Staff Newsletter

It has been simply inspiring to see all of the efforts made by you all. You have taken on so many challenges and worked so hard in a collaborative effort to help support our students. The passion, empathy, understanding, creativity, and care you have shown each and every day has been astounding. As we work in the final week of Phase 1 and begin to move into Phase 2, please check out the following topics in this week's newsletter:

- Thank You for another great week!

- Phase 2 begins April 27th

- District Expectations for Remote Learning for Week of Apr. 20-24

- Canvas Tools are great

- Synchronous and Asynchronous Learning

- Great Time to think about PBL

- Flipgrid is a Great Tool!

- Frontline PD Hours

- Tennessee Educator Survey

- Updated Information about Zoom (If you are using Zoom or plan to use Zoom, please read)

- PTO News

- Counselors Corner

Thanks for all that you do. We hope you stay safe and healthy during this time.

Phil Cox, Principal

Chris Layton, Vice Principal

Jenifer Laurendine, Dean of Students

A few notes in regards to Phase 2 and preparing for Phase 2:

• Students grades are complete as of the end of the third nine weeks. Phase 2 will only allow for students to improve their final grade, if they choose to participate in learning opportunities during Phase 2. No student grades can be lowered.

• We have reviewed teacher gradebooks and sent communication to individual teachers that have needed to make any adjustments to finalize grades as needed to reflect calculations for terms 1-3. If you have been contacted about gradebook, you will need to make those changes otherwise staff gradebooks are good. If you have not been contacted, your grades are ready for Phase 2.

• Teachers will set up assignments for Phase 2 and students will be able to receive 3 points for completion of the assignments at the discretion of the classroom teacher. Students may accumulate up to a total of 9 points (3 points per week over a 3 week period) during Phase 2 toward their overall final grade.

• We will have communication with students and their families this upcoming week in regards to phase 2 and direct them to check the grade books in Skyward. Also we are going to encourage strongly that our students and families stay engaged in the learning process during phase 2 in an effort not only to improve their grade but also to continue the learning process. Here is the link from the Parent Newsletter.

• Phase 2 will be completed on Friday May 15th for students.

• Phase 1 (our current Remote Learning plan) will continue through Friday April 24th. Please continue to post daily assignments for students and understand that work during the week of April 20th is still in Phase 1 and cannot count as a grade.

• Phase 2 will begin Monday April 27th and will continue for three weeks ending on Friday May 15th.

• We will also discuss Phase 2 in our grade level meetings and special area meetings for this week. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Mr. Layton and he will work to address your questions.

- All students will have opportunities to improve final grades with required assignments.

- Final grades for 5th-8th grade students will be calculated by averaging term 1, term 2, and term 3 grades together (final date March 13). No grades can be lowered.

-All students may submit new assignments to improve final grade. Students may earn 3 additional points (added to the final grade) each week, during the weeks listed below:

Week #1 April 27-1

Week #2 May 4-8

Week #3 May 11-15

May 18 - 29 Laptops & Housekeeping

Questions:

What about a 4th nine weeks rotational class?

There is not a 4th nine weeks, so there will be no grades for rotational classes for the 4th nine weeks. We would recommend and encourage Special Areas teachers to post a weekly engaging assignment, challenge etc. for students to continue to help them promote their skills and learning.

When will this information be shared with our students and families?

School administrators will be sharing more information with our families about student requirements for the next phase of online learning on April 20.

What is a students doesn’t do any of the work?

All students are being given an opportunity to improve their grade. No grades can be lowered for students. These opportunities are only for students to improve the average of the 1st – 3rd nine weeks average. If a student does not choose to do work, they will finish with their 1st – 3rd nine weeks average.

How do they earn the 3 points per week?

Teachers will work to design lessons/assignments etc. for students to achieve the 3 points listed above. This decision is left up to the teacher to design and determine. Teachers will work to communicate in Canvas Announcements the assignments, due dates, and expectations of quality to be completed during the three weeks outlined above. Assignment type, due dates, etc., are up to teacher discretion.

Please keep in mind that many of our students and families are going through this challenging time and may have challenges as they work to complete work. Please be cognizant and provide flexibility for students and families as they are working to complete assignments. Our goal is to work to continue to engage students and provide them with opportunities to learn and grow.

How will we add those additional points to the final grade?

We are currently receiving communications on how best to get Skyward to average the three terms and for you to add those final points in. You will receive information on that at a later date.

When will grades be due?

Student grades will be due on same originally scheduled date for teacher grade books

What if a student does not have internet access?

We are working currently to gather information from grade level teams in reference to any students who may have lack of access to remote learning tools, so that we can appropriately arrange opportunities for those students (i.e. printed packets etc.). We will work to provide all students with any materials needed to complete assignments. Please contact Ms. Laurendine if you have a student that does not have access at jllaurendine@ortn.edu

Why is it being cut off May 15th?

In an effort to work out collection of devices and also retrieval of student personal items, we are working to have the final two weeks of school to create plans for those events. Due to current health guidelines and social distancing aspects the district felt a two week timeline would allow for the safest and most effective way to collect.

If you have any questions, please let our admin team how we can provide any clarification and how we can be of service to help support you. We appreciate all of your efforts and all that you do to support our students and families.

We appreciate your efforts and flexibility during this uncertain time for our students, staff and families. You all have exhibited such grace and professionalism to support our students. We appreciate all of your efforts! We will work to address questions and provide support.

Thank You for another great week for remote learning. We have seen so many "wins" for our students, families and staff as you all have made amazing efforts to switch to this platform on such short notice. You have worked diligently to provide students daily lessons/activities and opportunities to learn and grow. We just wanted to highlight the amazing efforts done by so many and the reflection of those efforts that have been shared in our community.

A few things to share:

• In the past week, we continue to have awesome engagement in Canvas with 5,659 participations (discussions, file uploads, submissions of assignment, etc.) and 192,595 page views in Canvas!
• 91% of our students have accessed the School Counseling Canvas Page!
• An email received by a 7th grade teacher from a student in regards to new teacher shout outs via videos on Canvas: “I was so happy to see that i got a shout out! It absolutely made my day! I miss jumping around in the mornings with my friends and most of all i miss you teaching (try to teach) us crazy kiddos! I just want you to know that i miss you so much and i hope to see you again soon.”
• An email received by a teacher from a parent: “Thank you for sharing the students’ pictures. Lana has really enjoyed seeing her pictures shared and seeing the pictures from other students. Our walk on Tuesday really presented some good opportunities for pictures. We were on the Worthington Cemetery Trail and Cedar Barren Ecological Study Area. It was a little muddy on the trail but lots of good scenery! I didn’t even know that cemetery and trail were there. Keep up the good work!”
• A phone call from a 6th grade student (via the parent) to administration to say how much he appreciates and misses them and his teachers and to share how he knows we all have his best interest in mind as we worked to help him academically, socially and emotionally.
• The first JMS Virtual Zoom PTO Meeting with 15 attendees!
• Chorus students engaging with “Ted Talk Tuesday” to learn about an award winning choir director in Florida who talks about how music prepares you for life.
• Teachers using social media to engage with students and share lessons!

We also want to thank the following staff members for their hard work this past week:

• A huge S/O to Lexie Scott, Stephanie Hope, David Tracey, James Mitchell, Ed Wright & Patricia Wyatt for being awarded ORPSEF’s 2020 Classroom Grants in the amount of $27,257.00!
• Mr. Hondorf for leading the food distribution at the Teller Village Apartment site!
• Ms. Langford for sending out “Morning Messages” each evening to provide consistency to our day and laughter to our inbox!
• Ms. Sample for continuing to work with PTO to support our staff!
• ALL STAFF for taking the time to create the Staff Video for students! It was a tremendous hit with our students and parents!

You all make a world of difference in a time of great uncertainty. Thank you so much for all of your efforts and the care you show our students and families.

The District Expectations outlined in Phase 1 will remain in place through Friday April 24th. Beginning on Monday April 27th, we will transition to Phase 2 as described above. Please remember over the week of April 20th as you post to Canvas Announcements the guidelines and expectations for Phase 1.

Due to School Closure through April 24th, the following district guidelines will be in place for remote learning opportunities for our students:

1. Teachers in grades 5-12 will share daily alternative, online-based learning and review opportunities through Canvas should the district be closed for an extended period. The Office of Teaching and Learning, in collaboration with the Technology Department will provide guidance, support and resources for teachers.

Assignments must be posted daily in Canvas Announcements

The goal is to provide review or extended learning opportunities, not replace missed face-to-face class time. Use the following criteria for planning:

• Accessibility: No assignments can be required or used for student grades. The materials in home lessons should be prepared so that students of all levels of ability will be able to complete the work. Plans should contain translated materials for English Language Learners if there is a need. For additional guidance on ensuring students’ civil rights with online learning follow this link.
• Type of learning: lesson plans can include small amounts of new learning, but should focus primarily on concepts or principles that students have already been exposed to in your subject area.
• Timelessness: Course content should be posted daily.
• Length: Extended learning lessons should include an instructional component to accompany an assignment. Examples of instructional components include, but are not limited to, video lessons, self-recorded videos, readings, etc. Students should be able to complete the assignment in approximately 30 minutes.
• Resources: All materials for the home lesson plans should be uploaded to Canvas for grades 5-12.
• Feedback: Take advantage of this opportunity to teach with quality, comprehensive feedback. Give clear directions about items that should be returned/submitted for feedback with the understanding that some students may not have reliable internet access or equitable support needed to complete an assignment.
• Teachers in all subject areas should post daily content.
• All teachers must post daily office hours and contact information for students. Teachers may use Zoom, email, phone, Canvas or other online tools for office hours. A minimum of three office hours should be offered daily and can be offered at multiple times or in a single block.
• ITCs will be available by email and phone for technical support.

In this new era of education, we have found more and more that it is vital to have a great Learning Management System like Canvas. It has been a great tool to help support students and staff as we have switched to Remote Learning. Many of you have commented on tips, tricks, and ideas you have learned in this process as you have started to utilize Canvas more and more. As we continue to work in this Remote Learning environment it is going to ever more important to continue to learn, share and grow knowledge and resources to help support one another. The links below are designed to continue to help you learn, share and grow understanding how to utilize Canvas.

Rethinking Teaching with Canvas Tools

"Differentiating Assignments (k-12) in Canvas: Helping All Learners Be Successful"

https://community.canvaslms.com/groups/accessibility/blog/2016/06/08/share-udl-course-design-tips-tricks-and-techniques

When you check out many websites for educational companies, you will begin to see they have packaged a lot of information for "Covid-19" or for "Remote Learning" etc. Canvas has provided some resources as a way to help teachers and schools. Check out the following link:

https://www.instructure.com/canvas/tools-for-online-learning-when-the-classroom-closes . I have listed some of the other links attached on this page with a brief description for how they can provide assistance:

Blog updates from educators utilizing Canvas

Ideas on utilizing Mastery Connect

Video Tutorials on several tools in Canvas

Using discussions in Canvas

Great resource for utilizing Videos in Canvas

Please reach out to Mr. Fowler or Mr. Layton if you have any needs, concerns or questions. They will work to support you any way possible.

Remote Learning - Blended Learning - Flipped Learning - How can they all connect? How can this change in education help us as we move forward?

In the past, we've talked about the concept of flipped Learning. The idea that a teacher develops lessons and posts them in a learning management system like Canvas as an asynchronous resource as "the homework". Students are assigned the resource posted by a teacher that could be a video, a link to a ted Ed video, a reading passage, driving question etc. Students then take that information and complete a task in preparation for class. That task may be to have questions prepared for class the next day, have notes ready to show understanding and pre-loaded knowledge etc.

This idea is similar to Asynchronous learning that you are doing right now during the Remote Learning phase. You post an assignment/task/challenge etc. maybe as a video of you giving instruction, or introducing a skill or topic. The goal is to engage students and provide details that will help them when you choose to meet synchronously. There is a similarity for Remote Learning to the ideals of Flipped Learning that may help during this time and when we return. Think about how you are using Canvas now? How can that continue when we return to school as we know it?

For years, you have been learning and working towards a blended learning model. The idea that learning takes place both in the brick and mortar building and classrooms as well as digitally. Through this experience with Remote Learning you have innovated, adapted, built, collaborated, designed and facilitated amazing lessons centered around blended learning concepts. While we can't be in our brick and mortar building right now, we can work to build our skills on the digital platform in Canvas. As we move forward in the coming weeks, think about how you can use these concepts and ideas. Education may see changes in the coming weeks and months, but your innovation, creativity and collaboration will shine during this time. While we all wish to return to the same, we can also utilize this time to find ways to promote engagement and learning through these ideas and models.

In so many ways, you are already doing many of the concepts and ideas presented. Below is a short video to help build some of those connections. In the coming newsletters, we will continue to focus on how we can connect this time period of Remote Learning to help sharpen our skills to prepare for our return to school. We have many great tools, resources, strategies and ideas and this time is allowing us to hone in on how we can stay connected and develop resources to connect our students to learning.

As we work to close strong on Phase 1 of Remote Learning, take a moment to see all you have been able to do in such a short time. As we begin to prepare for Phase 2, think about ways to engage and encourage our students to continue to learn and grow. One thought may be to devise a PBL, it could be a weekly PBL, it may run for a few days or it may even be one built for the entire three weeks. The designs of which allow you to show your amazing innovative and creative ideas and allow students to do the same. Below are some articles on starting a PBL and some ideas to help support you if you are considering a PBL.

- Remember, a key fundamental to a great PBL is to present students with a driving question, something that sparks interest and then connecting those ideas to the skills/standards you plan to teach. In our world today, there are so many thoughts for Projects and Problems to be resolved and it has been fascinating to see so many students and teachers working to devise such innovation to work towards solutions.

- Think of it like this, your PBL could basically be a theme either over a few days, weekly or if you choose over the three weeks for Phase 2. However, within that theme you have assignments, checkpoints etc. for students to show they understand and have mastery of the skills/standards your PBL is driving. It doesn't have to be one big project (all or nothing) type grade, it can be filled with minor assignments that help you facilitate the students ideas and foster their solutions through the learning process.

Here are a few resources to help get you started:

PBL Works prebuilt PBLs

A huge set of resources, articles etc. from Edutopia about PBL

Project Based Learning Starts Here

PBL Starters Guide

Teaching Standards through PBL

Thoughts about PBL during Distance Learning

Another example is Flipgrid and how teachers can use it in their classroom. The article "9 New Ways to Us Flipgrid in the classroom" provides some ideas and thoughts including the following:

"Supporting absent students: Flipgrid can be a catch-up solution for students who are absent. The teacher creates a topic for work completed in class, and if a student is absent during a given class period, one of their peers can post a quick video about what assignments were completed in class so the absent students can quickly learn about what they missed."

Check out these articles for more information on great uses for Flipgrid that so many are already working on with their students across the nation and world:

Flipgrid Scavenger Hunt - fliphunt is a scavenger hunt using Flipgrid. It is a fun way of having your students get out of their seats, participate in the learning, and demonstrate their understanding and application.

Flipgrid and Remote Learning - As educators, learners and families are impacted by COVID-19, know that our entire team is always here for you. Inspired by the ways you foster community beyond the classroom, we have curated a collection of resources to help you and your peers.

Flipgrid - Official site from Microsoft

Flipgrid Fever -

We are sure most everyone has completed or is near completing their 30 PD hours, but maybe at this point has not entered them into Frontline. We are sending this information out as a reminder.

If you have not updated your Frontline account with any information outside of the Wednesday strands or the PD sessions where badges were scanned, please work to do that in the coming weeks. We are working to update each day in Frontline. Also, if you are concerned that you may not reach the needed hours, please reach out to Mr. Layton so we can work to review PD hours that you may not have entered.

The strand hours for Wednesdays should be entered by the strand facilitator, but if you would like to add them to be sure, please do so. Also if you worked on STEM Night, please make sure to add 4 hours for PD for that event.

We are here to help everyone, but we just wanted to provide an update as to the need to place items in Frontline. As always, if you have questions or concerns etc., please feel free to contact Mr. Layton so that we can assist.

Tennessee Educator Survey Update

The deadline for the Tennessee Educator Survey has been extended until Friday, May 1 to give all educators a chance to respond. The new survey questions related to COVID-19 have been added to the survey and posted to the Tennessee Educator Survey website as of Monday, April 6.

Educators who have not received a link to the original survey or the new items may access the troubleshooting portal to have the link resent to their preferred email address. Questions about survey administration may be directed to TERA at tned.research.alliance@vanderbilt.edu.

The 2020 Tennessee Educator Survey is an opportunity for educators to provide actionable feedback about what’s working and where they need more support. TDOE has also added several questions to the beginning of the Tennessee Educator Survey regarding educator experiences with COVID-19 related changes in schooling. The new survey questions have been added to the survey for educators and were posted to the Tennessee Educator Survey website. They have also pushed back the deadline to May 1, 2020. The survey is entirely confidential, and individual responses are never shared in an identifiable manner.

As in previous years, the department will share aggregated district-level results with district leaders by the end of May in time for use in school leader evaluations. They will make results public later this summer. In order to receive data, a school or district must achieve at least 45 percent participation by May 1, the day the survey closes. JMS is currently at a 21% participation rate so we encourage you to participate via the personalized link sent to you via email from the TDOE. You can visit https://www.tn.gov/education/data/educator-survey.html?mc_cid=677ba20efa&mc_eid=77abd6a836 if you have more questions about the survey. Thank you in advance for completing the survey so we can use the results to best support you and our students!

Thank you for your careful consideration of student and staff safety as we transition to on-line learning experiences. We have updated our video conferencing guidelines based on recent information shared by staff, Zoom, and FERPA guidance. Prior to launching Zoom access as an online option, we engaged ORS legal counsel for guidance related to FERPA and HIPAA with video conferencing. Additionally, we secured an ORS specific hosting site and agreements with Zoom to increase security features. We will continue to work with ORS staff and Zoom to improve security features as we learn more during this time. To further increase safety, all staff members should adhere to the guidelines for Zoom and other video conferencing usage.

1. No FERPA or HIPAA sensitive information can be shared or discussed. This means that Zoom may not be used to support activities that may potentially share personal student information. Ex. Individual counseling sessions or an IEP.
2. Staff members must use the ORS version of Zoom access through Clever for instructional opportunities.
3. Staff members must use the waiting room feature to prohibit entry to the Zoom session by students or others that are not members of the class.
4. Instructional opportunities using Zoom should only be provided during reasonable hours for student participation.
5. Follow AccessOR Acceptable Use Policy for use of video conferencing in a one to one instructional situation. Staff members should include an administrator on conference invitations.
6. Instructional opportunities using Zoom may be recorded and posted in Canvas for review by students who could not attend. No private student information should be shared during Zoom meetings. Students should be instructed to use their username or First Name plus Last Name Initial (Jane D) during video conference sessions.
7. Student to student chat room opportunities should be turned off during a Zoom session.
8. Student invitations to participate in a Zoom instructional opportunity should be sent in a timely manner.
9. A building administrator must be invited to monitor a student Zoom instructional session.
10. Pictures of Zoom meetings with students’ faces or names should not be shared on social media.
11. Limit Zoom sessions in an effort to maximize asynchronous options for students who may be working or unable to join at specified times.
12. All Zoom recordings must be saved to the default Zoom location under “My Documents” directory on your local machine.

Norms to establish safe and productive Zoom meetings:

1. This meeting will be recorded/not be recorded and available/not available on my Canvas page.

2. Chat room capabilities are not enabled. Please use the “Raise your hand” function to ask a question.

3. Students are not required to use the video function. Please be aware that others can see your surroundings when the video function is used. Pick a location that will minimize interruptions. If you are in a room with others, please let them know that you will be using video/audio for a class.

4. The teacher may mute the room or student if background noise interferes with the conference. Please check the mute status and minimize background noise before you speak.

FERPA and Virtual Learning Webinar https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/training/ferpa-and-virtual-learning-during-covid-19-webinar-recording

Technology Department Remote Support for Extended Closure

Faculty/Staff/Students

· Create a ticket using https://support.ortn.edu or if you don’t have a working device (or cannot login), call 865-425-9039 and follow prompts

· Technician will schedule a support time for call back

· Technician will fix the device starting with voice commands

· If needed, technician will start a Zoom session to gain remote access

· If all remote support fails, technician will schedule student for drop-off of laptop and pickup of spare.

Drop-Off (All at Oak Ridge High School – TD Portable 3):

· Must have a work order so that we can prep a spare machine

· TD Tech will open a Work Order and collect

· Username (and password)

· Contact phone number

· Brief description of issue

· Drop off will be at TD portable 3.

· Drop-off times will be from 9:30a-10:30am on Mondays and Thursdays, and 3:30-4:40, TBD

· Students can pick-up a loaner device at this time (see pick-up section below).

· No drop-offs outside of this time. *Unless a special circumstance requires an alternate drop off time scheduled with technology employee

· Drive-thru lane setup for users to pull up and drop off device as quick as possible.

· Maintain Social Distance of 6ft.

· If you are sick, inform us immediately.

· We will verify appointment info (only those scheduled).

· User will keep their laptop case, adapter, line cord, stylus, or other accessories that are not needed for the repair.

· Users will remain at curb. They will NOT come to the doors or ramp at portables.

· User may leave.

Pick-up:

· After dropping off laptop, user pulls forward to pick-up table.

· Tech at Drop-off table will alert pick-up table.

· User to verify login, apps, and OneDrive setup.

· User may leave.

Cleaning and Repair (TD Staff):

· Wipe down laptop

· Bag laptop

· Write date on bag

· Attach contact info to bag

· Place laptop on cart for delivery to quarantine area

· Device will remain in quarantine for 5 days

· After day 5 those devices will be brought to the Image room.

· Cleaning and repair performed

PTO Elections: PTO elections will be held in May. The PTO organizes events throughout the school year including an annual fundraiser drive, teacher luncheons and end of the year luncheon for 8th graders. We could not do all of this without parent support and involvement. If you are interested in running for one of the board positions or for more information as to what they entail, please contact Sandy Pelletier sandy@issi.net.

JMS PTO hosted a first ever Remote meeting last week using Zoom. Special Thanks to those of you attended the meeting. We are thankful for the opportunity to meet and discuss and looking forward to the day we can return to meeting face to face. Thanks again for all of the amazing efforts you all make to support Jefferson Middle School.

How To Keep Kids Motivated To Finish Online Work

Good evening and we hope this newsletter finds you well and with all the things that you need for you and your family. We are now in the process of transitioning from Phase 1 to Phase 2 this week with remote learning. Please refer to important information given to you by JMS administration with all the updated information.

Many middle and high schools across the country have cancelled school for the remainder of the school year due to COVID-19 pandemic. Many students have worried if their online lessons will count in their final grades. This can create some problems for parents with having the feeling to let your kids not finish their schoolwork. It's better that they do because your kids have made a commitment to their education. It doesn't matter if it's online or in class. You don't get to arbitrarily choose if you complete the work. The academic lessons help keep your kids up to date on the curriculum and serve as building blocks to the curriculum next school year.

A way to encourage your kids to get their online lessons completed is by using a reward system. This means that your kids get privileges after the work is finished. No fun until the work is done. So, the burden is on your kids. Review work with the kids. For your middle and high school kids, you can check to make sure that it's complete. When you make sure your kids do what they're supposed to do, it teaches them responsibility.

If you're wondering how to stay motivated when your life is upside down because of the coronavirus pandemic, there isn't an easy answer. If you're waiting for motivation, it isn't going to happen. Think about it. How many times have you said that you'll do something in a minute? And the minute passes, and you're still sitting and haven’t done anything towards your goal. There will be a million excuses for waiting or delaying. You got to make yourself do it. Once you start then the motivation kicks in. It's backwards, but it works.

Here are three ways you can help your child succeed in an online school setting

1- Stay Involved

Just as traditional schools hold parent-teacher conferences and open houses, we are available to help and assist in any way possible. Please e-mail your child’s teacher if you need extra clarification on an assignment or want to know how they are doing.

Remote learning allows teachers to have office hours to help with your child’s experience and provide extra support if needed. Parents are also encouraged to check Canvas periodically to check their child’ progress:

• Weekly assignments

• Instructor announcements

• Assignment feedback

Staying involved will show your child that you have an interest in their education, which can directly impact their success by boosting their self-confidence.

2- Motivate them Towards Success

One of the positives of students using remote learning it allows the student to customize their learning program. Students have a sense of control since they can choose when, where, and how they learn. Taking ownership of their education is likely to inspire a strong sense of motivation, but parents can take this a step further.

Motivation can be anything from establishing a goal, like studying for one hour every night, to praising them for their accomplishments. Offering incentives and celebrating achievements shows your child that you’re proud of the work they’re doing and it makes sure their efforts don’t go unnoticed.

Don’t forget to teach your child the benefits of an education. They most likely know that they have to “go to school”, but they might not completely understand why. Explaining how it can impact their future is a stepping stone toward motivating them to succeed.

Helping your child realize the importance of an education will set them up for a strong work ethic that will carry them through to their eventual careers.

3- Create a Comfortable Learning Environment

Since your child won’t be in a typical school setting, they’ll need an area of their own where they can focus on their coursework and study without any distractions.

The first step is to determine where they learn best. Some options are:

• Living room

• Dining room

• Kitchen table

• Office in the home

• Outside

When working from home the following items need to be considered:

• Necessary equipment: This can include a computer, internet access, and a nearby printer.

• Distraction-free zone: Avoid setting up their space in a high-traffic or loud area of the house.

• Comfortable surroundings: Make sure they have enough room and a cozy place to sit so that they can focus undisturbed.

A regular workspace that your child can count on will help instill structure and consistency in their study habits. The support you give your child throughout their education now can put them on the right track for success in the future.