February 1st, 2022

Thursday, February 3rd is the first day of semester 2 for our Waterloo Region District School Board Secondary students. We wish to welcome back both our In Person as well as Remote Learning students to a regular semester and we look forward to seeing you all on Thursday!

Short Term Virtual Learning

While some of our In Person students chose to participate in Short Term Virtual Learning to finish semester 1, we want to encourage our Short Term Virtual secondary students to return to In Person Learning on February 3rd. While Short Term Virtual Learning offering was meant to be just that – short term – and while students may continue to participate in Short Term Virtual Learning until February 11th, there are some important differences for students and families to be aware of as students transition to semester 2.

In order to support our students during the past month, we communicated to our Secondary teachers in early January that for the remainder of semester 1, student marks should not decrease between January 6 and the end of semester 1. Teachers were encouraged to post asynchronous work for students to complete to support all students in all modes of learning. It was recommended to our teaching staff that asynchronous work completed by students would only be used to improve students’ marks.

When semester 2 begins on February 3rd, students will be starting new courses with new teachers and new material. While Short Term Virtual Learning will continue to be offered to secondary students until February 11 through asynchronous materials posted in the virtual classrooms, we want to emphasize that learning is best experienced In Person. We would like to encourage our students to start their semester by returning to In Person Learning on Thursday, February 3rd to begin classes with their new teachers and new classmates.

Verification of Screening

All secondary schools will continue to be required to verify the daily screening of In Person students, staff and essential visitors, until February 11. Please continue to use the online Secondary Student Verification Portal with your PAL login to confirm you have completed screening for COVID-19 daily. Paper copies of the WRDSB Student Screening Confirmation Form are available, should students require this option.

Please note: this communication applies only to students who chose to participate in Short Term Virtual Learning. Students who committed to the WRDSB Remote Learning Program back in September will continue to learn remotely and synchronously with their assigned teachers with a new 4 period a day schedule.

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