Tip 36: Survey parents as part of your planning for reopening

As the 2020-21 school year wraps up, planning for when, how and what reopening would look like is at the top of everyone’s mind.

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Tip 35: Encourage students to stay motivated

As distance learning continues, it can be hard to keep students engaged with their work. With these drastic changes, some may find the lack of structure difficult to manage. Many have added stresses at home, brought on by the pandemic. How can you keep students motivated to finish off the year strong?

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Tip 34: Maintain student-teacher bonds with “we miss you” videos

We’re approaching the third month of school closures, but we know that you still miss your students just as much. While schools have settled into distance learning, that doesn’t change the fact that many are missing face-to-face interaction — educators and students alike!

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Tip 33: Conduct a teacher parade to show students support and rally your community

As school closures continue, teachers all over the nation have been coming up with creative ways to stay in touch with their students and support them from a distance. In addition to creating and sending YouTube videos, teacher parades are another great idea, especially for those who are able to leave their homes and maintain social distancing.

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Tip 32: Twelve ways to thank teachers during school closures

Teacher Appreciation Week is May 4-8th, and a great time to thank a teacher. Let them know that you see all the hard work they’re doing to make remote learning during school closures happen! Here are 12 ways you can thank your teacher during school shut-downs.

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Tip 31: Organize virtual events for parents and families to increase engagement

How can K-12 schools and districts create shared experiences and deeper connection with their families, without face-to-face on campus events? Live interaction is still possible with large school groups! Here are 4 examples of schools and districts running large group events through virtual means.

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Tip 30: Deepen connections and create lasting memories with video projects

Cancelled school events doesn’t necessarily mean that opportunities to create memories and celebrate together are all gone. Video can be a powerful means of creating memorable moments. One of the most inspiring examples we’ve seen so far came from the parents and students of Mrs. Pavone’s kindergarten class at Canandaigua Primary-Elementary School in New York.

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Tip 29: Address digital equity issues with school-provided wifi

How do you help level the playing (or in this case, educational) field? Over the past six weeks, districts and schools took action to tackle digital equity issues and provide internet access to everyone — opening up school wifi that students and parents can use to download materials in school parking lots. Some have even brought wifi to needed areas by rigging their school buses with wifi systems. Here are several examples to explore.

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Tip 28: Host a virtual scavenger hunt

As educators brainstorm ways to keep students engaged, stay connected and keep the fun alive, many are turning to virtual scavenger hunts. It’s a great activity for students to think critically, evaluate their surroundings, get moving, engage with each other, share pieces of their lives and feel connected with their classmates!

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Tip 27: Honor volunteers and essential workers in your community

National Volunteer Appreciation week may be coming to an end, but that doesn’t mean appreciation has to end too! Now more than ever, it’s incredibly important to show each other support, appreciation and unite together as a community.

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Tip 26: Give students a healthy outlet for emotional expression

Schools are taking action to maintain an ongoing discussion about self care and mental health with students and staff, especially as schools continue distance learning through the end of the academic year. Here are four activities we found for teachers and parents who are looking to find out how students are faring.

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Tip 25: Survey parents to assess the success of remote learning

There are tons of questions when it comes to distance learning — and the answers widely vary depending on district, school, neighborhood and individual family. So to answer these questions, why not get to the source? 

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