Welcome
I want to say a big welcome to our VLC families. We are so happy to have you learning with us this year. It was a busy start to the school year. I would like to extend a welcome to our board’s Learn at Home students who will be joining our program this year. We have a great yeaLearning Centre or multiple credits. Please remember that your teachers are available to help if you need it, but academic success depends on you and your ability to apply yourself to your learning.
Student Guide
Both new and returning students are required to work through all the modules in the Student Guide course, even if you have done it before. Also, students need to check the Student Guide announcements regularly. All important information will be posted there.
Student’s in their Final Year
An announcement was posted in the Student Guide on September 12th: Graduation and Post-Secondary Information Request 2022/23 – IMPORTANT with information for students in their final year at the VLC. Please ensure your child reads the announcement and completes the form if this is their final year of high school. Next week students who have completed the form will be added to the VLC Grad/Postsecondary Club where they will have access to important information and resources for their final year of high school.
School News and Dates
Parents are encouraged to check our website regularly to keep up to date with school news. Important school dates can also be checked on our website using the Calendar menu.
Terry Fox fundraiser
Our annual school fundraiser for Terry Fox has officially started. Our goal this year is to raise $750 for the Terry Fox Foundation. Our school has almost fundraised $10,000 since we began in 2016. The annual school run/walk/hike/bike/skate/wheel will take place on Friday, October 7th. We encourage all students to participate in this event. Fundraising is optional. Updates will be posted to students in the Student Guide announcements.
CHV2O/GLC2O Start Date
Q1 of civics and careers runs from September 6th to November 9th
Q2 of civics and careers runs from November 10th to February 2nd
At Risk Reports and Progress Reports
At the 6th week of school all students will receive a progress report email from their teacher highlighting how they are progressing in their classes. The report will focus on the learning skills and general feedback.
Throughout the semester families of students who are at risk of not earning their credit will receive an email called an at Risk Report Report indicating outstanding work and next steps.
Technical support
If students are having technical difficulties they can open a support ticket in Canvas by using the Help menu on the left-hand side and choosing “Report a Problem”. This will go to our support team and a solution will be emailed to the student’s VLC Gmail address.
School Messenger
Families will have received a message in June or July regarding registering for school messenger text messaging the decision has been made to not use this service for the 2022
Final Exams (January 27, 30, 31, February 1, 2)
Final exams will be scheduled on January 27, 30, 31, February 1, 2. Specific dates and times for exams will be posted on student’s course homepages by the end of October. Please note that all exams will be proctored by Proctorio. For more information visit our website (https://virtuallearning.ca/frequently-asked-questions/what-is-proctorio/).
Students must be available for their final exams.
Important Dates
September – 30 PA Day (no classes)
October 10 – Holiday (No classes)
November 25 – PA Day (No classes)
November 18 – Full Disclosure
December 23 – January 6th – Winter Holiday
January 26 – Last day of classes
January 27, 30, 31, February 1, 2 – Exam Days
Work Hours
On February 22, 2022, Ontario updated its Guide to the Employment Standards Act to include information on disconnection from work policies. Trillium Lakelands District School Board believes that it is important for all employees to have a healthy life work balance. TLDSB supports and encourages all staff to disconnect from work outside their scheduled work day, by not engaging in work related communications, email, telephone calls, video calls, or the sending or reviewing of other messages.
Our school day starts at 8 am and goes until 4:30 pm Monday to Friday. We are closed all day Saturday, Sunday, statutory holidays, and (if applicable) any other Board-designated non-working days. Please note that these work hours may not apply to all staff. You are welcome to email staff outside of work hours but they will respond during their work hours.
Timetables
Student timetables were emailed out on September 1st. Please make sure you have read this email as it provides important information about how students will be studying in our program.
Taking Courses Elsewhere
If a homeschooled student is taking courses with the Virtual Learning Centre and would like to enrol in courses from other programs that are privately or publicly funded, including the Independent Learning Centre (ILC), our office needs to be notified ahead of time. Failure to do so may result in withdrawal from our program.
When a student completes any external credits they should upload the final report card to their Student Profile, so the office can help them keep track of their OSSD requirements and ensure they have prerequisites for future courses. Given our students are homeschooled, it is the parent/guardian’s responsibility to keep track of their OSSD requirements but our office can provide support along the way. Our guidance counsellor will share resources with students that will help them keep track of these requirements and they can provide assistance with course selection, pathway planning and eventually support them in the graduation and post-secondary process.
Any external credits completed (outside of the VLC) will not be placed on the student’s status/credit counselling sheet or the course requirements credit summary sheet that accompanies the report card until a student’s graduating semester with the VLC.
Withdrawals
If you would like to withdraw from a course and you are under 18, a parent/guardian must email the registrar: [email protected] with the request from their personal email account.
If you are over 18 then you need to notify our office using your student Gmail account that you wish to withdraw from one or more of your courses. You can also log in to your application and update your Student Notes.
If you are attending another publicly funded or private school your guidance counsellor must email the registrar: [email protected] with the request.
If a student elects to withdraw course deposits will be forfeited (if applicable).
Full Disclosure
Students in senior courses (grade 11/12) have until November 18th at 4:00 pm to withdraw from a course without the course showing up on a transcript.
Full disclosure does not apply to students in Grade 9 or 10 courses.
Clubs and Extracurriculars
The VLC offers a large range of extra-curricular activities to enhance the experience of students and to build a school community. Clubs range from our student newspaper, the VLC Gazette, to clubs such as environment, chess, and debating.
We have a strong Student Council whose role is to build the school community and provide opportunities for students to voice opinions and recommendations to the Principal.
Clubs vary from year to year with student interests. A complete list of clubs will be shared with students towards the end of September.
