General Policies

Indigenous Education Policy

Integrating Indigenous perspectives into our school community is an initiate we started in 2018 by analyzing Indigenous Perspectives of Learning.  We discovered Indigenous values are very similar to Biblical values and therefore our school can easily implement appreciation and caring related to the First Peoples of Canada.  We strive to implement the following perspectives in our practice daily:

• Learning ultimately supports the well-being of ourselves and others. We should learn to be “caring” and good stewards.
• Learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational with a focus on connectedness and a sense of place
• Learning involves recognizing the consequence of one’s actions
• Learning involves generational roles and responsibilities and the role of history
• Learning involves patience and time
• Learning requires exploration of one’s identity
• Learning recognizes that some knowledge is sacred and only shared with permission and/or in certain situations

CHeS Administration & Teachers will work on becoming more informed and aware of Indigenous resources that mutually support our Biblical values.  Our desire is to be a blessing to the Indigenous community and all those who seek a place of safety and belonging.

In 2023 the BC Ministry of Education added the First People’s Graduation Requirement. CHeS Teachers will create individualized courses in cooperation with the student/family for meeting this requirement. CHeS is also engaged creating FP courses that will fit our Christian worldview and honor First Peoples and their history. More prepared course options will be available in the future.  

 

CHeS Student Discipline Policy

CHeS acknowledges that parents or guardians are the primary disciplinarians for their children learning at home. However, when students meet with a teacher or other students online, they must respect these guidelines.

• All speech will be respectful and uplifting
• Chatting must be limited to a focus on course material
• No private chatting during sessions
• All presentations must be approved by the teacher and appropriate for group presentation
• Students will not exchange contact information unless their parents/guardians approve
• Students who violate these boundaries will not be allowed to attend future sessions

 

Family Values Respected - While CHeS teachers strive to interpret all standards according to Biblical principles, standards in the PHE learning area may be sensitive topics that families want to keep private and deliver in their own way. Alternate delivery (AD) & personal discretion is encouraged for all such topics. Parents have the legal right to guide their children morally & Biblically and CHeS will respect every family's personal choices and boundaries.

 

Provincial Online Standards - The online program at Christian Homelearners eStreams operates within the Standards for Delivery of K-12 Independent School Distributed Learning in British Columbia.

CHeS supports and following "STANDARDS FOR INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES"

• Management of Learning
• Fostering Social Learning
• Stimulating Cognitive Processes
• Planning for Learning
• Supporting Instruction and Learning
• Communicating About Learning

 

Standardized Performance for online Students - It is a policy of Christian Homelearners e-Streams to have a standardized level of acceptable student performance for each course offered at each grade level. For each course these standards are listed in the BC Curriculum website as well as imbedded throughout our planner system (course templates). Learning standards are divided up 3 ways. Go here for more details:

 

Big Ideas - Overall Understanding - general course objectives

 

Course Competencies - What the student will be able do

 

Course Content - what the student will know

 

Learning standards can be met across the grades for Elementary learners (K-9). Bench-mark checks are in place for Grades 3, 6, & 9. This is a ministry strategy to help prevent learning gaps. High School courses are competency driven and may be stand-alone learning experiences or integrated learning across the subjects.

 

Course Completion Policy - One Year Boundary - High School students are expected to complete their courses within one year of start date.  After one year the course will be closed but more time (up to 6 months) may be granted if brought to the Principal for permission to continue.   Students who fail to complete their courses on time will be faced with final assessment or they may withdraw from their courses and restart from the beginning.

 

Withdrawing out of the CHeS Online Learning Program - If a student is withdrawing from the Online Program the first person aware emails all departments (records, accounts, the teacher, SE Coordinators, and Principal) about the withdrawal.

• Students who do not engage with course communication requirements for more than 3 months may face withdrawal consequences
• The teacher will document attempts to contact the student for engagement (contact tab)
• After three months of silence withdrawal will occur.  To reverse this decision the student must contact the teacher promptly.
• Students may request withdrawal at anytime but must have a parent or guardian confirm the decision to withdraw
• Students may not restart the course until 2 funding periods have elapsed after their withdrawal. Funding periods are: Sept. Feb. and May.
• Past learning evidence from the withdrawn course isn’t usable for the new course, it must be new learning material

School Vaccinations - Christian Homelearners does not endorse any proposed or particular healthcare plans that may or may not conflict with any families personal healthcare choices,  philosophy or preferences for personal health care initiatives that may or may not be in the best interests of the family. Therefore, all parents/families will independently decide if, to what extent and how they choose to participate in any proposed, recommended or Government sponsored student health programs. Christian Homelearners endorses a biblical worldview; to encourage each family to independently interpret their personal position on a plethora of personal healthcare issues that could affect their families health in the light of God's Word.

 

Anaphylaxis Policy - For families at CHeS with life threatening allergies. Please see Policy here & Emergency Response Plan here

 

Parent Appeals Procedure - Parents should use this step-by-step process when working to solve problems at CHeS:

If a concern involves a teacher:

• The first step for parents is to talk to the teacher about your concerns. Because school life is filled with human interactions, differences between teachers and some students will occur and it is important that parents hear both sides. Experience has shown that the majority of problems can be solved at this step.
• If consultation with the teacher does not bring about a solution, then discuss your concerns with your school principal.
• The next step, if you are still dissatisfied after discussions with the school principal, is to contact the Christian Homelearners eStreams office at 1-877-777-1547 and ask for our administrator.  If you remain dissatisfied you may take your complaint to the FISA Ombundsman.  Advocate for Independent Schools.

If a concern involves the principal:

• Please take your concern directly to our school administrator and he will help problem solve to the best of his ability. This may involve inviting the principal to a discussion.

*Note: if the problem cannot be solved between direct parties, the person the issue involves will be removed from the appeal decision-making process.

 

Challenge and Equivalency Policy – There are a variety of options for earning credits towards Graduation.  The BC Ministry of Education outlines how students can earn high school credits through challenge and equivalency.  Go here. CHeS will seek to honor all options.  

• Equivalency (Documented Prior Learning) - Awarding credit to students who have successfully completed an equivalent Grade 10, 11 or 12 course from an educational jurisdiction or institution outside the BC school system.
• Challenge (Undocumented Demonstrated Prior Learning)- Awarding credit to students who can demonstrate prior learning.
• External Credentials - students earn credit towards graduation through certain external credentials (Documents or credentials earned by a student on successful completion of an external course) approved by the Ministry. Ex. Bronze Cross, Royal Conservatory of Music, etc...
• Credit from Post-Secondary Courses (Dual Credit)- Students earn credit towards graduation by earning credit for courses at specific Post Secondary Institutions. Students are entitled to earn "dual credit" if they earn credit that leads to a post-secondary credential from a post-secondary institution which is a member of the British Columbia Transfer System or offered in French through Educacentre.
• Independent Directed Studies (IDS) - enables students to initiate their own area of learning and to receive credit towards graduation. Elective credit only. See further details in our IDS Policy.
  Note: All IDS courses must be approved by the Principal before activation.

 

 

 

CHeS Residency Policy Aug. 2023

 

CHeS will follow the Ministry of Education’s guidelines for determining BC residency for students wanting to enroll at CHeS.  See here.

 

To be enrolled at CHeS a family must maintain a BC residence and be ordinarily resident in BC.

According to the Independent School Regulation: “eligible student” means a student:

(a) who is of school age

(b) whose parent or guardian

(i) is, or was at the time of that parent’s or guardian’s death, a citizen of Canada or a permanent resident, as defined in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada), who is or was at the time of the parent’s or guardian’s death, ordinarily resident in British Columbia, or

(ii) is lawfully admitted to Canada and is ordinarily resident in British Columbia.

Ordinarily resident means: you are normally residing in a BC home (apart from temporary or occasional absences), and your residence here has been adopted voluntarily and for settled purposes as part of the regular order of your life for the time being.

Families who have left BC and have settled in another country or province, but maintain a BC residence, are not ordinarily resident in BC unless their stay away is temporary**, and they are returning to live in their BC home within a known time frame.  An absence over one year, must be analyzed by the CHeS administration to determine if the family is still ordinarily residing in BC.

 

Exceptions, deemed residency:

1. Unusual circumstances, such as border restriction (as were happening during the covid pandemic), may cause longer stays out of BC, but the intent to return to BC once the restriction is over, must be evident.
2. *Canadian mission/charity organizations, or the Canadian military/government, may send a BC family away for set time periods, and thus the family is still considered ordinarily resident or deemed residents of BC even with lengthy stays abroad.
3. Other circumstances may warrant being ordinarily resident or deemed a resident of BC, such as a student exchange or study program, or a sports team playing/training abroad for a certain period of time.

 

Documentation regarding your stay in another country may be required to support ordinary or deemed residency.

*As a minimum, missionary families must return to BC within 3-4 years (the entire family) and stay for at least 5 months; or return every 2 years and stay for a minimum of 2 months.

 

**Requests for return may be required by CHeS to establish “temporary” status.

 

Questions about residency should be directed to the principal: principal@estreams.ca