Distance Learning Update from Principal Mary
Dear Jefferson Community,
The district has continued with a ban of Zoom for students right now and has replaced the face to face with Google Meet. The district is still working with Zoom on a plan for security features that will work with elementary school and their existing platforms. I ask for your patience as teachers become familiar with the Google Meet platform. The may need to adjust the face to face meetings with students next week to train on the new platform.
In the document I have attempted to provide information about distance learning in a few different formats. You will find the entire plan in the link. I have pulled out pieces of the plan that I think are more relevant to elementary school and I have adapted King Middle School’s (thank you Ms. Levinson) Q & A for elementary school.
The district will be putting out a parent distance learning survey this week. I encourage you to fill it out. All changes to the plan happen at the district level so please tell them what is and is not working for your family in the plan.
I will also be presenting at the PTA meeting this Thursday, April 16 at 8:00 p.m. and attempt to answer questions to the best of my ability in this quickly changing virtual education world. Please fill out this brief survey that will help me prepare information that you want to know more about, https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5DN2MK8. You will receive a link to the meeting during the week.
I am always happy to hear from families if you have questions, concerns, or even praise at marycazden@berkeley.net. I can’t tell you how much I am looking forward to having our community back together!
Sincerely,
Mary
Parent Version of the BUSD Distance Learning Plan
At the Pre-K and elementary level, weekly Distance Learning Activity Sets may include:
Key learning objectives that are accessible to students and caregivers
Recommendations about a weekly schedule for Distance Learning
Suggestions to students and parents about online learning activities available at berkeleyschools.net
Specific lessons in Math, Language Arts, History/Social Studies, and Science - with reading and writing materials
Activities that may be possible at home, like simple experiments using common household products, cooking and measuring, observing springtime growth in your neighborhood, and moderate physical exercise
These weekly Distance Learning Activity Sets will consist of approximately:
4-6 hour per week for students in PK and TK
10 hours per week for students in K-1
12-15 hours per week for students in Grades 2-3
15 hours per week for students in Grades 4-5
Two 90-minute “Office Hours” on Meet/Zoom per Week
In addition, each teacher will offer two 90-minute office hours per week to their students for the purpose of supporting student learning and maintaining some level of class camaraderie. Activities during these “office hours” will be determined by the teacher, and may consist of updates from the teacher, questions from students about the course content, online group activities designed by the teacher, individual or group student student support, reflections or stories from the week, and other topics at the teacher’s discretion.
English Language Development
In addition to the three elements listed above (weekly Distance Learning Activity Sets, weekly assignments from the teacher, and two 90-minute “office hours” per week), ELD teachers at all three levels will attempt to continue English Language Development classes though either live online teaching to small groups, or by recommending online resources to students to support their ongoing growth in English. ELD teachers will be responsible for maintaining ongoing contact with their caseload of EL students, and will maintain an electronic log of their interactions with students.
Special Education
Similarly, Special Education teachers will attempt to provide supplemental support to students on their caseloads, in keeping with the goals described in each student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP).
Reading Intervention
In some cases, RTI teachers may be able to provide additional supplemental instruction through an online delivery model. Examples of tasks that RTI teachers can complete during the school closure period include:
Create small group assignments through digital platforms that are differentiated for learners and levels, using programs such as Khan Academy and Freckle.
Use Fast Track phonics resources to push out materials and lessons to students
With the help if guardians, set up Zoom appointments for small groups of students
Use electronic apps to conduct ongoing assessments of student progress
Provide additional guidance to families about how to access level-appropriate resources that are available online.
Professional Development for Teachers
Teachers’ ongoing professional learning is a critical element to the success of any instructional program. During the school closure crisis, teachers will be offered a variety of online professional development opportunities, and can seek small group or individual support from BUSD’s Educational Services team. Educational Services offers the following menu of options
Webinar: Overview of Distance Learning
Resources for Educators
Technology Office Hours
Technology Coaching from the BUSD Digitech Team
Q & A
Will the online class schedule be the same as it was before school closed?
No, we are not trying to replicate the school day online. We are offering some opportunities for students to connect with teachers and some academic content through lessons developed by teacher leaders across the district. These weekly lesson plans, based on grade level standards, are called "activity sets".
Can teachers send more work in addition to the "activity sets" from the district?
Yes, teachers are encouraged to add to the activity sets as long as they stay within the hours recommended above for each grade level.
How much time should students be online each day?
This will vary a great deal from grade to grade. Classes will have face time with teachers, some work that will need to be completed online, paper tasks and projects. It is important for families to monitor the amount screen time that children have at this time.
What about grades?
The superintendent has not announced a final decision about elementary grades yet. .
What will teachers do if students are not engaging in online learning?
Teachers will first contact parents to be sure you are aware. The Response to Intervention Team will also contact families to provide technical support that may be getting in the way of participation.
My student needs extra help. Who should I contact?
Your child's teacher is available to help with academic needs. The response to intervention team and special education teachers are working on their intervention schedule that will begin the week of April 20th.
What about students with IEP's?
The Special Education teachers will continue to support their students. Annual IEP meetings may be held virtually. Initial and Triennial evaluations will be held when we return to school.
How can we get technology support should we need it?
If you have questions about the learning or technology, start by asking your child’s teacher. You can also send a message to distancelearning@berkeley.net or fill out this form if you have problems with signing in to a student’s account or any other issues with access to online tools.
If you need help getting free or low cost internet access at home, please visit berkeleyschools.net/connecting/ . Resources for families including links to activities, recommended resources, proposed daily schedules can be found here: berkeleyschools.net/home-learning/ . Tutorials for online tools such as Google Meet for students and parents will be hosted here when they are available. You can always contact me at marycazden@berkeley.net if you are not sure where to go.
What can I do to support the teacher?
Please check in with your classroom teacher.
Will schools be closed for the remainder of this year?
The governor and county superintendent of schools have recommended school closures until summer but they have left it up to individual school districts to decide. Superintendent Stephens has not made an announcement yet about when schools will reopen.
Will the school year be extended into the summer months to make up for lost instructional time?
There have been no announcements about this and nothing to indicate that this would happen.
Should my child be retained given the school closure?
No. All students are currently in the same situation and adjustments will have to be made when school resumes to support missed standards instruction. There is not a specific plan in place for this yet but the discussion has begun.
You may read BUSD’s follow up FAQs from the event here.