It is important to recognize that the online classroom is in fact a classroom, and certain behaviors are expected when both students and parents communicate with both their peers and teachers. 

Parents

1. Be mindful that the online classroom is in fact a classroom and NOT the appropriate time to engage or add comments during the teachers’ instructional time with the class. 

2. Be mindful that school is a safe space for students to demonstrate their understanding so teachers are able to identify areas of weakness in order to differentiate instruction to strengthen students' skillset.

3. Do not complete your child’s work for them.

4. Communication: schedule an appointment to discuss your child’s progress with his/her teacher. 

5. Recording instructional sessions without permission is prohibited.

6. Assist your child with their work as needed, but do not complete or supply answers. 

7. Do not interrupt, engage, or interact with the teacher during live instruction. Remember, schedule an appointment to talk to the teacher.

Digital Footprint 

Protect your privacy and respect others’ privacy. Our digital world is permanent, and with each post, we are building a digital footprint. Self-reflect before you share online with the understanding of how it may impact you and others.

General Guidelines 

When communicating online, you should always: 

• Treat your teacher and classmates with respect, in email, or any other communication. 

• Always use your teacher’s proper title. Unless specifically invited, don’t refer to your instructor by first name. 

• Use clear and concise language. 

• Avoid slang terms such as “wassup?” and texting abbreviations such as “u” instead of “you.” 

• Avoid using the caps lock feature AS IT CAN BE INTERPRETED AS YELLING. 

• Be cautious when using humor or sarcasm as tone is often lost in an email or discussion post, and your message might be taken seriously or sound offensive. 

• Be careful with personal information (both yours and that of others). 

• Do not send confidential information via email. 

Gmail Netiquette     

When sending an email to school staff or classmates: 

• Use a descriptive subject line. 

• Be brief and use plain text (academic language).

• Avoid unnecessary attachments. 

• Sign your message with your name and contact information. 

• Think before you send an email to more than one person. Does everyone need to see your message? 

• Be sure you really want everyone listed to receive your response when you click, “reply all.” 

• Be sure that the message’s author intended for the information to be passed along before you click the “forward” button.

Online Meeting Netiquette

While different meetings may have different “rules,” there are some basic practices everyone should follow to create a positive online meeting experience. Think of these as the must-do’s of online meeting etiquette:

• When available, read the agenda ahead of time in an attempt to be prepared.

• Test all technology (including camera/video, Wi-Fi, microphones, and screen sharing) before the meeting.

• Make sure you are in a quiet area free from unnecessary distractions.

• Be mindful of items behind you, in view of the camera. If you aren’t “camera-ready,” you can turn off your camera.

• Be on time. No matter what kind of meeting you’re attending—virtual or in-person, the “on-time” rules apply.

• Don’t stare at your phone while other people are presenting.

• Don’t interrupt other people when they’re speaking (or attempt to speak over them).

• Mute your microphone when you’re not speaking.

• Don’t work on other tasks (like checking email) during the virtual meeting.

• Turn off all notifications and make sure your cell phone is on silent.

• Save your snacking for after the meeting

Netiquette for Younger Kids

1. Avoid hurting someone’s feelings online. Remember, online, people can’t always tell if you are joking. 

2. Respect other people’s online rights. People on the Internet have rights just as they do in everyday life. If someone sends you a threatening message or makes prank calls to you, it can be annoying and sometimes scary. The same is true online. If someone sends you an email that threatens you or makes you feel uncomfortable, talks to a parent or other adult right away.

3. Avoid insulting others online. If you insult someone with email, they will probably get angry just as they would if you insulted them face to face. If they ask you what you meant, or to stop, it’s for a good reason. Be respectful.

4. If someone insults you, be calm. Even if you are angry with someone, you don’t need to make things any worse. Try being calm, ignoring the message, or sending a polite message asking for them to explain what they meant. It may have been a misunderstanding.

5. Respect the privacy of other people. If someone tells you something secret, it should be kept secret. This includes full names, addresses, or interests. Sharing your password with someone other than parents, even someone you like is never a good idea. Passwords and personal information are private and are never safe to share with others (except parents).

6. Be responsible online. When you are on an electronic device, you are in control. Avoid using it to harm other people. Taking things that are not yours (such as files, passwords, etc.), spreading rumors about other people, and infecting other devices with viruses (on purpose) are examples of harm caused online. Just like real life, there are consequences for your online behavior. 

7. Adhere by Moulton Hall Methodist Primary School Acceptable Use Policy and the Student Rights and Responsibilities guidelines.

Bullying, harassment and intimidation have no place Moulton Hall Methodist Primary School. Whether it happens in the classroom or online, such behavior can create hostile learning environments that interfere with students’ academic performance, and emotional and physical well-being. Harassment is motivated by real or perceived characteristics, such as race/ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, or socioeconomic status. Bullying behavior is threatening, intimidating and occurs repeatedly over time with the intent to cause harm. Bullying is unwanted behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated over time with the intent to cause harm. Bullying behavior may include: making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and deliberately excluding someone from a group.

Parents and caregivers should be on alert for behavior changes and other signs that your child is being bullied.

Warning Signs may include:

• a decline in grades
• unexplainable injuries
• depressed mood
• visibly upset or angry during or after internet use or cell phone use
• withdrawal from friends and/or activities
• a change in eating habits and sleep patterns
• feelings of helplessness or decreased self esteem
• increased physical complaints (headaches, stomach upset)
• school/work avoidance
• self-destructive behaviors such as running away from home, self-harm or talking about suicide.
• previously a target of traditional bullying

Below are podcasts, websites, videos, and articles for parents to utilize in giving daily social and emotional support to their children with their daily activities. Strengthening social/emotional well-being creates and maintains healthier environments for more long term effective learning. 

Resources for Parents

Speak with a professional school counselor, school psychologist, or school social worker (at select schools) at your child’s school. 

Utilize the following free text lines and hotlines to speak with a crisis counselor:

• Crisis Hotline

Podcasts

Imagine Neighborhood

https://www.imagineneighborhood.org/contact

A podcast designed to help adults and children build their social and emotional learning skills

Grow Kinder

https://www.cfchildren.org/podcasts/  

A social emotional learning podcast featuring conversations with leaders in education, business, tech, and arts, dedicated to helping others grow in being kind to each other

Websites

https://www.pbs.org/parents

Provides tip for parents of children 2 through 8 years on emotions and self-awareness, social skills, character

Videos

Helping Children Manage Emotions During Difficult Times

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQXW6jpfZyQ&feature=youtu.be  

Supporting Teachers and Parents of Students with Special Education Needs WIth SEL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_HAH-IbUzU  

Managing Emotions through Self-Care and Building Resilience

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gpz9Aq0Wwr0&feature=youtu.be  

Kids Yoga with Bari Koral

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLh6hKQmd775g6Nd0xi4lT5_qttNTKRVCq  

What should I do if my child is struggling with virtual instruction and is falling behind? 

• Reassess the designated workspace - Do you need to relocate? Assess potential distractions. Remove them as needed.

• Review the current schedule. 

• Schedule breaks, activities, and time away from the screen.

• Find or create support networks.

• Talk to your child’s teacher.

• Reach out to the administrators of your child’s school. 

What do I do if the school issued device breaks?

• Please follow the school's procedures for broken, lost, and/or stolen devices. You received this when you picked up/received your child’s device.

What should I do if my child’s email is locked or I’ve forgotten the password? 

• Students are encouraged to reset passwords using Elevated Rights Management or by contacting their teacher.

Where can I go if I need help with Google Classroom, Google Meet, or Zoom? 

• Reach out to your child’s teacher if you need support with accessing any of the platforms that your child may use this school year. 

• Youtube also hosts great videos on how to use many of the platforms that our students will encounter. These are self-paced videos and you can review them as many times as needed. You can also watch them with your child if appropriate.

• Contact the Remote Learning staff at the school for general questions regarding these platforms. Staff may be able to assist you or direct you to additional resources for help.

What if I am struggling with supporting my child through distance learning?

• Reach out to your child’s teacher or guidance counselor for resources and support

• Join a support group- Stay connected to others. 

• Attend virtual workshops and training 

• Watch Youtube videos on software or Google applications

• If technology related, contact our Parent Support staff for assistance.

• Overwhelmed, frustrated, ask for help! Utilize your resources.

• Check out resources at the public library that assist with learning/homework.

• Accept that there will be days when everything will not be done-prioritize!

• Contact any Family Support Center available close to you.

• Take a break!

At this point, the distance learning scenario isn't entirely new. We have more information about what works for kids and what doesn't.  The collective hope is that we -- parents, caregivers, teachers, and school leaders -- are now better prepared to support our students in their social, emotional, and academic growth during the pandemic.

What's true is that families are taking on much more responsibility for their children’s learning than ever before.  In order for distance learning to be successful, parents and caregivers need support.

First and foremost, we all should try to remember to come from a place of empathy for parents and caregivers, students, and teachers. Parents aren't trained teachers. And even trained educators have trouble teaching their own children! These circumstances are a great reminder of how important teachers really are.

Also, students may or may not talk much about the virus, distance learning, or how the pandemic has affected their social lives -- but they're feeling it. Parents and educators should try to lead with love, and remember that strong relationships with our students make for positive educational experiences.

With that foundation in place, here are some nitty-gritty tips to help parents and caregivers keep kids focused, interested, and balanced while learning from a distance:

Setting Up for Success

Make a space.

• Create a special, personalized corner of a room dedicated to learning, creating, and reading. Use a movable box or crate if space is precious. Let your kid help prepare the space for school, even if that just means putting a decorated pencil box next to the device they'll be using. Getting the space ready will help them get ready to learn.

Set a routine.

• Little kids need more structure, so make sure to let them know what to expect. You can create a visual schedule they can follow. Older kids can use a calendar, planner, chalkboard, or digital organizer to keep track of what's happening each day.

• Have them follow a routine as if they're going to school (getting dressed, brushing teeth, etc.) instead of lying in bed in their pajamas, which could lead to less learning.

• Breaks are really important, especially for kids with learning and attention issues, so make sure to build those in and break assignments into smaller pieces.

Review expectations.

• Go over what the school and teachers expect around online learning. You can  co-create a learning agreement with tweens and teens to help set the tone for distance learning.

• Set some expectations of your own as well. When can your kid expect to spend time with you? When should they avoid interrupting you? What can they do in their downtime? Come up with a list  of "must dos" and "may dos" together to cover the essentials and activities of choice.

• If kids are sharing devices with siblings, make sure they understand how the devices are to be shared, including who gets to do what on the device and when. 

Staying Focused

Keep them close.

• When it's hard for your child to focus, try to keep them close. Consider setting up nonverbal or one-word cues to help get them back on track.

• Depending on your circumstances, it may not be possible to keep your student in sight all the time, but it'll definitely be harder to keep them on track if they're completely unsupervised. Try to make sure you or another family member has eyeballs on them as much as possible.

Encourage self-regulation.

• Talk to students about the connection between bodies and brains and what happens in their bodies when they feel frustrated, excited, or sad. This awareness helps kids recognize and manage their emotions.

• If you have other devices in your house, keep them out of your student's workspace if possible. This can also mean shutting down phones, keeping phones in a designated place for the day, and putting away remotes if temptation takes over.

Play pretend.

• Little children feeling at loose ends might respond to some role playing. Cast your kid in the role of work partner, teacher, or researcher to help them stick to a task (and let you stick to yours!).

• Though older students won't want to play pretend, they may respond to an honest conversation about taking on more responsibility (like chores, self-regulation, etc.) because they're older and gaining maturity. You might be surprised how they rise to the challenge in response.

Encouraging Ownership & Effort

Follow youngsters’ interests and get input.

• If there are gaps in your student's school day, remember that whatever your kid is into -- animals, Minecraft, magic -- can be used for learning. Read books, create science experiments, and do math related to favorite topics. Wide Open School has great choices, too!

• When deciding how to structure the day, ask kids what they prefer. Try to incorporate their choices into the plan. For instance, if math is the hardest subject for your child, would they rather do it first or last? Why? Check in with them regularly about how distance learning is going.

• Communicate with your child's teacher, and encourage them to self-advocate for what they need.  Remember to model communication about your day, including the positives, challenges, and kindnesses.

Display work.

• Let your students hang up their drawings, writing, or other projects in your home. It shows them you're proud of their work and helps them value their learning.

• Even older students like when you show pride in their work by bragging about their efforts and showing off their work. (But always ask before you post anything!)

Give detailed praise.

• Instead of saying "good job," try giving specific details about your child's work. If they tried hard, let them know you noticed. Have they made progress? Used a new technique? In what ways are their efforts kind, clever, beautiful, or insightful?

• Also, encourage a growth mindset, which means reminding your child that it's not about being good or bad at something, but working toward getting better at it.

Managing Motivation

Start from strengths.

• Build a bridge from things your child loves to school subjects they don't love -- yet. If they love sports but dislike reading, find a graphic novel about soccer to spark interest. Your student's teacher can likely help with this, too, but they might need to communicate with you (and maybe your child), to get the necessary information.

Presentation is everything.

• How you present an activity makes a huge difference in how kids feel about it. For little learners, whenever you can, frame tasks as games to make them more fun. Need to sort the laundry? Challenge your kid to a throwing contest of tossing clothes into the right pile. Or, let them use pieces of cereal as manipulative for math problems and eat them when they've finished a problem.

• Sometimes tweens and teens seem to have a "bad attitude" that's really masking insecurity, boredom, or anxiety. They're often hoping we'll help them through it, even when it seems just the opposite. Staying calm, not taking things personally, and maintaining a sense of humor can go a long way.

Use natural consequences.

• While it might be tempting to "reward" your student with screen use, that can set him or her up to see screens as a coveted commodity. Instead, you can frame it as a timing issue: "We have three hours in the evening, so if you put strong effort into your work and finish, you'll have time to play your video game."

• If intrinsic motivation is hard to come by, you can incentivize effort and progress in a way that makes sense. Come up with ideas with your child, set benchmarks, and praise the process along the way.

Making Room for Well-Being

Be a good friend to yourself.

• If your child gets caught up saying negative things about themselves, encourage self-kindness by asking them what they would say to a friend in the same situation.

• The same goes for you: We often beat ourselves up as parents, but what would a good friend say to you? What would you say to your friend?

• Try creating a gratitude list together to give you a fresh perspective and focus.

Get help when you need it.

• You won't always know how to help your learner. Think about who could help fill in the gaps -- look to family, friends, teachers, and others for help. Sometimes having another adult take over removes the tricky parent/student homework battle dynamic and lets you go back to just being a parent.

• Communicate with the school about how things are going, leading with positives first. Everyone's doing their best, AND it's important for teachers to know what's working and not working for your student so they can get the help they need.

Use movement and humor.

• Sometimes we just need to move our bodies. Physical activity can lift our spirits and get our minds refreshed for learning. Try a lunchtime block walk or a 5-minute dance party to help everyone reset and bring new energy to the day.

• Finding the funny right now is helpful on every front, including learning and well-being. Be silly, make wacky connections, come up with crazy answers so your kids correct you -- whatever works!

• BREATHE and practice mindfulness to ease your stress, anxiety and uncertainty