Hi everyone
Here we are passed the halfway mark in September! We hope you all are settling into your courses, connecting with your teachers and getting into the routines of successful learning! Great to see so many new families joining us this year, as well as all those returning, we look forward to connecting with you and journeying with you with education!
This year we are fortunate to have expanded our academic advisor staffing. Leal Baumann is a long time EBUS teacher and will be working with all grade 10, 11 and 12 students with the last names A-L and Chris Mushumanski will work with students with last names M-Z.
Leal can be reached at lbaumann@sd91.bc.ca or book a phone appointment HERE
Chris can be reached at cmushumanski@sd91.bc.ca or book a phone appointment HERE
This is the second newsletter for the school year, you can access all the announcements on in your homeroom on EBUS dashboard or at https://ebus.ca/category/10-12-homeroom/
Please note currently we have a high number of new students interested in EBUS this year and are doing our best to process new applications. Currently we are prioritizing time for bringing in new students and getting them into courses along with requesting any missing courses for current students, so we appreciate your patience as days are filled with phone calls and course additions. Once school start up is complete and all fulltime students are in courses, we will email you each a credit check detailing your progress in the graduation program, starting with grade 12s, then 11s and 10s to ensure our students planning to graduate this school year are all set with required courses.
REQUESTING COURSE CHANGES
For full time students wanting to change courses, please use the “drop course” button on your dashboard and email your advisor the new request. Be sure to put the full student name and the specific course you are requesting, like English New Media 10. Courses will only be added if the student is dropping one or is substantially complete in a current course. We appreciate your patience as we work through the new applications, phone calls and emails.
PHONE APPOINTMENTS
For students and families looking to connect by phone we are using a booking system that is well received by our families. Please book with Leal HERE and with Chris HERE and select the appropriate amount of time you need. Discussing course changes and academic advising can usually be a 10 or 20 minute appointment.
COURSE REMINDERS
This year it is essential students get started in all the courses on your dashboard given the volume of new students we are welcoming this year. Note that students who have not submitted any work within 4 weeks of adding a course risk being withdrawn and not getting that course for an extended period of time. If you need help with something, reach out to teacher right away, or if you need to make a course change, let your advisor know. We want to support as many learners as we can this year, so please make sure we know what we can do for you. As a guideline students working in 3-4 courses should be scheduling 25-35 hours each week for learning time and aim to finish these courses by January 15 and then request new ones to finish by June 15.
STUDENT SUCCESS
EBUS wants to see our students as successful in their learning as they can be. With that in mind, we find that successful students have some similarities I would like to share with you. Successful online students:
- Start their course within a week of it arriving on their dashboard
- Are motivated, proactive self-starters who reach out to the teachers when they have questions
- Create a regular check in process between parent/guardian and student
- Contact their teachers soon if you have questions or problems or will be away from your studies for more than 2 weeks
- Log in to their course and submit work every 1-2 school days
- Have a course completion date in mind, and regularly check their progress against that
- Have a school year to complete their studies but we encourage students to work towards finishing courses by the June 15 deadlines of each school year at the latest. Note students who are not active in their courses for more than 6 weeks risk being withdrawn from that course
- Check the homeroom regularly for updates, found on their dashboard or at https://ebus.ca/category/10-12-homeroom/
- If you have log in or tech issues, or change your contact info, contact the help desk at 1-250-567-4413
WELCOME PACKAGE
As we get going with your EBUS courses, I want to remind our students and families of a few things. Our website is the main point of contact for information. To access the EBUS welcome package, you can find that on our website www.ebus.ca at this link: http://ebus.ca/welcome-package/
This has lots of useful information, such as the school year calendar, course resources, who to call when you have a question, and more!
GRAD ASSESSMENTS
As part of the 2023 graduation program, there are 3 graduation assessments all students must write in person under the direct supervision of a high school teacher: Literacy 10, Numeracy and Literacy 12. The assessments are to be written in either January or June, with registration for January starting in November, and registration to write in June beginning in April. More info on the assessments will be posted in the homeroom on your dashboard closer to the dates. Students must register for the sessions in order to secure a seat at a local school.
LEARNING SUPPORT FUNDS
For full time EBUS students, the ministry provides learning support funds for new courses you are currently active in. The process of accessing these funds has changed so please be sure to read all the info on our website. Detailed information on the funds, how many courses you need to be active in, what you can use the funds for and more, is available at http://ebus.ca/welcome-package/learning-support-funds/ We encourage you to read all of the information on this. Students who are actively working in 4 or more new courses (more than 10% complete in the curriculum) will be eligible for the funding for 3rd party vendor invoices. The intent of Learning support funds is to support the current year’s learning, so all support funds must be applied for before Spring Break.
UPCOMING IMPORTANT DATES
- Sept 20 District Planning Day – EBUS staff unavailable, courses open to students
- Sept 27 Orange Shirt day V-class
- Sept 30 National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – EBUS staff unavailable, courses open to students
- Oct 10 school assembly – link on EBUS dashboard
- Oct 14 Thanksgiving – EBUS closed, courses open
- Oct 12 school assembly link on your dashboard
- Oct 25 Professional Development Day – EBUS staff unavailable, courses open
- Nov 1 details about the January 2025 grad assessments available
- Nov 8 Remembrance Day assembly link on dashboard
- Nov 11 Remembrance Day – EBUS closed, courses open to students
- Nov 22 Pro D – teachers unavailable, courses open
- Dec 1 work submission deadline – all work submitted on or before this date will be assessed for this report card
- Dec 7 deadline to register for the January assessment session
- Dec 12 school assembly
- Dec 15 report cards available on student dashboards and parent portal
- Dec 21-Jan 5 EBUS closed for Winter Break – teachers unavailable but courses open
- January 6 2025 EBUS opens
- January 9 school assembly
- January 13-24 grad assessment session
- January 15 date for students to aim to finish semester 1 courses and email request semester two courses
- February 7 Pro D – teachers unavailable, courses open
- February 10 – deadline to request semester two courses
- February 17 Family day – EBUS closed, courses open
- March 1 work submission deadline
- March 15 report cards published
- March 22 to April 6 Spring Break – EBUS closed, courses open
- April 18-21 Easter EBUS closed, courses open
- April 25 Pro D – teachers unavailable, courses open
- May 9 Pro D – teachers unavailable, courses open
- May 19 Victoria Day – EBUS closed, courses open
- May 24 Kamloops in person grad
- June 2-13 grad assessment session
- June 7 Vancouver in person grad
- June 13 work submission deadline
- June 27 report cards published
- June 27 EBUS closed for the school year, reopening September 2
You can find the full year school calendar at
PARENT ACCESS
Parents, you can access your student’s progress and report cards on the EBUS parent portal: https://ebus.ca/information-for-parents/ Students, you can access your report cards from your dashboard looking for the A+ icon in the upper righthand corner. Report cards are published 3 times a year; December, April, June and for summer session, September.
Have a great September, the next newsletter will be Friday Oct 4.