Embedded Files
Covid times were hard on the Churchill Alternative community, as with all schools. Many of our tenets couldn't be practiced in the way they were intended given the various safety requirements. However, our school staff did an incredible job finding new ways to reach their students. Below are just a few examples of teaching and learning during the early days of the pandemic.
Music Education
Owen, Ray and guest musicians created music education videos for students to play along with and to connect with their school community.
The videos include a brief lesson to start each video building on what has been done in the clubs, or in music class. Then there is a video that the students can play along with.
Check them out!
Student-Led Conferences go Virtual
Every year at Churchill, students run Student-Led Conferences as a way to demonstrate their learning journey to their families. Student-led conferences support personal growth and program planning and assessment. In the spring of 2020, the student-led conferences went virtual. Here's a story about that process:
On Friday May 29th, the Grade 6's launched their virtual library and held their student-led conferences in a first-ever virtual format. Parents and students were invited to a virtual meeting to launch the student-led conferences. Once the students were congratulated for all of their hard work, they were asked to share their virtual nonfiction books with their family members, show some math skills, do a reflection on their work thus far through distance learning, and to set three goals for the remainder of the year (see the reflection sheets, right). It was a great opportunity for the students to be able to share their independent work with members of their family, and to focus on self-reflection and goal-setting.
Quotes from our students:
"I am proud of the amount of learning we have been able to do online. I am proud that I have been staying on top of my schoolwork. I am proud of how well I have adjusted to these difficult times."
"Taking responsibility for my learning, Not falling far behind on my work, Reaching out for help."
Bringing the Community to Churchill During COVID
The school-community connection is of great importance to Churchill and relates to our tenet of family and community involvement. Oftentimes, you'll see Churchillians out in the community or see community members visiting the school. During the spring of 2020 when we all had to stay home, Churchill staff found engaging opportunities to build a sense of community and to help students access the wealth of knowledge in the outside world.
Over several weeks, teacher Ray Kalynuk organized whole-school Virtual Meets with a range of guest speakers. Students got to meet with
Ottawa Olympian (and former Churchillian) Michael Tayler
NHL player Kyle Turris
Ottawa Councillor Jeff Leiper
American Airlines Pilot Andrew Engelke
Canadian musician and artist Jeremy Fisher
Renown marine scientist Marne
Students thoroughly enjoyed these unique opportunities and got a better understanding of a range of concepts in science and social studies. It also was a welcome connection to the outside community during a difficult time.
Thank you Ray, and other Churchill staff including Yuri Cho and Heather Earl for making this happen!
Ottawa Olympian (and former Churchillian) Michael Tayler
Ottawa Councillor Jeff Leiper
NHL player Kyle Turris
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