Distance Learning

 

Dear Lighthouse families,

 

Thank you for the wonderful response to this new chapter at Lighthouse Christian School. I have been blessed to see how everyone is stepping up to meet this new challenge.  Our teachers and staff have been working hard to offer continued education. Here are some quick reminders.

 

  1. Remember “connection, not perfection” is the key theme of the week. Teachers want to connect with your student and our goal is that everyone gets an opportunity to connect at some point during the day. Teachers will also be experimenting to see what format engages your student the most.
  2. We are here to help.  Please use support@lcschool.org for your tech questions and Jessi will be available in the main office to call as well if you have other questions.
  3. Grace will be applied.  This is a new process. Our wonderful teachers want every student to learn and succeed. Teachers will be flexible. Please encourage your student to work hard and ask questions when help is needed.

 

Thank you and I continue to pray for your family’s health and protection.  We are Lighthouse Strong because of the work of Jesus Christ in us.

 

Stephen Roddy

Director of Education

Revised Extended Distance Learning Plan
Beginning Monday, April 20:

 

ELEMENTARY:

  • We are moving into a 4-day live instruction model with class sessions held on Teams for the duration of Distance Learning. Your child’s teacher will continue providing live instruction on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
  • Kindergarten is moving into a 3-day live instruction model with class meetings on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. 
  • Wednesdays – Elementary teachers will be available to answer questions individually with students/parents during the first 30-minutes of their regularly scheduled live instruction meetings. No new content will be shared with students on this day.
  • CLICK HERE to read a letter from Elementary Principal, Mrs. Mathisen

 

MIDDLE SCHOOL:

  • We are moving into a 4-day live instruction model with class sessions held on Zoom for the duration of Distance Learning. Your student’s teachers will continue providing live instruction on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
  • Wednesdays – Middle School teachers will be available from 9:00 – 10:30 AM to answer individual student questions. No new content will be shared with students on this day.
  • CLICK HERE to view the Middle School Elective Schedule

 

IMPORTANT NOTE:
We are not moving to a 3/4-day weekly school schedule. All students are encouraged to specifically use Wednesday school time in the following ways:

  • Participation in EL Specialist and MS Elective Content
  • Completion of independent work
  • Chapel connection

Our goal is to increase the balance between teacher, student, parent workloads and mental rest. We are mindful of our shared needs while maintaining the essentials of grade-level learning.

Resources:

Microsoft Teams:

Zoom:

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Is distance learning participation required? 

Yes, but the school can provide flexibility as teacher and student learn this process together.  Communication will be key.  Our wonderful teachers want your student to learn and succeed.  Please encourage your student to work hard and ask questions when help is needed.  If distance learning is not working for your family, please reach out to administration via Jessi Markham at jmarkham@lcschool.org or 253-858-5962.

 

Will students be penalized if they are unable to watch live recordings? 

Absolutely not.  Every student/parent will be able to access content at the time of their choosing throughout the day.  Your schedule may not work with the school’s schedule for live content, but the instruction will be archived for your family to view later.

 

If necessary, will students be able to borrow a Chromebook?

Yes. We want every student to have a device that they can depend on to receive online instruction.  If you would like to borrow a Chromebook, please make a request by emailing your student’s teacher. The teacher will provide the Chromebook for you and let our Tech Team know of the loan.

 

Are parents required to supervise children during distance learning sessions? 

Adult supervision is important, especially in these initial stages to help ensure that students are able to access their classes without issues and to also help moderate your child’s participation as it is very easy to become distracted by seeing all your friends’ smiling faces on screen. Elementary students will require adult supervision while they are online in the live portion of their instruction. Adult supervision is also highly recommended for middle school students during live instruction, especially during this next week. This will significantly help with classroom management and you will stay informed on what is being presented. Please remember that you can view the content later in the day if your work schedule does not allow for supervising the live instruction time.

 

Which devices are compatible with Microsoft Teams? 

Microsoft teams can be used on any device – PC, tablet or smartphone. You have the option to download the app directly to your device (which is encouraged). See download instructions in the User Guide. If you choose to access via a web browser, we recommend using Chrome or Firefox.

 

I am unable to find the “Calendar” icon on Microsoft Teams.

At this time, the Calendar feature has been disabled within Microsoft Teams. The reason for this is because although your (elementary) student has an office account/email address setup, they do not actually have an Exchange Online account tied to it due to COPPA restrictions. As an alternative, instead of accessing your student’s online class through the Calendar link, you will access it through the “posts” feed. Please use the instructions below:

1. When you first login to MS Teams, you will see an activity/posts feed on your homepage.

2. Once the video conference has started, you will see the active video stream in the “posts” feed – typically visible within a large purple box.

3. Click “Join video” and you will be immediately connected.

3. Upon completion of the class, click the red phone icon to exit the video conference.

 

How do I contact my student’s teacher if I would like to speak to them?  

The best method for contacting your student’s teach is via email. If you do not have their email address, it is typically the first initial of their first name and full last name at lcschool.org.

 

Who do I contact if I am experiencing technical difficulties? 

If you are experiencing technical difficulties, contact support@lcschool.org.