News & Announcements

Introduction to DWCS Virtual Learning

We are looking forward to welcoming your student(s) virtually and in-person Tuesday, September 8^th! Thank you for your patience and support as we navigate through a new school year with many changes. Some of the students will receive a video/presentation/podcast lesson daily via his/her teacher’s Google Classroom. For lower elementary grades, lessons will be adjusted accordingly. More information will be provided for grades K-2 from their teachers. Some teachers will offer live lessons, but they will also offer a recording of the lesson for the student. If a teacher chooses to use a recorded lesson, it will mirror the same lesson the students in the classroom receive to the greatest extent possible. Assignments, tests, deadlines, etc. will be communicated to the parents/student by his/her teacher.

• If the lesson is live, the student’s camera and sound must be muted in order to minimize background noise and other distractions. The student will have the option of typing a question to the teacher and the teacher will be able to respond. The teacher may unmute the student periodically for class discussion. 

• The teacher may use Google Meet for live videoing or Loom for recording/editing for posting to Google Classroom. (K-2 may look differently than 3-12. Teachers will communicate those differences.)

• Curriculum videos such as Zearn and YouTube may also be used in addition to teacher videos.  

• Teachers cannot require students to log-in at an assigned time, but may request it on certain lessons/days. We understand that parents have chosen virtual learning for multiple reasons and some situations will not allow for students to be at a device at a specific time. 

• The teacher will set-up “office hours” for students for questions/concerns. The teachers may not answer questions/emails all night long. Communication of teacher and parent expectations is vital. 

Virtual Attendance, Assessments & Communication

• Attendance will be taken daily through a Google form. Students will complete the form, and the program will timestamp their time of log-in to count as their attendance in that class each day. If a student has multiple Google Classrooms, (grades 3-12) then the student will need to log-in to each Google classroom and complete a form daily for each class. This will count as attendance for each teacher. 

• Students will need to complete assessments according to the teacher’s guidelines. For example, exams loaded to Google Classroom at a certain time, exams only open for a certain time period, essay, etc. Teachers will communicate assignment deadlines and due dates.

• Teachers will communicate with students daily.

• Teachers will communicate with parents at least weekly via phone calls, email, Remind, etc. Remember, communication is a two-way street. If a teacher chooses communication other than voice, they must make certain that emails, voicemails, texts, and Remind are being checked by and they are getting a response from parents. Please notify the teachers if contact information changes.

• Recorded lessons will be uploaded daily to Google Classroom. The classroom teacher will determine how/when the lessons are uploaded and will communicate that to the students and parents.

• The platform that DWCS will be using is Google Classroom for lessons. Remind app will be used for parent communication (a teacher may choose to use other forms in addition to Remind)

• Classroom teachers will contact all Virtual Learners by Tuesday, September 8, 2020. This communication serves to verify the following:
  •  a working email address, phone number, mailing address 
  •  parents/guardians understand teacher expectations for the first 9 weeks  of school
  • parent questions and/or concerns about Virtual Learning 
  • Any questions regarding technology equipment/internet should be directed to the DWCS Technology Department.

Virtual learning is new to all of us. Face-to-face learning with state mandated Covid rules and guidelines are new to all of us. We, as a staff, as parents, as neighbors, and as a community will take this ONE lesson at a time, ONE day at a time. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation as we work through this together. Please feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher(s) or administration at any time if you have questions or concerns. We are here to help our parents and students navigate this school year with success! We appreciate your support! Go Timberwolves!