Hi everyone,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It has been really fun getting into classes this week as well as seeing students and virtual classrooms continue to develop. We are working out the kinks and each day continues to get better. Thank you for making the adjustments necessary to make our Canvas classrooms cohesive and more streamlined. I recognize that this is an extra step, but I think it has been obvious to all that the more that our systems can be the same, the better experience our students will have. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This week I am in northern Minnesota as my grandmother is not doing well. As of now, my plan is to return on Sunday. Please feel free to e-mail me if you need something but know that my response time will be far less prompt than typical. In addition to being a million miles away, things like internet connections are less than reliable where I am. Ryan will likely be able to get you an answer sooner.<\/p>\n\n\n
Here are the updates for the week: <\/p>\n
Attendance: <\/strong>Some attendance-tracking troubles came up this week and will likely continue to do so as the bugs in the system are revealed through use. Please continue to do your best at tracking daily attendance to ensure it is accurate. There are a multitude of ways students can connect and, therefore, be accounted as having \u201cVirtually Attended\u201d your class. <\/p>\n If a student contacts you to tell you they have a planned absence in the future, please communicate that with Tami so that she can connect with the family to verify the absence and properly categorize it in Synergy. Parents are contacting some of you and\/or Tami to dispute a student\u2019s being marked \u201cNot Virtually Attended\u201d due to tech issues or otherwise and, at this point, we are going to take such calls as an indicator that the student attended your course.<\/p>\n Safety:<\/strong> The Pacific Crest Covid-19 Safety Guidelines<\/a> continues to be updated as new information comes in or is clarified. Please make a habit of checking this document weekly for new additions. <\/p>\n WebEx:<\/strong> The glitches are getting fewer and far between in WebEx, but there are still some things to keep in mind about this technology.<\/p>\n The first is creating a space where unwanted participants cannot access your classroom. We have unfortunately had two instances where unknown participants gained entry into locked and unlocked meeting rooms, have been inappropriate, and have caused a disruption to the learning environment. If this happens in one of your meetings, please expel the offending participant from your meeting and contact Ryan or I right away. While locking your meetings causes its own set of problems (having to monitor the pop-up alert that someone is in your waiting room, for one), it is currently the most effective way of minimizing these occurrences.<\/p>\n The other, easier-to-manage, WebEx issue that has caused some confusion this week is that WebEx is updating its software nearly every day. This may cause it to be slow to launch on your laptop, make students unable to participate in breakout rooms, cause audio\/video problems and more. A great way to combat this is to shut down, and not just shut, your laptop each night.<\/p>\n From Genti: <\/strong>Teachers are working very hard these days, prepping, recording, getting stuff ready. Now, when we use our laptops non-stop, we will have issues. So, shutting down the laptop here and there helps.<\/p>\n Flu Shots:<\/strong> We were previously told that the flu shot clinics would be available for staff members and their families<\/i>. The information regarding this has since changed. Here is the current message: Be aware that family members will not be allowed to enter buildings for shots. However, your office manager may reach out to RiteAid and discuss the possibility of an outside table where family members can get the shot. Scott B. has sent an email to office managers about exploring this option. Otherwise, family members will have access outside resources for their shot. Please connect with Deb if you have any questions. <\/p>\n Canvas Support<\/strong>:<\/strong> Mandy is available each Wednesday to meet with any teachers via webex regarding Canvas questions from 11:30-12. Please reach out to any of our Canvas coaches if you are having any difficulty.<\/p>\n Weekly Meetings:<\/strong> Please log into Ryan’s webex this week for weekly meetings as well as the staff meeting on Wednesday. We will be using Canvas discussions as part of our meeting on Wednesday in an effort to practice some of the tools that are at our fingertips. <\/p>\n\n\n As always, thank you for making this school year special and supporting students and families as we go. They feel your support and know that you care and those two things make for happy students. Have a wonderful week and please don’t hesitate to let us know how we can support you. -L<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hi everyone, It has been really fun getting into classes this week as well as seeing students and virtual classrooms continue to develop. We are working out the kinks and each day continues to get better. Thank you for making … Continue reading