Welcome to Our Distance Learning Plan
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INTRODUCTION
We are committed to making sure that students continue to experience the care and commitment of our faculty and the routine of daily learning, even in the event of school closure. We must acknowledge that our approach to distance learning cannot replicate the magic that happens when school is in regular session such as the invaluable social interactions and mediation, real-time, in-person feedback, community, and extracurricular events.  However, we do contend that quality learning can occur from a distance.
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The purpose of this document is to describe the actions Holy Family School staff will take to continue instruction in the event of a  campus closure or parental choice. We endeavor in HFS LIVE to accomplish three goals PK–8 within a flexible framework:

• Live Student-Teacher Contact Time on a Set Schedule
• Online Content Delivery
• Online Monitoring of Student Progress/Student Assessment

It is our intention with HFS LIVE that we continue to live our mission, vision, and strategic plan, which together assert that we will consider the well-being and growth of the whole child. The act of creating this plan provides us with a unique opportunity to reinforce what we assert as a Catholic school grounded in faith, knowledge, and service. 

If Holy Family School’s campus is closed and this plan is implemented, the principal will send email communications to both parents and faculty/staff announcing a timeline for implementation. An exact date will be designated when distance learning will begin for Holy Family students.​

*If school is open, this plan will only be available for groups or classes of students in quarantine.  Students will be able to see and interact with their classrooms during in-person instruction each day. Distance instruction in the fall will be different than it was in the spring in that students will be participating remotely in their classes according to a consistent school schedule. Depending upon your child’s grade level there will be some classes that we will require students to participate in “live” (i.e., as the class is taking place). Other classes can be viewed at a later time in order to accommodate each student’s abilities and family’s schedule.

The principal will periodically send email updates to parents and faculty/staff apprising them of any pertinent information about when Holy Family School might reopen for regular classes. As with the decision to close campus, the decision to reopen school for regular classes will be made with close consultation with the Archdiocese of Seattle, Pastor, School Commission and Department of Health.

We hope that implementation of this plan will not have to be put into place very often. However, in the event of school closure, it is important to describe Holy Family School’s approach to distance learning, the channels we will use for communication, the online platforms we will employ by grade, the roles, responsibilities, and expectations Holy Family School has for staff, parents, and students, guidelines for how parents/guardians can support their children’s learning, and a host of other priorities and considerations tailored to make the best of challenging circumstances.

One of the goals of HFS LIVE is to ensure equity. This includes doing our best to provide students with devices if they do not have access to a computer at home. We also will be happy to help families access online tutorials as we are able to through email and phone contacts. While we will not be able to help families troubleshoot all problems, we will do our best to make sure all students have equitable access where we have control.
 
 

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TECHNOLOGY
Systems to Support Distance Learning at Holy Family School ​

​ With regard to the school’s core technological and communications systems, Holy Family School offers the following FAQs to describe how we will communicate and manage learning in the event this plan is implemented.

Holy Family School will continue to use the same channels it employs for normal day-to-day communications with parents, students, and faculty/staff. All of these systems are remotely accessible. The table below describes systems in use: ​
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Email  |  Faculty, Staff, Parents, Students
Email will be used for all major communications and announcements, including those from the Principal and teachers.  Staff will also use email to communicate, although they will use other platforms to interact with their students as well.  Please make sure all parent emails are up to date and correct.

Google G-Suite  |  Students 4th through 8th grades  
Google (including Gmail, Docs, Classroom, etc.) will continue to be the platform used by our teachers.

Zoom  | Pre-kindergarten through 8th grade
Zoom is an online video conferencing platform that allows for live group meetings and synchronous learning, hosted by teachers on a regular schedule.  Zoom will also be used for small group and individual instruction.

Flipgrid  |  Students 5th through 8th grade
Flipgrid empowers social learning by engaging every student in the class.  Students record short videos to reflect, discuss, and showcase what they are learning, making, reading, solving, playing and experiencing.  Every learner shares their voice and builds on the diverse voices of their peers.

Seesaw  | Pre-kindergarten through 4th grade
Seesaw is a platform for student engagement.  Teachers use Seesaw to find, create, and assign student work that aligns with our curriculum and standards.  Students turn in work and “show what they know” using photos, videos, drawings, text, PDFs, and links.  Teachers provide feedback and students’ work is captured in a digital portfolio.

Chalk Markboard  | Students 4th through 8th grade
Chalk Markboard is an online grading platform that brings both summative and formative assessment feedback to our students and parents.

Khan Academy  | Kindergarten through 8th grade
Teachers may assign videos and online practice questions for their classes.  https://www.khanacademy.org

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: Science Dimensions  | 5th through 8th grade
Our online science curriculum is interactive and full aligned with Next Generation Science Standards. This textbook series covers Life Science, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. https://www.hmhco.com/one/login/


TCI  | Students 5th through 8th grade
TCI is taught Kindergarten - 8th grade, with online offered for 5-8th grade. TCI History Alive!  This series offers an engaging online platform that is fully aligned with national standards. In middle school, the curriculum covers Early American History, The Ancient World, Medieval History, and U.S. History through Industrialization. https://student.teachtci.com/student/sign_in

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How will Holy Family School ensure that students have access to these tools from off-campus?

​ Most of our technology tools are not device-specific, which means students will be able to access learning through nearly any electronic device. Students will be asked to utilize home electronic devices to access these tools. If you do not have wireless, we can recommend using a hotspot and data from your phone. https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-turn-your-phone-into-a-wi-fi-hotspot ​

We are working on having a  limited number of devices available for checkout.
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CURRICULUM
HFS LIVE will follow our current school curriculum and Common Core Standards.  Curriculum materials will be provided, for example text books, online access codes, workbooks, manipulatives as applicable, etc.  See the curriculum page of our website for details: HFS Curriculm

GRADING
Grading practices will be similar to in-person school.  Grades 4-8 will use percentage grades and grades will be updated in Chalk, our online grading program.  PK-3 will use standards based grading.

ATTENDANCE
Students will be expected to logon to their learning platform (Seesaw or Google Classroom) and attend classes daily. Attendance will be taken.  
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Nine Distance Learning Guidelines for Teachers

The transition to distance learning is not simple or easy. Teachers need to think differently about how to communicate, give instruction, and provide feedback, how to design lessons and assignments that are authentic and meaningful, and how to ensure students continue to collaborate and communicate with others. The eight guidelines provided below are intended to help teachers across all grade levels reflect on challenges they will confront in shifting to distance learning.
 
1 — At Holy Family School, we know our students, and they know we care.
Our commitment is to nurture relationships and demonstrate deep care for our students and one another. In the event of a crisis that leads to implementation of this plan, your students may be stressed or worried. Before diving into the curriculum, take the time to assess your students’ mental, physical, and emotional well-being. How are they doing? How are their families?
 
2 — Evaluate your students’ conditions for distance learning.
While most students will have reliable online access at home and the necessary devices to shift to distance learning, others will not. Teachers should remember that each family’s circumstances will vary, and they should avoid assumptions about limitations or restrictions students are facing. Ask your students and/or their parents whether their online access is reliable and what devices the student has at their disposal. Open a dialogue with students and families and avoid assumptions that all students’ circumstances are the same. 
 
3 — Stick with the familiar.
Especially in the first weeks after moving to HFS LIVE, teachers should continue using existing communication channels and learning management systems. In other words, stick with what is familiar to your students. Teachers should remember that while many students will thrive with distance learning, others will struggle. In the event that the school remains closed for a longer period of time, it may become necessary to explore new or different learning platforms that provide different experiences.
 
4 — Less is more.
Should Holy Family School implement this plan, one challenge confronting teachers will be how to best streamline content and elevate the most essential learning for students. In other words, teachers need to take a less-is-more perspective, including the pacing of lessons and volume of assignments and assessments. It can also be hard to know exactly how long school closure might last, which makes longer-term planning difficult.
 

5 — Seize the moment; embrace new opportunities and possibilities for your students.
Years or decades from now, how will your students remember the emergency that resulted in school closure? While distance learning should attempt to bring some normalcy and routine to students’ lives, teachers should not ignore the opportunities resulting from school closure either. Teachers might require students to keep a daily journal or diary for the duration of the crisis. Personal journaling, weekly check-ins, and/or other creative writing assignments can help students process their thoughts, worries, and emotions, particularly in times of crisis. Students might use other media as well, including video, drawing, painting, and music. Moreover, the crisis might also provide other real-life opportunities to study scientific phenomena associated with the crisis, and media/government responses.
 
6 — Design asynchronous learning experiences.
When school is closed and students are learning from various locations, teachers can still connect them asynchronously (not all students at the same time). For example, HFS teachers can use familiar discussion forums/thread or tools to allow for student responses and dialogue during a set time period, knowing that students might not all be online at the same exact time.
 
7 — Design synchronous learning experiences.
When it comes to student engagement and learning, relationships matter as much online as they do in person. If Holy Family School’s campus were to be closed, students will be able to gather for synchronous learning times via Zoom, an online video conferencing platform,  or other online platforms. Collaboration remains important and there are many ways teachers can foster it through synchronous (all students at the same time) learning. This is a time for instruction, discussion, class meetings, sharing, show and tell, and more.  Synchronous live instruction will be provided on a set schedule.  Teachers will be expected to connect with their students daily.

8 — Think differently about assessment.
Assessment is one of the most challenging adjustments for teachers new to online learning. Distance learning should be seen as an opportunity for students, individually or collaboratively, to complete writing assignments, design infographics, make video presentations, or complete oral assessments via video chat. Teachers are encouraged to think differently about the frequency and end goal of assessment instead of forcing a traditional assessment method that does not fit distance learning.  Students who actively participate in HFS LIVE will have the opportunity to improve their grades.  If a student is not participating in school during distance learning, they could be placed on academic probation which would require improvement over a six week period.  Thinking differently about assessment will positively influence the experience for students, leverage the strengths of distance learning, and prevent frustration on the teacher’s part when traditional methods do not work.
 
9 — Meet the unique communication needs of distance learning.
As teachers, students, and families adjust to the challenges and opportunities that distance learning presents, it will be critical to make school-home communication a top priority. We are partners in the education of our students, and a distance learning situation will emphasize this reality. The school administration will continue connecting with families via regular communication modalities (Weekly email, website, etc.) and will work with teachers to establish protocols and guidelines for communication-related to instruction and student learning. Conferences on the school calendar will proceed, using remote platforms, to the extent possible. Teachers will utilize Chalk in grades 4-8, Progress Report and Report Card comments, and other opportunities (“Office Hours,” Google Classroom check-ins, phone or Zoom calls, etc.) to communicate about individual student progress during distance learning, with the awareness that learning is happening in different ways and may require additional explanation and check-ins with individual students.  All one to one video conferencing will need both parents' permission and will be recorded.  All families in agreement with one to one video conferencing will sign the required a digital authorization form.

The guidelines above are modeled directly on the DLP of the American International School of Japan, ‘Iolani School, St. Luke’s School and Holy Family Bilingual School with our gratitude.

Distance Learning for Parents

The intent of HFS LIVE is to continue living our mission as a Catholic school grounded in faith, knowledge, and service. In addition to providing remote education, we value the well-being and growth of the whole child.  Here are a few things you can do to support your student during our transition to remote learning:​

• Stay connected with your faith and think of ways to serve others.
• Talk with your student about where in your home they will do their school work.  Set up a routine.
• Help your student identify healthy and safe ways to stay connected with their friends from school.
• Questions?  Make sure to reach out to your student's teacher.
  
• Get outside and exercise daily!  ​ ​

Digital Authorization Form  |  All Students

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