Ebus Academy

EBUS provides technical, financial and educational supports that enable each of our students to work at their pace and in their chosen environment to achieve academic success. EBUS provides students with access to variety of world class learning resources including a variety of subscriptions to online educational sites. Our programs are individualized to meet the unique needs and interests of our students. We offer flexibility in ensuring that students meet provincial learning outcomes.

We pride ourselves on a very strong online school community. A high level of communication between students, parents and EBUS staff is maintained at all times. We encourage and support parent and student involvement on both our Parent Advisory Council and the EBUS Student Council. EBUS Academy is the oldest and one of the largest distributed learning schools in the province. We currently enroll over 1000 grade K – 12 and adult learners from around the province. We have a well-developed and proven formula for helping students achieve their academic goals.

On behalf our staff, welcome to the present school year at EBUS Academy! We are pleased that you have joined our community of online learners. This is an exciting time in education; the focus of the BC Education plan is to provide learners with relevant, individualized, flexible, engaging, high quality learning experiences. At EBUS, we take great pride in the knowledge that we currently offer these types of quality, learner centered programs. Our teachers work collaboratively to support our learners in finding new and innovative ways to pursue their passions while preparing for their future.

Remember that your teachers are always available to answer your questions and concerns and to support you in your learning. We also encourage our parents and guardians to take an active role in their learner’s education. Effective communication between home and school is an important factor in student success and one we take very seriously at EBUS. As a learning organization, we are always looking for ways to improve. If you have any questions or concerns about any aspect of your learner’s EBUS experience, do not hesitate to contact us.

Our elementary teachers are designated as either Primary (K-3) or Intermediate (Grades 4–6). We know that every learner is unique and EBUS is ideal for students and parents who want flexibility in scheduling, programming and individualized, project-based learning opportunities. We follow the BC Ministry of Education curriculum, and our teachers work closely with our learner’s families to support and guide the learning that is happening at home.

Teachers work with parents and students at the start of each school year to develop a plan which guides instruction and assessment for the coming school year. Parents work with their children on a daily basis to help them complete their work, while EBUS teachers guide that progress throughout the year, assessing selected work samples and providing feedback.

Through regular communication, timely feedback and assessment, elementary teachers ensure that families know how their student in progressing towards meeting the grade-level learning objectives. EBUS elementary teachers place an emphasis on supporting the development of strong numeracy and literacy skills for learners in grades K-6.

EBUS uses an online program called Moodle, a secure, password protected site which is available to all students and parents. Each K-6 teacher maintains a homeroom in Moodle for news items, resources, and drop-boxes for submission of student work. K-6 students have a grade-level classroom in Moodle with subject/unit guides and curriculum-aligned resources, links, and activities. Students in grades 5 and 6 have subject-area classes in Moodle

At EBUS, we pride ourselves on the ‘personal touch’ and our teachers excel at working collaboratively with families to develop and support a learning plan that works for each child. All of our teachers are highly skilled at delivering the best possible online learning experience for their students. From virtual class sessions and special guests to field trips and Skype meetings, students have the opportunity to be involved in various special projects throughout the school year.

Middle school years – grades 7 – 9 and 9 are pivotal years in education and in adolescent development. At EBUS – we know that these learners need strong learning relationships along with increased independence, choice and flexibility. Junior secondary students (grades 7-9) are ready to work with more than one teacher, but not quite ready to work with the eight, or more teachers, as is commonly found in a secondary program. With this in mind, we designed the MY EBUS (Middle Years EBUS) program to ease the transition from elementary school to secondary school, under the guidance of a small team of supportive and dedicated teachers, who are familiar with the needs middle school students and who are committed to student success.

EBUS Academy has a provincially recognized Special Education staff that works with families to individualize learning programs. At EBUS, we welcome students for whom the traditional classroom is not an option. We believe that our role is to support each learner to develop the skills and abilities they need to move forward in pursuit of their dreams. As we have a limited special education enrollment, parents are advised to contact EBUS Special Education staff after February 1st in order to discuss possible enrollment. Special Needs applications are considered on a case-by-case basis.