Frequently Asked Questions

Online Learning is a method of instruction that relies primarily on communication at a distance between students and teachers, including internet or other electronic-based delivery, teleconferencing, or correspondence. (see Ministry of Education Policy). Students do not attend formal classes on-site!

Abbotsford Virtual School is a Distributed Learning school that provides collaborative educational programs for Kindergarten to Grade 12 students or Adults. We provide free courses to any BC resident wishing to meet their graduation requirements, and offer tuition-based courses for adult learners wishing to upgrade.

Our BC certified teachers actively support each student in the development of an educational plan, providing resources, regular tutoring and on-going assessment. All programs are fully accredited by the Ministry of Education of B.C.

We are located at 33952 Pine Street, Abbotsford, BC, V2S 2P3
Phone: (604) 859-9803
Fax: (604) 854-1463

We provide full programs to enrolled K-9 students at Abbotsford Virtual School. We provide free courses to Grade 10 to 12 students regardless of what other school they may be enrolled in and we provide free and tuition-based courses for Adult learners wishing to upgrade or graduate.

v\All courses are FREE for British Columbia non-graduated students who are residents in British Columbia or temporarily travelling/living out of the province. International students can take courses but are subject to a course fee. Graduated Adults can take some Grade 11 and 12 courses fior FREE but other courses are subject to a course fee of $550 per course. For a few courses we do require a $100 refundable textbook deposit.

Our friendly and supportive staff are well trained to work with students to develop a learning plan suited to your needs! We provide many course styles and structures.

PEN is short for Provincial Education Number. This number is provided to each student in British Columbia and is used to identify your student records with the Ministry of Education.

• Elementary courses: these are offered both online and onsite, working collaboratively with families to promote individualized learning.
• Online Courses: these are semester based, class/teacher paced with online lessons and delivery. Teachers communicate with students and parents through email, messaging, phone, Elluminate, etc.

Yes, but your attendance commitment is different with AVS. Your attendance is evidenced by your regular contributions to online discussions or email reflections to your teacher and regular logging into our Learning Management System to complete and submit work. Or, in the case of paper-based courses, regularly turning in work and writing module tests.

Self-paced courses may be started at any time.  Most online courses start at the beginning of each semester (early September for September 1 and early February for September 2). We may be able to accept late entries.

Students taking secondary school courses usually work independently on their courses in consultation with their teacher. However, home educated children in Kindergarten to Grade 9, often depend upon their parent(s) to structure day-to-day learning. Parents or guardians are expected to provide an email contact and should expect emails from teachers to inform them about how the student is progressing. Parents and guardians can assist students by monitoring time and work completed. Parental help may not be possible in some courses and may bot be required, but play a huge role in helping their child be successful. Note that parental and student emails are only used for school purposes.

Distributed learning is not for everyone. Courses require the same amount of work as traditional classes and meet the same course objectives. Some students may actually spend additional time working on a courses taken online because of the amount of reading required to complete assignments. It also takes more self-discipline and dedication to succeed in an online learning environment due to the absence of face-to-face interaction and mandatory physical attendance associated with classroom-based courses. Just like a traditional class, you have to be on top of your studies. You still have to read the textbook and/or other class reading materials; you still have to follow notes, hand in writing assignments on time, and do well on any quizzes or exams you may need to take. In short, virtual learning requires different attitudes, self-motivation, ability to set goals, a degree of experimentation/risk-taking, and time management skills. If you possess these skills, you will do well in a online class.

Students Typically Suited To Online Learning

• They are self-motivated to learn and succeed.
• They are conscientious as the virtual environment put additional responsibility for learning on the shoulders of the student.
• They are happy not dominating class time. A virtual classroom is more democratic than a traditional classroom. The student who dominates a class from the front row is less happy here.
• They are students who enjoy learning, who like to figure things out, and who enjoy independence and reading.
• They need not be a star student. Someone who learns at a slower-than-average pace can also succeed in virtual classes.
• They are students who need scheduling flexibility so they can complete their work at times convenient for them.

Students Typically Not Suited To Online Learning

• The student who doesn't like school for reasons that have to do with learning.
• The student who procrastinates will have difficulty meeting deadlines.
• The student who has a severe disability that hinders reading, for example.
• The student who is placed in an online classroom without wanting to be there will probably fail. In a online classroom, the student has to engage and have initiative.
• The student who take a full class load at a traditional school and participates in lots of extra-curricular activities may think a online class is an easy way to pick up extra credits. This is not the case.

Take this quiz to find out if online learning is for you. Or learn how you can mix and match your education with both classroom and distributed learning courses at the LearnNowBC website. 

• PC users require Windows 10 or newer. Computers should have at least 4 GB of RAM and 100 GB of hard drive space. PCs require a sound card. 
• Mac users require MacOSX 10 or better. Computers should have at least 8 GB of RAM and 100 GB of hard drive space. 
• High-speed Internet connection is very useful for video streaming and live meetings.
• A built-in or plug-in microphone or headset for live meetings.
• Mouse
• Webcam

Abbotsford Virtual School is located at 33952 Pine Street in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada.  
View Larger Map

Yes, but there is a course fee. Please contact Abbotsford Virtual School for more details at 604.859.9803.

For K-9 programs: Please Contact Us at 604.859.9803 to set up a time to meet with us on-site.

For online courses: Both secondary and adult students can register through our online registration process.

Abbotsford Virtual School welcomes all students and provides individual programs and supports as provided by the B.C. Ministry of Education. Please Contact Us for more details.

Please contact AVSOffice@abbyschools.ca with an email that lets us know your password is lost and your full name so we can resend it to you. Students cannot change passwords. These are maintained by the system operators.

Generally, our programs fill up quickly. We will take on students during the regular school year but are unable to do so after Spring Break (around Mid-March is our cut off).

Course work is completed online with teacher support through messaging, phone calls or by appointment as needed. Each course or program is supported by a teacher who is a specialist in their grade or subject area. 

You can register online at http://abbyvirtual.com/registration/. Submitting ID and proof of address IS REQUIRED TO COMPLETE THIS PROCESS if the student is not currently part of the Abbotsford School District.

A complete list of our courses is available at here.

If all courses from grade 6 to 12 are online, what kind of computer should I have?

1) Laptop Running Windows 10 - Minimum specs:

• 2+ GHz processor
• 8+ GB RAM
• 128 GB SSD + 1 TB SATA of available hard-disk space OR 256 GB SSD
• 3-button, scroll-wheel mouse.

Recommended but not required: 3D class video card with 1GB of memory or higher and supports hardware acceleration. Please ensure that the video card driver supports OpenGL version 3.0 or higher and is up to date.

2) Chromebook - Minimum Specs:

• 4GB Ram
• 2022+ End of Life, as listed here: https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/6220366?hl=en
• Intel Processor

3) Any relatively new Macbook