Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools will launch its new online middle school program this spring.
The program will replace the division’s At-Home Learning program, and will be housed at St. Thomas Aquinas Middle School.
Red Deer Catholic said it recognizes that online learning is a viable option for students and can personalize learning for students.
“Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools is committed to delivering quality Catholic education where innovation and inquiry drive learning,” said school board chair Kim Pasula in a statement.
No online programming will be offered to elementary students at this time given the lower enrolment in elementary grades.
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The At-Home Learning program, which was always intended to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and provide families with a choice, will not operate next year.
The division said enrolment was steadily decreasing for At-Home Learning, and funding provided by Alberta Education did not allow for sustainable staffing.
“We want to ensure families continue to have a choice to learn online and we look forward to the expansion of the division’s successful high school online model to the middle school level, where we hope to continue to offer students significant ways to personalize their learning path,” said Ryan Sawula, associate superintendent of curriculum.
Families interested in learning more about the online middle school program are encouraged to attend the upcoming virtual open house on May 3, starting at 6:30 p.m. More information about the open house, and how to enroll for the 2022-23 school year, will be released in the coming weeks.