Skyview Division
Distance Learning Week 1
Parent Zoom Meeting
Join Zoom Meeting:
YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
I was thinking about the story of Shadrack, Meshach and Abednego in the Fiery Furnace. When these young men were placed into the furnace as a punishment. God did not leave them alone. In Daniel 3, the story is shared with all the details. The verses at the end of this chapter say it all.
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”
They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”
25 He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”
God is with us in this trial we are in. He says over and over in the Bible, "Do not fear. . ." Uncertainty is hard for us to handle. It causes fear! I know. I like to know the plans ahead as well. But we know the One who knows all the plans and He is not surprised by any of this. He will walk in the "furnace" right along side us and see us through to the other side.
If you need anything during this time, please do not hesistate to contact me. Prayer, grocercies, or even toilet paper--
Watch "Another in the Fire" by Hillsong UNITED
Cooking with Kreutner
Parent Survey Results
Is your child able to have easy access of an appropriate device and internet service to complete assignments? 97% Yes
Overall, how would you rate the quality of your child's distance learning experience so far? 98% very positive to neutral
How easy is it to understand instructions from the teacher? 93% extremely easy to somewhat easy
Did it take your child more or less time than you expected to complete their daily assignments? 82% a little less time to about what I expected
How responsive have the principal or teachers been to your questions or concerns? 85% extremely responsive to very responsive.
Comments from parents:
- Thank you again for all the work done for preparing and rolling out this option. It's hard but I'm glad our students are still learning. We are all doing our best!
- I am also working full time from home so it’s been very difficult to stay on task and feel good that my child is learning and doing everything she needs to be.
- We loved the teachers videos! Made our son happy to see the teachers he misses so much! We also enjoyed doing the Bible verse and devotional as a family!
- I feel overwhelmed by the number of emails I receive. I appreciate the communication but it’s a lot of email from the principal, teachers, and Mrs. Leech. I wish they would keep it to an email or two a day.
- There have been some frustrations with submitting assignments but overall the actual structure of the online classroom has been easy to follow.
- Last night was our first tears because our child misses going to school. I love that our daughter loves to attend school.
- We love the zoom daily meeting- getting to feel some connection with the class!
- NCA (3rd-5th grade) did very good job to have this setting up and running. Everyone, including Principal, is all hands on deck to help out each others. As the parents, we really appreciate NCA's efforts to help out their students and families in such difficult time! God bless everyone!
An idea NCA will be working on for next week is having a zoom call to teach a lesson.
No need to stress if work comes in late. We know that everyone is doing the best they can. There will not be a penalty for late work during 3rd quarter distance learning.
Distance Learning Website
On the Specialist page the departments are hyperlinked to their pages.
If you are looking for any help you might want to look at the Parent's Place page.
A Note from the Specialists
We want to encourage all K-8 students and parents to access the enrichment activities and assignments for our specialist and elective classes through the NCA Distant Learning Site. https://sites.google.com/ncalive.org/nca/home At the top of the page, there is a Specialist tab. Click on that and you will find the specialist classes listed, and then again sub-division by grade level. Our specialist and elective teachers will continue to add suggested activities for your students to enjoy at home. If you have specific questions about a specialist or elective class, we ask that you email that teacher directly.
Note from a parent
I can see how much the teachers and staff care about the students and the time and energy they put in to providing schoolwork online and making it fun. My kids are in three different divisions and having good experience with Distance Learning.
My youngest child has enjoyed watching the fun, creative and educational videos the teachers created and doing the work at home. My 5th grader wakes up excited in the morning and looks forward to the 8:30 Devotion with teacher and classmates. I LOVE it that they starts the "school" day with devotion, and it's at 8:30 to keep the school routine. I believe that the devotion helps to set their minds on the right track for the day. And the face time in the morning helps them to get excited for the day and get their work done. As for my oldest child in middle school, this is a great opportunity to learn to prioritize schoolwork. So far, I see how this also helps my kids be more independent.
Of course, I can’t wait till they are back in school with their friends, but I do appreciate the approach the school is taking.
-Greta Goffar
Month at a Glance
- Mar. 30-Apr. 7 - Spring Break
- Distance Learning until April 27th
- April 12th - Easter
Best Practices for live Zoom
- Set up the zoom call in a shared space like the kitchen table. Your child needs to be in a common room such as a living or dining room when on Zoom during teachers' office hours.
- Have parents around to help get on zoom. For a one-on-one appointment with a teacher on Zoom, the child needs to be in a common room and the parent needs to be present.
- Be on the call 2 minutes early.
- Use the hand raise function to indicate you have a question or something to say.
- Mute yourself on entry into the call.
- Dress Code - free dress day or uniform please
Recess and Life Skills
At home online safety
- All ncalive.org accounts are set to strict filtering through Google, but we have no control if they do not log into their account or use a personal Gmail account to login outside of school
- We do have some control over a student Chromebook if they do use that device, but just know that students still find ways around this from time to time.
Tips for Parents
- Talk to your child and set clear guidelines for internet use.
- Establish an internet use agreement with your child (This may include: Safety and communication expectations with others when they are online).
- Monitor your child's internet use. Place computer in a common area where the screen is visible. Monitor all other internet-enabled devices, such as cell phones, tablets, and gaming devices. Always keep students in an open area that can be monitored. Parent monitoring is the best deterrent.
- Make it clear to your child that they should let you know if someone says or does something that makes them uncomfortable.
- Enable safe searching options and monitoring software in your home.
- Set a limit for how much time your child can spend online.
Some filter and monitoring options:
- Parent Control Setup with Xfinity: https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/set-up-parental-controls-with-comcast-networking
- Manage and monitor multiple devices: https://www.mobicip.com/
- Manage and monitor multiple devices: https://www.qustodio.com/en/
- Circle Home Plus: https://www.amazon.com/Circle-Parental-Controls-Internet-Devices/dp/B07QQHRB8P?tag=p00935-20&ascsubtag=03Q87QvscO89dbv11MgywgB
How can I get help with technology?
Expectations
NCA is making a mind shift from at school learning to distance learning. How can we keep the momentum of student learning in this new environment? First and foremost we are putting our time into creating lessons, activities, and facilitating student learning. Second NCA is making the online live connection through Zoom office hour an important daily routine to reduce students feeling isolated and continue our wonderful classroom communities. Finally we are working hard to get feedback to students in a timely maner. Thank you for understanding this changing landscape is an adjustment for all of us.
- Grades are in RenWeb.
- Daily at least one assignment will be graded with feedback to students.
- Other assignments will be returned within 48 hours of the due date.
Communication:
- If you email a staff member you can expect a reply within 24 hours. All email communication with teachers will occur through their school email account.
- Weekly newsletters from the division principal.
- Weekly Zoom calls from the principal to parents.
- Bi-weekly survey to parents to get feedback.
- Please feel free to call the principal any time at 425-322-2398 to talk or email at kkreutner@nca.school.
Please contact Janet Christy, Student Learning Director, if you have any questions or concerns about your child’s learning progress. jchristy@nca.school
Distance Learning work spaces
Counseling Corner
Dear Parents of 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students,
I know this has been an interesting week for us all, with school closed and the switch to distance learning. I realize that while some are making the adjustment fairly smoothly, there have been lots of mixed emotions, stress, and frustrations for many others. I want to make sure all our students are doing ok.
Remember, I am here to help! While my physical office at school may be closed, I am still available to support you or your students. I would like to have your student do a quick check in (using the Google form). This will help to see how they are feeling and let me know if there are any areas that I can support them in or that they want to talk about. If they do want to talk, I would arrange that with you.
Please have your student complete the check in form at this link below.
https://forms.gle/tLU21pzYp4aYMVZv6
Of course, I am happy to talk and support you parents as well. Best ways to contact me.
- You can always email me at gberge@nca.school, I am logged in weekdays 8-4pm.
- Click and complete the Request to Talk form for K-5 Counseling on our Google Distance Learning Site (under the Counselor Corner tab). https://sites.google.com/ncalive.org/nca/counselor-corner
You will have the option to indicate who wants to talk (as shown in image below) and we can either get a phone call or Zoom meeting set up.
Praying you and your family are filled with God’s hope and peace.
Romans 15:13 - May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Gene Berge