The Lambton Kent Virtual Learn at Home Secondary School (VLHS) began in September 2020 as a response to parents and students who selected the Learn at Home option. 1040 students from twelve LKDSB secondary schools are attending the VLHS. Teachers and students engage in synchronous learning during the school day in a manner that parallels a face to face experience. The learning management system used is Brightspace. The VLHS is physically located within Lambton Kent Composite School in Dresden.
Students who choose Learn at Home will be engaged in remote learning five days per week. Students
will be removed from the face-to-face timetable they were scheduled in at their home school and
enrolled in virtual Learn at Home courses. Once students are removed from their home school
timetable they will lose the seat in that class. Should students wish to return to face-to-face learning
there is no guarantee that they will be able to get their original timetable.
Learn at Home courses will not be associated with student
home schools, but rather with the LKDSB Virtual Learn at Home
Secondary School. The Principal of the LKDSB Virtual Learn at
Home Secondary School, Mr. Paul Wiersma, will communicate
with all Learn at Home students prior to the start of school.
While students are enrolled in the LKDSB Virtual Learn at Home
Secondary School, they will not be able to enter the school
premises or participate in school activities. Learn at Home will
operate in quadmesters (refer to the Scheduling – Secondary
section for description).
Students who choose Learn at Home will be enrolled in a D2L Brightspace. They will be registered
in two classes per quadmester with students and teachers from throughout the LKDSB. Students
who choose Learn at Home may not have the same timetable or course selections they requested
in the spring. All attempts will be made to honour student course requests; however, the priority for
Learn at Home will be to provide compulsory courses. As such, there will be limited optional courses
available in the Learn at Home program.
During Learn at Home, students will engage in a combination of asynchronous and synchronous
(during school hours) learning to achieve the 110 hours of instruction per course. Students will be
expected to log in to their Learn at Home classes every day. Attendance will be taken daily. Regular
school protocols for truancy will be followed.
Students and parents will be provided with a daily schedule or timetable that includes 300 minutes of
learning opportunities per day, with a combination of synchronous (225 minutes) and asynchronous
learning activities. Programming will be based on the full Ontario curriculum and include opportunities
for guided instruction, large- and small-group learning, synchronous check-ins, and asynchronous
independent work.
The LKDSB Virtual Learn at Home Secondary School bell schedule is as follows:
TIME
| CLASS |
8:20 - 11:00 (150 minutes plus ten minute break)
| Morning Session
|
11:00 - 11:50 (50 minutes)
| LUNCH |
11:50 - 2:30 (150 minutes plus ten minute break)
| Afternoon Session
|
Synchronous learning does not constitute supervision and the school board cannot be held
responsible for student behavior / accidents that occur while students are engaged in Learn at Home.
Synchronous learning: Learning that happens in real time. Synchronous learning involves using text,
video, or voice communication in a way that enables educators and other members of the schoolor board-based team to instruct and connect with students in real time.
Asynchronous learning:
Learning that is not delivered in real time.
Asynchronous learning may involve students watching pre-recorded video lessons, completing
assigned tasks, or contributing to online discussion boards.
For Secondary students in Grades 9 -12 the daily minimum synchronous learning time requirement
will be 225 minutes for a 300-minute instructional day. The synchronous learning will be provided for
large and small groups of students each day, in a manner similar to in-person classroom teaching.
Synchronous learning time may include students working independently and in small groups while
engaged in a virtual classroom with the teacher overseeing their learning and available for questions.
Students may be exempted from the minimum requirements for synchronous learning, on an
individual basis. Requests for an exemption must be made in writing. To support meaningful access to
education, alternative learning approaches will be put in place for all exempted students. Exempted
students will be provided with a daily schedule or timetable per course.
LKDSB will assess whether there are students who need access to a device or Internet and take steps
to distribute school resources to ensure students can stay connected, wherever possible, to learning.