Questions About Education Delivery Options
Q1: What will online learning look like?
A: The first day of online classes will be Tuesday, September 8, 2020. Students will be enrolled with STAR Catholic in a virtual class with other students from across the Division. There will be approximately 40 to 60 students in each online class.
Core courses of English Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Religion will be taught online by STAR Catholic teachers. Some courses may require an exchange of print materials. Teachers may choose to video record and post lessons as well as lead live lessons. Tools such as Google Classroom and Google Meet will be used for online learning.
Each student must have their own parent-provided device (Chromebook, laptop, etc.).
It’s expected that teachers will create lesson plans, provide materials and coursework, and perform student assessments. However, a large amount of in-person guidance and direction will be the responsibility of parents.
Read more about online learning with STAR Catholic.
Q2: Will families who choose online learning be able to switch back to in-person learning once the school year has started?
A: There will be two dates for students to move from online to in-person learning:
- November 16, 2020
- February 1, 2021
Parents are asked to make a decision before each of these dates to allow time to plan programming and staffing. Decisions must be made by October 15, 2020 and January 6, 2021, respectively.
Families who wish to transition to in-person learning outside of these dates will be accommodated when possible if there is space available in the classroom. These instances will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Re-entry into the school will not be guaranteed outside of these windows.
Q3: How long will students spend at school during a day?
Students will attend school for the entire regular school day.
Q4: Do I need to purchase school supplies for online learning (other than technology such as a laptop or Chrome Book?)
Families may choose to wait until the first day of online classes to purchase supplies for their children. This will help prevent families from purchasing unnecessary supplies as your teacher will have a better idea of what will be needed for online learning.
Q5: Can families choose a blended model of both in-person and online learning?
The Division cannot provide a blended model of learning. Families may choose either in-person, online, or homeschooling.
Q6: Can students attend school on alternating days of the week?
In-person classes on alternating days of the week falls under the Government of Alberta's scenario 2 for school re-entry. As of now, school will resume in September under scenario 1. Minister of Education Adrianna LaGrange has specified that moving from one scenario to another is a decision that must be made by the province and not by school divisions.
Q7: Will online learning be offered in both English and French Immersion?
A: STAR Catholic will aim to provide online learning for both English and French immersion students. However, the feasibility of this will also be dependent on the demand for online learning in each language.