Abbotsford Virtual School
| Abbotsford Virtual School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
33952 Pine Street , , Canada | |
| Coordinates | 49°03′04″N 122°17′08″W / 49.05111°N 122.28556°WCoordinates: 49°03′04″N 122°17′08″W / 49.05111°N 122.28556°W ⧼validator-fatal-error⧽ |
| Information | |
| School type | Public, Distributed Learning |
| Founded | 2006 |
| School board | School District 34 Abbotsford |
| Superintendent | Mr. Kevin Godden |
| School number | 3499101 |
| Principal | Mr. Brad Hutchinson |
| Staff | 20 |
| Grades | K-12, Adult |
| Enrolment | 1850 (for 2016-2017) (1 May 2017) |
| Colour(s) | light blue, dark blue and green |
| Website | www |
| Last updated: October 6, 2017 | |
Abbotsford Virtual School (abbreviated as AVS)[1] is a distributed learning school, located in Abbotsford, British Columbia, that provides collaborative educational programs for kindergarten to grade 12 and Adult students and any BC resident wanting to complete courses to following a Ministry of British Columbia curriculum. AVS is the largest school in the Abbotsford School District by headcount, annually serving more than 1800 students from Kindergarten through Adults. Recent graduates includes the youngest and oldest graduates of AVS, celebrating enormous diversity of the school's community. AVS is focused on personalized and customized educational programs that suit each individual's educational needs.
Abbotsford Virtual School supports several different students. The HomeEd Program from Kindergarten to Grade 12 consist of students who seek educational programs that they can do in the home environment. The FlexEd program offers online course options for Grade 9 to 12 accessible from anywhere and at any time for students wishing to supplement their school-based programs. Adults can take many courses at AVS for free and courses can lead to an adult graduation or to upgrades for University entrance. Abbotsford Virtual School teachers and students remain connected through the semester via e-mail, text message, Skype, and Collaborate.
Staff and Location[edit]
Abbotsford Virtual School is located at 33952 Pine Street, near the historic centre of Abbotsford, on the site formerly known as Philip Sheffield Elementary School. Mr. Brad Hutchinson is the current Principal. The school has 3.5 full-time elementary and middle school teachers and 10 online teachers working with home-educated and school-based learners. Some of the online teachers are part-time, having a face-to-face teaching assignment in one of the School District #34 (Abbotsford) high schools.
Unique Programs[edit]
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Abbotsford Virtual School offers several unique programs. Fusion is our newest offering and it is a hybrid program face-to-face and online structure, essentially two-day a week school with online course backbone of delivery. The secondary online courses offer unique opportunities for students to take one course to supplement their high school program or students to take one or more courses to continue to towards graduation if not enrolled in a regular school. Graduate and non-graduated adults can take online courses to support their learning and advancement to their educational needs.
FlexEd:
FlexEd, as it implies, is a flexible educational approach. High school students or adult learners can take online courses in a part or full-time program to enrich their academic program, graduate or upgrade their credentials. AVS has a strong selection of online courses to choose from. Students are generally working in the home or their home school environment. Some new and unique online courses include: Veterinary Science 11, Forensic Science 11, Psychology 11/12.
Fusion Program:
Fusion is new middle school program that offers a blended learning environment incorporating the benefits of a teacher and classroom structure with the flexibility of online courses. This unique learning approach provides students with essential tools for our ever-changing world and is open to full-time enrolled Grade 6-8 students, FUSION is a blend of online-based studies with two days a week in a classroom setting. Online courses in Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, English, PE, Technology, Languages form the backbone of the program. A team of dedicated AVS teachers working in a technology-rich environment create a digit immersion environment supplement by a two-day per week on-site instruction s schedule throughout the school year with hands-on learning and technology-supported project-based learning that reflects the new BC Curriculum.
Fusion students must have their own laptop and be committed to attending all on-site classes and field trips. Ideally, they have a demonstrated interest in technology such as virtual reality, coding, littleBits, 3D printing. Students should be academically motivated, work well independently and able to create, communicate and collaborate in group settings. Fusion is a flexible multi-grade learning environment which attracts like-minded students.
HomeEd Program:
HomeEd programs exist for students who predominantly want an off-site experience but yet feel supported by AVS teachers.
Optional Blended Learning Approaches With a High Tech Twist (Full Time Students)
AVS has moved into offering a greater degree of on-site class options for students. In the HomeEd program students can participate in STEM focused classes twice a week for 7–9 weeks each term. The Fusion program has two-days per week of on-site expectation and is involved in a fulsome educational program including genius hour. The staff at AVS is committed to a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) approach and endeavours to enrich the learning experience of the full enrolled students. Students engage in inquiry-based social learning activities with a special emphasis on "Techsploration", which includes Robotics, Little Bits, Virtual Reality, and 3D Printing.
History of Abbotsford Virtual School[edit]
Abbotsford Virtual School was an amalgamation of three Abbotsford School District programs: W. J. Mouat Virtual School, Rick Hansen eSchool and Abbotsford Electronic School. In 1999-2000, Des McKay (retired Superintendent and former Principal of W. J. Mouat) and Rob Comeau (current Principal, Abbotsford Senior Secondary School) lead a school-based initiative with several teachers at W. J. Mouat Secondary School[2] to teach courses in an online environment. Three courses were created: Principles of Mathematics 11, Chemistry 11 and CAPP 11/12. By 2006-2007, Abbotsford Virtual School expanded to 25 courses. Student success rate for completion was in the 90% plus range. Rick Hansen Secondary School developed several online courses in a different format obtaining high success rates as well. Abbotsford Electronic School spawned from home-based learner programs in Abbotsford to a home-learner support school. Nearly 300 students were enrolled by 2005-2006. Principal Don Martyn, along with Brad Hutchinson, of the Abbotsford Electronic School helped to amalgamate these three programs into Abbotsford Virtual School.
Notes[edit]
- ↑ Abbotsford Virtual School at www.avs34.com
- ↑ W.J. Mouat Secondary School at www.mouatonline.com
External links[edit]
This article "Abbotsford Virtual School" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Abbotsford Virtual School. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
