A pandemic relic, virtual classes, embraced by local summer school students

While Thames Valley students flocked back to school classrooms post-pandemic last year, the majority heading to summer school are doing it virtually.

Registration is still underway, but about 3,400 students are signed up for virtual learning, while only 380 will attend in-person classes at Saunders secondary school as they look to upgrade their marks or gain extra credits.

“You can really see students and their families are demonstrating a preference for a continuation and expansion of virtual learning into the summer,” Tracy Langelaan, the board’s special education superintendent, said, noting virtual courses are accessible across the board’s area and allow “self -pacing” for students and flexibility for families.

The board is looking to expand in-person summer learning to locations others than Saunders, if there’s interest.

“Specifically, we’re talking about new credit, in-person learning, but we’re really looking for the input of our families and caregivers and students,” Langelaan said.

Thames Valley, the largest Ontario board outside the Greater Toronto Area with some 80,000 students, says it’s focusing on students’ foundational skills, particularly numeracy and literacy.

“(That) is really in alignment with our board’s operational plan,” Langelaan said. “And we’ve placed an increased emphasis on technology options for students to be able to access some hands-on experiences.”

The board is offering a new two-week course in numeracy and literacy in addition to its two-day, non-credit High School Here I Come program that is offered at all board high schools to help incoming ninth-graders prepare. Information was sent to families last week, she said.

The two-week course will be offered at selected board high schools and students will get a credit “based on their proficiency as a learner and being able to adopt some learning strategies,” Langelaan said. “It’s a safe entry point for students without the pressure of having further assessment on numeracy and literacy.”

The board also will host English as a second language summer camps for newcomers, she said.

And the board’s travel-for-credit program, offering students a chance to achieve elective and compulsory credits, is back on an international scale again.

“Due to COVID, we really pulled back on our travel-for-credit programming, which is high interest for students,” Langelaan said. “Last year we reintroduced it but we didn’t leave Canada.”

This year, four Grade 10 civics and citizenship classes will head to Ottawa and Montreal, then on to New York.

And about 140 students will take part in summer co-ops aligned with their interests, with placements at everything from retailers and hospitality providers to physiotherapy clinics and law offices, Langelaan said.

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