Teachers will post instruction and directions for learning tasks with due dates in Google Classroom. (Check out the Google tutorials in the Tips, Tricks & Tools section below). Students will have the opportunity to participate and complete assignments at their own pace, but within a given time frame prior to the due date the teacher has provided.

Watertown High School has a School-Wide Google Classroom that provides access to all teachers’ Google Classrooms. This can be accessed by clicking HERE. (Class code for WHS School-Wide Google Classroom = 42wxcms).

Directories of teacher classroom codes for the rest of Watertown Public Schools can be found on the on the Watertown Public Schools Website Covid-19 Page or by clicking on your child’s school below:

John Trumbull Primary School

Judson Elementary School

Polk Elementary School

Swift Middle School

Google Classroom is a free web service that can be accessed from anywhere at any time. It aims to simplify creating, distributing, and grading assignments in a paperless way. The primary purpose of Google Classroom is to streamline the process of sharing files between teachers and students. Click HERE for a parent's guide to Google Classroom.

The easiest option is to log into your student’s Google Account. Ask your student for his/her credentials and sign in as them to see what is expected. A tutorial for signing in is included in the tutorial section below, but can also be found by clicking HERE.

In some instances, a teacher may want to hold individual or small group instruction in "live time". Prior to providing a student or students with this option, the teacher should consider some of the challenges of live time (synchronous) learning (e.g. limited access to a device, bandwidth, student availability, etc.).

If a teacher decides to move forward with a live (synchronous) learning opportunity, the teacher will reach out to the parent/guardian to determine interest, and to try to find a mutually agreed upon time. If a parent/guardian is not comfortable with this for any reason, they can inform the teacher and elect not to participate. Teachers should also provide an asynchronous option when possible.

All teachers are expected to use Google Classroom to post instructions and tasks, including teachers of more specialized classes. In grades K-5, special area teachers will post one lesson per grade level per week. Unified Arts and Elective Teachers will post lessons in alignment with their typical schedules.

Teachers will be available to offer support and answer questions digitally between the hours of 11:00-3:00. Please note that responses may not necessarily be immediate, or in live time, but you can expect a response somewhere within this time frame.

Teachers will share their most preferred method of communication directly with families, which may include, but is not limited to email exchanges right through Google, private or public comments through the Stream option in Google Classroom, a live chat, such as through Google Hangout or messages sent through various popular platforms such as Remind, Bloomz or Dojo.

If your student is having difficulty understanding the work or is having trouble keeping up, he/she should communicate with the teacher about this during the 11:00-3:00 time frame. In addition, parents/guardians should reach out to the teacher to request help or support.

Attendance will be tracked through work completion. Therefore, parents/guardians are not expected to “call students in sick.” The purpose of tracking participation is to gauge the well-being of students and to ensure students are continuously engaged and learning.

If a student is not completing his/her assignments in a timely fashion, the teacher will reach out to families first. If concerns continue or additional resources are needed, teachers will work with their building administrator to determine next steps.

The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) has indicated that there will be no end-of-year testing (SBAC, NGSS, CT SAT, CTAA and CTAS) and no Next Generation Accountability for the 2019-20 school year.

The CSDE is aware that many students use the "no cost" CT SAT for college placement. The CSDE is working closely with the College Board to offer interested grade 11 students the opportunity to take the SAT on a weekend administration at no cost. More details will be shared with schools as soon as they are available.

As already indicated, learning is asynchronous, meaning that there is flexibility in when students must log on and complete assignments. However, some families may want to provide more structure around learning time in the home. Suggested structures for at home learning days are below: