An Introduction to Online/Home Learning
At Children’s Day School, we believe that teaching and learning happen best in person. That said, in the event of a prolonged school closure, we believe it is important to provide continuity and connection for our students by offering an online/home learning plan that is aligned with grade-level content and learning goals and provides students with a routine and planned opportunities to continue to think, learn, reflect and grow under the guidance of their teachers. With this goal in mind, the academic program administration team has developed the following document to outline our approach to online/home learning. This document defines the responsibilities of each member of the community, the basic structure and expectations for each division, and the platforms that we intend to use to support our online/home learning plan.
California Association of Independent School (CAIS) Guidelines
CAIS will count school days during closures as minimum days requiring 3.5 hours of learning activities each school day. Schools have the option of requiring more time for daily learning but the minimum day is the baseline requirement from CAIS.
Parents and teachers should plan for students, grades two through twelve, to spend a minimum of 3.5 hours each day in learning activities. Teachers will create and share learning activities via an online platform.
For grades 2 – 8 learning activities may include but are not limited to:
- Activities that leverage the use of technology such as online learning, app-based lessons, video lessons, teleconferencing, etc.
- Textbook based learning, reading, workbooks, and/or packets of work sent home
- Interactive or hands-on lessons
- Other activities as designed by instructional staff to meet learning objectives for the grade and subject area, and to align with the school’s instructional approach
Grades pre-kindergarten through first will develop their own requirements.
CDS School Closure Protocol
In the event a school closure of more than three days is necessary, we will inform the community immediately through a text and phone alert with our emergency notification system (One Call Now) and a ParentSquare note.
The first two days will be treated like a weather-related closure to allow faculty and staff an opportunity to prepare for online/home learning that will begin for students on the third day of closure.
Once we begin online/home learning the experience will vary depending on the grade of a student. We will offer connections and assignments through video interactions with classmates and teachers.
It is our expectation that all CDS students engage in the online/home learning provided by CDS faculty and staff. These are not optional activities but, rather, a way to maintain continuity of instruction. If a child is sick or unable to complete assignments for any reason, the family should notify the teacher and division head.
Teachers and staff who are healthy and able to work remotely will be “on the clock” from 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. each school day. The specific expectations and platforms differ by Division and are outlined below.
Two Key Words Regarding Online/Home Learning
Asynchronous: Students engage in class materials and complete work at their own pace, typically within a given timeframe: without real-time interaction. Currently, Seesaw (LS) and Google Classroom (MS) are asynchronous experiences.
Synchronous: Students engage in real-time, together, virtually, using a platform like Zoom, or others.