Though students in the London District Catholic school board may be leaving virtual learning in droves this fall, demand for summer school classes — being offered only in a virtual format — has hit a record high.
Though students in the London District Catholic school board may be leaving virtual learning in droves this fall, demand for summer school classes — being offered only in a virtual format — has hit a record high.
About 3,000 students are enrolled in the board’s summer school program that includes courses in geography, math, history and other subjects when there is “enough demand from students,” said Vince Romeo, the board’s education director.
“This will be our largest summer school ever,” he said. “We’re offering all of our summer learning virtually.”
Over the last few years enrollment in the board’s summer programming has gradually increased, but garnered even more registrations in 2021 when learning was held online due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“Summer school has always been held in person, face to face, in one of our schools across the district. Last year we didn’t have that option so we went to virtual for the first time,” Romeo said. “Our numbers increased and we thought we would do the same thing this year and our numbers surpassed even last year.”
Summer school isn’t just to give students an opportunity to improve their marks, it’s also a chance for students to pick up a course before the fall term starts, he said.
The Thames Valley District school board said in May it was ramping up its summer school to give students a chance to bump up their marks virtually or in-person after two years of pandemic disruptions.
“We know many families have experienced challenges throughout the pandemic and we want to provide as much support as possible,” Riley Culhane, the board’s associate director of learning support services, said at the time.
In August, the board will team with the London District Catholic school board and 15 community providers on a variety of workshops “to support families, parents and caregivers,” Culhane said.