Are Chromebooks being given out to students for them to do the online work?

• Caddo sent a JText to all parents requesting that they complete a survey.  The survey  allowed Caddo to identify families that needed technology support at home.  During the week of March 30, devices were distributed to families who indicated a need for one.

What if the work is too difficult for my child?

• Teachers have been posting some review work for students.  However, new content is being added so that students can continue to progress and strengthen their skills so they are are prepared for the next grade.  If your child is struggling with the content, they are welcome to reach out to their teacher(s) throughout the day.  They can do this in three ways:
  • Office Hours:  Every teacher and administrator has scheduled office hours every day of the week.  Most of them are between the hours of 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.  Students are encouraged to visit www.zoom.us.  Once on the site, students simply click "Join Meeting" at the top of the screen and enter the teacher's Zoom code.  Codes are located on our website by clicking on the Home Learning icon and finding their teacher's picture and information.  Once they are logged into Zoom, they can have face to face interaction with the teacher.  This time is devoted to providing students with answers to questions they may have regarding their assignments.
  • Email:  Teachers are required to check their emails throughout the day.  Students are welcome to email teachers their questions and should receive a prompt response.
  • Individual Conferences:  Students are welcome to request a one-on-one Zoom meeting with their teacher if the time of office hours are inconvenient for families.

How can I receive help if my child has questions?

• See the above information.

How can we submit assignments that won't let my child type in the information?

• Some families are opting to print the assignments and having students complete them in a more traditional paper and pencil format.  Once students finish their work, their parents are taking a picture of their completed work and uploading it to the teacher through Google Classroom.  Although this is one method of submission, please know that the teachers and administrators have worked diligently to convert much of the instructional content into a Google Docs format that allows students to simply type into the document and submit it with a simple click of a button.  If there are specific assignments that you are struggling to complete due to formatting issues, please reach out to your child's teacher or Mrs. Holcomb.  They will be glad to assist you.

It's been a long time since I was in school and I don't understand the new strategies that are being presented to my child.  How can I help him/her?

• If you are limited on time, we encourage you to reach out to your child's teacher through one of the above mentioned methods and seek assistance.  However, if time is not an issue for your family, there are many YouTube videos that demonstrate the processes of instruction in quick and helpful video clips.  

I work and cannot assist my child with the school work.  It appears that my child is not self sufficient enough to complete the work on his/her own.  What can I do?

• We encourage you to seek the assistance from your child's teacher by contacting her in one of the above mentioned methods.

Will my child be penalized for work he/she doesn't understand or is incapable of completing independently?

• We strongly encourage students to complete all assignments that can be done independently.  However, we understand that new content might present a challenge for students.  We encourage students to seek help from the teacher.  In the event that a student continues to struggle, he/she will not be penalized for the attempts made to complete the work. 

My child's attention span is limited, but I want him/her to complete the assignments.  Do you have any suggestions that can help with motivation or prolonging their attention span?

• Break the assignments into small steps. 
• Set a timer for 30 minutes and then allow a 5-10 break in between assignments.
• Incorporate some of the fun enrichment teacher activities in between the assignments.
• Acknowledge their struggle and provide lots of positive feedback.
• During the school day, teachers often have students take "brain breaks".  This is just a time to rejuvenate their bodies, while taking a break from their instruction.  While at home this could be done in several ways:
  • Students work for 30 minutes to 1 hour and then take a "brain break" while:
    • moving to a "Go Noodle" video (these can be found on YouTube)
    • reading a book of their choice
    • playing a board game
    • learning a new card trick
    • playing a game on their computer or iPad
    • watching a short favorite t.v. show

Some days, I feel like we work for 12 hours on school work.  Realistically, how long should it take my child to complete daily assignments?

• Students shouldn't be spending more than two to three hours, in total, diligently working on assignments work each day.  Many days will require even less time than this.  If your child is spending more than three hours on assignments, please let your child's teacher and/or Mrs. Holcomb know so that we can take a deeper look into what is being required from students.

My family has been affected by Covid19.  Will my child be penalized for not completing their assignments?

• If your family is undergoing hardships during this time, please contact your child's teacher to notify them of any extenuating circumstances that your child may be going through.  Our teachers and staff will definitely work with families during this time.  Please remember, we are all in this together.  We will continue to work with families based on their individual needs.

This is a very stressful time in our family right now.  I am trying to work from home and continue to manage my child's online learning.  Why is it so important for my child to complete the assignments?  This just adds to an already stressful situation.

• As a school community, we acknowledge and have personal experiences with the stresses that surround our community and families during this unprecedented time.  It is our hope that we can provide instructional opportunities for students that would allow them to continue in their educational growth in an effort to be well prepared at the onset of the next school year.  We want to ensure that we are doing our due diligence in providing content that is conducive to these efforts.  We encourage families to take advantage of these opportunities, but realize that you are doing the very best that you can to support our efforts, whatever that may look like.  We encourage you to take advantage of what you can, but will work with you if there are any undue hardships that might accompany this task.  If you have specific concerns with this, please reach out to your child's teacher and she will work with you on an individualized basis and provide a plan that will fit your family's needs.