Bluewater school board introduces virtual after-hours tutoring

The Bluewater District School Board is expanding student access to tutoring support to address challenges due to this year’s increased frequency of inclement weather days.

"Learning Lift: Bluewater District School Board Virtual After-Hours Tutoring" is now available to students in Grades 4-8 on a Monday-through-Thursday basis, from 5:30-8:30 p.m., until June.

Students and parents/guardians can register through the school board website. Each free session is offered in a one-to-one virtual setting in Microsoft Teams by a school board educator in any subject area where a student needs personalized support with a focus on literacy and math.

Bluewater schools recently shared this opportunity with families, and the response was overwhelming, with all available spaces filling quickly. Due to the strong demand, additional funding has supported the hiring of another tutor, creating more spaces for students. The new spaces opened for booking, Friday, March 6. Families are encouraged to act fast, as availability is on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Funding is also being dedicated to strengthening existing opportunities at Bluewater secondary schools with tutoring programs already in place. Secondary students and parents/guardians seeking more information on accessing these supports are encouraged to reach out to their school.

“Our investment in expanded student tutoring is a first step in our ongoing efforts to address the challenges due to inclement weather,” says education director A.J. Keene. “As I have previously indicated to our families, we are firmly committed to increasing student access to learning supports and further dialogue with our many partners, parents/guardians, and staff to develop a sustainable path forward, regardless of the elements.”

Families are also being reminded of other resources that are in place to promote continuity of learning when inclement weather prevents students from physically attending school:
 

• Bluewater’s Snow Day Elementary Resources web page for Kindergarten to Grade 8 students includes optional curriculum-based content that parents/guardians can access to supplement any classroom learning activities being provided at school. 
• TVO Learn continues to offer Grades 4-12 students access to free one-to-one on-line math tutoring from an Ontario Certified Teacher through Mathify. The platform is available Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday to Sunday, from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• Additional resources from Kindergarten to Grade 12 to complement learning in the classroom are also offered through TVO Learn.