FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 18, 2020
Contact Michel Lafrance, Headmaster, West Island College [email protected]
Lessons in Distance Learning During the COVID-19 Outbreak
Dollard des Ormeaux, QC – As the world scrambles to contain or manage the COVID-19 outbreak, one Montreal school keeps students on track and learning.
West Island College, a high school in Dollard des Ormeaux, is using Google Classrooms, Google Meet, teacher websites and other technologies, to keep students’ minds off of the anxieties of the world and keeping their focus on school.
Knowing that the potential for all schools to close was looming, WIC kicked into high gear. On Thursday, March 12th, a professional day was called in the late afternoon for the next day. It was an opportunity for the school to speak to staff, prepare the resources for the challenges that lay ahead and ensure that they would have time to prepare for the inevitable. It was decided that school would continue as normal…almost! On March 17th, regular classes were held for all WIC students.
Parents and students were given a revised timetable and asked to check in to their regularly scheduled classes, every hour between 8 am and 2 pm. Each class is 45 minutes long. Some require the students to participate in a live chat, while others feature time for group work, projects, reading or individual work. An important element in the schedule is the 15 minutes between each class, when students are encouraged to get up, stretch, have a snack, take a break, or walk around the house.
Our Guidance Counselor and Resource Professional are posting regularly to students with tips and encouraging students to connect with one another.
“Yesterday was our first learning from home day and it has been fairly seamless. It required a lot of planning, set-up and modifications on the part of the teachers, with the support of the administrative team and staff, many of whom are also at home with kids of their own. It has been a wonderful community effort so far, and we are receiving full support from our parents.” says Headmaster, Michel Lafrance.