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STAY CONNECTED
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Find out about upcoming events and ways to get involved at Navigate!
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SUMMER HOURS
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Navigate (NIDES) is open during the summer; office hours are Monday to Friday from 8am-3:30 pm.
Summer teachers are available at Navigate Tuesday to Thursday 8:45-3:15. If you would like to contact a summer teacher, click here to view the list on our website.
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REGISTRATION
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Navigate (NIDES) continues to accept registrations during the summer for distributed learning and blended programming. Please note that our registrar typically gets backed up at this time of year and there may be a delay in processing. If you have any questions please contact us. Start up packages will be sent in the last couple of weeks of August. Further resources will be allocated for K-9 learners following the "Spark Conversations" with teachers during September.
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UPCOMING DATES
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August 28
FAE/ENTER Orientation Evening 6:00 -7:30pm for general program questions and overview at Navigate Tsolum Campus -
2505 Smith Rd.
September 3
All teachers return from Summer Break and will be contacting families.
September 5
Community Corn Roast 5:30 - 7:30
All programs welcome! Let's celebrate our upcoming year together at Navigate Tsolum Campus.
September 10-12
FAE/ENTER learners in attendance for community building activities 9am-3pm.
September 12
Getting to know us gathering for FAE/ENTER learners and parents 5:30-7:30 at Tsolum Campus.
September 16
First Comox Valley Interaction Day
Navigate Tsolum Campus
September 17
First Qualicum Interaction Day
September 20
First Nanaimo Interaction Day
September 25 -27
K-9 Hornby Island Tribune Bay Family Camp (numbers limited - Parent or Guardian must attend - learners in FAE/ENTER/Nanaimo iClass programs will miss regular programming if they choose to attend). Watch your email for a Tribune Bay registration package. You will also receive a hard copy in your Start-Up Package.
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At Navigate, we're proud to honour the history and traditions of BC's First Nations through rich, cultural programming that helps Aboriginal students appreciate their heritage and non-Aboriginals gain a greater understanding of First Nations culture. Programming is available through our Vancouver Island schools in the Comox Valley, Nanaimo and Qualicum Beach.
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CROSS ENROLMENT & ADULT COURSES
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Learners at neighbourhood schools (Grades 10-12), and some adults, can also register for Navigate courses. For more information on Navigate programs and courses offered check out our website.
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NAVIGATE ON FACEBOOK
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Navigate (NIDES) has a Facebook page you can join. Add your comments, check out our posts and stay informed on what is happening at Navigate (NIDES). There is also a Navigate Parent's Group on Facebook. Stay informed, network with other Navigate parents and help us build our school community!
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Greetings!
We hope our summer newsletter finds you all soaking up some of the sunshine and spending time with family and friends.
At this time of year, many families take a break from the regular routine and take vacations or head out camping. For some learners they take our distributed learning courses with them! Our courses continue to run through the summer. We have a K-9 coordinating teacher monitoring any of our Navigate K-9 learners through the summer that needed more time to finish their courses. We also have secondary teachers in the building Tuesday-Thursday throughout the summer months teaching our online courses.
More and more learners are looking for flexibility in their programming. This may mean they prefer to get a few courses off their plates during the summer months so they can have a reduced number through the winter months to enjoy skiing or traveling. Possibilities for customizing the learning experience are vast at Navigate (NIDES).
Enjoy the rest of your summer and we look forward to resuming regular programming in September. |
 Congratulations 2013 Navigate Graduates!
On Friday, June 7, 2013 we celebrated the Navigate Graduation Ceremony at the Kingfisher Resort. The day was beautiful and the graduates had so many achievements to celebrate. Congratulations to all of you for ending one journey and heading onto new beginnings. We wish you great success in the future pathways you choose!
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Navigate Year-End Family Picnic:
An Opportunity for Connections Across
Navigate Programs
The annual Navigate (NIDES) Family Picnic was again a great community builder. We had families with learners from all of our programs attend. Nanaimo, Qualicum, North Island communities, and local families joined in the fun and made connections with each other. In the 2012-2013 school year, the school held a Corn Roast, Aboriginal Cultural Day, and the year end picnic as school wide events. The Leadership Group (Grades 10-12) also spearheaded many community wide events. It is a Navigate (NIDES) goal this year to continue to grow relationships and support across all of our programs. Each one of our programs has a purpose and fits the needs of the families that commit to them. For those wondering what the differences are, we've included an overview of each program in this newsletter.
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eCademy of New Technologies, Engineering and Robotics (ENTER)
 ENTER is a blended learning model for grades 6-8 where learners attend Aspen Park Elementary Tues-Thurs and have learning plans on Monday and Fridays at home. Often, parents choose this option for their child(ren) because they have recognized a regular classroom environment does not fit the child(ren)'s learning preferences and that a balance of home and school time can help learners to feel more engaged when at school. This program is based on the use of technology, engineering and robotics as vehicles to teach concepts. |
Interaction Day - iClass
Interaction days are held one day per week in Nanaimo, Qualicum (every second week K-7, every week secondary) and the Comox Valley. Families that opt for this program are often very active families. They tend to lean toward wanting more flexible family time to travel, join community programs, take part in sporting or arts events, while keeping academic goals in line with Ministry of Education expectations. They also greatly value being on the front line with the Distributed Learning teachers at Navigate to help design and create their child(ren)'s educational programs, knowing they have the support of BC qualified teachers. For older learners (10-12) the Navigate Leadership group get together with teachers to work on their courses, enjoy some social time, contribute feedback to school Administrators, and plan fantastic outings and events for learners.
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 Fine Arts eCademy
FAE is a blended learning model for K-9 where learners attend the Tsolum Campus Tuesday - Thursday and have a home learning plan for Mondays and Fridays. Families choosing this program often want more involvement in knowing how their children learn (as they are Home Facilitators on the Mondays/Fridays). They have also recognized that their child(ren) learns best through the arts using visual, musical, performing arts as the vehicles to teach concepts.
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Desire to Learn (D2L) Upgrade
Desire to Learn (D2L) is our Learning Management System. In an organization where our school community is spread far and wide geographically, we need a "one stop shop" or "hub" for all of our resources, course offerings, and opportunities for community building.
This summer we upgraded to version 10.2. For those of you that have used D2L in the past you probably won't notice too many differences initially, but you will see more as teachers learn some of the new features to customize their courses.
Navigate also sent a team to the D2L Fusion 2013 Users Conference. They had 3 days of workshops, seminars, keynote speakers and then 2 days of intensive hands on workshops with D2L staff. Learning how to build engaging online courses, follow industry standards, and add simulations and games to offerings were just a few of the topics explored. CEO John Baker and Vice President John McLeod described future visions for the company and a shift in thinking of D2L as a "Learning Management System" to an "Integrated Learning Platform" providing learners the "just in time" learning resources they need.
Navigate has added a pilot this year of the D2L ePortfolio. Learners will be able to create their own ePortfolio to demonstrate their learning in some of their courses using video, images, etc. It fully integrates with D2L so learners can seamlessly access their course information as well.
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Sincerely,
Navigate powered by NIDES
North Island Distance Education School |
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