It's important that your learning space include everything that you need to learn! This might mean your computer or iPad, as well as a charger. You'll also want to keep any textbooks, curriculum or handouts from your teacher in this space, as well as some paper, pencils and/or pens. You might want other tools such as a calculator and ruler, or manipulative materials that can be used for counting. Setting up a learning space is a fun way to get mentally ready for online learning as well as start to create the routines that will be essential for your success.

It's perfectly acceptable to have a learning space in a shared area of your home...materials might be in a shopping bag that can quickly be set up at a kitchen table or counter. The reality is that when your learning space is separate from your bedroom and distanced from the TV, it triggers your brain that the space is for work and not play. You'll be more productive and like it or not, having a learning space in an area shared by adults allows them to support you while also monitoring your (online) activity.

Just like when you are in school, it is important to have a schedule to follow so you can train your brain and body to get work done efficiently and make the most of your breaks. This is similar to what the increasing number of adults who work from home have to do! These adults have daily schedules they use to help them stay focused and on task.

To develop a daily schedule, think about what it's like during a typical school day. Set aside time for each subject that you are assigned. Stick to your schedule, and make sure to include time for breaks, lunch and maybe even some special, creative projects. Set reasonable goals for how much you should get done in each block of time, and reward yourself for meeting goals. Below is a SAMPLE start to a daily schedule. Your schedule will look different depending on grade levels, family needs and personal learning goals:

• Get up and get ready as if you were going to school/work

• Take a quick stretch break (outside if possible) before you sit down and work

• Do reading work

• Take a break and have a snack

• Do writing

• Take a break and have a snack

• Do math

• Lunch and play

• After lunch-electives! More reading or writing, student-directed project, foreign language work, or maybe an art lesson or tutorial.

And so on! Learning at home can be rigorous and challenging, it just happens in a different place. As one of our coaches has been saying, "School isn't where we go, it's what we do."

Just like in a classroom, your daily schedule might be a bit different on each day of the week. It is important to give yourself permission to have some days that are hard, and others where you get a lot done. It will also be important to keep some things consistent (like having a schedule set for each day, goals, snack, stretch and lunch breaks), and let others be flexible (like your goals for each day or the amount of time you spend on each task). No matter what, it is important to remember that learning is what matters and no matter where you are, that can be hard but very rewarding work.

When learning virtually, students and/or parents will need to check their email and/or learning systems every day for information from teachers and other adults about coursework, lessons and content. All 3rd-5th grade students, with support from a parent or guardian, should check their district gmail account and/or learning platform account daily. All middle and high school students should check their district gmail and/or learning platform account every day, too. These systems will be an important tool for getting the information you need to successfully learn while schools are closed.

Parents of primary aged students (K-2) will be receiving communications from their teachers via email. As per each teacher, these could incorporate several different modes of connecting so follow specific guidance from your teacher and/or school.

All Bend-La Pine students grades 3-12 have a Gmail account. You can login to this "Gapps" account by clicking here and using your normal login credentials. If you have any questions about your login or are having issues, please call the district help desk at 541.355.1200.

Parents will receive information about continuity of learning through their email. These emails are sent to the email address that your school has on file in ParentVue. If you're not receiving messages during a school closure, or if your email has changed for any reason, please call your school and check that your information has been updated.

First off, let's just be clear: when anyone engages online, it's essential that everyone behaves appropriately. And we're not just talking about students, adults are included! As a quick reminder, when you're online, be sure to:

• Use respectful behavior and language.

• Stick to appropriate topic discussions.

• Send only appropriate video transmissions.

• Use only appropriate icon, emoji, and avatar submissions.

• Be honest and do not plagiarizing or copying others’ work -- in other words, use academic integrity.

• Not falsify information about yourself or impersonate others online.

• Remember your device is a tool, not a toy. Use it appropriately.

When everyone remembers to act kindly, show consideration for others, and treat one another online as you wish to be treated in person, we'll all be able to focus on learning.

Students can access ebooks and audiobooks from the public library via the Sora app on their iPads. All they have to do is open the app and then under the menu in the top righthand corner, they can add the public library. Accessing the public library through Sora, rather than the Libby app, will ensure that your student will only be able to access juvenile content if K-5, young adult content if 6-8, or adult content if 9-12. You're getting access to both the district library and the public library all in one app.

In addition, the public library also offers many online resources such as, movies, magazines, and more that you can learn about on their website.

Your teachers are still available to help, even if you aren't seeing them every day! From cell phones to email to tools such as webex, they will let you know the best times to reach them and provide specific "office hours" for different classes and types of questions. These communication preferences and office hours will be communicated to you by your teacher. As a learner, make sure to organize your questions so these times can be used effectively and efficiently.

Dr. Rebecca Hicks has become a trusted partner for our district and families with regard to the impacts that too much screen time can have on physical, mental and family wellness. The following is a message she sent as advice for us in these challenging times. You can learn more about her work and follow her blog at https://www.healthybalancedkids.com/.

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

What a whirlwind the last few weeks have been. As a pediatrician and mother of three school aged children, it feels like all of the routines that I have worked so hard to build have suddenly been turned upside down. We are parenting in an unprecedented time where answers to complex problems don’t come as easily as we would like them to. Many are worried about what the immediate future looks like for our families and for our daily lives.

Screen time is one worry that families are reaching out for advice on. There are so many benefits that screen media provides for us. But we know that too much daily screen media, accumulated over long periods of time, can be detrimental for healthy child and adolescent development. Helping our children find balance in their lives so that screen media is a part of their day, but not their entire day, is the key.

Over the next weeks and months, healthcare professionals are urging families to keep their children at home and distanced from their peers. While this is a necessary strategy to reduce the burden of infections in our community, it also may contribute to feelings of sadness, frustration and disappointment among our children and adolescents. Connection to family and friends is an essential part of happiness for all individuals, no matter the age. I am very hopeful that through screen media technologies like FaceTime, Skype, and WebEx, parents will help create virtual interactions for their children and teens to help them meet their very real need for connection. Use this time to strengthen your own connection with your children as well by trying to keep your eyes off of screens while they are talking with you.

Another need that all children and adolescents have is the need for achievement. Children need and like to hear that they have done something well. Achievement lends to a positive sense of self-worth and self-esteem. Our children will be engaging in distance learning for several weeks and screen media will be a part of that learning for most students. Let’s focus on the positive ways that our children can build their sense of achievement while they are working from home.

Finally, all individuals, no matter the age, need to have a sense of freedom. Feeling like they have a say in their lives is so important to well-being, and this is going to be especially challenged while forced to do social distancing. If you can, support your child and teen’s need for freedom by explaining why the rules exist, acknowledging your child’s feelings about it, and giving some choices when you can. Most kids will have more free time than they are used to and giving some choices about how they spend their extra time might help. Some excellent options to offer are going outside, being physically active, and creating art. The health benefits of being in nature are vast so encourage your child to be outside as much as possible!

I also want to urge you all to treat yourselves and your family with compassion during this time. If screen time rules in your household relax a bit for the next weeks and months, I want you to know that this is ok. Consider what your children are doing on screens and acknowledge that they may need to use screen media more right now to meet their needs for connection, achievement and freedom. We are all feeling losses and having worries and our children are no exception. Screen media can help with some of those things and right now I am feeling extremely grateful for it.

Take Care,

Rebecca Hicks, MD

When it comes to a student completing his or her homework, some challenges will always remain the same. Especially when it comes to time management and minimizing distraction. It does not matter if the work is completed on paper or on an iPad, nothing is better for increasing quality learning or time on task than working side-by-side with a student. Unfortunately, it may not always be possible for students to work under such close supervision. That is why we recommend that the Screentime settings are properly set up on your student's iPad.

This video will show you how you can set up restrictions on a student iPad to encourage productivity and limit distraction.

Screen time Settings on a Student iPad

Guided Access- If your student is having a hard time completing their work or staying on task, use "Guided Access". Guided Access allows a parent to use a code that will lock the iPad into just one app. The following link will show you how to set up Guided Access on your child's school issued iPad.

Setting up Guided Access

Jamf Parent- If you have your own Apple mobile device (iPhone or iPad) there is an additional toolset to manage your students iPad. It is called Jamf Parent. The instructions for adding this application to your personal device are in the following link:

Adding Jamf Parent to a parent iPad or iPhone