K-8 Distance Learning

Letter from the K-8 Principal

Dear K-8 Families,
We will begin our Distance Learning period on Monday, March 30th. During this time, your child will be connecting with teachers and accessing their learning through the use of various resources. The following information provides you with an overview of your child’s distance learning experience.

We realize that with our younger students, parents/caregivers will need to play a more significant role in facilitating distance learning.  We also recognize that caregivers may themselves be working from home and may have more than one child/grade level to support.  Thus, we will make every effort to design learning opportunities that are flexible yet predictable.  Teachers have introduced students to many of the tools that we will be using and they’ve engaged in conversations around what to expect in the process.

  Student Roles and Responsibilities   Parent Roles and Responsibilities
  • Establish a daily routine for school work
  • Find a comfortable, quiet space to work 
  • Check Google Classroom and/or Gmail daily 
  • Communicate with your teachers daily
  • Complete all assignments to the best of your ability
  • Put forth your best effort                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
  • Establish routines and expectations for your child
  • Provide your child with a quiet and comfortable learning space
  • Become familiar with your child’s distance learning plan
  • Check notifications and lessons each day
  • Communicate questions/concerns with teachers in a prompt and timely manner
  • Email your child’s teacher if you or your child has questions and/or needs extra support.  Our faculty will be checking email regularly between 8:00 am and 2:55 pm (approximately) each school day.
 For Questions About...   Contact:
 An assignment or resource  Email Your Child's Homeroom Teacher
 A personal, social, or emotional issue  K-8 Counselors:

 Ms. Lee  slee@assets-school.org
 Ms. Peggy  pbrandt@assets-school.org
 Ken Powell  kpowell@assest-school.org
 A technology-related problem or issue  Assets Help Desk Ticket System  help@assets-school.org
 Other issues related to Distance Learning  Caitlin Mates cmates@assets-school.org

Daily Lessons- What to Expect
Beginning Monday, March 30th, your child is expected to participate in their distant learning plan.  The expectation is for students to stay in contact with their teachers and complete their assignments in a timely manner.  Lessons will vary in delivery method, content, and style, depending on the class; and each student’s homeroom teacher will be the primary contact for what learning looks like for that student.  Some assignments may require additional supplies, time, or support; however, please ask the teacher clarifying questions at any time. 

Students can expect to receive lessons, assignments, and feedback by 8:00 am each school day and engage in a 1:1 check-in with their homeroom teacher by 2:55 pm each school day.  The primary methods for contact will be through the school’s Google Apps for Education Suite, postal mail, and telephone.

Attendance
We are going to do our best to continue to provide valuable learning opportunities for our students. We believe that we need to remain connected as a community. We also believe that our students benefit from structure, routine, and accountability. Therefore, students are expected to “attend school” throughout the week and follow the schedule provided by their teacher.  Just like typical school days, if a student is unable to complete their assignments due to sickness, a parent must report the student absent. Parents can do this by emailing our receptionist, Tracy Hoevel (thoevel@assets-school.org). 

If a student does not have daily contact with their teacher, the student will be considered absent.  The school will reach out to parents to discuss the absence from class.  Similarly, if students are not completing coursework as assigned, both students and parents will be contacted to problem-solve and ensure the student is continuing to make progress.

Technology tools
All Assets students are assigned an account within the school’s Google Apps for Education Suite. Some students are already familiar with these apps as they can be used regularly in school. (Google Docs, Google Drive, Google Classroom, etc.) Teachers will work within Google Apps to conduct school online. Newer to students is Google hangout, meet, and chat. Teachers are planning to use these tools to communicate with students as a class and for 1-1 meetings.

Students need to understand that their school Google Account is for school use only. These accounts run through Assets servers and systems. Students are also expected to use their Assets account for school, as opposed to a personal one. On the contrary, students need to use their personal social media accounts for their own use outside of school. Specifically, students may not use their Assets Google Apps such as Hangout, Meet, and Chat, Docs, Email, Drive to meet with friends casually, or other non-school related reasons. We must do our best to avoid overtaxing the school’s system and eliminate non-school related Google app usage.

Expectations for behavior and conduct online
While at school, we expect students to adjust their behavior for the school/work environment. Online learning is no different. Some students are already familiar with online video conferencing and messaging, as these are already ways they socialize with one another. However, we need students to understand that how they behave when “hanging out with friends online” will likely differ from being online for school/work. If a particular behavior is not acceptable in the classroom or on campus, that same behavior is not acceptable online either. Although we are not on campus, the school’s Code of Conduct is still applicable to the Assets online learning environment. Administrators will be working with teachers to monitor the online school environment. Students will be held accountable for actions that do not model digital citizenship or support a safe online learning environment.

Counseling Services
Our school counselors, Sungalina Lee, Peggy Brandt, and Ken Powell will be available to connect with students and parents. To schedule an appointment, please send them an email request.

Communication Resources
In addition to your teachers and counselors, I will continue to be available to you via email. Please reach out to me with any questions or concerns that arise during this time. 

Thank you for your continued support throughout this new adventure in learning.  Now, more than ever, I am so grateful to work with such creative and great minds.  Please stay in touch and know that the Assets community is here for you.  I wish you and your family great health and happiness.

Aloha,
Caitlin Mates, K-8 Principal