Virtual and Distance Learning Tips
Cowles Montessori Vision
“Human flourishing, as Maria Montessori put it, means becoming a person of one’s time and place with the means and wherewithal not only to function within but to shape society (NCMPS, 2019).”
“All humans (CHILDREN and ADULTS) flourish in society (ENVIRONMENT).” - Cowles Montessori Vision
For all humans to flourish in our current society, we are exercising “social distancing” during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this process is to slow the spread of the virus. It is a collaborative effort to “flatten the curve,” which is a process to reduce the number of individuals needing medical attention and to not overwhelm the current health care responders with those in need. This means that students are not able to attend and learn in their traditional school environments. Virtual and distance learning programs were developed to ensure the highest level of safety for our school community and continue our students' academic growth and development.
Student Virtual Learning To-Dos
Get ready!
- Follow a consistent sleep schedule
- Set an alarm with plenty of time to prepare for the day
- Stretch, breathe, and center yourself
- Get dressed for the day and other practical life skills (e.g., brush teeth, comb hair, etc.).
- Eat a balanced breakfast
- Prepare a virtual and distance learning space
- Review the schedule for the day and your work plan
Log into the following platforms. Quick links to each platform are located here: https://www.dmschools.org/quick-links-students/
- Student computer
- Student email/calendar account
- Canvas (check for email invite from the teacher)
- Microsoft Teams App (check email calendar or Teams calendar invites from the teacher)
Usernames and passwords are the same for each platform:
- Username is: student ID#@student.dmschools.org
- Password is: date of birth in this format - MMDDYYYY
- Reset Student Password: https://www.loom.com/share/8691d0c0c9f044ffafe8f4732da7d552
Packets and Material pick-up will begin on Monday, September 14th (updated)
- Montessori Made Manageable Packets (PreK-6th Grade)
- Math Packets (7th-8th Grade)
- Language Arts Texts (7th-8th Grade)
Troubleshooting
- Call: 515-242-8221 for technical support - Open 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- Email: bts.cowles@dmschools.org for technical support
- Contact your teacher for further assistance
Microphone Issues:
- First you will need to go to Device Manager and under "Sound, video and game controllers" right click on the Conextant audio device and uninstall the driver (put a check in the box to remove the driver as well).
- Restart the computer, Once restarted, it may take a bit for the driver to completely re-added and it should ask for another restart.
- Restart once again, then go back to Device manager and update the driver. Once the driver update is complete, it should ask for a restart again.
- Once restarted this time, sound should be returned to normal.
Loom Video: How To Reset Student Passwords
Parenting Montessori-style
Here are 10 Montessori principles you can apply at home.
1. Slow down — plan less, explore life with your child at a slow pace, and allow time for movement, conversation, and gaining cooperation
2. Respect the child — speak and listen to your child as you would an adult
3. Hands on learning — provide concrete experiences for them to make discoveries by themselves, look things up at the library, ask a neighbor or expert, do an experiment etc
4. Follow the child — ask ourselves, “what are they interested in right now and how can I provide opportunities to follow this interest?”
5. Include them in daily life — young children like to be involved in food preparation, setting the table, cleaning, doing laundry, doing the shopping and more
6. See things from the child’s perspective — to understand our child’s behavior and acknowledge their feelings
7. Use alternatives to bribes, rewards, and punishments — move from extrinsic motivators to ways to work with our child and solve problems together; instead of time out, we help them calm down, then make amends
8. Observe objectively rather than making assumptions or judgments — look how they move, the communication they make, the activities they are working to master, their social interactions, and how they eat/sleep
9. Be the guide — we are the adult guiding them (give as much help as needed and as little as possible) rather than being their boss (do as I say) or being their servant (I’ll do everything for you)
10. Prepare ourselves — to look after ourselves to have patience, to fill our own bucket, to understand our own triggers, and find ways to come back to calm when needed
Microsoft Teams
Our Cowles Montessori Teachers will provide synchronous (live & scheduled) virtual instruction through Microsoft Teams to all Cowles Montessori Students beginning the week of September 8th.
Microsoft Teams (Virtual Community Building, Small Groups, 1-on-1s, Open Office Hours):
- Students log onto their computers with their DMPS username and password
- Student login username is: student ID#@student.dmschools.org
- Student login password is: date of birth in this format - MMDDYYYY
- Open the Microsoft Teams App
- Open the "calendar" icon in Microsoft Teams
- Students will receive a calendar invite from their teacher to Join the Microsoft Teams Meeting
- There tends to be a lot of unwanted audio feedback if too many people have their mic turned on. The student or the teacher can un-mute the mic if it's the student's turn to speak
Microphone Issues:
- First you will need to go to Device Manager and under "Sound, video and game controllers" right click on the Conextant audio device and uninstall the driver (put a check in the box to remove the driver as well).
- Restart the computer, Once restarted, it may take a bit for the driver to completely re-added and it should ask for another restart.
- Restart once again, then go back to Device manager and update the driver. Once the driver update is complete, it should ask for a restart again.
- Once restarted this time, sound should be returned to normal.
Related Arts: Music, Art, and P.E.
Art, Music, and PE
The Related Arts team is excited to begin the school year! This year, students will meet with Mrs. Peterson (music), Mrs. Dare (art), and Mr. White (PE) once a week for a lesson on Teams. These lessons will be “live”. Students will also find Related Arts content on your classroom teacher’s Montessori Distance Learning page. The Music, Art, and PE teachers will be teaching the SAME lesson “live” Monday through Friday. Your child can choose which day they would like to attend a live lesson. The expectation is that they attend an Art, PE, AND Music class by the end of the week. Mrs. Peterson, Mrs. Dare, and Mr. White will be taking attendance for each lesson. The schedule for when your student should attend is listed below. If you have questions, please reach out to the Related Arts Team.
*To access the lessons: Every student has been added to a Teams group based on their level for all three of the Related Arts subjects. At the time of the lesson, go to the subject Teams group that your student wishes to attend that day. Five minutes before the lesson starts, there will be a blue button that says “join”. Click that button, and you will be in the lesson.
Thank you!
Canvas
Canvas (Online Learning)
- Students log onto their computers with their DMPS username and password
- Student login username is: student ID#@student.dmschools.org
- Student login password is: date of birth in this format - MMDDYYYY
- Click on the student's virtual classroom
Montessori Made Manageable
A Message From CMPG: Grace and Courtesy
- Cowles Montessori Parent Group Board Members
Board Policy: Student Use of Educational Technology
Series 600
Code 610.1
Title: Student Use of Educational Technology
Click here to view the School Board Policy:
See Administrative Procedures Code 520: School Discipline
Code 780: Reproduction of Copyrighted Materials
Code 513: Student Records/Distribution of Student Rosters
Approved October 21, 1997
Revised August 2012
Contact Cowles Montessori
Email: todd.johnson@dmschools.org
Website: cowles.dmschools.org
Location: 6401 College Avenue, Windsor Heights, IA, USA
Phone: 515-242-7818
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CowlesMontessori/
Twitter: @CowlesDMPS