Second switch to at-home learning for Grade 7-12 students has gone much smoother, says BCHS principal

BARRHEAD - On Nov. 30, all Grade 7-12 students in Alberta transitioned to at-home learning in response to a rising number of COVID-19 cases throughout the province, with in-person classes set to resume on Jan. 11. 

In the case of Barrhead Composite School (BCHS), the transition to at-home learning has gone much smoother due to the lessons learned during the spring shutdown of classes and the preparation of teachers during the fall, as well as some extra lead time between the province’s announcement and the start of at-home learning. 

In an interview on Dec. 4, BCHS Principal Darcie Eamor said that from the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year, teachers have been setting up Google Classrooms and coaching students through the process of logging in and using that platform. 

As well, Eamor said the gap between the province’s announcement on Nov. 24 and the shutdown of classes on Nov. 30 also allowed teachers to speak with individual students, to figure out who needed paper packages, to determine who needed help getting extra technology, and to go over the expectations of the new at-home learning model. 

“It made it much easier and a lot less stressful for the kids, because they were able to talk to each of their teachers and understand exactly what was going to be expected of them,” she said. 

Incidentally, Eamor noted they had roughly as many students ask for Google Chromebooks as they did in the spring, noting that the students sign them out in the same way they sign out a library book. 

Eamor said they also learned a lot about what worked and didn’t work during the shutdown of classes in the spring. 

“And this time, what we knew is that we needed to maintain the structure and routine as much as possible for students,” she said. 

For that reason, students at BCHS (and elsewhere in the Pembina Hills School Division) have followed a regular class schedule just as they would if they were in the building. 

Eamor said they must join their classroom teacher using Google Classroom at the same time they would have been sitting in the actual physical classroom. 

“We’re even taking attendance based on their participation and their check-ins with their teacher,” she said. 

The students also have the same curriculum and coursework requirements as if they were attending classes in-person, which wasn’t the case in the spring. 

“The goal there is that we do not want students to slip through the cracks,” Eamor said. “We do not want them to fall behind. So by maintaining daily contact with students, we feel that ... the kids will be much more successful.” 

Eamor said the feedback from parents has been very appreciative of the fact they are trying to maintain that structure. 

One other thing that has helped: while in-person classes are not going on, the schools themselves remain open and students can make appointments to come in and work at BCHS. 

Eamor said a student could come in to the school (again, by appointment) if they really need some extra help or they need to finish a project that just can’t be done online. 

This has been tremendously helpful with the high school students enrolled in automotives or construction who needed to physically finish their projects to get credits, she noted. 

K-6 students 

While classes did not shut down for K-6 students throughout Alberta, they will also switch to at-home learning for about a week after the Christmas break, which runs from Dec. 19 to Jan. 3 in Pembina Hills. 

Like the Grade 7-12 students, the K-6 students will also resume in-person classes on Jan. 11. 

Of course, because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there may be some students who are nevertheless isolated at home because they either have tested positive or came into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. 

On Nov. 30, Pembina Hills posted a notice to its website stating that teachers will not be expected to simultaneously provide instruction to K-6 students who are in class and the students who are at home. 

Mark Thiesen, assistant superintendent of education services for Pembina Hills, said parents and the community at large have been very understanding and have adapted as well as can be expected. 

“We have been very pleased with the co-operation and support our schools have received from parents,” he said, in an e-mail. 

“Our focus continues to be on student and staff safety, as well as providing continuity in learning as best as we can in the circumstances.”

Kevin Berger, TownandCountryToday.com