Playing with the Calendar

A New Agenda for the School Calendar

This is the time of year when I sit down with an empty calendar and schedule and start dreaming of what could be. Most years I dream a little and then settle right back into the usual calendar and schedule. This year I want to provide some background thoughts and then open up the dreaming to include staff and school families and see if anything might change.

Parameters

Currently we have three parameters that we must work within: first day of school (mandated by the Ministry of Education), the last day of school (June 30) and the minimum number of school hours (950 for 1-12; 475 for Kindergarten) and professional development days (5). The length of our current instructional day means that we need 181 instructional days in the school year.

Other Options

One of the school divisions I used to work in had a school with a year-round calendar. Students attended school for September, October, and November and had December off. They then attended January, February, and March, and had April off. Finally, they attended May, June, and July and had August off. The reason for this was that many of the parents worked in the forestry industry and April was breakup month (“breakup” meant that the frost came out of the ground making it impossible for logging trucks to drive). One of my daughters is currently a teacher in England. They get the same number of weeks off that we do (14 weeks) but they spread it out quite differently. They get a six week summer, a two week Christmas break, and then distribute the rest of the weeks throughout the year so that each month has some time off. That way students don’t lose as much knowledge over the summer and yet have a more relaxed school year. A third option is from a school division I know from British Columbia. They have the regular holidays that we have, but only attend classes Monday through Thursday; their school day is longer than ours and so they created a 4-day week (transportation is an issue in that division).

Current practice at SCS

The school day runs from 8:45 to 3:15 with a 15 minute recess and a 60 minute lunch break, leaving a 5.25 hour instructional day. We have 5 days set aside for professional development. We get two weeks off for Christmas, one week in February, and one week around Easter. We start on the first allowable day of school and end before departmentals in June.

Options

If we start the earliest school day possible, which may be August 30 this year as labour Day is so late, and end on June 22, the day before departmentals start in June, we (may) have 193 days at our disposal. Given the current length of the school day, we need 181 days of classes and 5 days of professional development for a total of 186 days. That gives us 7 extra days that we can use as days’ off. That means we could:

1. Add one extra day off to September, October, November, January, March, May, and June
2. Add 15 minutes to the school day and have 14 days that could be distributed as extra days off, either as a week here and a week there or as a day or two spread throughout the year
3. Using the existing length of school day and add a one week break into the fall (either October or November)
4. Other options not yet mentioned.

Survey

I am planning on sending out a survey next week to get some numerical data on these options. I’d love to get some feedback from the school community. Please email (klauec@saskatoonchristianschool.ca) me your thoughts, concerns, or questions on this topic and then complete the survey this week.

School During a Pandemic: Part 4 (Technology)

Schools have always used technology; over the last number of years, schools have used an increasing number of digital/online technologies. Since the Covid remote learning started last March, this trend has accelerated and intensified. There are now three basic categories of using technology: updating students/parents about classwork, partially teaching through online tools, and full online teaching.

Updating students and parents about classwork

To accomplish this task, the administrators at SCS have mandated that all teachers now use Google Classroom. Last spring, we used a number of digital platforms to communicate with parents: Google Classroom, Class Dojo, SeeSaw, and others. Parents who had children in different grades would have to learn how to use multiple platforms. To avoid this situation, we have moved to one platform: Google Classroom. 

Google Classroom is fairly easy to use for students and parents, especially if they are somewhat familiar with Google already. However, it is a much larger challenge for teachers (who are used to teaching with a variety of media). It is easy to create a worksheet, photocopy it, and distribute it to the students for them to complete. It is a much larger challenge to create the same worksheet as a Google Doc (or equivalent) and then set it up in a way that each student can complete the worksheet without altering what another student has written (Google, after all, is highly collaborative). Each activity completed is part of a larger unit; the units all added together create a course. This is easily organized within a binder or a file box. The filing system then needs to be replicated within the Google Classroom platform so that teachers can find their work easily (and that the students can find it easily as well). Teachers are then duplicating what they have already completed. This, too, takes time to do. 

Another challenge is making the software do what we want it to do. Teaching, and especially marking, is time consuming. Lessons need to be planned, set up in the Google environment, and then need to be marked when they are returned. Over the last number of months, the teachers haven gotten more comfortable with setting up lessons. The goal is now to simplify the marking load. There are three main ways of accomplishing this: printing off the assignment and then commenting on it using a pen, using digital tools to provide a written comment, or using digital tools to provide verbal comments. The first method is easy but time consuming. The second and third method have a learning curve but show promise in reducing the time later. That conclusion is currently up for debate as teachers continue to work on their learning curve. Sometimes it is the digital tool that is at fault; it may not be the right tool for the task. However, sometimes it is an operator error; the teacher may just not be able to figure out exactly how to make the software work. 

Partially teaching through online tools

This year we have given a name to a practice that we have always engaged in: Classroom Assist. Since schools have started, students have missed classes due to illness, vacation, appointments, or for other reasons. How are students supposed to catch up what they have missed? They would usually return and ask the teacher to provide the assignments that have been missed. If the absence is due to taking time for vacation, and the parents are thinking about schooling, they may ask the teacher for schoolwork to take on the vacation. In the past, such a haphazard system worked somewhat reasonably well. Over this last year, with Covid, the haphazard nature of the old pattern was just not good enough. Enter SCS Classroom Assist. We are using Google Classroom to help out with SCS Classroom Assist. Teachers are now updating their Google Classroom on a daily basis so that students can see what they missed (and parents can see what the students are supposed to be doing). 

Because we have digital tools such as Google Meet or Microsoft Teams, teachers are also trying to incorporate synchronous learning for those students that are at home. However, at least in the high school, we are also trying to keep class sizes under 15 students. Grades 9, 11, and 12 are, therefore, split into two groups. That means that we have several teachers who are using Google Meet to teach their one class in two separate classrooms as well as those students who are working from home. We were hoping to get some government funding to purchase the appropriate software and hardware, but the funding for those tools was denied. Teachers are using their laptops, document cameras (or their phones with document camera apps), projectors, as well as speakers to ensure all students they are teaching can hear and see what is being taught.

Full online teaching

We have an increasing number of students using SCS Online School. That is the name given to students using the FlexEd courses with SCS provided teachers. We have an agreement with FlexEd to provide online courses for SCS; SCS provides the teachers and FlexEd provides the courses using their platform. This, too, has been a learning curve but we are learning to work with this technology.  

We are striving to improve our facilitation of these technological platforms easier all the time and we hope you are managing to navigate them well.  Thank you for riding the wave with us!

School During a Pandemic: Part 3

One of the biggest challenges we have faced as school staff during a pandemic is building community. So many of the activities we have been involved with to strengthen community have had to be curtailed due to Covid. It is one of the less tangible aspects of the school experience that is difficult to quantify, and yet so valuable.

How We Have Worked on Building Community in the Past

There are many ways we (usually) build community. It can start with the fact that staff can see each other’s faces when they talk and work together in small groups or when they eat lunch as a group. There are also many activities that we offer to increase a sense of community within our school. Events such as the SCS Christmas Concert, Heritage Day, various grade retreats for students, and professional activities for SCS staff are all great examples of connection and community.  The SCS Discipleship Trip with a Missions Focus (generally to Bolivia) and the various outdoor education (canoe) trips we offer from grades 6-11 are wonderful adventures that foster growth and familiarity within the school body. Parents enjoy various society activities such as Town Halls, the Auction, and general society meetings as a way to stay informed, support the school and meet with one another.

How We Are Trying to Build Community Today

Amid the Covid restrictions, we strive to provide opportunities for  connection. We are still providing an online experience for our major events (Christmas Concert, Heritage Day, and Chapels). With distancing restrictions in place for students both in and out of the building, it has been challenging to build community for students. The closest we have come is by providing some classes/activities through online tools such as Google Meet and Microsoft Teams where students can interact with each other. With the cancellation of all student retreats and sporting events, building community has proven to be quite challenging. Even standard activities, such as sledding, have had to change. We continue to seek practical ideas on building community within the student body as well as within the larger SCS community.

We continue to be intentional about connecting with you and with one another and we know how much it matters. The SCS community is a strong one, and we would love to hear from you about your ideas about keeping our sense of community and connection vibrant. Thank you for continuing to engage and participate in meaningful ways!

School During a Pandemic: Part 2

As we are moving closer to Christmas, we have been blessed to remain operational and COVID-free. With that in mind, we continue to focus on delivering excellent education in a safe environment.  As SCS parents, we appreciate your support and cooperation as we work together to provide the best possible experiences for SCS students in the most challenging times. 

To that end, we would kindly ask you to respect and comply with SHA instructions/regulations. We have not had a positive COVID case in the school yet, and we hope  to keep it that way. SCS staff, like SCS families, run the gamut in how they feel about the regulations; however, as a school, SCS staff are required to follow the regulations. Parents can make school life easier by ensuring that they, and their families, also follow the regulations. We are all doing the best we can in these trying circumstances. Let us, therefore, extend grace and patience towards one another. In doing so, we honour God in the eyes of the larger society. 

Additionally, if your child(ren) need(s) to work from home, PLEASE ensure that your child is completing the various assignments by the specific due dates. All online learning last year (March to June) was supplemental; this year, all online learning is required. If you want your child to learn the concepts and skills, please ensure that your child does the work.

In my last email, I commented on what chapel looked like this year. In this email, I will comment on what classroom instruction looks like this year. If you think that the paragraphs after this next one sound confusing, it is because they are confusing (and complex). Dealing with instruction during a pandemic has led to a significant learning curve for the teachers as well as for the students and parents. The following paragraphs are my attempt to share some of this complexity with you and to try to make it easier for everyone to understand. If it sounds like we are making some of this up as we go, it is because we are. Right now we are trying to stay afloat as we try to meet the academic (and social) needs of the students. So, here goes…. 

Pre-pandemic, classroom instruction between the grades was very similar. The teacher presented information in a variety of ways, assigned activities to practice the new concepts, and then assessed the work. If a student missed a day, then that student would either have the work emailed to them or would collect it the next day and then complete the assignment. Instruction models have changed for this year. Rather than having all teachers follow the same general model, we now have 10 models we are working with.

The first two models are very straight forward. The first model is (regular) in-class instruction. This is still happening in the elementary school (K-8) for the most part and for a few secondary courses. At the secondary level, these courses last for one quarter (approximately 9 weeks). This sometimes moves to in-class with asynchronous learning (second model). In-class with asynchronous means that students are taught in class, but, if a student is at home, sick or not, the student can visit Google Classroom and see what assignments they have to complete.

The third model is our Online Course Instruction. This is in place for eight courses: ELA A30, ELA B30, ELA 20, History 20, ELA A10, History 10, Social Studies 9, and Science 9. For these courses, one of our SCS teachers has developed the course(s) for the Google Classroom platform. These courses are taught asynchronously; students can work on this material at a time that is convenient for them (as long as they complete the assignments by the date and time they are due). These courses are full-semester courses. Secondary students are taking two courses per quarter as well as one of these online courses.

Our fourth model is in-class and synchronous. This is a model that is being used only in our secondary classes; the teacher is doing the regular in-class teaching AND has his/her computer open to Google Meet so that the student(s) working from home can join in and follow along. (I’m glad we are trying this this year and not last year as our internet is much faster this year). This is a new model for our teachers and one that has its own set of issues associated with it. One of the challenges is the technology itself. Google Meet works better than Zoom, but can still be glitchy. This is compounded when the teacher is also using the computer to connect to the projector. Toggling back and forth between applications sometimes results in the applications cutting in and out. This is quite frustrating, both for the teacher and for the student working from home.

Our fifth model, also for secondary only, is split-class instruction. Split-class instruction is a hybrid variation of Covid-regulation Level 3 instruction. The larger collegiates in the province are required to move to Level 3: classes capped at 15 and in school for fewer days (2-3 days maximum). We have moved to a modified version of this. We have capped our classes at 15, but, instead of sending half the students home on alternate days, we have moved them into separate classrooms. History 12, for example, has approximately 14 students in one classroom and 12 students in a neighbouring classroom. The teacher then uses a webcam in each classroom to link them together. The one room has the teacher; the other classroom either has an Educational Assistant or a second teacher to help with behaviour and answering questions. The teacher can hear students in either classroom and the students in the one room can see the students in the other room. The teacher may also be using the projector to share information on the board while using the two webcams. This model is a first for us and the teachers are making it work.

This model has two other hybrid versions as well. The sixth model is split in-class with pre-recorded instruction. In this model, the teacher still has the two classes (one course split in half) but, rather than teaching ‘live’ in both classes, it has pre-recorded instruction that is played for one class while the teacher is teaching the other class ‘live’. The seventh model is also split in-class instruction while also having students connecting synchronously from home via Google Meet. Here we have two webcams connecting the two classes while the teacher’s computer is connecting with students from home through Google Meet. This model is the most advanced technologically and the most challenging in terms of staying connected with each student. This model also creates the most technological challenges. We are in the process of purchasing new technology that should make this process easier.

The eighth model is regular in-class instruction while using pre-recorded instruction. There are times when the teacher is aware that he/she will be absent for a class and so has prepared pre-recorded instruction. (This could work at any grade level). The teacher would instruct and the teacher or Educational Assistant in the classroom would help the students work through the material.

The ninth model, so far only used in the elementary grades, is when the teacher must stay home (generally due to a concern regarding COVID). In this model, the teacher is instructing the class from home via Google Meet while an Educational Assistant is in the actual classroom working with the students.

The tenth, and final, model is our SCS Online School. (There are two versions: full-time SCS Online School and part-time SCS Online School). Immuno-compromised elementary students who are working from home this year are taking (full-time) classes through SCS Online School. We are partnering with FlexEd to deliver these courses. FlexEd provides the online platform and SCS provides the teacher. Secondary students are generally taking one or two online courses through our SCS Online School program. In previous years, the secondary students would have taken these courses through SPSD online classes; since we are no longer a part of SPSD, SCS students are taking these courses through our (FlexEd) SCS Online School program. Again, FlexEd provides the online platform and content and SCS provides the teacher.

Any, or all, of these models can be adapted, if needed, for a student on an IIP.

Trying to operate a school where ten models of instruction are being used concurrently is confusing for students, parents, and teachers. It is even more challenging for teachers who are trying to make the technology work properly while conducting instruction. Please be patient with the teachers as they are trying to learn how to make this work (while they are making it work); it is like trying to build a bridge as you are walking on it. We are providing new technology to make the teacher’s job more workable and appropriate training as needed to help the teachers use the new technology (or instructional model).

In light of this complexity, if we partner together well at school and at home, as staff and as parents, SCS students will have the best possible chance at succeeding and growing in 2020-2021. I wish your family a blessed and joyful Christmas season.