For many educators making the move to online teaching during the coronavirus outbreak has been a huge learning curve.

While students spent two weeks or so on spring break, Catholic teachers have been working hard to find resources and plan virtual classrooms for their students. Now, most of those teachers are putting those preparations to the test.

“In some ways, it’s exciting because I have so many ideas,” said Cloverdale Catholic teacher Marissa Muscado. But the Grade 1 teacher admits it has also been stressful to quickly prepare three months of learning material for digital use in a short amount of time and with ever-changing updates on the COVID-19 situation. She begins teaching April 6.

“I want to reach all of my students and it’s hard when you’re not connecting with them personally in a structured learning environment. I’m trying to make things as accessible, tangible, and flexible as possible, but online learning will look different in every home so it is challenging to meet all these different needs in a streamlined way.”

Waldemar Sambor, principal of St. Helen’s elementary, said his teachers have been working hard and using platforms like Zoom, Google Classroom, and Seesaw to reach their students digitally.

“This is a great learning experience for parents and students,” he said. At St. Helen’s, classes began March 31 and he said so far responses he’s received from parents have largely been ones of gratitude to teachers for their hard work in adjusting lesson plans. St. Helen’s students even participate in Physical Education, music, and library classes online, he said.

In recent days, parents have been arriving to St. Helen’s, a few at a time, to pick up items their children left at school before spring break began. Sambor said pastor Father Alessandro Lovato plans to also make palms available for those parents to take home for Palm Sunday.

“The Church is closed right now, but we have access to God through prayer, and we need to emphasize that in the Catholic school.”

Muscado also hopes online learning will nourish her students spiritually, and hopefully inspire their parents, too.

“They have such a deep spiritual capacity that I get to witness almost every day in Christian Education,” she said.

“I get to see their joy, their wonder, and their contemplation of the faith, and it’s beautiful that parents get to experience that too. Whether my students are reading Scripture, writing a prayer, drawing a picture, or singing a song, I know that they are lifting up their hearts to God with a child-like faith, and I think that families need that now more than ever.”

According to the Catholic Independent Schools of the Archdiocese of Vancouver (CISVA), it’s up to schools exactly which date they choose to start classes digitally. The B.C. Ministry of Education has mandated that classes begin by mid-April, but most Catholic schools will have begun by April 6.

CISVA says it has been working with principals and other existing networks (for example, Christian Education department heads) to keep schools informed about their options for online learning.

“We do not wish to add to parents’ already stressful situations but rather support families through practical learning opportunities,” said educational consultant Patrick Gillespie.

St. Helen’s teacher Jadranka Erlic connects with a student digitally.

CISVA suggests the use of Google Classroom or other resources; teachers can choose which tools best suit their needs. The Ministry of Education has named Zoom as the chosen video conferencing app and has also released a planning guide for teachers with a list of other helpful tools.

As Catholic schools begin operating online, perhaps a few days behind schedule, at this point there is no indication that the last day of school will be postponed. CISVA says it is following provincial guidelines and any changes to how students experience school as the COVID-19 outbreak persists will be informed by the Ministry of Education.

Parents who have not yet heard from their child’s teacher about when classes begin are encouraged to contact their school’s administration.

The latest updates from CISVA will be posted here.

The Catholic bishops of Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Northwest Territories have sponsored a digital resource called Growing in Faith, Growing in Christ. It offers videos, songs, bible stories, prayers, and interactive activities for Catholic students and families for free while schools are closed.

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