VCHS Distance Learning - Student Handbook

VCHS Distance Learning Student handbook addendum

Table of Contents Introduction Goal Terms Distance Learning Schedule Daily Distance Learning Schedule Mathematics, World Language, and Advanced Placement (AP) Classes English Classes Science, Social Science, and Bible Classes Elective, Business, Technology, Athletics/P.E., and Conservatory of the Arts Classes Nurturing and Communication in a Distance Learning Environment Nurturing Environment Communication Attendance Policies Attendance Illness and Requests for Assignment Extensions Academic Policies Homework Assessments Grading and PowerSchool How Semester Grade Categories will be Adjusted Late Work Academic Integrity and Discipline Curriculum Standards Maintained Student Distance Learning Instructions Joining a Zoom Session Sign-ins using Warriorlife Frequently Asked Questions Questions Regarding end of 3rd quarter/Missing work or tests from 3rd quarter The existing VCHS student handbook supersedes the addendum in any subject not explicitly addressed therein.

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Introduction

Welcome to distance learning at Valley Christian High School. Our community is blessed to be able to continue learning in our 1:1 environment that allows us to keep on track to earn UCapproved classes, prep for Advanced Placement classes, and earn a high school diploma without adding school days to the summertime. The Warrior Nation continues!

Students must remember that school is still in session. You may feel anxious about this transition, but remember that we are all in this together. Your caring counselor will still monitor your progress, your nurturing educators will be present every school day, and our expert educational technology coordinator & IT staff are leveraging digital learning paths.

Goal The goal of Emergency Distance Learning is to continue meaningful and manageable learning experiences while the school campus is closed.

Definition of Terms ● Asynchronous Learning - Class interactions happen via Learning Management System (Learn@VCS) without real-time interaction. Students engage in class materials and complete work at their own pace, typically within a given timeframe, often using discussion boards to drive peer-to-peer engagement. ● Synchronous Learning - Class interactions happen in real time, at the same time.

Students may virtually attend class together via video conference, livestream, or chat.

We have Zoom for synchronous meetings. Most online courses are a blend of synchronous contact and asynchronous study/work. ● Video-Captured Lectures - Teachers record lectures as videos, and make them available for students to review. ● Teacher Office Hours - Teachers are available digitally for daily real-time responses to student questions, typically using an online platform (Zoom, Moodle chat, etc.) that allows all students to interact with the teacher and view/hear one another’s questions.

Teachers will provide an Office Hours link on the front page of their learn.vcs.net page indicating how and when students can reach them for that day’s scheduled office hours.

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Distance Learning Schedule VCS will design 4-5 total hours of structured learning for the average student each day. This is reduced from the normal 6-hour school day to allow students a greater degree of scheduling flexibility as they work from home and in accordance with best practices in distance education.

Online learning takes many students longer than face-to-face instruction, and most students will need to complete some course work outside of the scheduled school day.

Each core class will be given a 30-minute window for synchronous (live group) learning, followed by a 30-minute window for asynchronous (independent) learning. Not all classes will have synchronous learning.

All learning objectives, learning materials, and instructions will be posted by teachers no later than 9:00am each day. All student assignments will be due by 9:00am of the next class session (following the A/B schedule).

Daily VCHS Distance Learning Schedule 8:00am-9:00am 9:00am

9:00-9:30am

Teacher prep and meetings ● All assignments from the previous class session are due ● All learning objectives, learning materials, and instructions for that day are posted on learn.vcs.net teacher websites Teacher Office Hours

9:30-10:30am

● A/B 1st Period - 9:30-10:00 may be a synchronous session

10:30-11:30am

● A/B 2nd Period - 10:30-11:00 may be a synchronous session

11:30-12:00pm

LUNCH BREAK

12:00-1:00pm

● A/B 3rd Period - 12:00-12:30 may be a synchronous session

1:00-2:00pm

● A/B 4th Period – 1:00-1:30 may be a synchronous session

2:00-2:30pm

Teacher Office Hours

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Mathematics, World Language, and Advanced Placement (AP) Classes Each scheduled class period these classes will hold synchronous meetings or video recorded lectures that will last for 20-30 minutes. This will allow students to receive direct instruction from the teacher. Students should expect to have an average of 45 minutes of practice/homework for each class session. Since lecture time will be reduced, students may find that mathematics homework takes them longer than normal. If the total time exceeds 90 minutes (including the lecture), the student should contact the teacher.

English Classes English teachers may choose to hold some synchronous meetings during each scheduled class period that will last for 20-30 minutes but are not required. Students should expect to have an average of 45 minutes of practice/homework for each class session. The amount may be up to 45 minutes due to the wide variance in student pacing with reading and writing.

Science, Social Science, and Bible Classes Science, Social Science, and Bible teachers may choose to hold some synchronous meetings during each scheduled class period that will last for 20-30 minutes, but these subjects may rely primarily on asynchronous learning. Students should expect to have an average of 30 minutes of practice/homework for each class session. Students should NOT expect to have much work for these classes outside of the one hour allotted window for the class, but there may be some.

Elective, Business, Technology, Athletics/P.E., and Conservatory of the Arts Classes Unless the class is already an online class or is an Advanced Placement Class, these classes will have unique learning designs. Those will vary and will be communicated by the teacher.

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Nurturing and Communication in a Distance Learning Environment Nurturing Environment In a distance learning environment, it takes all members of our learning community⸻the administration, counselors, teachers, students, and parents⸻intentionally choosing to nurture each other’s role in this unique situation. When a teacher is in a traditional classroom, he/she is able to read non-verbal communication cues to determine if a student is disengaged, confused, or overwhelmed. Distance learning limits the teacher’s ability to adjust and adapt if there is a student who has an issue. That means that it is vital to our collective success for the other community members to communicate if there is an issue or concern. We are all in this together, so it is important that we show unity and go directly to individuals with understanding. This is an opportunity to truly live out the wisdom of James 1:19: “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”

Communication Because students will not be present for in-person feedback from their teachers, it will be important for students to reach out to teachers during synchronous class meetings and/or office hours to get help early and often while completing assignments, rather than misapplying a new concept or skill. Teachers will be available from 9:00am-2:30pm and will do their best to respond to questions that day. Student response times should be comparable and students should be checking their email throughout the learning day. At minimum, students, teachers, and staff should respond within 24 business hours. As we begin the distance learning, email volume may be high, so we will all be patient as we adjust to our new environment.

Here are the communication paths available: ● Log into chat during the scheduled office hours for teachers ● Email the teacher ● Request for a video conference (if the above vehicles aren’t effective) Just as a reminder, students and parents are expected to communicate with the teacher FIRST, before administration and counselors are contacted to follow up on any concerns.

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Attendance Policies Attendance You are expected to be present for class and engaged in the daily lesson plans in order to maintain credit for your classes. This is the assigned time when the teacher is available and may offer synchronous learning. That being said, during Distance Learning, Valley Christian will measure attendance by ASSIGNMENTS SUBMITTED, rather than taking virtual attendance in each class. Students and parents/guardians should understand that missing a distance learning class might make it particularly difficult to catch up on missing information, due to the complexity of online learning. This means every priority should be made to attend classes during its assigned time.

Illness and Requests for Assignment Extensions If a student is ill, or has an excused reason to request a distance learning due date extension, a parent/guardian needs to email our attendance officer, Valerie Makinster (vmankinster@vcs.net). She will then mark your student as ill or “missing� in PowerSchool.

This will communicate to teachers that your student is allowed extra time to complete assignments. Make-up work due dates will continue to follow the policy stated in the student/parent handbook. Extended illness plans will continue to be handled by our Dean of Academics, Alexis Schneider (aschneider@vcs.net).

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Academic Policies Homework During Distance Learning days all work is “homework� by virtue of being completed at home. As a result, homework now includes viewing lectures and any work asked of the student.

Homework often provides students with practice of what they have learned in class. Examples of homework in a distance learning environment could include: discussion boards/forums, written assignments submitted via TurnItIn, completion of Google forms, handwritten assignments (particularly for math) submitted as images, WebAssign/ALEKs, etc.

Distance lessons will be designed to provide the average student with approximately 1 hour of focused, distraction-free learning tasks to complete. Students learn at their own pace and will have greater flexibility with their time when working from home, which could mean that individual students take more or less time than that allotted. If students find that they have more than 30 minutes (45 minutes for math, AP, world language, and English) of work outside of the assigned one hour of dedicated class time, they should reach out to the teacher via office hours or email for assistance. Teachers will need students and parents to be proactive about the distance learning experience - in this model, communication is more important. Please see the communication section.

Assessments Valley Christian will NOT conduct summative assessments (i.e. unit tests) remotely during distance learning. Teachers will create small, formative assessments to measure learning for the duration of the distance learning. Students will be responsible for the content taught during distance learning when the final exam is given, but generally, there should not be a summative assessment on the learning that occurred immediately upon the return to school, since that would create undue pressure on the learning environment during already stressful times.

There will be unique situations when an assessment upon return to school is best for learning.

Examples would be assessments of students prior to AP testing, so students could receive accurate feedback.

Teachers may choose to quiz students using digital assessment methods, or may create alternate assignments that will count as part of the distance learning grade (e.g. short answer responses that allow students to reference resources rather than a closed-book multiple choice quiz).

Grading and PowerSchool Grades provide a way for VCHS families to track a students’ progress. As a result, teachers will update grades for assignments completed during Distance Learning twice a week. Exceptions to the twice a week precedent include longer assignments, such as essays or lab reports, that require detailed feedback for students. Teachers will mark these assignments as collected, or Revised last by J. Silva Griffin: 3.15.2020

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zeroes within 48 hours of collection and post the date that grades will be updated on their learn.vcs.net pages. In a distance learning environment, the parents/guardians have an increased responsibility to monitor PowerSchool to ensure students are completing the work.

How Semester Grade Categories will be Adjusted When Emergency Distance Learning Days are used for more than two full weeks of instruction, each VCHS course category set up will adjust to include a Distance Learning category, weighted to match the duration of Distance Learning Days. Other categories will be reduced proportionally, and teachers will update PowerSchool accordingly.

Here's an example of how grades will be adjusted: Category Names Mastery Homework Labs Final Exam NEW Category added Distance Learning

Original Category Weights 40% 10% 30% 20%

New Category Weights 35% 9% 26% 18%

0%

12%

Late Work In a distance learning model, the school will adopt a common late work policy. The policy in a distance learning model has more grace than a traditional learning model, since the teacher is not present to help the student stay on task.

All work for each period is due at 9:00am each morning of its respective A/B day. If the student has not submitted the work by that time, the teacher will mark it as a zero within 48 hours.

Students can still turn the work in late if they submit quality work and email the teacher, notifying him/her that the work is completed. The assignment will then be assessed for up to 75% of the possible points. The late work points allowed are higher than a traditional model, since online learning does require individual self-discipline that can be difficult for teenage learners.

Academic Integrity and Discipline Students should abide by the VCHS Student handbook policies as they relate to academic integrity and behavior. VCHS will continue to discipline students who fail to meet those standards of integrity and respect of others.

Curriculum Standards Maintained Core standards will continue to be covered in all classes. Learning objectives aligned to these standards will be posted daily.

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Student Distance Learning Instructions Learning Space Students need an organized space from which to learn. Look around your home and decide the best place to become your distance learning location. Some things to consider: • Natural light (helps with productivity and positivity) • Space for your computer/iPad, notebook, and textbooks to be within easy reach • Eliminate distractions • Consider an extra monitor, so you can see multiple screens at once (not needed), You could even use the TV  • Think about furniture that promotes good posture Joining a Zoom Session Each teacher has a zoom room link and meeting number posted on their learn.vcs.net. Students will use that link and meeting number to access any synchronous learning session. Little prompts will pop up as students join. Read them carefully and give access to the camera and microphone for these learning sessions. Students will mute their microphones unless they are asked to unmute. A few tips: • Put yourself in a location that is quiet and free from distractions o Plugging in headphones with a microphone is most effective • Consider the lighting and make sure you can be seen • Be appropriately dressed if on screen • Side chatter can be distracting, so do not use the chat window unless directed by the instructor • Turn off your video when you are not sharing, especially if you have slow speed internet Sign-ins using Warriorlife Online tools should be accessed using your Warriorlife log-in ● Zoom ● Moodle ● Google Drive Netiquette Students are expected to read and abide by VCS netiquette expectations.

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Frequently Asked Questions Will there be a chapel recorded?

Valley Christian will suspend chapels during distance learning, but each week the chaplain will upload an optional Christian message that parents and students can watch.

How often will there be updates from the campus leaders?

The principal will provide a message each Monday.

What if I have accommodations?

Students with learning accommodations will still receive them. You’ll still be working with Mrs. Martinez.

What if I have a concussion and shouldn’t look at a screen?

Parents and guardians can think through what they can do to help limit screen time. Examples could be printing off instructions/reading materials for students or having students turn on the audio and listen to lectures, but not watch the screen (for classes where that works). If these adaptions are still insufficient for the student’s needs, please notify your counselor. We’ll work to brainstorm if we can determine a way for your student’s learning to continue, in partnership with the parents.

My grade shifted when the Distance Learning category shift happened. Why? VCHS must adjust the grades to accommodate for the distance learning that we are experiencing. The addition of a new category might move student grades up or down by 1%, due to PowerSchool rounding numbers. If your grade moved by more than 1%, let your teacher know. Otherwise, grades might see that slight shift, but the distance-learning grade will start to move grades again, based on student work.

How will Teacher Aids, Office Aids, and Study Halls be handled?

Those students will not have to attend those class times and will use that normally scheduled period to work on other classes.

Can I use my study hall to do work?

You can use the study hall time to do work from that day, but remember that all work is due by 9:00am each day a class meets.

I have a scheduled one-on-one meeting with my counselor. Will those be canceled?

Those one-on-one meetings will continue on Zoom. You will hear from your counselors more about that.

Can students record synchronous sessions?

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No. The VCHS student handbook policy still applies. There are privacy laws that students need to adhere to in regards to recording and taking videos or pictures without explicit permission.

What about students cheating during distance learning?

The VCHS student handbook policies still apply. Students who plagiarize or violate the VCHS academic integrity policy will be disciplined and will be recorded in their discipline log. Students need to honor their own learning and remember they will be tested on the learning upon return to school.

What about dress code during distance learning?

If a student is visible during a synchronous session, they should not be distracting to the learning environment.

For synchronous session, can I attend a class or period different than my own?

Students who are not enrolled in the course (i.e. students during optional tutorials or unscheduled periods) should not be allowed to be in a virtual classroom while class is in session. If a student wants to attend a period different than their normally scheduled period, they need advanced permission from the teacher.

What about technical issues during distance learning?

If a student experiences technical glitches or issues during the distance learning days, he/she should email the teacher and explain the situation. Students should be proactive and timely with that information.

What if we don’t have internet at home?

Part of the enrollment expectations at VCS are that our students have internet access. All of our students should have internet access. If they have internet issues, parents will need to determine a way to access online learning.

What if I don’t have some of the technology that I am supposed to have due to limited finances?

Students that cannot afford an iPad or their digital textbooks should contact the VCS financial aid office immediately, starting with Mrs. Ko (jko@vcs.net).

Can my parent attend class with me?

Distance learning is designed for our students and is not designed for parents. Parents should allow students to do learning on their own.

How can I get help when I don’t understand something?

Teachers will be available to answer questions in real time during daily office hours and for a portion of each class period, either using Zoom synchronous meetings or over email. In addition, students have access to GradeSlam online tutoring for most core academic courses

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through each teacher’s learn.vcs.net page. For most core subjects, GradeSlam tutors typically respond to and resolve students’ questions within 30 minutes of a student’s initial question.

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Questions Regarding end of 3rd quarter/Missing work or tests from 3rd quarter How does this campus closure and shift to distance learning impact the grade cut-off for 3rd quarter? ● Quarter grades are merely a snapshot of a grade in-progress. Because of the timing of the transition to Distance Learning, we will skip this step, since attempting to create a 3rd quarter grade would create unreliable and/or unfair picture of a student’s progress to stakeholders, particularly in situations in which a student had been recently absent. ● Since sports are frozen, this will not impact the eligibility list. ● We are skipping the quarter end process this semester. We are moving ahead with business as normal.

What about existing late work that I need to turn in?

Students should turn late work in to the teacher via email. Students need to abide by the existing policies for work that was due prior to the distance learning days. Be sure to turn late work in on time.

What if I had an uncompleted make-up test?

Students who have uncompleted make-up tests from earlier in the semester will have a choice for one test per class. They can either: (1) notify the teacher that the student does NOT want to make up the test and the test will be excused. Students would have this unique option since so much time would pass between learning the content and the time the student could make up test. This choice means that any other test in the class will be a higher percentage of the overall grade (every other test is now higher stakes). (2) the student could schedule a make-up time upon the re-opening of the campus. If the student has multiple tests to make-up in one class, he/she will have to make up tests upon return.

In, either scenario, students will still be held accountable for this material on the final exam.

What about students who took an assessment on March 12th and the B day classes did not have the option to take that test?

The teachers will grade the tests that were taken. If the test helped the student, the grade will be entered. If the test harms the student’s grade, it will be excused.

What about students in the B day classes that did not have the option to take that test and wants the chance to improve their grades as well?

The students will have the choice to schedule a make-up time upon the re-opening of the campus. Otherwise, the test will be excused. Since these students have more time to prepare, the score will count in the grade.

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What about students who have done significant work on a paper with a due date during Distance Learning?

If the teacher has already seen an outline or draft of a paper, and students have already invested significant time in their work, the teacher will keep that deadline and put that grade in the traditional category.

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A Final Word of Encouragement These can feel like uncertain times, but we have the certainty in our faith in Jesus and our love of one another. Times such as these allow us to show our students what it looks like to pull together as a community and what we really prioritize. Here are a couple of Bible verses to reflect on: “Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord you God is with you WHERE EVER you go!” Joshua 1:9 “The JOY of the Lord is your strength.” Neh. 8:10 You can control your perspective and find JOY, even in difficult circumstances.

Use this as an opportunity to strengthen your personal walk with the Lord.

This handbook addendum is designed to answer questions within the control of our expected distance learning environment. We all understand that, sometimes, technology is outside of our control. And, an emergency situation that would require the school to implement distance learning, is outside of our control. We might experience unforeseen challenges or questions as we move ahead, but we are truly in this together. With our faith in Jesus Christ and love for one another, we can navigate this unique chapter with the full strength and calm assurance that can only come from God!

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