ROCKY VIEW— The deadline is approaching for families to register in Rocky View Schools' newly launched duo of online schools.
On April 1 the Rocky View Schools Board of Trustees supported the division's ability to continue to offer Grades 1 to 12 options for online learning through the creation of a Grade 1 to 9 online school and a Grade 9 to 12 online school.
“The feedback received on the current RVS Online Learning offering has been quite positive,” said board chair Fiona Gilbert. “We heard from stakeholders that the virtual school environment works well for some families and the board felt it was important to ensure an online learning option was available beyond this pandemic-heavy year.”
Families will be required to register for online classes for the 2021-22 school year no later than 5 p.m. on May 31.
The division is not currently considering offering a chance to sign-up for online at a later date, said superintendent Greg Luterbach.
“If people are choosing online for next year, they’re choosing online for all of the next school year,” Luterbach said. “We’re not providing a mid-year pivot point. We are not buffering in and keeping spaces for extras just in case people come.”
In early June students will be enrolled in their new schools and school budgets and staffing will be adjusted based on in-person and online numbers.
“Both [schools] will build on what has worked well this year. Both will build on what's worked well in Rocky View over the last 20 plus years,” Luterbach said.
The unique schools will have their own principals and staff for students. Students will be mixed and matched from across the division and class size will match in-person classrooms.
Bob Rodgers will serve as the principal of the Grade 1 to 9 school and Dave Smith will serve as the principal for the Grade 10 to 12 school.
The first year of the online schools will focus on regular programming. French immersion and faith-based options will not be available, Luterbach said. He added this decision was made because it was unlikely the number of students to enrol in these options would be sufficient to run independent classes.
In the past, Rocky View Schools has offered RVS Online for virtual learning.
“We want to thank the over 1,100 parents/guardians, students and staff currently involved with RVS Online Learning who provided their valuable insights and experiences and helped shape the new online schools," Luterbach said. “We’re confident these new schools will offer a valuable learning experience for those students and families who feel online learning is the right fit for them.”
The school had about a dozen students registered before the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are about 10 teachers who have been a part of online offerings in Rocky View Schools and they will be integrated into the Grade 10 to 12 staff at the new school.
“We think we are going to be able to offer at least as much as we ever have in that methodology because we really see that as a successful program that helps deal with unique situations, timetable issues, one-off needs and our kids do quite well in it,” Luterbach said.
Online teachers will have the option to work at a home base for the schools that will likely be in Airdrie and meeting spaces in Cochrane and Chestermere will also likely be available, Luterbach said.
The emphasis for next year will be focussing on only Rocky View Schools students and the division will not accept any students from outside the division, province or country. Luterbach said in the future the division will explore if it is possible to allow those from outside Rocky View to enrol.
“We want to pour all of our time and energy to make sure this is a highly successful program for Rocky View students,” Luterbach said.
The schools will receive the same funding as a brick-and-mortar school, Luterbach said. Over time this will be tweaked to establish an appropriate amount based on the needs of the new schools.
Ward 3 trustee Todd Brand said it was thrilling to be able to offer this option for Rocky View students.
He noted the new schools are different from current online offerings because they are two independent schools.
“I’m excited for the future and can't wait to see how things progress,” Brand said.
Ward 3 trustee Jim Forrest said he is happy to see online offerings continue in Rocky View Schools.
He noted extracurricular activities and clubs remain important because they allow students to connect to their schools. Forrest said he wants to ensure the online schools have the best chance to become a viable option into the future, and sees these opportunities to look for in the future.
