ca/Covid19/. In that communication, there is also information about student material pick-up times on April 6 and 7.
As students continue their learning at home during this time, we thought it would be helpful to provide you with some guidance about what a student work day should look like. Here are some suggestions:
- In the morning (after 8:30), students should log in to check their student email and to look in each of their classrooms to see the learning materials and work that have been posted. We also encourage them to engage with the devotional material that their A-block teacher will post.
- Many classes are offering times to “Meet” (on Google Meet) or to make appointments to “Meet” with the teacher or EA for support. The class meetings are not mandatory, but are strongly encouraged for those with access to a device that allows them to join. If class material is presented in a “Meet,” it will also be recorded and posted in the Classroom.
- Students should make a work plan for the day that includes time for assignments and “Meets.”
- Students should also plan for physical activity, time outdoors, nutrition breaks, and regular breaks from screen time to promote overall wellness during this time.
At PCS, we aim for our interactions to be characterized by the pillars Respect, Accept, Care & Engage. This time online is no different, and we want to highlight a few conduct expectations to ensure a healthy and safe learning community:
- Our student handbook already states that students must not capture, post, or otherwise distribute pictures, audio, or video recordings of any student or staff member without that person’s clear consent (p. 9). We remind students that this extends to the online environment. Because the online environment makes people vulnerable to this type of activity, students will face very serious consequences if they breach this expectation.
- Please note that students in “Meets” are able to mute both their microphone and their video for privacy.
- When joining “Meets,” students should set aside other devices so they can engage fully. Students should also dress appropriately, just as they would for an in-person meeting.
As we get underway, we know there will be tech glitches, schedule conflicts, and communication gaps to be ironed out. We hope that all community members will extend grace to one another. In this time of stress and uncertainty, let’s strive to follow the apostle Paul’s encouragement: Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love (Ephesians 4:2). Learning to live a life marked by Christ’s love no matter our circumstances may be the most important learning we can do at this time!
May God’s Grace and peace be with you,
Lorna Herzog
Secondary Principal