​February 10, 2021

Dear ASD-S High School Families,

This school year has been a unique challenge for our students, especially those in high schools.  The blended learning model, attending school in-person every other day, and an increased reliance on technology is new for staff, students, and families and we have all had to adapt.

Our priority remains quality education and the well-being of our students. With the experience of semester one behind us, we continue to look for ways to improve. We’ve heard from students and families how critical the daily connection with teachers is for student success. As we move into the second semester, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, along with the Anglophone School Districts, have outlined some basic expectations to support student learning, which teachers will implement beginning in the first week or two of second semester:

• For semester two there will be a minimum of 10 minutes at the beginning of every class dedicated to a live virtual meeting with students at home. This will be in every blended-learning class, every day. Teachers will use the virtual meeting time differently, depending on the class and subject. For example, they may assign work, provide instruction, or answer questions. In all cases, however, it is required that students participate virtually each day they are learning from home.

• ​Attendance will be taken for every class whether in person or online. All students should be present and learning during each class. As in a normal year, working at a job during school hours is not an acceptable excuse for being absent, including during learn-from-home days.

These new expectations will be a change in routine for many students. We ask families to support their student by ensuring they understand these new expectations and the importance of their virtual attendance when they are learning from home. If possible, students are asked to find a private, quiet area to participate online and to wear head phones. Out of respect for the teacher and students, other individuals or members of the household are asked not to participate in or in any way disrupt the class.

If families have concerns regarding their at-home devices or connectivity, we encourage you to reach out to your child’s school, as resources may be available. ASD-S will also continue to work with schools where technology or connectivity issues have limited teachers’ ability to connect with students at home. 

Students are reminded that help with TEAMS, Office 365 and other technology issues, as well as the Help Line phone numbers for computer troubleshooting, can be found on the ASD-S webpage.

We thank you for your support, and for supporting your student through this positive change. We hope that students will find this added, daily connection to be valuable and a great support as we head towards an exciting semester ahead.

Zoё Watson,

Superintendent