Elementary School Closures Extended until January 25

Posted On Thursday January 07, 2021

Earlier today, Ministry of Education on the advice of the Chief Medical Officer of Health announced that all in-person elementary schools will remain closed after this week and that students will not be returning to in-person learning until Monday, January 25, 2021, at the earliest.

This means that remote learning from home will continue for all elementary students.

The Ministry of Education has mandated that the following minutes per day take place as RealTime (synchronous) learning. This requirement means that there may be some changes to the schedule developed for your child’s class, which was only intended to be in effect for this week. Should any changes to your child’s classroom schedule be required, your child’s teacher will let you know. 

Grade Level of Students

Daily Minimum RealTime (Synchronous) Learning Time Requirement*

Kindergarten

180 minutes

Grades 1 to 3

225 minutes

Grades 4 to 8

225 minutes

* This is in addition to FlexTime (asynchronous) learning time.

We acknowledge that for some students, especially those in younger grades, that the number of RealTime (synchronous) learning hours may be long. Educators will be working with families to provide some flexibility for students who need it.

For families who completed the survey to request an electronic device to support your child’s learning, your school will be reaching out directly to you given that the closure period has been extended past this week. However, Chromebooks are in short supply in Ontario and our orders from last summer are backlogged. For that reason, we may not be able to provide a Chromebook for all families.  We remind you that any device can be used to connect to our virtual learning platforms.

While we understand that the extended closure is disappointing news for some, please know that school teams will be doing their best to support you and your children during this time. Please do not hesitate to reach out to your school’s Principal, or your child’s classroom educator if you have any questions or require support.

Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding during this challenging time.