District distance learning school year begins

Canyon Lake students began their school year Wednesday without the typical excitement of the first day of classes and the reacquainting of friends and teachers. Instead, as a result of state mandates, the classes began with students at home on their computers and iPads.

With no end to distance learning in sight, students are accessing their daily “classrooms” via an app called Canvas. The app contains the student’s schedule at their school, graduation requirements and their needs. These courses are pulled directly from Infinite Campus.

When students first login, they are presented with a dashboard of important information including upcoming assignments, grades and teacher feedback on assignments.

The various schools in the Lake Elsinore Unified School District, which oversees education for Canyon Lake students in elementary school, middle school and high school, are entering the school year in the Phase 1 District-wide Distance Learning Model. This is a short-term educational setting that is temporarily in place while all students in the school district are required to learn from home. When allowable under state and local health standards, the district will transition to Phase 2, which will allow for the returning of students to campus under a hybrid model (a combination of classroom learning with some online instruction).

Parents were given the option of a 100% Virtual Instruction Model. This is a long-term educational setting taught by pre-assigned teachers. Parents and guardians voluntarily signed their children up for this model. This model is not subject to physical transitions (Phase 2 or Phase 3) because students will be supported 100% online. Upon request, a child may return at the quarter or semester break once Phase 2 or Phase 3 is authorized.

Both models include:

Daily teacher instruction and student interaction with classmates.

Textbooks/media and materials will be provided to students for use at home.

Student attendance will be taken daily and monitored for active participation.

State standards-based curriculum for all grade levels that ensures academic rigor.

Grades, student assignments and assessments will “count.”

“The format and expectations will be much different than the system we had in place in the spring,” Temescal Canyon High School Principal Dr. Whitney D’Amico said. “All students will be attending all classes, on-line, every day.”

Starting on day one, she said, they will be accountable to attendance, assessments and performance. Which means all assignments will be graded and assessments will be given and counted. Credit will be awarded based on their success and performance.

“I know that this will be very new to us all,” Dr. D’Amico said. “We are all super excited to get back to teaching and meeting the needs of our amazing students. I also know, we will all feel frustrated, angry, upset and out of sorts. But please know, we are all on the same page and in this together. I, as well as my administration team, teachers and staff, want to come back on-site more than anything else in the world. We miss our students and our heart breaks without them. But, we need to all be safe and stay healthy.”