All Schools Moving Temporarily to Remote Learning

Online learning begins January 5

On January 3, the Province of Ontario has directed all Ontario schools to pivot to remote learning for two weeks, with an anticipated return to in-person learning on January 17 for secondary and January 18 for elementary (January 17 is a PA day for elementary). 

Device Needs Survey

Grand Erie is prepared to support students who may need devices (laptops or tablets) or connectivity to continue their learning from home. Please contact your school to advise of any device needs.

During this remote learning period, D2L Brightspace and other virtual platforms will be used to provide synchronous and asynchronous learning to students throughout the school day. This includes students in Grand Erie Learning Alternatives (GELA).  

Teachers and support staff will reach out to students and families to provide online learning access information and directions by January 5. Asynchronous learning will be available on January 5 for all students, and by Friday, January 7, all teachers will be delivering synchronous learning to their classes.

Grand Erie students already enrolled in virtual online learning classes are not impacted by today’s announcement, and will resume online learning on Wednesday, January 5.

Students with Special Education Needs

If your child has special education needs, we expect that they will also learn virtually during this time period.  In very rare cases, some students with pervasive and extensive special education needs may not be able to access their program virtually.  Grand Erie can offer some opportunities for these students to learn in-person. Your school Principal will be reaching out, or please contact your school directly.

Families and students looking for assistance with technology support during online learning can contact the Parent Help Desk: parent.techsupport@granderie.ca or 519-756-6301, extension: 287080. Toll-free: 1-888-548-8878, extension: 287080. Resources to support online learning are also available.

As directed by the government, Grand Erie will continue to provide access to on-site childcare centres. 

Happy “new year”! I hope everyone had a pleasant summer holiday. It’s been nice to talk to students and parents this week about all the things you’ve done over the past two months. I’ve heard lots of stories of fun trips and relaxation. I’ve also heard a few about some more stressful experiences that life seems to always present. Whatever the past 2 months brought for you, I’m looking forward to working together again as a Boston School Family to support each other. September brings the opportunity for fresh starts and lots of reason for optimism. Each and every student is full of potential, and on a pathway that is their own unique success story (always in progress)!

This year you’ll notice that the staff is mostly the same with a few exceptions. Mrs. Huffman is off this year with her new baby. We would like to welcome Ms. Agius, who has joined us to teach the 3/4 class. We are excited to have her back as part of the Boston team! We would also like to welcome Mrs. Trembley as our new custodian. We are all in good hands with her making sure the building is in good shape!

On the first day, we had a Welcome-Back Assembly in which we committed to two very simple things this year: 1) We will always do our best

2) We will always be kind

I believe those two simple statements can guide every decision we make every day, and I’ve asked every Blazer to consider them when they are making choices.

Once again, welcome to a new school year. It’s good to be back!