Alamo Kindergarten Distance Learning – Fall 2020 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Link to this section
Kinder Distance Learning Schedule - First week of school
1) How will we know which kindergarten class our child is in? Link to this section
You can find out your child’s classroom from ParentVUE. Class lists will be posted in ParentVUE on Thursday, Aug. 13.
Kindergarten teachers will reach out to their classroom families through Parent Square after the class lists are posted.
If you have trouble logging into ParentVUE, please contact your child’s teacher directly (via email) for your child’s SFUSD account and password. Teacher emails are at the bottom of this FAQ.
2) How can we get ready for Distance Learning? Link to this section
- Set up a learning space for your child that is free of distractions (ex. No toys, games, TV)
- Basic supplies set up in the learning space: pencils, white paper (scratch paper), lined paper (notebook or binder paper), kid’s scissors, glue or tape, crayons or colored pencils, markers, black pen.
- Email your child’s teacher (see #1) for your child’s SFUSD account and password if you can’t access ParentVUE.
- Practice logging into the platforms: Zoom, Clever & Seesaw before the first day of school.
- Bookmark the platforms or download the apps on your child’s designated device.
3) What if we do not have some of the basic school supplies at home for my child to use? Link to this section
Please contact your child’s teacher directly about your specific needs and we can assist you in getting the needed supplies.
4) Each kindergarten student should have his/her own designated device for distance learning. It will be difficult for siblings to share devices to attend Zoom meetings and do their online assignments. What if we do not have a designated device for our child? Link to this section
- Alamo will be distributing District chromebooks (on loan) for families in need.
- Please check your Parent Square notifications for Alamo’s schedule for device distribution during the week of Aug. 10 - 14. There will be another Alamo distribution during the first week of school for those families who are not able to come this week.
- How to log into your District Chromebook
- SFUSD Family Technology Tutorials
- Technology FAQ
5) Distance Learning Platforms for Kindergarten: Link to this section
- Students must log-in to these three platforms using their SFUSD account and password. Once you log in the first time, you can save the log in & password.
- Zoom will be used for live instruction, meetings, and office hours.
- Clever is the SFUSD platform for all district apps such as Raz-Kids and Seesaw. Once logged-in through Clever, students can access their teacher’s page for information.
- Seesaw is the platform where we will assign activities and students will turn in their work. The Seesaw class app can be accessed through Clever but you can also download the app on your iPad or tablet.
- Seesaw info for Parents - The code for the Seesaw family app will be sent to you by email once your teacher has your contact information.
- Getting started with Seesaw (Chinese, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Vietnamese) - Students should access the Seesaw class app through Clever.
6) What can we expect for the first day of school (August 17th)? Link to this section
- All kindergarten classes will meet via Zoom at 9:30 am OR 1:00 pm for about half an hour on the first day. We are having two meetings, just in case families have trouble logging in.
- Your class’s Zoom link, meeting ID and password can be found in two places:
- Your child’s Clever account: It will be posted on the teacher’s page in an announcement at the top of the teacher page.
- Your child’s Seesaw account: Announcements are posted in the Inbox on the right hand side of the page.
7) What can we expect for the first few weeks of school? Link to this section
- We will be focused on building community, meeting families individually via Zoom, getting familiar with the digital platforms, and having office hours for families who need tech support & other questions.
- Know that during this time, we are building your child’s stamina & digital skills to be successful with distance learning.
- We do need adult support at home during the first few weeks of school to help with log-in and tech issues, but we hope to have students work somewhat independently after a month.
- We will ease into the Kindergarten academics by the 3rd or 4th week of school.
- We will have live Zoom meetings and Seesaw activities every day.
8) Daily attendance is required for Distance Learning. What does attendance look like? Link to this section
Attendance will be counted in one of three ways:
- Attendance at the Zoom meeting OR
- Student work turned into Seesaw OR
- Phone contact with the teacher
9) Will there be printed work packets? Link to this section
- The district mailed work packets to all K-2 families every 2 - 3 weeks last spring and will most likely do so again this fall. Please make sure that SFUSD has your current home mailing address.
- Teachers will have limited access to the school building during this Distance Learning phase and will not be able to do any printing of a work packet.
- The K Team will be assembling a Learning Kit for curbside pick-up date TBD after school starts. We are waiting for access to the school building and need time to assemble the kits.
- We will be providing work digitally, some printable work, as well as options if you do not have a printer.
10) What will my child’s daily schedule look like for distance learning? Link to this section
- We will have a Kindergarten Back to School night via Zoom during the first week of school. You will receive more specific details about your classroom’s daily schedule and DL expectations during that meeting.
- Check for your classroom’s daily Zoom meeting times through the Teacher page on Clever OR the Inbox announcements in Seesaw. We will need some flexibility during the first couple weeks of school as we try to make sure all students can log in for our Zoom meetings.
- The Kinder team will be sending out a Kindergarten Survey for each classroom (via Parent Square and email - Please email us with your email address!) to assist us in getting to know your child AND information about tech access and scheduling. Please fill out this google form ASAP.
- Please keep in mind that the Distance Learning schedule will not mirror a live classroom schedule.
- The attention span of most 5 – 6 year-old children is about 20 minutes. Expect that your child will need to have breaks during the day. Please do not expect them to sit and do school work quietly for 3 hours. The school day should be broken up into blocks of 20 - 30 minutes of focused work time with brain breaks, play time, or snack breaks.
- You might want to set up some choice activities for your child during those brain breaks.
11) How can I stay informed about my child’s classroom and updates about school? Link to this section
- For Classroom updates:
- Email blasts from your child’s teacher (make sure your teacher has an email address that you check regularly)
- Announcements in Seesaw Inbox
- Parent Square posts from your teacher
- For School updates:
- Parent Square - Make sure you have signed up for Parent Square with the Alamo School community
- For SFUSD updates:
- SFUSD Communications - Click the link if you have not been receiving SFUSD notifications via phone call, email, or text.
The Alamo Kinder Team
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This page was last updated on August 14, 2020