Reimagining J. Addison Curriculum

Teachers and staff at J. Addison had to quickly reimagine what teaching the curriculum looks like without face-to-face instruction or students directly interacting with one another. High school and elementary students at J. Addison are interacting with each other through platforms such as Google Classroom, D2L Brightspace and Moodle. In the past, earning a high school diploma meant physically attending in-person classes, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is now a shift on the way our students are learning.

Guidelines from the province say students in Grades 9 to 12 should be doing three hours of work per course, per week with a focus on achieving credits and working towards graduation. Guidelines from the province have recommended for elementary students:

1. Kindergarten to Grade 3: Five hours of work per student per week, with a focus on Literacy and Math;
2. Grades 4 to 6: Five hours of work per week, with a focus on Literacy, Math, Science and Social Studies;
3. Grades 7 to 8: 10 hours of work per week, with a focus on Math, Literacy, Science and Social Studies.

Online classes can present unique challenges; however, over the last few months we have maintained regular contact with parents and students to present them with effective online learning strategies and healthy lifestyle options to help them achieve success in their online experience. Our administrative staff, along with our teachers, are in constant contact communicating with parents and students regarding difficulties they may be having with their online classes. We want parents to know that we’re here if they need anything, let us know and we’ll try to help. If it’s something we don’t have, we’re open to brainstorming other ideas. Flexibility is key during these challenging unprecedented times.