Carson City schools prepare students for remote learning

Come Monday, Carson City students will have more resources available to them on www.carsoncityschools.com to continue their education at home while school closures remain in place through at least April 6.

All students who have been working with packets or on their one-to-one devices this week after schools were shut down to prevent the further spread of the COVID-19 virus now will have access to a Remote Learning page on the Carson City School District’s website. The page provides access for distance learning via local schools’ Infinite Campus portal or Google Classroom, Pearson or Amplify sites to complete their schoolwork in digital or paper formats.

District spokesman Dan Davis said school staff members received these updates as of Tuesday and turned around a curriculum in less than 24 hours that would work to the advantage of all students across the schools.

“The thing we’ve been reiterating is this remote learning program is meeting the requirements that the (Nevada) Department of Education and the governor’s office have asked us to do in terms of social distancing for the students,” Davis said. “This online curriculum they’ve been asked to do is something they’ve never been asked to do before, and I’m pretty excited to see how this whole thing rolls out.”

For special education students and teachers, the specific format will vary from class to class and teacher to teacher, he said. Some might offer packets and some might stay with the online format, depending on the specific needs of students, but the expectation is with Chromebooks, students have access to their teachers through their provided devices. But all students will be able to receive assistance from teachers via calls or e-mails as needed.

Elementary teachers are collaborating as grade level teams to assist their kindergarten through fifth grade students with specialists for music, physical education and technology working on weekly assignments. Secondary teachers are formulating weekly lessons in Google Classroom and are able to make hard copies to be printed for pickup in school offices for students who are unable to access the platform, Davis said. Work packets will be collected upon return to school on April 6.

Senior project announcements from Carson High School are forthcoming, but end-of-the-year academic and social events through April 6 have been canceled.

Davis noted school counselors are available to provide services to students and their families as needed, including picking up or dropping off assignments or food. Administrators also can make referrals with counselors or social workers.

A letter from the Nevada Department of Education and Superintendent Jhone Ebert emphasized the importance that the school closures are not to be considered an extended spring break, asking families for assistance in ensuring that students stay away from large gatherings to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus and providing suggestions on how to keep kids engaged

“It is very important that students keep up with any schoolwork that has been assigned, either online through email or software, or distributed on paper,” the letter encourages. “It is recommended that you set a specific time and location for your children to complete their schoolwork each day and minimize distractions during that time.”