(File photo/northeastNOW Staff).

By Aaron Schulze

Online Education

NESD getting positive feedback for online learning, doesn’t see classes re-opening by year’s end

Apr 26, 2020 | 2:27 PM

Feedback has been informal but positive for the North East School Division (NESD), since adjusting to online, supplemental learning after Spring Break.

Students in high school who wanted to enhance their grades, rather than sit on their assigned mark on completed work prior to March 13, have been connecting with their classroom and subject teachers online for over a month.

“I think people are happy to have teachers engaged in supporting students from home,” NESD’s Director of Education Don Rempel said. “I know even parents who happen to be teachers notice their kids really respond quite differently to their classroom or subject teacher when it comes to pursuing curricular outcomes. It’s nice to be able to have the opportunity to have teachers work with the home and engaging students in learning at this time during the pandemic.”

As the five phases of the provincial government’s Re-Open Saskatchewan plan rolls along, Rempel said the NESD will have a better understanding of whether the school year will finish in the classrooms or the students’ homes.

Because the fifth and final phase of Re-Open Saskatchewan – the consideration of lifting long-term restrictions such as suspending classes – doesn’t have a set date, Rempel figures in-person classes won’t resume until fall 2020 at the earliest.

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“The medium-term goal is to see how the numbers provincially impact the end of the school year,” he said. “At some point, it’ll become obvious that classes aren’t going to resume before the end of June. We’ll have to see if we’re able to move through steps two through five before the fall, which would provide an opportunity for school classes to resume.”

Any graduation ceremonies in June will also likely need to take place online due to COVID-19. Rempel said the option to hold an in-person graduation ceremony in the fall could happen if Phase Five of Re-Open Saskatchewan follows through.

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aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow