Central Coast schools prepare parents for distance learning

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) School districts on the Central Coast are preparing parents to tackle distance learning in the new academic year.

Before classes start online, Salinas City Elementary School District is offering a series of online training seminars to teach parents how to use platforms that will be necessary for communication and distance learning.

The district gave a virtual demonstration of program 
called Parent Square Monday morning. The application allows parents to communicate with teachers and get more information from school administrations.

Many Central Coast schools will be starting with full-time online classes later this week or next week.

The transition to distance learning hasn’t been easy for some parents so school districts are doing what they can to get parents prepared.

“Providing support around how do you log into a Chromebook and how do you use you Clever badge and how do you login to Parent Square or what is Google Classroom and how can you use it,” Monterey Peninsula Unified School District Associate Superintendent of Educational Services Cresta McIntosh said.

MPUSD is one of several districts offering a series of virtual training sessions. The district said students will be spending more time in live instructional sessions with teachers this year.

Pajaro Valley Unified School District is also following a similar model. PVUSD Superintendent Dr. Michelle Rodriguez said it’s important for parents to  schedule time for work and check in with their kids.

“On that Monday, when the child receives a weekly planner, to sit down and say, ‘okay, what’s our plan, what are you going to be doing,'” Rodriguez said. “At the end of the day, as I used to do when my son was young, it’s asking those questions: show me what you’ve done, where are you at, why didn’t you do what you should have done?”

Multiple districts will continue to hold training sessions until the start 
of the academic year.

School starts on August 17 for PVUSD and on August 5 for MPUSD. For a list of other school district start dates, click here: https://kion546.com/back-to-school/2020/08/03/find-your-district-your-guide-to-school-reopening-plans-on-the-central-coast/

MPUSD said they’ll be doing distance learning until at least the 
end of first quarter in October and will determine if they can move to 
hybrid at that time depending on how the pandemic situation is then.

PARENT RESOURCES:

Salinas City Elementary District Distance Learning Resources: https://www.salinascityesd.org/distancelearning

MPUSD Family Portal: https://sites.google.com/mpusd.k12.ca.us/mpusd-distance-learning/family-portal?authuser=0

PVUSD Plan for Reopening Schools: https://www.pvusd.net/pf4/cms2/news_themed_display?id=1596276054831