Early Years

Continuous Learning in the Early Years supports children in learning through play. Learning offers authentic opportunities to focus on key developmental abilities. Learning engagements emphasize interaction and creativity. These activities involve minimal technology or specialized materials. Students are involved in a balance of activities to holistically support their growth and development. Students access Continuous Learning from their teachers using Seesaw.

• To enable students to access the Continual Learning platform, families will need to download the student version of the Seesaw App to a home device. This is a different App to the one used by parents to receive updates or view their child's learning. Click here to download this App to this device.

• Learning is holistically focused, giving students the opportunity to develop cognitive, physical and social-emotional skills and may be conducted in English or the Home and Family language.

• Learning engagements are playful, inquiry-based explorations.

• Learning engagements encourage children and families to engage in learning together within their environment.

• Learning follows our regular IB curriculum.

• Art and creative design ideas are intended to provide children with opportunities to develop creativity, expression, language and fine-motor skills.

• Opportunities and prompts support students to share their feelings, considering how they can manage concerns they may experience as a result of the change in their schooling and being away from their friends and the school environment.

Families

• Create opportunities for your child to interact with peers to maintain connections with their school community (if possible).

• Establish home-learning routines and expectations.

• Monitor communications from your child's teacher.

• Take an active role in helping your child process their learning.

• Assist students in documenting their learning on Seesaw.

• Establish times for quiet and reflection and provide time for your child to have ownership over their own use of time and activity.

• Encourage physical activity and/or exercise.

• Remain mindful of your child’s stress or worry.

• Monitor how much time your child is spending online.

• Communicate concerns or questions with the teacher via email or Seesaw. Please be aware that teachers will not be available to answer questions 24 hours a day and that timezones may need to be considered.

Homeroom & Single Subject Teachers (PE, Visual Arts) will:

• Post the learning schedule for the week on Seesaw each Monday by 9:00am West Africa Time (GMT+1). Consequently we will run a Monday to Friday learning schedule during this period.

• Start each school day with a pre-recorded, posted video to welcome students on Seesaw.

• Meet with students at assigned times, using Zoom.

• Plan learning engagements that are easily understood and facilitated by parents/guardians and scaffolded to support diverse learners.

• Provide learning engagements that include time away from devices, such as park play and site visits.

• Provide opportunities for reflection and feedback on student learning through posts on Seesaw.

• Make themselves available via email - as per our usual protocol, teachers will respond within 24 hours.

• Be available on Zoom at scheduled 'Office Hours' for parent contact.

• Homeroom teachers will be available on Zoom at scheduled 'Office Hours' for parent contact.

Counsellors will:

• Support homeroom teachers with Personal Social & Emotional (PSE) learning.

• Support for students and families by being available via email or Seesaw.

• Support teachers to provide students with wellbeing activities.

• Meet with students in small groups.

Learning Support Teachers/English Language Learner Teachers will:

• Collaborate with the Single Subject or Homeroom teachers in order to plan for students.

• Scaffold, modify or differentiate activities, as necessary, for students.

• Monitor student learning and provide feedback and next steps.

• Meet with some students and parents on Zoom to provide support for learning.

Librarian/Technology Learning Coaches will:

• Collaborate with colleagues to find resources for high-quality learning experiences and research.

• Regularly check in with all teachers to identify ways to support the design of learning experiences.

• Be available for all teachers as needed to support the development of rich learning engagements.

• Continually monitor the needs of teachers, students, and parents and troubleshoot their challenges.

All teachers are reminded that the LIS Staff Code of Conduct should guide all interactions with students.