What Makes Us Different

Direct Teacher Contact:
FVDES offers courses that are teacher directed and administered, and parent or guardian assisted. Parents are an important part of our learning equation; however, each learner is also provided with direct access to his or her teacher, who both administers and evaluates the learner's educational journey. Students can contact their teacher by phone, email or through direct online tutoring.

New Middle School Approach:
Our Grade 8 and 9 students will experience a new middle school approach where they will work with fewer teachers covering several supjects (e.g. Science and Math). It is hoped that this will provide a closer working relationship leading to greater academic success.

Live Online Classrooms:
In addition to web-based content, many staff at FVDES are using leading edge technology to allow students to meet, talk and share their work in virtual classrooms.

Elementary Teacher Websites:
Each elementary and secondary teacher has a website. Many of the web offerings encourage students to collaborate and develop a sense of community as they learn. Some examples of this are Radio Plays where students from all over the world work together to write plays and then read their parts live online. Primary students come together and read books together online, and they also can write and draw together. Another activity involves a creative writing adventure based on a trek to Everest where students write progressive stories. Secondary websites have a wide variety of online assignments for learners.

Secondary Course Websites:
All our online courses use an identical design and interface to make students learning easier. Once a student has taken one course, he or she knows exactly how to work through any other course at FVDES.

Face to Face Activities:
The school offers many face-to-face opportunities for students through field trips, Fine Arts workshops and meetings where students can work together on special projects.

FVDES Computers / Digital Cameras:
Online students who require a computer and/or camera for coursework may borrow a Macintosh computer and a digital camera from FVDES (subject to availability).

Face-to-Face and Online Computer Training:
FVDES staff provide a variety of training sessions to enable online students of all ages.