Support for Families

Sustained periods of virtual education are successful when students have a routine to follow and a space in which to work and learn.  As you consider how to support your child's online learning, be clear about the time of day any online video sessions will be held as well as the extent of the assignments your student will be asked to complete.  If you're not sure, ask your child's teacher(s). Once you have an idea about daily time commitments, plan a schedule for your child to follow. Stick to as predictable a daily routine as possible. Don't forget to include times for breaks and lunch.  In addition developing a daily learning schedule, it is important to identify an at-home learning space. Ideally, this space should have:

• A computer, iPad, Chromebook or other device. Need a device?
• Good lighting
• Ready access to learning materials and tools

A dedicated learning space for virtual learning should ideally be located in a shared area of your home such as at the kitchen table, a large kitchen counter, or a desk in a living room or family room.  When your student's learning space is separate from their bedroom and distanced from the television, it sets the expectation and tone that the space is for work and not play.  Additionally, an online learning space in a shared area allows parents and guardians to readily support learning while also monitoring online activity.

Nothing disrupts a person's ability to do planned tasks than having to stop and find the materials and tools that are needed for the task.  Virtual learning experiences don't just require a device. Students who are learning virtually should also have the following materials and tools available to them:

• Paper, pencils, and pens
• Calculator, ruler, compass, counters (e.g., dry beans), or other items to support math
• Textbooks, trade books, composition notebooks, and other necessary curriculum resources provided by your student's teacher
• Phone, iPad, or computer with camera for taking pictures of work and/or recording videos of learning demonstrations

The above list is not exhaustive.  As Northshore educators get smarter together about providing online learning as an option for students, this list will grow and guidance will be provided to parents and caregivers about how to access such materials and tools.

We heard from many parents/guardians, students and teachers who wanted a single, easy location for classes. Schoology is our new learning management system. This tool provides students, parents/guardians and teachers a way to engage with learning materials from home, in the classroom and beyond. Families will be able to access course materials, grades, calendars and more! Learn more about Schoology.

Explore the Subject Areas section of our NSD website to learn about the standards, core instructional materials, pathways and assessments utilized by educators. Remember, educators are adjusting their usual routines to adapt to distance learning, so aspects outlined on this section of the website might be slightly different to our current situation. However, please remember, all educators are still committed to student learning.

For K-8 Math and K-5 English Language Arts (ELA), family friendly focus area documents are a helpful way to understand your child's academic goals based on their grade level:

Math:

• Kindergarten NSD Math Year-At-A-Glance and Focus Areas
• Kindergarten NSD Math Parent Guide
• First Grade NSD Math Year-At-A-Glance and Focus Areas
• First Grade NSD Math Parent Guide
• Second Grade NSD Math Year-At-A-Glance and Focus Areas
• Second Grade NSD Math Parent Guide
• Third Grade NSD Math Year-At-A-Glance and Focus Areas
• Third Grade NSD Math Parent Guide
• Fourth Grade NSD Math Year-At-A-Glance and Focus Areas
• Fourth Grade NSD Math Parent Guide
• Fifth Grade NSD Math Year-At-A-Glance and Focus Areas
• Fifth Grade NSD Math Parent Guide
• Sixth Grade NSD Math Parent Guide
• Seventh Grade NSD Math Parent Guide
• Eighth Grade NSD Math Parent Guide
• Algebra 1 NSD Math Parent Guide
• Geometry NSD Math Parent Guide

ELA:

• Kindergarten NSD ELA Year-At-A-Glance
• Kindergarten NSD ELA Focus Areas
• First Grade NSD ELA Year-At-A-Glance
• First Grade NSD ELA Focus Areas
• Second Grade NSD ELA Year-At-A-Glance
• Second Grade NSD ELA Focus Areas
• Third Grade NSD ELA Year-At-A-Glance
• Third Grade NSD ELA Focus Areas
• Fourth Grade NSD ELA Year-At-A-Glance
• Fourth Grade NSD ELA Focus Areas
• Fifth Grade NSD ELA Year-At-A-Glance
• Fifth Grade NSD ELA Focus Areas

When Northshore students are asked to engage in online learning due to circumstances that require school buildings to close, the District recognizes that this can pose a hardship on many families.  Although students may be restricted from going to school, there is no guarantee that parents and guardians are able to work virtually from home and therefore be able to supervise their children. In the event a school building must close and we must shift our learning from the classroom to the cloud, Northshore parents and caregivers are encouraged to think about ways they can support one another.  Everyone is encouraged to ask themselves:

• Who in the neighborhood might be able to look after several family's children?
• How can a neighborhood or friendship group use a rotation schedule to provide supervision for students?
• Who in the neighborhood is really "tech savvy" and willing to help teach others how to use the online tools that are available to Northshore students?
• How might older siblings and students be able to support the learning of younger children?
• In what ways can neighbors and friendship groups share technology tools?

To help parents get the most out of school, you want day-to-day insight into the academic experience. With the Synergy StudentVUE web portal, students can access near real-time information on attendance, class schedules, report cards, course history, graduation status and more.

ParentVUE allows parents to access their student's:

• Attendance
• Class Schedules
• Course History
• Graduation Status
• Mid-term/Quarter and Final/Semester Grades
• School Information
• Demographic Information

A single username and password allows parents to access information for all of their children, regardless of the grade level or school of attendance. Each parent has an individual account that covers all children. If you have never used ParentVUE, you will need to request an activation key from your school.

Go to ParentVUE