Home-Based Distance Learning (PEP)
(Grades 1 - 9)
Teachers:
- Annette Bright Grades 1 - 3
- Carolyn Kain Grades 4 - 6
- Heather Burton Grades 7 - 9 (ELA, Social Studies, Humanities focused options)
- John Creed Grades 7 - 9 (Math, Science, Life Skills focused options)
Educational Assistants: (EAs)
- Tyann Stuckey (Cardston)
- Heather Ryder (Cardston)
- * We are looking for someone fabulous (in Raymond) to take over from Saray who is on to other adventures.
PEP Librarian:
… Check out these wonderful parent testimonials:
"The teachers are amazing and the class days are the perfect complement to home learning."
"I have valued highly the opportunities my children have had to engage with INCREDIBLE teachers and EAs to support the learning that we are doing at home. Mrs. Bright, Mrs. Kain, Mrs. Burton, Mr. Creed, and Mrs. Salmon all communicated so clearly and carefully about the work they were doing in their classrooms, sending regular emails to keep us informed about projects and outcomes they were covering at school to support the learning we were doing at home. I am consistently amazed with our teachers and staff and their professional skill as gifted educators and their genuine care for my students and me as human beings. Hands down, the teachers, EAs, and other staff were the BEST part of the WAS experience for my children and for me."
Some Important Notes…
Fundamentals - Important Initial Information:
- Crucial clarification: The PEP program is ‘Home-based’ and ‘Distance Learning’ oriented. This means that much of the learning takes place at home and off-campus and requires significant parent engagement. Our program is based on the premise that there is a parent at home during the day. The parent is, in effect, the ‘educator at home’, or at the very least functions like an ‘Educational assistant’ for the student(s) at home on the student’s day to day learning journey. The parent and teacher(s) collaborate very closely together in making sure that the Alberta Programs of Study learning outcomes are covered either in the weekly / monthly classes portion, and/or the home portion of the PEP program, and that the essentials of the program such as attendance, assignment completion, home portion of the program, monthly portfolio submissions, regular communication, etc., are happening. This type of educational program is highly collaborative with the parent, teacher and student operating as a cohesive team. … Check out this wonderful parent testimonial:
“ I was just thinking about how very much we're enjoying [PEP Program] homeschooling this year, and it occurred to me that I should pass that thought along to you! Schooling-wise is stress free. The kids can find their assignments, and I can look over their shoulder and check in with them on Hapara. Which I think is reducing the amount of emails greatly (which makes searching for other information a lot easier). But the most striking thing for me has been a rekindling of joy in our learning. The fieldtrips and the learning weeks (both science weeks and these learning extravaganzas) has reminded me how to have fun in our learning. It's the very reason we homeschool (even if I forget about it sometimes), and I'm so so very grateful you've made it a priority this year! “
- In cases where some of the above (Parent as educator at home) is not possible, or less feasible, students will be considered for the program on a case by case basis after an intake interview with the student’s parent(s). If the student is accepted into PEP at WAS then the following will be a mandatory part of the student’s program. (Note: This option is only available for students in grades 7 - 9)
- This student will be provided with a basic full course package (either in print or on our Hapara platform) and will be expected to work through the material.
- The student will be required to attend an additional day, or part of the day, each week at WAS and work with our teaching and EA staff for instruction and keeping up with their work. *Please note that it may be the case that this student may or may not attend the regular weekly classes. This will be dependent on the individual student needs & abilities as well as classroom considerations.
- Additionally, these students will also be required to be available for scheduled check ins, and/or teacher or EA instruction, via ZOOM once or twice per week in order to help them stay on track with the week’s work.
How the PEP program Looks…
Teacher Weekly / Monthly Classes: (Resources & Library)
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Weekly Classes: (PEP and SRP Students)
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(Collaborative home & school instruction model - More teacher led and parent implemented)
- Math & ELAL (English Language Arts & Literature)
- Teachers provide a year plan (Scope & Sequence) and course outlines.
- Teachers provide Outcomes lists that clearly show which specific outcomes the teachers will be ‘instructing’ in the weekly classes as well as the significant portion of course learning objectives that are to be covered by parental ‘instruction’ and the use of resources at ‘home’.
- Teachers instruct re: ‘Big Ideas’ (essential outcomes)
- Teachers provide a course of study and associated resources, developed or compiled by themselves, which includes a moderate number of assignments and projects for assessment purposes. (Leaves time & space for parents to provide instruction, assessment and/or enrichment activities on the specified topic/unit on a daily basis.)
- Note: For any PEP students who do not have a ‘parent as instructor’ at home, the teacher will provide additional assignments and assessments for the student to work on with our EAs at school, and at home.
- Parents are encouraged to access supplemental curricular materials and resources from the PEP Library at WAS for use in the ‘At Home / Distance’ instructional component of each course as well as other resources, lesson plans and activities at home or in the community, or from other sources.
- Teachers also gather & provide ‘Formative Assessment’ during class and tutorial times and at teacher - student and parent visits at the school, or on ZOOM, as well as at field trips and ‘Learning Extravaganza Days’ and other school events.
- Teachers and parents will co-create a ‘Digital Portfolio System’ to capture evidence of student learning mastery from ‘at home’ learning activities and projects which will inform teacher/parent/student collaborative assessment opportunities. Note: Submissions to the portfolio are required monthly at a minimum.
SCHEDULE
ELA/Humanities and Math PEP and Shared Responsibility Families
ELA/Humanities and Math for grades 1- 6 will be offered once a week (1 hr per subject). The 3rd week of the month will be a humanities focus to cover some of the social studies outcomes during ELA.
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CARDSTON
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RAYMOND
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Grades 1-3
- 9:00-11:30 ELA & Math
- 11:30-12:30 Options.
Grades 4-6
- 11:30-12:30 Options
- 12:30- 3:00 ELA & Math
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Grades 7- 8
- 9:00-11:30 ELA & Math
- 11:30-12:30 Options.
Grade 9
- 11:30 -12:30 Options
- 12:30 - 3:00 ELA & Math
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Grades 7-8
- 9:00-11:30 ELA & Math
- 11:30-12:30 Options
Grades 9
- 11:30 -12:30 Options
- 12:30 - 3:00 ELA & Math
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Grades 1-3
- 9:00-11:30 ELA & Math
- 11:30-12:30 Options
Grades 4-6
- 11:30-12:30 Options
- 12:30- 3:00 ELA & Math
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- NOTE: Grade 7-9 students need to arrive at school at 11:30 for options classes (please bring a lunch or snack & water bottle)
- Options, Health and PE Courses:
- Chosen from: Art, Music, Drama, Ethics, Dance, gymnastics, martial arts, 7 Habits for Students, Outdoor Connections, Social - Emotional Resilience, and more.
- Courses are assigned to a teacher supervisor.
- Qualified community members, WAS parents, specialists, and/or teachers themselves, provide instruction and help with assessment.
- 4 two month (6 - 8 weeks) sections that run primarily within the Weekly Classes rotation and/or during the ‘Learning Extravaganza Days’, and possibly with one of the monthly Friday field trips to supplement.
- PE courses will be mostly a home-based/distributed learning model.
- Including a ‘logbook’ approach to recording daily physical activity and special student and family activities such as trips, sports, boating, skiing, camping, dances, … the list is almost endless.
- An appropriate number of assignments, instruction, classes & activities provided at the school or on field trips and ‘Learning Extravaganza Days’. (see above).
Some Notes about Options Classes:
- Grades 1 - 6
- Will start off with Art classes by Janet in Cardston and Kayla in Raymond.
- Grades 7 - 9
- Humanities Focus (Heather Burton & Guests)
Handout for Fall 2023 Semester:
- PE & Life Skills Focus (John Creed & Guests)
Spring 2024 Semester: Selected from the listed topics Specifics will be available by November.
Options classes will run during class times on the regular Tuesdays & Wednesdays schedule.
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Monthly Classes: (PEP Students only)
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- Monthly classes are for PEP students only and are much more of a home instruction model with school based monthly event based activities such as ZOOM classes, Speaker’s Bureau, Science Days and ‘Learning Extravaganza Days’. These are supplemented by teacher/ EA followup check ins, tutorial sessions and field trips - Still collaborative but much more parent led)
- Science and Social Studies
- Teachers provide the year plan. (Scope & Sequence)
- Teachers provide Outcomes Lists that clearly show which specific outcomes the teachers will be ‘instructing’ in the monthly classes, activities, Science Days, and ‘Learning Extravaganza Days’, as well as the significant portion of course learning objectives that are to be covered by parent led instruction, resource selection, enrichment activities and projects at ‘home’ on a day to day basis throughout the month.
- Monthly Class days & times:
- May take place once a month during the weekly class rotation time. (ie: 3rd week of each month instead of the regular weekly classes.)
- May be included, at least partially, in a cross curricular approach within the weekly class subjects.
- May take place as part of a monthly Friday field trip
- May involve a separate day or evening in a particular month ie: Science Days & Extravaganza Days.
- May include instruction / activities in the ‘Learning Extravaganza Days’.
(Note: The determination of which of the above options utilized will be at the discretion of each class's teacher.)
- Teacher led classes and activities will include learning opportunities on the ‘Big Ideas” (essential learning outcomes)
- Teachers provide a limited number of assignments and projects for assessment purposes. )
- Note: For students who do not have a ‘parent as instructor’ at home, the teacher will provide additional assignments and assessments for the student to work on with our EAs at school, and/or at home.
- Formative assessment during class lessons, activities and tutorial times, as well as teacher - parent visits at the school, or ZOOM, etc.
- Portfolio system to capture evidence of student learning mastery ‘at home’ and thus inform teacher/parent/student collaborative assessment opportunities.
- An appropriate number of assignments, instruction, classes & activities provided at the school or on field trips and ‘Learning Extravaganza Days’. (see above).
Once a month (3rd Thursday (Cardston) 3rd Friday (Raymond), we invite our PEP students & families to come to an immersive hands-on learning science day. Students rotate through wonder filled stations pertaining to curriculum topics, designed to inspire and spark questions that we hope will fuel the excitement of science learning for the rest of the month.
This is the science website: https://sites.google.com/westwind.ab.ca/was-science-site/home
you can use it as a resource for learning and follow-up from the science days.
- *NEW - Note that this year, science days will be on the 3rd Thursday (Cardston) and 3rd Friday (Raymond) from 9:00 - 12:00.
- SEP. (C)21-(R)22 Space
- OCT. (C)19-(R)20 Matter
- NOV. (C)16-(R)17 Energy
- FEB. (C)15-(R)16 Scientific Method (science fair)
- MAR. (C)14-(R)15 Computer Science
- APR. (C)18-(R)19 Earth/Life science
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Celebration of Learning Activities PEP & SRP: (Each Month - Required)
- Student Led Conferences Zoom or Face to Face
- A student led conference is an opportunity for students to share with their teachers the exciting things they are learning at home. During the 30 minute conference, the child is the main facilitator. They will choose 3 artifacts (one language, one math, one social studies or science) to highlight and explain why the learning arising from that activity was meaningful to them. Any remaining time in the 30 minute slot can be spent on additional highlights from family field trips, vacations, and hobbies. Some parents and students find it helpful to set the presentation up in Google Slides or keynote. It’s entirely up to each family how they would like to present their learnings.
- Every 4th Monday in Raymond and 4th Thursday in Cardston, we will do a celebration of learning group tutorial. Students will have this opportunity each month to share something that they’ve learned or created that they are excited about. These meet-ups will be in person. This is also an opportunity for monthly check-ins about their student’s at-home learning.
‘Learning Extravaganza Days’ (One session SRP - Two sessions PEP)
These sessions will occur two times during the school year, once each semester, at which time there will be a break from regular weekly classes and there will be a certain number of days used for a ‘Boot Camp’ (not to be confused with an ‘overnight camp’) approach to address ‘Monthly Courses’ subject content areas and, enrichment, options, health and PE as well. These are likely to include more ‘intensive’ (and fun and exciting) field trips, learning activities and other project based and/or place based learning opportunities.
… Check out these wonderful parent testimonials:
"The activities and learning days and support has been incredible!"
“The kids really enjoyed the magic show and the Around the World extravaganza days.”
“The science days and extravaganzas have added a fantastic element of fun and deep diving for our family studies.”
Field Trips 2023/2024 (4 Trips for SRP - 8 Trips for PEP)
GENERAL:
- 8 field trips will be offered for the 2023/24 school year (October - May).
- PEP students are expected to attend all 8 field trips.
- SRP students are expected to attend 4 field trips of their choosing. (or as recommended by the teacher)
A note on Field Trips: These field trips are generally curricular or co-curricular in nature and as such are a part of the PEP learning program here at WAS. This being the case, attendance is expected as if it was a regular weekly or monthly school/class day.
REGISTRATION:
- Before attending field trips, a parent or legal guardian must register and fill out the Acknowledgment of Risks and Informed Consent Form for their student before the posted registration deadline.
- NOTE: No late registrations will be accepted.
- Most often we are excited to offer our Field Trips as PEP & SRP family events. Parents and siblings of PEP/SRP students are encouraged to attend under the following conditions:
- Provided there is room at the specific venue.
- Provided there is room on the bus.
- If there is no room on the bus, parents have the option to drive themselves and their own children as per Westwind Administrative Procedure 565. https://www.westwind.ab.ca/board-of-trustees/procedures/4218
- NOTE: it is not permissible for one family to transport another family’s children to a school event. (exceptions to this may be permitted only if the school is provided with a signed letter of permission from the ‘other’ children’s parent(s) AND proof of $2,000,000. (2 million $) liability insurance on the transporting vehicle. These must be submitted two weeks prior to the field trip.
- Provided that an Acknowledgement of Risks and Informed Consent Form is filled out for each individual attending the field trip.
- Non-PEP/SRP children/youth must be accompanied by his/her/their parent or legal guardian - PEP/SRP teachers are only responsible for the supervision of PEP/SRP students.
- Pay the associated field trip fees, if any, to wasfees@westwind.ab.ca.
FIELD TRIP DAY:
- Ensure your child is equipped with the appropriate items needed for the field trip. This may include lunch, water, snacks, appropriate clothing, or any other trip specific item(s) as communicated.
- NOTE: The field trip bus will leave at the communicated departure time.
- Should children miss the bus, parents have the option to drive their own student(s) to meet the field trip at the venue.
- Should parents wish to have their student(s) picked up from the field trip venue, rather than taking the bus on the return portion of the trip, the following must occur:
- A signed note to the child’s teacher from the parent/legal guardian stating the individual who will be picking up the student.
- Before leaving the venue, the individual picking up the student must check in with the teacher.
- If the individual has not arrived by the time the bus needs to leave, the student(s) will board the bus and be brought back to the appropriate campus.
- NOTE: Due to division policy and bussing safety, buses will not make alternative pick up and/or drop off arrangements. Buses will endeavour to leave the campus location and proceed directly to the field trip venue(s) and then directly back. Appropriate washroom and food pit stops will be provided along the way.
… Check out these wonderful parent testimonials:
"The field trips have been wonderful!
"We have LOVED the field trips and options classes (AND especially knowing the field trip dates so far ahead of time has been REALLY helpful).”
Tutorials
What we provide:
Grades 1 - 6:
We offer tutorials with both the teachers and EA’s. Tutorials will start September 11th and conclude June 14th. Our tutorials go in 8 weeks rotations. After which we will reassess the student and reschedule tutorials as needed.
Our tutorial blocks are: September 11 - November 3, November 6 - December 22, January 8 - March 1, March 4 - April 26, and April 29 - June 14.
We have limited tutorial spaces, so it is first come, first serve. Please take advantage of these tutorials. (We appreciate a phone call if you can’t make it.) If you miss too many, we will be rescheduling with another student wanting that tutorial space.
Grades 7 - 9:
Raymond tutorial days for John & Heather: Monday
Cardston tutorial days for John & Heather: Thursday
EA Tutorials
First tutorial block - Getting resources, any assessments needed
English - Student concerns, missed assignments, skills practice, assessments
Math - IXL trouble spots, missed assignments, skills practice, assessments
Socials - Student concerns, missed assignments, adventure learning
Science - Project help, inspiring with current events/ discussions
The first tutorial (week of September 11 - 15) will include setting up tutorials with Heather and John, getting any resources needed from the library, and making sure your student feels secure with the upcoming year.
Teacher Tutorials
Teachers will assess where the student is at with the help of the assessments done by EAs at the beginning of the year. They will implement weekly help in the areas that appear to need some extra help and focus. This is also a time for students to ask any questions or get any help they need from the teacher.
FYI: Helping Kids Become Great Readers
