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LYNDEN HIGH SCHOOL Distance Learning Handbook 2020-2021 1201 Bradley Rd Lynden, WA 98264 360-354-4401 hs.lynden.wednet.edu
LYNDEN HIGH SCHOOL Distance Learning Handbook 2020-2021
1201 Bradley Rd
Lynden, WA 98264
360-354-4401
hs.lynden.wednet.edu
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Section 1 – Welcome Letter
Section 2 – Student Expectations
Section 3 – Distance Learning Policies
Section 4 – Student Daily Schedule
Section 5 – Log-In Instructions
Section 6 – School Supplies
Section 7 – General Success Tips
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SECTION 1 - WELCOME LETTER Hello LHS Lions!
We are so excited to be starting the year! Being online is different than how we
imagined starting the year, but we will do our best to help you learn in a virtual
classroom.
This handbook should help you with useful information, guidelines, and who to go to if
you need help.
We are here for you! We want this year to be successful for you. This information is
mostly for “option 1” students, but some information will also be helpful for “option 3”
students.
Please make sure that you are communicating any questions to your teacher, to your
counselor or to any administrator. If you are unsure who to talk to, our office secretaries
can help you.
Our main number is 360-354-4401.
Sincerely,
Ian Freeman [email protected] – Principal
David Kish [email protected] – Assistant Principal (A-L)
Rex Fraser [email protected] – Assistant Principal (M-Z)
Lynden High School
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SECTION 2 – STUDENT EXPECTATIONS
In order for you to grow as a learner and to prepare for your future, students are expected to:
1. Attend all online classes every day and be on time
2. Be ready to work with the necessary learning materials and a charged device
3. Monitor your progress towards learning objectives and grades using Canvas and
Skyward
4. Be academically honest and complete your own work
5. Respect the rights of others, exercise self-discipline and follow school expectations
6. Use appropriate language free of profanity and harassing statements
7. Dress comfortably and appropriately and continue to follow the school dress code
8. Make healthy choices and follow the school policies including refraining from use of
prohibited substances like drugs, alcohol and nicotine products.
DIGITAL EXPECTATIONS
While we are engaging in school in a digital environment, there are some specific expectations
that will help students be successful:
• Attend class on time and remain in class until the teacher dismisses you.
• Turn on your video; we need to see your face to determine your understanding.
• Mute your microphone unless you are speaking. Extra noise makes learning difficult.
• Remember - your voice matters! Raise your hand or post questions in the chat, and
unmute when you have something to say.
• When you need to make a screen name, use your Skyward first & last name, otherwise
you may be marked absent.
• Use an appropriate background or blur it.
• Come prepared to work with a charged device.
• Be respectful and listen to each other.
• Be an engaged and actively participate
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SECTION 3 – POLICIES
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Monday-Thursday: Teachers will take attendance during each class’s live meeting. Teachers will
mark students “absent” if they are not logged into the entire live sessions; students must stay
connected until dismissed by the teacher.
One of the expectations of attending a class is having your camera on so your teachers can you’re
your engagement. If you have a valid reason that requires your camera to be off, please email your
counselor so they can share this information with your teachers. If a student has their camera off
and does not engage when engagement is expected and solicited, the student may be marked
absent.
Friday: Students are expected to log into Canvas and access their independent work on Fridays.
Students must log in to all classes by noon to be marked present.
ABSENCES:
All absences from class will require a phone call or email to the attendance secretary
[email protected] from a parent or guardian stating the reason for the absence
within 48 hours of the absence or it will be unexcused.
Examples of appropriate excused absences include: personal illness and injury, family
emergencies, school sponsored events, health appointments that cannot be made outside
of the school day, court appointments, and pre-arranged absences such as recognized
religious holidays or family-related absences.
Any absence of three or more days due to a family vacation must be pre-arranged with the school
principal or assistant principal at least one week prior to the vacation. Failure to pre-arrange the
absences will result in the absence being marked as unexcused. When absences are unexcused,
the student may not be allowed to make up work on the days missed.
The attendance secretary, counselors, and assistant principals will reach out to families who may
be struggling with consistent attendance to determine any barriers that may be contributing to
absences and create a plan of action with families to get students back on track to regular
attendance.
HOMEWORK REQUESTS
Each course at Lynden High School will be managed online through Canvas and absent students are
expected to access missed work through Canvas. If you have any questions, please contact your
teacher.
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GRADING POLICY
During distance learning we will continue to utilize our traditional grading system. Students will be
given a letter grade (A,B,C,D, or F) based on their academic performance. Grading policies vary
among courses and students should make sure they are familiar with the grading structures for
each of their courses. Grades will be maintained within Skyward. A link for Skyward can be found
on the LHS website. Students and families should monitor progress within Skyward and notify the
teacher directly if they have any questions. Log in username and passwords can be requested from
DRESS CODE Students must continue to follow the school’s standard dress code policy when participating in online classes. Clothing must be worn that provides adequate coverage and is not disruptive to the educational environment or cause a heath/safety concern. Clothing may not displays images or words that convey violence, gang affiliation, promote or advertise drugs or alcohol, sexual innuendos, profanity, or are derogatory or discriminatory based on gender, race, color, religion, gender expression, age, ethnicity, disability, or sexual orientation.
HARASSMENT, INTIMIDATION, AND BULLYING POLICY Lynden High School is committed to a safe and civil educational environment for all students,
employees, parents/legal guardians, volunteers, and patrons that is free from harassment,
intimidation, or bullying. We expect that students will treat others with kindness, respect, and
stand up for others who are treated unfairly. If you see something, say something.
“Harassment, intimidation, or bullying” means any intentionally written message or image—including those that are electronically transmitted—verbal, or physical act, including but not limited to one shown to be motivated by race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, including gender expression or identity, mental or physical disability or other distinguishing characteristics, when an act: (1) physically harms a student or damages the student’s property; (2) has the effect of substantially interfering with a student’s education; (3) is so severe, persistent or pervasive that it creates an intimidating or threatening educational environment; (4) has the effect of substantially disrupting the orderly operation of the school. Nothing in this section requires the affected student to actually possess a characteristic that is a basis for the harassment, intimidation, or bullying. “Other distinguishing characteristics” can include but are not limited to: physical appearance, clothing or other apparel, socioeconomic status, and weight. “Intentional acts” refers to the individual’s choice to engage in the act rather than the ultimate impact of the action(s). Any student who believes that he or she has been subjected to harassment, intimidation, or bullying either as a victim or witness to, should bring this to the immediate attention of a teacher, counselor, and/or administrator. For additional information, reference School Board Policy 3207
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ACADEMIC HONESTY & INTEGRITY
Students should act with honesty and integrity and complete their own work. Students who
are having difficulty with a class are encouraged to seek help from their teachers. However,
submitting another student’s work, copying work from another student or copying an online
resource is plagiarism. Plagiarism will result in school discipline including, but not limited to,
loss of credit for the assignment, loss of credit for the course, removal from the course or
suspension. Paraphrasing is summarizing the ideas of a person or resource and putting their
thoughts in your own words. Talk to your teacher about correctly referencing other people’s
work including proper ways to cite your resources.
APPROPRIATE USE OF TECHNOLOGY
All students will be provided with access to technology including school-provided laptops.
These devices are school property and should be treated with care and used appropriately.
Students will be required to complete a digital citizenship course through Canvas. The use of
the laptop will be monitored by the district and inappropriate use of your device will result in
corrective action including restorative practices, limiting access, confiscating the device and/or
school discipline. Examples of inappropriate use include, but is not limited to attempting to
bypass the internet filter and device limits, the unauthorized access to information (computer
piracy/hacking); tampering with hardware and/or software; using technology to harass, bully or
intimidate; or any other actions deemed unlawful or against school expectations. Please
contact the main office if you have questions about appropriate use of your technology.
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SECTION 4 – STUDENT DAILY SCHEDULE Our schedule is designed to engage students with learning opportunities over the course
of a normal school day. The schedule includes time for students to engage in live lessons
with their teachers (see times below) as well as time for independent work completion.
MONDAY - THURSDAY
7:50 – 8:50 Period 1*
8:50 – 9:05 Period 1 - Independent Work Completion
9:10 – 9:40 Activity Period*
9:45 – 10:45 Period 2*
10:45 – 11:00 Period 2 - Independent Work Completion
11:00 – 11:35 Lunch
11:40 – 12:40 Period 3*
12:40 – 12:55 Period 3 - Independent Work Completion
1:00 – 2:00 Period 4*
2:00 – 2:15 Period 4 - Independent Work Completion
*Online Attendance Required. Online attendance is not required during “Independent Work Completion” times.
FRIDAY
Students will be given learning tasks to complete independently on Fridays. Students are
expected to log into Canvas by noon each Friday for attendance purposes.
Opportunities for intervention and small group meetings will be scheduled for Fridays as
needed.
ACTIVITY PERIOD
Activity Period is scheduled Monday through Thursday for 30 minutes after the first class of the
day. This time will be used for a variety of activities including Homeroom, club meetings,
intervention time, assemblies, and other important activities. A monthly calendar will be
shared at the start of each month to indicate the intended use for each activity period.
GREEN/GOLD CALENDAR
This year, rather than switching between Green and Gold courses every day, students will focus
on four classes for approximately 4-5 weeks, then switch to the other 4. The benefit will be
that students can focus their learning and have daily continuity. The challenge is that the 4
week break between Q1 and Q2 of a course will require some
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Mon. Tues. Wed. Thur. Fri. Mon. Tues. Wed. Thur. Fri.
SEPTEMBER FEBRUARY
No School No School No School No School No School Begin 2nd Semester
2 3 4 5
Labor Day No School
9/8 1st Day 9 10 11 8 9 10 11 12
14 15 16 17 18 Pres Day
No School 16 17 18 19
21 22 23 24 25 22 23 24 25 26
28 29 30
OCTOBER MARCH
1 2 1 2 3/3 End
Green Q3 No School No School
5 6 7 8 10/9 End Green Q1
8 9 10 11 12
12 13 14 15 16 15 16 17 18 19
19 20 21 22 23 22 23 24 25 26
26 27 28 29 30 29 30 31
NOVEMBER APRIL
2 3 4 5 6 1 2
9 10 Veterans No School
11/12 End Gold Q1
No School 5 6 7 8 9
16 17 18 19 20 12 13 14 15 4/16 End Gold Q3
23 24 11/25
Half Day 26
No School 27
No School 19 20 21 22 23
30 26 27 28 29 30
DECEMBER MAY
1 2 3 4 3 4 5 6 7
7 8 9 10 11 10 11 12 13 5/14 End Green S2
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12/15 End Green S1
16 17 18 17 18 19 20 21
21 No School
22 No School
23 No School
24 No School
25 No School
24 25 26 27 No School
28 No School
29 No School
30 No School
31 No School
Memorial No School
JANUARY JUNE
1
No School 1 2 3 4
4 5 6 7 8 7 8 9 10 11
Graduation
11 12 13 14 15 14 15 6/16 End Gold S2
17 18
MLK No School
19 20 21 22 21 22 23 24 25
25 26 27 1/28 End Gold S1
No School 28 29 30
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SECTION 5 – LOG-IN INSTRUCTIONS Being able to access the online distance learning materials is of the highest importance.
Please follow the below listed instructions to access specific areas.
HOW TO ATTEND YOUR LIVE CLASS MEETINGS
Section 5 (following section) offers instructions on how to log in to district-provided laptops as
well as how to access Canvas (our learning platform) from either a district-provided or personal
computer
Without the details (provided in section 5), the basics are:
• Log in to your device
• Go to your Chrome web browser and navigate to the Lynden High School webpage.
• Click the link for Canvas and log in using your school email and password
• Find the name of the class you have at that specific time and click on it
Find the link for the meeting and “Live Class” click to join (you may also need to log in to
Teams using your school email and password)
SCHOOL EMAIL ADDRESSES & PASSWORDS:
Your Lynden School District email address is made up of three parts: 1) the last two
digits of your graduation year, 2) your last name, and 3) your first initial, followed by
“@lynden.wednet.edu”. See the example below.
Your Lynden School District password is formatted as follows: L123456! In your
password, the numbers will be replaced by your unique student ID (your lunch number)
which is available on your printed schedule or in Skyward if you don’t know yours.
LOGGING-IN TO A SCHOOL-PROVIDED DEVICE:
Step 1: Turn on the laptop using the power button
Step 2: The first screen will be a “Terms of Service” agreement. You must click “Okay”
Step 3: Log-in to the device using a the following information
Username: laptoploan
Password: Lions!
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Step 4: Your device should log-in. Please connect your device to your available WiFi
connection by clicking on the WiFi icon in the bottom right corner of the screen. Find
the WiFi network and login.
Step 5: Open Google Chrome (link on desktop). The first page that opens will be
ContentKeeper. Log-in to ContentKeeper using your Lynden School District email
address and password – as explained at the beginning of this section.
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Once those steps are completed the device is ready for use. You will need to follow
those same steps each time you log-in to the device.
ACCESSING CANVAS (OUR LEARNING PLATFORM)
Step 1: Open Google Chrome (link on desktop)
Step 2: Navigate to Lynden Middle School’s website (https://ms.lynden.wednet.edu/)
Step 3: Select “Canvas” in the menu located on the right side of the page
Step 4: Log in to Canvas
Step 5: Once Canvas is logged-in, you will see your classes on your dashboard. Select
the course you want to access to be taken to that class’s homepage
ACCESSING EMAIL
Step 1: Open Google Chrome (link on desktop)
Step 2: Navigate to Lynden Middle School’s website (https://ms.lynden.wednet.edu/)
Step 3: Select “Email” in the menu located on the right side of the page.
Step 4: Use your school email address and password to log-in
TECH SUPPORT
Please visit www.lyndentechsupport.com to submit tech support requests.
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SECTION 6 – SCHOOL SUPPLIES
Even though we aren’t in the classroom on campus to begin our school year, it’s still essential that students have the materials necessary for learning. The items below are recommended for setting up a learning space at home. **If these supplies are difficult to attain due to financial or family circumstances, please contact Anna Hernandez [email protected] or Margaret Vailencour [email protected] at family and community services, or your counselor:
Last name A-G: Chris Elsner [email protected] Last name H-O: Erin Shaffer [email protected] Last name P-Z: Christina Lynch [email protected]
GENERAL SUPPLIES FOR ALL STUDENTS:
• Glue Stick
• Pencils, pens, and highlighters
• Colored Pencils
• Headphones or earbuds
• College-Ruled Notebook Paper
• Eraser(s)
• Ruler
• Scientific Calculator
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SECTION 7 – GENERAL SUCCESS TIPS We know that distance learning is not ideal for many families – but we wanted to provide
you with some ideas that might help improve your student’s success during this
unprecedented time. Read through them and see what you can use and adapt for your
family’s situation.
1. Establish Routines and Expectations
It is important to develop good habits from the start. Create a routine and discuss with your
student how it’s working over time. Make sure students get up, get dressed, and get ready to
learn each morning. Keep normal bedtime routines as you would during the school year,
including normal restrictions on use of digital devices at night.
2. Choose a Good Place to Learn
Your family’s regular learning space for occasional homework might not work for extended
periods. Set up a physical location that is dedicated to school-focused activities. Make sure it is
quiet, free of distractions, and has a good internet connection.
3. Stay in Touch
Teachers will continually communicate with students and guardians. Stay in contact with
classroom teachers, support teachers, and school leaders by using our support forms (in section
8), emailing questions or concerns, or scheduling live meetings with teachers during
asynchronous learning times for clarification and/or support.
4. Help Students “Own” Their Learning
No one expects guardians to be full-time teachers or educational content experts. Provide
support and encouragement but expect your children to do their part. Struggling is allowed and
encouraged! Don’t help too much, as becoming independent takes lots of practice and students
learn best when they make mistakes. Their teachers are here to support them – but be sure
someone is reaching out if there are any issues that need support!
5. Check-in with Your Students
At the end of the day, try asking some of these questions to your students to get an idea how
their learning is going.
• What went well today?
• What did you enjoy?
• What was difficult?
• What did you discover?
• What could you do to make tomorrow better?
• Do you have any upcoming tests or assignments that are due?
6. Establish Times for Quiet
For families with children of different ages and guardians who may also be working from home,
it’s good to build in time for quiet. Siblings may need to work in different rooms to avoid
distractions. Many families will need to work around challenges in accessing devices or internet
connection throughout the day. Setting up a cardboard partition may help children focus.
7. Encourage Physical Activity and Exercise
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Living and working at home, we all need room to let of steam. Moving (both independently and
together as a family) is vital to health, wellbeing, and readiness for learning. It’s a great
opportunity to practice exercising with digital workouts. Set fitness goals and plan hands-on,
life-ready activities that keep hands busy, feet moving, and minds engaged. You may want to
think about how children can pitch in around the house with chores or other responsibilities.
It’s also a great time to think about increasing their personal responsibilities and focus them on
helping others.
8. Monitor Time Online
Distance learning does not mean staring at a computer screen for seven hours every day, nor
does it mean simply logging in and taking the rest of the day off. Teachers will aim to build in
variety, but it will require some trial and error before everyone finds balance between online
and offline learning experiences. Work together to find ways to prevent student free time from
becoming more screen time. When in doubt about how much time your student is spending
online, reach out to their teachers!
9. Manage Stress and Make the Most of This Unusual Situation
We are going through a time of major upheaval to our normal routines and ways of life, and
there’s a great deal of anxiety in the world right now. Emotions may be running high and
children may be worried or fearful. Parents are likely to be stressed as well, and children are
often keenly aware of those emotions in their families. Children benefit from age-appropriate,
factual information and ongoing reassurance from trusted adults. We have put in place layers of
support for students, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to one of our support contacts if you
need assistance or advice. Try to reframe challenges as opportunities – for spending time
together, discovering new interests, investing energy and attention in activities that often get
pushed aside by everyday tasks and responsibilities. Experts advise it’s a good idea to slow
down, find beauty, enjoy unexpected benefits, and express gratitude by helping others. The
strength of our Lynden community will see us through!
10. Connect Safely and Be Kind
By now, students are probably missing their friends, classmates, and teachers, and are eager to
return to school. Help your children maintain contact with friends through social media and
other online technologies but monitor their use. Remind your child to be polite, respectful, and
appropriate in their communications, and to follow school guidelines in their interactions with
others. Report unkindness and other problems to school staff so that everyone maintains
healthy relationships and positive interactions.
