January 27th, 2022

This information is for secondary students (Grade 9 to 12) and their families.

We would like to remind Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) families of the changes to the school day schedule on Jan. 28, 31 and Feb. 1 in the modified semester calendar. Most students will not attend school on these days.

Instructional Support Days

In the modified semester schedule, instructional support days are designed to provide an opportunity for students to catch up on missing work, submit work and receive direct individual support from their classroom teachers.

There are five such days each semester, with two that take place roughly in mid-semester and three that are placed at the end of each semester.

Why will students not attend school on these days?

In keeping with our commitment to support the health and safety of staff and students, and to comply with public health guidance regarding cohorts, we will shift to a remote learning model for these two instructional support days. The remote model for these instructional support days ensures that all four classes can be covered in the two days.

Schools will post a schedule of courses over the two days, and students will work asynchronously or synchronously from home, depending on their needs. Teachers will be available to the students in the course blocks on the schedule. No new work or new assessments will be assigned as this is a chance to catch up and ensure understanding of the course material to date.

What will students be doing from home?

The answer will vary depending on how the student is progressing to date, and what work they have not completed, but could include:

  • A virtual help session with their teacher to ask questions
  • Completing missed school work and submitting it
  • Reading course materials they may have missed
  • Getting virtual help from a support staff member (Special Education, Student Success, Child and Youth Worker, Social Worker, Guidance Counselor) without losing class time
  • Conferencing with their subject teacher virtually to discuss their progress
  • Completing an extension on a project or task

Secondary Students in Congregated Classes and Alternative Education

Students in Secondary Congregated Classrooms and in Alternative Education will attend in-person as directed by their program staff, to ensure that they have the support needed to continue their learning.

Secondary Congregated Classes include:

  • ACE
  • Bridges
  • New Dawn
  • Z By The Y