Guidelines to Transition to Distance Learning

Eight Guidelines for St. Ann Catholic School Parents to Transition to Distance Learning :

The transition to distance learning may be challenging for families. Parents will need to think differently about how to support their children; how to create structures and routines that allow their children to be successful; and how to monitor and support their children's learning. Some students will thrive with distance learning, while others may struggle. The eight guidelines provided below are intended to help parents think about what they can do to help their children find success in a distance learning environment.

1. Establish routines and expectations From day one parents need to establish routines and expectations. St. Ann encourages parents to set regular hours for their children's school work. We suggest students begin their studies at 8:30am. Keep normal bedtime routines for younger children and expect the same from your middle school-aged students, too. Your children should move regularly and take periodic breaks as they study. It is important that parents set these expectations for how their children will spend their days starting as soon as distance learning is implemented, not several days later after it becomes apparent a child is struggling with the absence of routine.
2. Define the physical space for your child's study Your child may have a regular place for doing homework under normal circumstances, but this space may or may not be suitable for an extended period of time. We encourage families to establish a space/location where their children will learn most of the time. This should be a public/family space, not in a child's bedroom. It should be a place that can be quiet at times and have a strong wireless internet signal, if possible. Above all, it should be a space where parents are present and monitoring their children's learning.
3. Begin and end each day with a check-in Parents are encouraged to start and finish each day with a simple check-in. In the morning, ask your child(ren) What are you learning today? What are your learning targets or goals? How will they spend their time? What resources do they require? What support do they need? This brief grounding conversation matters. It allows children to process the
   instructions they've received from their teachers. It helps them organize themselves and set priorities. Older students may not want to have these check-ins with parents (that's normal!), but they should nevertheless. Parents should establish these check-ins as regular parts of each day. Not all students thrive in a distance learning environment; some struggle with too much independence or lack of structure. These check-in routines need to be established early, before students fall behind or begin to struggle.
4. Establish times for quiet and reflection A huge challenge for families with multiple children will be how to manage all of their children's needs, especially when those children are different ages and have different needs. There may be times when siblings need to work in different rooms to avoid distraction. Parents may even experiment with noise-cancelling headphones (no music necessary) to block out distractions.
5. Monitor communications from your children's teachers Teachers will communicate withparents through email, when and as necessary. The frequency and detail of these communications will be determined by your children's ages, maturity, and their degree of independence.St. Ann wants parents to contact their children's teachers. Teachers will be checking email regularly, but in addition,
   will have office hours from 8:30-9:30am and 1:30-2:30pm each day. Teachers will communicate Wednesday morning office hours so that all can be in attendance for weekly Rosary or Mass.
6. Take an active role in helping your children process and own their learning In the course of a regular school day at St. Ann, your son or daughter engages with other students or adults dozens if not hundreds of times. While some of these social interactions will be re-created on virtual platforms, others will not. Human beings learn best when they have opportunities to process their learning with
   others. Beyond the check-ins recommended at the start and end of each day, parents might be wise to regularly circle back and engage with their children about what they're learning. However, it's important that your child does his/her own work; don't complete assignments for them.
7. Encourage physical activity and /or exercise Make sure your children remember to move and exercise. This is vitally important to their health, wellbeing, and to their learning. Ms. McCaffrey will recommend activities or exercises, but it is important for parents to model and encourage exercise! Think also about how your children can pitch in more around the house with chores or other
   responsibilities.
8. Monitor your child online (how much time and exposure to content) We do not want students staring at computer screens for 7-8 hours a day. At St. Ann, we have content filtering at school thatnkeeps our students safe from harmful internet websites. While your child is engaged in distance learning, we rely on parents to watch student computer activity to ensure they are only on the websites that St. Ann teachers have assigned.