SD43 POLS Commitment to Learning
July 2023
This document outlines SD43's POLS expectations for families with students in grades K-9.
The Learning Design and Delivery
The Apex teacher is responsible for designing and delivering curriculum, which will include assignments/ projects/quizzes/tests for each subject area according to student level.
Students and parents meet with their Apex teacher for a 60 minute tutorial bi-weekly for the purpose of assessment of learning and introduction of new materials from the Apex teacher.
The Apex teacher will provide goals/learning activities for each subject area after the bi-weekly meeting. It is helpful for parents to take these learning activities and break these down into daily structure. Sometimes students will fully meet the goals (possibly even early) and sometimes they will not. The Apex teacher can always adapt and adjust, meeting students where they are at. The more information that you are able to share with the Apex teacher ahead of the tutorial, the better able the Apex teacher will be to assess authentically, support, and encourage your child in their learning.
Parents must be involved in the biweekly tutorial meetings. Direct parent interaction with the Apex teacher occurs during the first or final 5-15 minutes as a learning activity check in. It is expected that for the remainder of the meeting with the Apex teacher, the parent is present and listening to the conversation while allowing the child to be the focus of the interaction. This ensures that communication is clear and expectations are understood.
Parent as Teacher-Facilitator
Grades K-6: Success is supported when parents spend 2-3 hours of focused one-on-one (side-by-side) time 5 days a week. These hours are not intended to be consecutive.
Grades (7-9): Success is supported when parents are familiar with the course content and when they are in close proximity to their children so that clarifying questions can be asked in 'real time' during the daily 3-4 hours of learning time 5 days a week. These hours are not intended to be consecutive.
All Grades K-9: Creating a system of accountability that involve the student and parent reviewing and discussing daily goals/activities creates collaborative understanding of the learning.
If parents are feeling that the work is too much/little (they are spending more/less than the recommended time), they should let the Apex teacher know. The teacher will then adapt/adjust the workload or adapt assignments/projects as needed.
Helping your child in a timely manner if they get stuck is important. This might include supporting the student with internet research, contacting a friend, or reaching out to the Apex teacher. When a student sends a question to the Apex teacher, it is possible that a reply may be delayed. Parents must be creative in helping students get unstuck so that the learning process can continue in the moment.
Extra meetings can be requested to discuss challenges, strategies, and plans but we ask for time flexibility as our teacher schedules are often filled with other tutorials.
Communication and Learning Submissions
Your child's success is based on our commitment to work together.
As the daily instructor for your child, it is important that you learn the systems put in place to help with getting assignments and submissions to and from the Apex teacher (usually through Microsoft Teams). If the system is not working for you, please let your Apex teacher know. Some possible systems might be:
- Teams – Assignment or Files tab
- OneDrive - sharing files
- Email - attaching files
- Brightspace
Student Participation
Students are expected to complete all goals/assignments/projects to the best of their ability. It is also expected that they are involved in the development of the bi-weekly goals and are attending all bi-weekly meetings. Students are expected to submit work when completed and to seek clarification or support when needed.
This commitment is not intended to be exhaustive but to be an overview of expectations for families.
