Words and actions are what help you create that environment of respect and rapport. So how can we do that remotely? Find ways to create an online environment, rich with images, videos, and text, that reflects who you are and who you hope your students will be.
Flipgrid is a wonderful tool for creating videos and engaging students with one another. There are even stickers and fun features that can be added to videos.
Once upon a time, I had a college professor whose spirit animal was the beaver. He awarded the beaver stamp to the best paper. I worked SO hard to get that stamp! Perhaps you can come up with your own version of the beaver stamp. Maybe it's a special Bitmoji or you have a sort of "Student of the Week" image as your Google Classroom header. (Or you can pin it in the Stream. That might be easier than constantly changing your header.)
If you have the time, you could create a hyperlinked classroom in Google Slides. Find a classroom background and add images of what would be in your classroom. Maybe a picture of a favorite band that links students to a YouTube video, maybe a favorite quotation that is hyperlinked to the source, maybe a picture of your favorite place to go to relax... Things that tell who you are and what you like. Bonus points if you have students help "decorate" the space (or create a separate page showcasing their workspace).
Giving students achievable goals would be an excellent way of communicating your expectations for student learning. You could use a checklist or have students create a portfolio that showcases their skills and learning. If you want students to share their work with others or another class or something like that, they could do videos on Flipgrid, podcasts, blogs, or discussion posts.
Since your classroom is now whatever CMS (course management system) you are using, think about how you help students with those procedures. Is there a section for resources? Have you shown them how to navigate through the classroom with a quick screencast? Do you begin synchronous meetings with a landing page that has your expectations listed? Those are some simple steps that can help you and students interact with one another more effectively. And if you create an established routine, students will know what to expect.
Letting students know your expectations is the name of the game. They need to be posted in your LMS, preferably in an easy-to-locate position. You can also hyperlink them in other assignments. However, there are applications like TeacherKit and Class Dojo that can also help you keep track of student behaviors. The Remind app is another great way to keep in contact with students and parents about concerning student behavior OR student behavior that needs to be praised. (Let's not always focus on the negative--we have some great kiddos who don't hear how great they are enough. Suprise a family with a good phone call from school. 😉)
How do you organize your "physical space" when class is online? If you're using Google Classroom, use the Classwork tab and be sure to use Topics to organize materials. You might also consider creating a new Google Classroom each grading period to make it easier for students to navigate. (Archived courses can still be viewed!)