FLEXIBLE LEARNING DAYS @ LAKE MS
Information for Students and Families
South Washington County Schools (SoWashCo Schools) proposed adjustments to the 2021–22 school calendar during the school board business meeting on Thursday, Dec. 16th.
Like many school districts, SoWashCo Schools sought to adjust its current calendar to help address a combination of challenges related to the ongoing pandemic.
The adjustments to the remainder of the school year to provide five flexible learning days for students in grades 6-12 were approved and added to the school calendar.
Flexible Learning Days are when students will be learning from home online. These are considered school days and student attendance will be taken during live class sessions.
Below is information for students and families to assist in communicating the implementation of Flexible Learning Days.
Five Flexible Learning Days were added to the District 833 school calendar for grades 6-12.
· Friday, January 14th
· Friday, February 4th
· Tuesday, February 22nd
· Friday, April 1st
· Friday, May 13th
Any questions, please call the Lake Middle School Front Office at 651-425-6400.
WHAT
WHAT are Flexible Learning Days?
On flexible learning days, students will learn from home online. (Students should NOT report to school on flexible learning days.)
The schedule includes live connection online with students (synchronous), activities for students to do on their own (asynchronous), and teacher office hours where students can receive additional support.
A flex learning day is considered a full day of attendance for students. Student attendance will be taken online, and students are expected to attend each of their classes per the schedule provided. Each class will meet for 15 minutes for students to ensure understanding of the expectations of the day and an opportunity for the teacher to provide any additional information needed for each class.
Attendance WILL be taken during synchronous (live) class time on Zoom. Students MUST attend the entire 15-minute period to be marked present.
Teacher Office Hours/Student Connect Time is time provided for teachers to reach out to students who are behind or need additional support. It can include meetings with individual students and/or small groups of students that were scheduled ahead of time, calling a student’s parents/guardians if their student is behind in work or there are other concerns (i.e. attendance).
WHERE
WHERE will Flexible Learning Days be Held?
Live (synchronous) instruction is time for teachers to interact with students online via individual teacher’s Zoom links.
Each teacher’s Zoom link will be provided on their class Schoology homepage for students to enter in to for each individual class period/teacher.
Each class period (periods 1 through 6) will be 15 minutes in length.
All teachers will share information with their classes about their flex day information. Students will be able to locate their class Zoom links on each Schoology homepage for each class.
WHEN
WHEN are Flexible Learning Days Scheduled?
Mark the following dates on your calendar and in your student planner!
· Friday, January 14th
· Friday, February 4th
· Tuesday, February 22nd
· Friday, April 1st
· Friday, May 13th
WHAT IF MY CHILD CAN'T ATTEND A FLEXIBLE LEARNING DAY?
If students are sick/absent and cannot participate in online learning on Flexible Learning Days, their absence should be reported to the front office as it would on any other school day.
If students are not called in as absent and don’t show up to the online classes, their absence will be marked as “unexcused.”
Flexible Learning Days are considered a school day.
*To report a student’s absence on a Flexible Learning Day, a parent should call: 651-425-6464
FLEXIBLE LEARNING DAY - SCHEDULE
FRIENDLY REMINDERS
-Students should NOT report to school on Flexible Learning Days. Students will be learning online in their home environment from 8:30am through 11:15am. (15-minute class periods)
-There will NOT be Homebase classes on Flexible Learning Days.
-Student will need their Chromebook (and Chromebook charger) to participate in their home environment.
-If students are sick/absent and cannot participate in online learning on Flexible, their absence should be reported as it would on any other school day. If students are not called in as absent and don’t show up to the online classes, their absence will be marked as “unexcused.” Flexible Learning Days are considered a school day. *To report a student’s absence, a parent should call: 651-425-6464
-If a student is behind in any class, they may be encouraged to meet with their teacher(s) during Teacher Office Hours/Student Connect Timeframe between the hours of 12:30pm-2:30pm in order for teachers to provide additional support and/or clarification as needed in order for students to get back on track.
-Please note that if a teacher is absent because of illness, etc. they will communicate with their students that they will not be holding a live (synchronous) class session, but they will post directions/work to do on Schoology.
Any Questions? Ask your Homebase Teacher and/or any Classroom Teachers!
ALL LAKE STUDENTS WILL BE GIVEN INFORMATION ABOUT FLEXIBLE LEARNING DAYS IN HOMEBASE CLASSES - JANUARY 10TH
Attachments shared below:
-Flexible Learning Days Intro Presentation for Students in Homebase
-Flexible Learning Days Info Sheet and Schedule