Spring Break is in the air!  While many School Districts will begin their break on Monday March 17, EBUS will be open that week and close at the end of day Friday March 21 and reopen the morning of Monday April 7.  We hope you get some meaningful rest and time away. 

With less than 3 months remaining until the June 13 year-end assignment submission date, it’s important for all students, parents and guardians to assess the progress made to date and make a plan for assignment and course completion for the remainder of the school year. 

We are updating student credit checks detailing your progress in the graduation program showing the courses and required assessments completed, courses you are registered in and what remains to be complete to meet graduation requirements.  For students carrying on with EBUS Academy for the next school year these will be useful for course selections which will happen in May.  The presentation will go over graduation requirements, course selection considerations, thoughts on learning after high school and more.  Students going into grade 10 will have their session on the afternoon of Tuesday May 6, students going into grade 11 the morning of Wednesday May 7, and students going into grade 12 will be the morning of Tuesday May 6.  The Teams links will come out in future newsletters.

For students considering leaving EBUS for the next school year, we recommend you contact the new school you are considering as they will be doing course selections much earlier, often around now.  If you plan to leave EBUS at the end of June, please be sure to send your advisor a heads-up so we can transfer your file.  If you are staying with EBUS, all you need to do is course selections before summer holidays.

WHAT ABOUT?

Lots of new things to being a fulltime online student.  And often you only realize the questions you have after you’ve been in the learning trenches for a bit to then see the things you don’t know.

Sooo…what about Spring Break at EBUS?

School District 91 has established our break from March 24 to April 4, with teachers returning Monday April 7.  During this time, all teachers and staff are away for holidays, so no one will be setting up tests, answering emails or phone calls or marking.  You may notice these dates may not be the same dates for the local schools where you live.  In fact, Spring Break across BC stretches over different weeks, not every district is the same.

So what does that mean for you?  First, we do encourage all students to take some holiday time, rest and recharging is vital.  With the flexible scheduling at EBUS Academy, a student can take off a different week than when EBUS is off, and then work on their courses during EBUS’ Spring Break.  Remember, there is no one to answer questions, set up tests or mark assignments during our Spring Break, but with some planning, students can take a good holiday when it fits your schedule.  

SCHOLARSHIPS and GRAD CEREMONIES FOR STUDENTS GRADUATING

Every year EBUS has many scholarships and bursaries available for our full-time students who meet graduation requirements by June and the requirements listed in the scholarship booklet.  The booklet was released in the homeroom and at https://ebus.ca/2024-25-ebus-scholarship-booklet/  The deadline to apply is April 15.  Scholarship winners are announced at our grad ceremonies or contacted by mail after June 23.  We strongly recommend all students who will graduate by June apply for any scholarships they are interested in as we often have scholarships not applied for each year.

EBUS is hosting an in person grad ceremony Saturday June 7 at Van Deusen Gardens in Vancouver and Saturday May 31 in Vanderhoof.  Unfortunately there was not enough interest for the Kamloops ceremony to run this year and it was canceled.  A survey was sent to all eligible grads to be completed HERE by Monday March 17.To participate, students need to be approximately 75% complete all grad requirements by the end of April. 

SUMMER SESSION 2025

EBUS will be running summer session in 2025, info found at https://ebus.ca/online-learning-programs/summer-program/  Full time or cross enrolled students can take 1-2 courses with teacher supports in the summer, with the firm expectation to finish by the end of August.  Registration will open May 5 on our website and the list of courses offered will be announced on the website above by the end of April, but generally nearly all courses are offered.  Full time EBUS students can email their advisor after April 2 with the course name to register for a summer session course.  It is strongly recommended students take one course only as you will have a very high success rate of completion. 

Once registered, the student is immediately put in the course with access to the first unit.  Around June 20 the rest of the course will be opened and then on July 2 they will have full teacher supports.  As teachers return to their regular school year job in early September, it is essential students finish their course by the end of August.  Note that due to ministry policy, courses started between September and May 5 cannot be moved to summer session. 

WELLNESS PROJECT 2024-25 PHYSICAL HEALTH

This month’s wellness project focus is on physical health, particularly the importance of sleep.  Sleep is a critical foundation of wellness, yet many people and teens struggle with a good sleep schedule and routine.  Lack of sleep can affect our emotions, our physical body, and our mind.  Are you tired during the day?  Try these to help get into a good sleep schedule:

• Wake up at a consistent time each day, and get out in sunlight first thing when you are up
• Get vigorous exercise daily
• Eat nutritious food and hydrate well throughout the day
• Go to bed at the same time each day
• Stop using any screens 1-2 hours before you go to bed

It might take some time to get into a good routine, but a healthy amount of sleep will benefit your entire life.   

UPCOMING IMPORTANT DATES

• March 22 to April 6 Spring Break – EBUS closed, courses open
• April 11 Pro D DATE CHANGE – teachers unavailable, courses open
• April 18-21 Easter EBUS closed, courses open
• May 9 Pro D – teachers unavailable, courses open
• May 19 Victoria Day – EBUS closed, courses open
• May 31 Vanderhoof in person grad
• June 2-13 grad assessment session
• June 7 Vancouver in person grad
• June 13 work submission deadline for report cards
• June 27 report cards published
• June 27 EBUS closed for the school year, reopening September 2

You can find the full year school calendar HERE

PARENT ACCESS

Parents, you can access your student’s progress and report cards on the EBUS parent portal: https://my.ebus.ca/parentportal/login.php  We recommend parents log in with their student at least once a week to stay actively engaged in their learning and progress.  Students, you can access your report cards from your dashboard, look for the A+ icon in the upper right-hand corner.  Report cards are published 3 times a year; December, March, June and for summer session courses only, September.

As we get asked this often, if your student plans to finish their course(s) on a semester fashion should be about 35% complete.  And for students working in a linear fashion to complete by the June deadlines, they should be about 70% complete at this time. 

PHONE APPOINTMENTS

For students and families looking to connect with us by phone we are using an online system this year that is well received by our families. 

Leal (for students with last names A-L) can be reached at lbaumann@sd91.bc.ca or book a phone appointment HERE

Chris (for students with last names M-Z) can be reached at cmushumanski@sd91.bc.ca or book a phone appointment HERE

Keep well, the next newsletter will be Monday April 7 as we are on Spring Break April 5.