Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Dear Parents and Guardians,
By now you have seen the many memes about homeschooling: “Homeschooling Day 1: Wondering how I can get a kid transferred out of my class” or “Three hours into homeschooling and one is suspended for skipping class and the other has already been expelled.”
You are not alone! These are challenging times for parents, students, and teachers alike.
The goal of this letter is to share how we will work with you and you with us to help your child to progress in learning during this difficult transition to remote learning.
Please let me assure you that while we do want students to be engaged, we do not expect parents to serve the role of “teachers.” Rather, we want you to view yourselves as “cheerleaders” and “coaches” - encouraging, guiding, and providing the right conditions for your children to be successful.
Our teaching staff is dedicated to teaching and supporting your children remotely. Given the vast variety of circumstances facing each family, the support we provide may vary from family-to-family. Our goal is to encourage, promote, and support ongoing learning however we can for all of our families.
Across all grade levels, we ask parents and guardians, if possible, to support these three objectives:
- If possible, provide a dedicated space for your child to learn. Having a consistent environment, whether a bedroom, kitchen table or some other place where distractions can be limited is important to help students focus.
- Provide a structure or schedule so your child knows what is expected each day. We encourage you to work closely with your child’s teachers to develop an effective schedule.
- Seek regular information from your child’s teacher on your child’s progress. Teachers may use different tools to communicate progress with you, including Skyward, Google Classroom, etc
Each of our schools has provided a dedicated webpage where you can find more information about how to ensure students are connecting with their teachers to receive additional direction and support in their learning.
These web pages can be found from each school’s homepage.
You are not alone in supporting your child’s learning. We encourage you to lean on your child’s teachers to serve as their primary teacher. If you are not getting the support you feel you and your child need, please reach out to your child’s school principal.
Additionally, please feel free to reach out to me directly at supt@woodlandschools.org
We are all in this together and your schools are here for you.
Warmly,
Michael Green
Superintendent – Woodland Public Schools
Do you have a home learning story you’d like to share?
Please send it with pictures and/or video to Eric Jacobson, our Communications Manager, at jacobsoe@woodlandschools.org