What is Remote Learning? Remote Learning is intended to provide access to learning on days where there are school cancellations. While these days cannot replace face-to-face time students have with their teachers, it can provide continuous learning when school is closed. During this time these learning opportunities are provided to help students with continuity in their education.
When will Remote Learning start? District 12 will begin remote learning on Monday, April 6th. We will continue with Remote Learning until we return to school unless the Illinois State Board of Education changes the requirements for learning during COVID-19 school closures.
What will it look like for students? Students will be assigned work in English Language Arts, Math, Science/Social Science and Specials. Students’ work on this day is intended to be independent. If a student is expressing difficulty, the student or the parent should contact the teacher for assistance. Students can communicate with their teachers via Google Classroom or email. Flexibility will be provided for assignment due dates when appropriate. The work should take no longer than two and a half hours for completion.
What happens if my child needs assistance? Teachers will be available to students through Google Classroom or email. Teachers will check Google Classroom and their email regularly to answer student/parent questions as quickly as they can. If parents are experiencing technical difficulty, please email our Technology Support Center at [email protected].
When will Remote Learning day assignments be posted? Assignments will be posted by 9:00 a.m. each day through Google Classroom or other approved communication tools. Consideration will be given to students that need additional time to complete assignments due to unforeseen circumstances.
What is expected of students? Students are encouraged to do their best to complete the Remote Learning activities assigned for the day. They have the flexibility to work on them at whatever time of day (or days in the week) works best for your family. Students should submit work to their teachers when requested to do so. Some work will be digital, some may not. Teachers will provide feedback on work that is submitted. In addition, students will have 5 school days to complete the work upon returning to school to provide time for more support and guidance from their teachers. At this time, the directive from the state is that graded work can only be used if it improves or maintains a student's grade. We strongly encourage students to keep up with their Remote Learning activities and submit their work when requested to do so for continuity of learning.
What can families expect from teachers? Our teachers have been working hard to prepare quality continuation of learning activities that are aligned with grade level standards. Families can expect teachers to have daily lessons posted by 9:00 a.m. each day during Remote Learning. Teachers can be reached by email or through Google Classroom and will be available to answer questions and support students and families throughout the regular school day hours. Teachers will be providing feedback to students when work is completed and continuously communicating with students and families.
What if my child needs more work or challenge than the teacher assigned? Please reach out to your child’s teacher should you feel your child needs additional work.
Will my child receive instruction on new content and skills? Students will continue to learn material that is relevant to the current unit of study. While Remote Learning will be completed outside of the traditional classroom environment, it will serve as an extension of previous learning, a bridge to upcoming lessons, and/or may contain new content and skills.
Will teachers be providing “live” instruction? At this time, teachers are encouraged, but not required, to do live instruction at least once a week. We are establishing protocols that should be followed for “live” instruction for the safety of our students. All “live” instruction will be recorded so that students who are unable to attend a “live” session at a specific time still have access to the information that was presented at that time.
What do I do if I have technology-related questions during a Remote Learning day? If a student is having technology-related issues, please contact our Technology Support Center at [email protected].
How will attendance be taken? Student attendance will not be taken at this time. This may change as the Illinois State Board of Education continues to make updates to their requirements during the COVID-19 for public schools.
How will the Remote Learning day impact after-school activities? After-school activities will be treated the same as if school were closed. All activities will be canceled.
What if my teacher does not have access to a device, or cannot correspond with us, because they have been adversely affected by the emergency event. Teachers will contact their grade level colleagues and building principal if they are unable to complete their responsibilities. Parents/guardians will be notified via email if a teacher is unavailable due to the emergency circumstances, but the assignments will be posted (team members and building administration will publish work for them).
What if my child has an IEP or 504 plan? Students will follow their general education lesson plans, and teachers will be available. Modifications and accommodations will be made according to learning plans as needed. If a student receives any related services, those providers will communicate how they will be working with their students. If there are other special circumstances, their special education teacher and/or classroom teacher will inform them of the learning activities and goals.
How can I help keep my child stay safe online? The school district provides district devices with a cloud-based web filter, called Securly, which continues to monitor at both school and home.. Securly supervises student searches and online work to support students and help keep them safe. Securly blocks online sites and searches if they fall into any of several dangerous or inappropriate categories. The district is notified if a student uses any cyber bullying or self harm language. This also applies to images and video searches on school issued devices. There are many online learning companies that are offering free access to their products due to the circumstances around Covid-19. While many of these are doing so in the interest of supporting learning, we would like you to be mindful that some may be trying to profit from the current situation. District 12 staff has always been cautious to only recommend resources that uphold our expectations for learning while also protecting student data and privacy. With that being said, please only utilize the educational resources assigned by teachers via Google Classroom OR encourage children to use websites that DO NOT require a login. This will help to ensure student information will be kept safe.
What if we don’t have Internet access at our home? Students will not be penalized if they do not have Internet service. Once school reopens, students will receive support in completing the work requiring the Internet.
Comcast offers 2 months free to new customers, an offer for a laptop or computer for 149.99 and all hotspots open to the public. To take up this offer you must be an eligible “qualified low-income household”. Go to InternetEssentials.com or call 855-846-8376 for English or call 855-765-6995 for Spanish. *Note- All new customers will receive “a free self-install kit” with no shipping fee
Spectrum is offering 2 months free with all hotpots available to the public. To take up Spectrum’s offer you must be a household with a student enrolled in a K-12 school or college. Call 844-488-8395 *Note- Installation fees will be waived for eligible households
T-Mobile, Sprint and Metro are lifting their caps on existing data plans, in effect immediately, giving everyone unlimited data for the next 60 days at no extra charge. They are also providing every line with an additional 20GB of hotspot data. Hotspots will give you the ability to connect to Wi-Fi on your laptop and some desktops.