Last updated: Thursday, August 20, 2020

How does Distance Learning 2.0 differ from this past spring?

Each school will release a schedule of when a student's classes meet and the expectations for each school day. Students will attend live lessons with their teachers and will receive assistance either one-on-one or in small groups. Students in all grades will be given assignments and projects which they must complete in order to earn course credit. More information for specific grade-level expectations can be obtained directly from your student's school.

Learn more about what Distance Learning 2.0 will look like for each grade level from these links (also accessible from the menu on the right): Elementary, WMS, and WHS.


Are parents expected to be teachers during Distance Learning 2.0?

No. Our teaching staff will provide structured and robust lessons for all of our students including live lessons at designated times each day, just like a normal school day. Parents are expected to serve as learning partners, ensuring their students are attending class and completing their schoolwork.


Is attendance required during Distance Learning 2.0?

Yes, attendance is required. Students unable to attend the regular school day due to family schedule constraints need to contact their students’ teachers to arrange for other methods of completing their studies.

Just as with a traditional school day, if your child misses school due to illness or other absence, a parent or guardian must call the school office to report his or her absence.


Will students receive grades during Distance Learning 2.0?

Yes. Students will receive grades just like they did during traditional school.


Will the district provide Chromebooks for students who need them?

Yes. The district has obtained enough Chromebooks to ensure every student will have one. Your student's school will be in touch with you with more information how to get one for your student.


Will the district provide Internet access for families who don't have it?

The district is extending Wi-Fi access into the parking lots of our school campuses:

  • Columbia Elementary School: An access point has extended access to the parking near the school's portables.
  • Woodland Middle School: An access point has been set up in the commons pointing toward where the school buses line up for pickup/dropoff.
  • Woodland High School: An exterior access point has been made available at the side entrance in the south wing at the front of the school (to the right of the front of the school when looking at the main entrance).
  • TEAM High School: Wi-Fi has been extended to reach the parking spaces outside the TEAM High portable near the Business Services portable.
  • Yale Elementary School: Wi-Fi has been extended to reach beyond the front entrance of the school and to cover at least some of the parking lot.

Each school has a limited number of Wi-Fi hotspots available for families in need. Please reach out to your school's administrator if you need assistance.


How will food service work during Distance Learning 2.0?

The district would like to hear from you - please participate in our food services survey to help us assess the meal needs of the community.

Starting September 8, breakfast and lunch will be available for families to purchase, however, meals will only be provided for free or at a reduced cost to families enrolled in the Free and Reduced Lunch Program. To learn if your family qualifies and how to apply for the Free and Reduced Lunch Program, visit our Food Services webpage.


Will there be athletics or extracurricular activities during Distance Learning 2.0?

All fall athletic activities have been postponed at this time. Stay tuned to our Athletics webpage for the most up-to-date information on the restarting of sports.

Non-athletic extracurricular activities such as clubs will be permitted as long as club members meet virtually.


Where can I find the entire Fall Opening Plan?

You can review the Woodland Public Schools - Fall Opening Plan for Fall 2020-2021 by clicking this link. The plan was approved by the Board of Directors during their August 12 meeting.


Why are childcare centers/daycares still open? How are these different than schools? 

 The science around children and COVID-19 indicate that very young children, those typically in child care, are less likely to become infected. Child care facilities provide an essential service for parents who must work. If centers are closed, there’s concern children may be left with grandparents or other individuals who are at higher risk for serious illness.

Washington State Department of Health has established guidance that child care facilities must follow. The guidance is aimed at reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission at child center facilities and includes:

  • Small groups that do not interact and staff that do not move between groups (maximum of 22 individuals). Many child care providers choose to have smaller group sizes, which allows for more physical distancing.
  • Daily health screenings
  • Physical distancing as much as possible
  • Increased hygiene practices
  • Modified pickup/drop off, including keeping parents out of the program space
  • Staggering outside play schedules
  • Increased cleaning

Child care settings are in a position to implement additional precautionary practices which would be difficult to implement more broadly in a school setting such as daily individual health screenings, staggered drop off and pick up schedules, staggered outdoor play schedules and increased cleaning protocols.

Reduced risk of infection, small group sizes and increased preventative measures makes disease transmission in child care settings less likely than in less flexible settings such as schools. 

  • Children can and do get infected with COVID-19 and can spread it to others.
  • Children may not be at higher risk for serious illness, but they can spread the virus to others who are, such as parents, grandparents and school staff.
  • Schools are not islands (as the Institute for Disease Modeling said in its recent report). Virus transmission in a school will seep out into the community, just as transmission within the broader community will make its way into schools.
    • A peer-reviewed study recently released by Seattle-area researchers for the Institute for Disease Modeling (IDM) concluded that the relationships between reopening community, workplace and schools are intertwined—as community activity rises, so does the level of infection within a community. 
    • The study estimated that if community activity were to rise above 70 percent of pre-COVID activity, no amount of intervention in schools (masks, physical distancing and hand washing) would prevent the virus from spreading rapidly in the community.
    • Recent data collected since the report was drafted indicates that levels of disease activity following counties moving to Phase II are too high to support the reopening of schools at this time.

Does the district offer alternatives to Distance Learning 2.0?

Yes. Students in grades K-8 can attend Lewis River Academy (LRA) and students in grades 9-12 can attend TEAM High School (TEAM). These two award-winning alternative-learning programs are offered as alternatives to traditional school for students who need a different approach to learning and carry no additional cost for families.

To learn more or to find out if LRA or TEAM may be right for your student, visit our dedicated Remote Learning Programs webpage.


Can I choose to homeschool my children?

Yes, parents can elect to withdraw their children from school to homeschool them. However, the state's requirements for homeschooling are rigorous. Parents considering homeschooling due to perceived time constraints from Distance Learning 2.0 may find homeschooling carries even higher expectations for parental and caretaker involvement than Distance Learning 2.0.

Essentially, Woodland Public Schools' Distance Learning 2.0 offers the same benefits as homeschooling except a majority of the required support for student learning is provided by trained teachers instead of parents.

For parents who wish to be the primary educator in their home but would like curriculum and support from Woodland's trained teachers free-of-charge, please consider Lewis River Academy. The Lewis River Academy program is a parent-partnership program designed to support parents who wish to engage deeply in delivering their child's learning while still receiving support from full-time teachers dedicated to supporting the program's families. Click here to learn more about the Lewis River Academy.


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