Parent Zoom Behaviors

Dear Parents,

Thank you all for the support that you are providing to your child during this unique learning experience with the combination of in person learning and remote learning. While we have made the expectations clear for how students should interact on Zoom, it is just as important to make sure that the parents understand their responsibilities in a Zoom classroom setting.

1. Parents should make sure that their child is in a quiet environment with limited background noise, such as the radio or TV. The microphones are very sensitive and easily pick up the sounds in the home.

2. Students should arrive at class with all the supplies that they need to be successful in the classroom. This includes headphones to reduce distractions.

3. Parents should make sure that they do not interact with the teachers or interrupt the classroom during a live Zoom session, if you have questions, please reach out to the teacher or the Dean of School separately and make an appointment. The live Zoom is not the time to meet.

4. Parents should make sure that they are dressed appropriately and that their child is dressed appropriately for a classroom environment. Parents are often seen and heard over the live Zoom, and should be thoughtful about the impact on the full class that can hear and see them.

5. Parents should make sure that their child has eaten before the class begins. Students are not allowed to eat during their Zoom class.

6. Parents should make sure that they are using school appropriate language when supporting or redirecting students over a live Zoom session.

7. Parents need to make sure that students are on the required live Zooms, or they need to call the school to have them marked as absent for health/personal reasons. Students that are not showing up to live Zoom sessions will be marked absent. Please see our policy on attendance for further information.

8. Parents need to help students show up on time to live Zoom sessions. Students will be in a waiting room upon arrival and will only be allowed to enter the class if their first and last name are displayed. When students arrive late, the teacher may not be able to see them if the class is already in session and instruction has begun. It is very difficult to see the waiting room while running a live lesson.

We appreciate your understanding in making this the best experience for the staff and students at The Birches. We appreciate the challenge of educating your child at home, and are available to support you when it is needed.

Respectfully submitted,

Chris Smith

Dean of School