Distance Learning @Far Brook FAQs
Our Campus Is Closed, Our Learning Continues
See FAQs below for Lower School (Grades N3 – 3rd) and Upper School (Grades 4-8).
What does distance learning look like in the Lower School?
- Online tool, Seesaw, is used as the main method of communication with students. Additional age-appropriate resources, such as IXL for math, BrainPop, YouTube Videos, are introduced as needed.
- Classroom Teachers post an assignment on Seesaw by 9:00 a.m. each school day from Monday to Friday. Assignments and projects are to be completed by 3:30pm daily.
What does communication with Far Brook teachers look like?
- Classroom teachers are available for a live comment feed from 9:00-10:00am daily.
- Specials teachers are available for a live comment feed from 12:00-1:00pm daily.
- Students can email or post any related questions and comments until 3:30pm each daily. Students can expect a response within 24-hours.
- Second and Third-grade classroom teachers reach out to families to monitor the status of work and offer academic support. Periodically, parents are updated about work completion, quality of assignments, and mastery of material.
What topics/subjects are covered online?
- Literacy: Reading, Writing, Spelling, Handwriting
- Math
- Core
- Science
- French
- Art: Art, Arts Integration, Woodshop
- Music
- Movement: Dance, Yoga
- Sports
- Technology (2nd and 3rd Grade)
What preparation for remote learning happened in the classroom?
- Students were asked to bring workbooks, notebooks, reading books, and any other resources home.
- Second and Third Grade Students reviewed the use of Seesaw in Technology Class
- New accounts for various online programs were setup
What were parents asked to do to support their children in preparation for remote learning?
- Complete a survey on technology use at home
- Set up their device with child safety in mind
- Set up rules around device use at home (We asked that at least one guardian assist with technology use at all times)
- Set up a learning space with basic supplies
How is attendance taken?
- Attendance will be taken daily in various ways (ex: teachers may post a link where students can complete a question of the day. Please do not worry about having your child begin work by a certain time.)
- Classroom teachers will provide an overview of the day’s tasks, activities, and assignments in various ways (ex: pre-recorded video with a daily message).
- If your child is sick and unable to participate in remote learning, please email Nurse Anne (nurse@farbrook.org), Gloria (gmonteiro@farbook.org), and your child’s teachers by 9:00 AM. Please let them know the reason for the absence. Be as specific as possible when relaying the symptoms of your child’s illness. Include any positive medical tests, such as Strep, Flu, Covid-19 or any other contagious illnesses.
What does a typical daily schedule look like?
Daily Schedule:
*Here is a loose guideline on what your child’s day could look like:
| Daily Schedule | |
| 8:30 |
Morning Reading / Meeting
|
| 9:00 – 10:00 |
Classroom Study: Teachers will upload one lesson by 9:00am each morning. 9:00 – 9:30 Students will go on seesaw and follow instructions and complete activity 9:30 – 10:00 Students and parents can “submit” work, questions, comments and expect responses during this time **If you send emails or seesaw posts after 10:00am, please allows teachers 24-hours to reply. |
| 10:00 – 11:00 |
Independent Study (Quiet reading and writing time) *Grades K – 3 will have a math and literacy assignment daily (with or without a demo lesson.) |
| 11:00 – 12:00 | PLAY |
| 12:00 – 1:00 | Lunch and Rest |
| 1:00 – 2:00 |
ONE to TWO specials: Specials teachers will upload one lesson by 1:00pm. 1:00 – 1:30 Students will go on seesaw and follow instructions and complete activity 1:30 – 2:00 Students and parents can “submit” work, questions, comments and expect responses during this time **If you send any emails or seesaw posts after 2:00 pm, please allows teachers 24-hours to reply. |
| 2:00 – 3:00 | Independent Study (Art, Music, Sports, Projects) |
| 3:00 – 4:00 | Play (outside if possible) |
Student Work and Accountability: N3, N4 and K
- Attendance will be taken daily based on children’s responses. For our youngest students, it can be as simple as sending an email to the teachers saying, “Task completed.” We understand that each family’s needs and schedules are different, and therefore the level of involvement will also depend on your availability. If you are able to, please email a photo of your child’s work when completed.
- If you would like to share photos, please use the appropriate link for Google Photos Albums
Student Work and Accountability: 1st - 3rd
- Daily Digital Reading Log
- This will be the teachers’ go-to place for taking attendance. Please help your children log daily if possible.
- Each grade will email you their logs
- Other assignments
- There will be certain assignments teachers will ask students to submit. We understand that our Lower School children require much of your support. We will do this gradually so that we all have time to ease into this.
Other contact information
- Email is the best form of communication. All Far Brook teachers and administration will be available via email between regular operating school hours (8:10 AM – 3:30 PM). You should get a response within 24-hours.
- Between 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM, the instructing teacher should be able to respond within the time to answer questions students may have.
- If you need to speak with a teacher or administrator, over the phone, Google Meet, or Zoom, please email them to coordinate a time.
- Teachers will utilize *67 to make outgoing calls from our personal cell phones and it will appear as “Restricted” or “No Caller ID.” Please remember that and try to answers.
- Teachers and administrators will have designated “office hours” where they are able to provide students with support as they work to complete assignments.
Tech Support
- Contact technology@farbrook.org, and one of our technology staff members will get back to you within 24-hours.
Health Support
- Contact Anne at nurse@farbrook.org
Emotional Health Support
- Contact Haruka at hmori@farbrook.org and she will connect you to Nancy Ziebart, Far Brook’s consulting psychologist
General Support
- Contact Gloria at gmonteiro@farbook.org
What does distance learning look like in the Upper School?
- Online resources are posted on Google Classroom including G-Suite, IXL for math, Quizlet, Newsela for reading and social studies, websites such as BrainPop, YouTube Videos, PlayPosit, VoiceThread, Seesaw etc. (These are all familiar to Upper School students and are used at the developmentally appropriate grade level.)
- Teachers post all assignments via Google Classroom by 9:00 a.m. each school day (M-F) and assignments are due daily by 3:30 p.m
What does communication with Far Brook teachers look like?
- Homeroom teachers and Advisors reach out to families to monitor the status of work and offer academic support. Parents are periodically updated about work completion, quality of assignments, and mastery of material.
- During the 9:00-3:30 p.m. work time teachers are available to students and parents via email. Students in Grades 5-8 are able to email teachers directly from their School Google accounts.
- Teachers offer Google Meet hours, as needed, where students can sign up for a conference time with a teacher or learning specialist for individual/small group support (Think office hours!).
What topics/subjects are covered online?
- Middle School (Gr. 4-6) academic classes: Reading, Math, Social Studies, Science, and Writing are prioritized with daily assignments. Workload reflects the student’s weekly schedule. Optional supplemental enrichment work is posted in Google Classroom and includes subjects such as French, sports, woodshop, art, music, Orchestra, and tech.
- Junior High (Gr. 7-8) academic classes follow the third trimester schedule to complete all academic courses in their entirety by the end of the school year. These include all graded subjects: English, French, History, Math, and Science. Workload reflects the student’s weekly schedule. Optional supplemental enrichment work is posted in Google Classroom and includes subjects such as sports, woodshop, art, music, Orchestra, and tech.
What preparation for remote learning happened in the classroom?
- Students were asked to bring workbooks, textbooks, solution manuals, notebooks, and any other needed resources.
- Students received login information for new accounts, such as IXL math (Gr. 4-6) and Newsela.
- Students participated in tutorials/simulations in the use of Google Meet and uploaded photos of written homework assignments in Google Classroom for math and French.
What support do parents of US children provide for remote learning?
- Students shared their username and password for Google Classroom with their parents.
- We recommended to parents that the Google Classroom App be added to their mobile devices.