SWW SY20-21 Virtual Learning Resources

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August 28, 2020

 

Hello families,  

We are very excited to start the ‘20-’21 school year virtually with our students! While we know there will be challenges, we also know that our staff is dedicated to making this virtual experience as engaging and successful as possible. Our students have also shown great dedication to their own learning experience throughout the spring and during Summer Bridge, with family support, and we hope to continue the hard work you all have put forth. 

Please continue to check your email regularly for some very important information about the school year.  

To begin, families can watch DCPS’ Parent University’s Accessing Learning Online – Canvas 101 for Families. Families should also support their student in logging in to all platforms and downloading the necessary platforms to computers, tablets and/or phones.  

First Week Schedule 

We will welcome students virtually on Monday, August 31st and ensure that students are set up for a successful year. Please review and follow the schedule below.  

Monday, August 31st 

Time 

Information and Meeting Links 

9:35am-11:50am 

Grade Level Meetings 

12pm-1pm 

Lunch Bunch 

Students can reconnect, introduce, and meet with teachers and students in meeting rooms over the lunch hour. “Bring” your lunch and catch up with our staff and students! Visit the Lunch Bunch Links and click into your teachers’ rooms! 

1pm-3pm 

Counselor  

Schedule-Change Office Hours 

Counselors will host office hours for individual scheduling needs. Students should fill out the request form before meeting with their counselor. Students will be place in a “waiting room” and will be let into the meeting one-by-one. Please be patient, stay close to your computer, and stay in the waiting room, as may students have individual needs.  

9th Grade Counselor Schedule Change Office Hours 

9th Grade Schedule Change Request Form 

10th Grade Counselor Schedule Change Office Hours 

10th Grade Schedule Change Request Form 

 

11th Grade Counselor Schedule Change Office Hours 

11th Grade Schedule Change Request Form 

 

12th Grade Counselor Schedule Change Office Hours 

12th Grade Schedule Change Request Form 

2pm-3pm 

Set Up for Student Success Presentation 


The Set Up for Student Success Presentation will review study habits, organizational skills and best practices for a virtual environment. 

3pm-4pm 

Set Up for Parent Success Presentation 

The Set Up for Parent Success Presentation will review how parents can help support their child’s success in a virtual environment. 

Be on the lookout for information from your teachers to join live classes.  

Tuesday, September 1 – Friday, September 4 

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Self-Guided Virtual Club Fair 

In order to protect student privacy, this information will be emailed to families directly.

Complete the Sign-Up to express interest in a club, and share your contact information with club leaders and sponsors 

School Schedule 

Review the DCPS school year calendar and make note of days-off and holidays for the entire school year. 

The school day runs from 9:35am-4pm. Students will transition through 5 periods (including a lunch period) each day, on an A/B rotation. Day 1s are Mondays and Thursdays, Day 2s are Tuesdays and Fridays. Wednesdays are non-instructional days and are reserved for Advisory (more information will be forthcoming about scheduling Advisory), small group instruction and/or intervention, teacher office-hours, College Visits, and time for students to interact with one another. Please see the color-coded schedule below. Day 1 and Day 2 periods 1, 2 and 5 meet for 90 minutes every other day, and Periods 3 and 4 meet daily for 50 minutes. Live classes will be scheduled by the teacher.  

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Student Attendance 

Student attendance is logged through Canvas. Students must login to Canvas (see below for login information), daily between the hours of 6am-11:59pm to be counted as present for the day. School Without Walls expects students to join live classes and participate in both synchronous and asynchronous learning experiences, every day, to stay on a successful academic track. See the District Attendance Policy and Guidance.  

Student Schedules and Change Requests 

Students can access their schedules through Aspen and/or through Canvas.  If a student has a schedule change request, counselors will be taking those requests via an electronic form (see first day schedule above), and through office hours on Monday, August 31, from 1pm-3pm (see first day schedule above). Schedules must be finalized by September 14th.  As a reminder, changes are based on space availability. Counselors are unable to take email requests for schedule changes, change a teacher, or lunch period.   

Technology Needs 

If your student requires a device, please fill out the DCPS Technology Survey and email danny.ware@k12.dc.gov to schedule a time for pick up. 

Logging In to Platforms Information 

You will need your Students’ ID number, which can be found in Aspen. If you are having trouble accessing your Student ID, please email kip.smith@k12.dc.gov.  

  • Clever 
    Clever is a hub for DCPS resources that can be used as a single-sign on for student applications.  

    • Site: clever.com/in/dcpsk12 

    • Login Information: StudentID# (ie. 9211111); Password – 6-digit Birthdate as ddmmyy (ie. 011005) 

  • Aspen 
    Aspen is the official gradebook of record. Students can obtain their Student ID, review their schedule and monitor their graded assignments. 

  • Canvas 
    Canvas will log daily attendance (students must log on that day to be counted as present), host lesson modules for students to navigate, which will include assignments, announcements, discussion boards, and curricular materials and resources. Review Canvas login information.  

  • Microsoft Teams 
    Microsoft Teams is used for live classes, small group meetings, and live group project work.  Students should download Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams to their computer and phones using the following information: 

    • Site: office.com  

      • Students should see all Microsoft applications and can click on the Teams icon 

    • Login Information: Username – StudentID#@k12.students.dc.us (ie. 9211111@students.k12.dc.us); Password - 6-digit Birthdate as ddmmyy (ie. 011005) 

    • Resources: Microsoft Teams Tutorial for Students, Parent University Understanding Microsoft Teams 

If a student requires support in logging in to Microsoft 365, Clever or Canvas at home, please visit: http://dcps.tech/help and fill out the Student Technology Support Request form. 

Student Online and Social Media Expectations for Virtual Learning 

Please review the online and social media expectations that students must adhere to. 

School Without Students will... 

  • Show up on time and ready to learn ​

    • Login on time and have pen/pencil and paper or a Notes/Word document available​

  • Be ready to “show” yourself​

    • Be dressed and ready to show your face online through your video function when you are speaking​

  • Engage and "Demand Your Education"​

    • Be on task, ask questions in the chat, raise your virtual hand, unmute yourself to provide your answer/input, and advocate for yourself​

  • Be patient, understanding, courteous and respectful​

    • Make sure to mute yourself when you are not speaking, use the chat to discuss class-related topics during instruction, be patient and understanding with your teacher and other students (as we all learn to navigate new technologies), and use school-appropriate language/actions​

  • Social media should be reserved for after school time (unless assigned by a teacher)​

    • Do not post personal information, take screenshots of instruction or people (unless given permission), use information shared by teachers, or post on social media during instructional hours

 

Academic Expectations and Grading Policies 

At School Without Walls, we expect that every student will “Demand Your Education”. We encourage students to be active participants in their academic education and that they put forth their best effort every day. This year, Term grade calculations are based on:  

  • Student Engagement (20%): listening, speaking, writing, engaging, and/or leading during class discussions or group activities. 

  • Practice and Application (40%): practices and applies discrete skills acquired from individual lessons throughout a unit. 

  • Assessments (40%): formal evaluations of individual student progress and mastery. Assessments range from traditional tests and quizzes to performance-based tasks that demonstrate student skill and knowledge of an entire unit. 

To learn more about the policies and calculations, please read the District Grading Policy and Guidance.  

Student Support  

We know these last few months have brought many challenges to our families and communities. If your family, or your student, is requiring any support during this time, please reach out to your School Counselor (by grade level below) and/or our School Social Worker, Ms. Sophia Thomas at Sophia.thomas@k12.dc.gov. 

We are looking forward to a fantastic, and adaptable year with our students. It is in partnership with families that our students will be successful. Perseverance, flexibility, and patience are skills that we will all develop and grow together, to be able to adjust to the ever-changing current reality. We appreciate your understanding, support, and partnership as we navigate this virtual year! 

Thank you,   

SWW Administration  

Richard Trogisch, Principal, richard.trogisch@k12.dc.gov 

Sylvia Isaac, Associate Principal, sylvia.isaac@k12.dc.gov 

Megan Hanley, Assistant Principal, megan.hanley@k12.dc.gov  

 

Administration, Covid-19Sandra Moscosodistance learning, covid19, Administration, canvas, teams, clever, aspen, SY2021, SY21