March 21st, 2020

Today, the Premier of Ontario and Minister of Education announced the first phase of Learn at Home (Apprendre à la maison), a new online portal that will provide resources for families, so students can continue their education while schools are closed due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation.

The at-home activities offered by Learn at Home provide quick and easy access to some of Ontario’s best online kindergarten to grade 12 learning resources produced by Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) Educators. As part of the government’s commitment to planning for every scenario, the province is working closely with education stakeholders to develop a plan for scaling and building additional online learning programs.

Learn at Home offers all students high-quality, made-in-Ontario math and literacy resources, created by Ontario-certified educators, in both English and French. Elementary resources are designed to help young students learn at home with interactive activities that encourage participation through entertaining and stimulating digital content. 

High school content was designed with a focus on STEM courses and ensure core competencies and skills are reinforced. The government is also providing access to course content for students who take the initiative to refresh and extend their learning. 

Quick Facts

  • TVO Kids offers educational programming throughout the day for school-aged children. Refer to their broadcast schedule to know what is on and when.
  • Bilingual materials on Learn at Home will continue to be added on a regular basis to provide new and compelling content throughout this period. Other learning programs, such as Ontario’s Virtual Learning Environment, are being further developed to provide enhanced learning options.
  • Mathify provides real-time homework help led by OCT educators for students between Grades 6-10, six days a week from 9:00 am EST – 9:00 pm EST.
  • The Ministry of Education is working with TVO and TFO to roll-out robust education programming on their broadcast channels, with a phased-in approach starting next week. 
  • This ongoing process will ensure that Ontario students and families are able to access and engage with high-quality, made-in-Ontario education resources that support continuity of learning for students.

Access to Technology

  • All secondary students in the WRDSB have access to their own individual Chromebook through our Chromebook Project
  • More information on how students without access to technology will be supported will be shared as soon as we receive more information from the Ministry of Education.

Recent updates

  • Ontario public schools will be closed from March 14 through to April 5, 2020, in an effort to contain the spread of COVID-19. This includes all Before and After School Programs and childcare centres located in our schools. Refer to our post for more information. Any new announcements regarding the provincial closure will be communicated on our website.
  • EQAO assessments for the 2019-20 school year have been cancelled, including the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test. The literacy requirement for students graduating in the 2019-20 school year has also been waived. Refer to our post for more information.

Looking for more information about COVID-19?

Please remember to wash your hands, not to touch your face and maintain social distance. Find more information and links to helpful and fact-based resources on our website at wrdsb.ca/covid.

 

 

 

Categories: School News