Family and Student Expectations
Virtual Learning Days can be used in the event of severe weather events (i.e. wind chill, snow, etc.) and mass illness. This will allow us to have more flexibility in providing instruction to our students without interruption. During Virtual Learning Days, all students are expected to virtually attend school as the district does need to meet a participation threshold set by the Department of Public Instruction for the day to count as an instructional day. If our district fails to meet the threshold, additional time may be added to the end of the school year.
Important Device Information
Elementary School: Our iPads do have cases but students should take extra care to keep their devices in their backpacks when not in use. A charger will not be provided, but teachers will ensure that devices are charged before they leave school. The exception to this is for extended days out of school, in which case a charger will be sent home.
Middle School: Chromebooks currently do not have cases, so students should take extra care to keep their devices in their backpacks when not in use. A charger will not be provided, so it is imperative that students charge their devices prior to leaving school if a severe weather event is predicted. The exception to this is for extended days out of school, in which case a charger will be sent home.
High School: Chromebooks and chargers should go home as they would on any other day.
**The Student Technology Acceptable Use and Safety Policy, Damage and Lost/Stolen Device Policies and our Technology Policy in the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook (Page 45) will be enforced during Virtual Learning Days. Please treat district devices appropriately**
How much time are students expected to work on school activities?
As a general rule, expectations for student time engaged in learning activities on a Virtual Learning Day are:
Grades K - 5: about 1 hour total
Grades 6 - 8: about 2 hours total (about 15-20 minutes per subject)
Grades 9 - 12: about 3 hours total (about 25-30 minutes per subject)
The activities assigned are to be a continuation of the learning that was taking place in the classroom, and students should be confident in having enough knowledge in order to complete them with independence.
How will students complete assigned work on a Virtual Learning Day?
In most cases, students will take home a school-issued device to complete assignments, except for our youngest learners in 4K. Students may also choose to use a family-owned device for accessing and completing assignments but should remember to use school-issued devices only for school-related purposes.
What time will assignments be posted to Google Classroom or Schoology on a Virtual Learning Day?
Assignments should be posted by:
High School: 7:30 am
Middle School: 7:30 am
Elementary School: 8:30 am
Even though assignments are posted in Google Classroom or Schoology, the resource(s) may physically be sent home as a paper or book option as appropriate to the grade level or subject area.
What is the expectation for teacher response throughout a Virtual Learning Day?
Teachers will be available during normal school hours. All classroom instructors will communicate clearly defined processes for how families may contact them in the event of a Virtual Learning Day.
Please be aware that teachers may have technical difficulties due to inclement weather. The teachers will make every effort to be online for questions.
Please allow a reasonable response time.
In the event that a student does not have access to Wi-Fi or experiences other barriers, teachers will provide face-to-face time upon returning to school.
Special education teachers, MLL teachers, and other specialists may provide supplementary materials that focus on skill development related to classroom instruction. These teachers will also be available on returning to school to provide support on Virtual Learning Day assignments.