A Word from Principal Melanie Beninga
I feel greatly blessed and honored to be working with so many fine educators, learners, parents, and administrators. The LTISD staff have been working around the clock to ensure that our learners will have the tools that they need in order to continue their learning from home.
As Assistant Principal, Leanna Pesta, and I "sat" in on learning sessions today, we were thrilled to see the smiling faces of our learners. The learners were engaged, chatting with each other and their teachers, and it looked like the first day of online learning was a great success.
If you found day one to be challenging, believe me when I say that I understand the challenges parents face. I have two elementary school students learning from my own home right along with your children. I and my children are also receiving instructions from educators, lessons to work through, and assignments to complete; thus, I am right in this with you as a parent, as well as, an educator and administrator.
Now that our first day of online learning is coming to an end, it may be helpful for you to have additional tips, instructions, and a "map." Please know that we are here to help you and your child(ren) in any way that we can. Please let me know how we may be of assistance to you.
Schoology Online Learning Rolls Out
Today, we implemented our online learning through Schoology for all of our Online Learning Curriculum. We will begin with “Week 0” - Thursday and Friday of this week. Although Schoology is widely used in our District and in our older grade levels at WCHE, some of our students will be accessing Schoology for the first time today. The information being provided here will help to better acquaint you with Schoology. Please know that you may need to assist your child in navigating Schoology, as well as, help facilitate many of these activities with your child.
Students will begin assignments Thursday and Friday of this week that are intended to be "getting acquainted" activities. These are designed for students to complete at their own pace, on any day of choice, as long as they are completed by Thursday of the current week (Friday of this week.) This allows flexibility to you and your family with the understanding that some of you are still working, have multiple children in the household, etc.
Each week, students will be required to submit activities through Schoology for accountability purposes and grading. You can find these assignments under the MATERIALS tab and under each week’s folder. These will need to be submitted by the end of the day on Thursday (except this week - you will have until the end of the day on Friday.)
Logging in to Schoology:
Head to ClassLink: https://launchpad.classlink.com/ltisd#myapps
Username: Your student's ID starting with an S (Ex: S123456) - please email if you need your child’s student ID.
Password: Birth Date - YearMonthDay (Ex: 20120814)
Once you have logged in, click SAVE PASSWORD at the top right so that you do not have to continue typing in login information.
From here, you can click on Schoology and use/save the same login you used for ClassLink. FYI - The app is a white S with a blue circle around it.
Once you are logged into Schoology, click on your teacher's course. You will find the resources needed each week under the MATERIALS tab. Announcements may be posted on the UPDATES feed as the following week’s lessons are posted. Teachers are able to see who is accessing Schoology and can communicate through this avenue. They will be checking weekly for completion of assignments and will reach out if assignments are missing.
Teachers will have "office hours" daily, Mondays through Thursdays, in a standing Google Hangout where they can respond to questions, concerns, chats. Fridays will be used for grading, planning, and individual STUDENT meetings. The purpose of office hours is to connect with students, reteach content, and answer questions from students or parents in an effort to help their child. This is a great time for you to ask questions regarding the activities, Schoology, or anything that can be discussed with other parents. The link for your teacher's Google Hangout is on their Schoology page under UPDATES and/or under the MATERIALS tab. You just click on the link and it will bring you to a video conference call where your teacher will be “hanging out” during office hours.
At times, there may be several students on the hangout together, so I ask that you please click the small red mute button at the bottom of your screen. This will help to eliminate background noise, but don’t worry, teachers all have a chance to unmute students and talk directly to you!
Quick note: Once you have logged into ClassLink, you may have other online options available to you - BrainPop Jr., etc. These are optional apps to use if you’d like. They are not a part of the online learning curriculum.
If you are having trouble with Schoology, please let me know how I can help!
Counseling Services
School Counselors remain available to support our students and families during this time of remote learning. Please reach out as needed.
For Young Students: Children take their cues for how to feel and how to act from their parents and caregivers. The following link gives simple ideas for staying calm and resilient.
How you and your children can de-stress during corona virus
For All Students: Boredom may be a new experience for many of our children who are usually busy and scheduled with many activities. Take advantage of the boredom and increased down time to learn more about each other, ourselves and how we respond to new events. Try some of the activities listed on this link to enhance this self learning.
Simple Activities for Children and Adolescents
For Parents: When parents are OK, kids are OK. Parents have many worries and concerns right now. This link can help with ideas about how to care for yourself during this challenging time.
West Cypress Hills Elementary
