ECE Teachers

Guidance, Resources, & Support

Guidance & Recommendations

Schedule

Daily schedule:

Half Day Schedule

Full Day Schedule

Connect with students daily via Google Classroom and/or Seesaw (live or recorded)
For preschool half day programs please schedule this window for the morning and afternoon sessions.
Provide opportunities for individual 1:1 Google Meet sessions with students when appropriate
Connect with all families on a weekly basis

Communication

Communication with students:

Create a “topic” in Google Classroom where you will post your Google Meet daily connection hangout link and any daily messages

Communication with families:

Create office hours for family connection: Communication should happen with each family on a weekly basis. Facilitators should check in with families about progress with at home learning and how asynchronous learning opportunities are going. Examples of ways to communicate with families include:
- MyTeachingStrategies® Family is an online family portal and mobile app that gives families another connection to their child’s classroom. Through MyTeachingStrategies® Family, teachers can share documentation, weekly plans, reports, activities, and more.
- World of Wonders - School to Home connection
- Seesaw - Teacher/Parent Communication
- Google Classroom
- Email/Phonecall/Text
Update all parents/guardians once a week

Content

Preschool Virtual Learning Framework
Preschool facilitators can use the virtual planning document to lesson plan in a virtual space.
Asynchronous Learning Opportunities: Parents will be provided with a menu of learning opportunities in a variety of different developmental domains. These should be updated weekly. Developmental domains include social studies/science, math, literacy/oral language/writing, social emotional/dramatic play and fine/gross motor/sensory activities.

Preschool Content Planners:

ELA

Math

Math Content Planner

Assessment

Monitor all student progress through My Teaching Strategies GOLD.

Trimester Maps

Check-in with students and parents as necessary

Feedback

During student check-in meetings, feedback needs to follow norms for effective feedback: specific, timely, and actionable

Feedback is even more important in online spaces because they lack teacher, peer, and environmental feedback
Feedback should be one part of your weekly family check-ins.
Data that you input and collect the week prior should be used to guide conversation about progress in the next week.

Google Classroom

Every class will be connected to a Google Classroom where teachers can interact with students, post additional supplementary materials, and create opportunities for students to engage in discourse with each other. Teachers will need to create these spaces for each of their rostered sections, if they do not have them already.

- In your google classroom, you will post your links to google meet for all synchronous learning. You will also need to post your menu of asynchronous learning in your google classroom. The asynchronous menu of learning opportunities needs to be updated weekly.

Provide opportunities for students to collaborate via Google Hangouts or Meet and via the Question discussion feature in Classroom. If you are unsure about how to use Google Hangouts, Meet, or Classroom, scroll down to the bottom of this page for links to tutorials.

Office Hours

Regular office hours provide students an opportunity to ask questions, get feedback, and check-in with the teacher.

We know that this time will be hard for many students in terms of being cut off from friends and teachers. Teachers should be available to check-in with students for a variety of needs, including just to say hello.
Establish office hours to meet with students and/or families for mini conferences, small group learning, intervention, parent teacher conferences etc.

How do teachers hold office hours?

For a quick 1:1 chat with video as an option, use Google Hangout with your student.
For a set time meeting with groups of students, set up a Google Meet and link it to your Google Classroom.
Accessibility considerations: Ask students to turn on the closed captioning function in Google Meet.

Encourage Students To Read At Least 30min Daily

They can read a book or check out and read/listen to an eBook through the APS eBook library called Sora. There are additional resources for students and families in the Daily Virtual Learning Pathway

You can check out eBooks, too! 😉

Supports for English Language Learners

Below are suggestions that offer students a way to continue practicing language via a variety of resources including additional ideas connected to core content areas. We advocate that students have a topic to engage with and then have multiple opportunities to practice (both orally and in writing) target language connected to that topic.

Embedded Language Supports:

Preschool teachers provide robust language experiences daily for young children. These experiences are embedded throughout the day. Teachers are charged with ensuring multilingual learners have access to language supports as needed.
Consider the content students are engaged with during all parts of their ‘day’.
Should a principal provide an expectation to meet with a small group of multilingual learners virtually, the links below are available to support you in structuring your time with students.
The Early Language Development Standards - WIDA
CLDE Helpful Websites to Support Learning for MLLs

Language Services Support

Here are instructions on how to use both phone interpretation agencies we contract with and below. Be prepared to provide your employee ID when calling in.
CTS Language Link (first choice) 1-888-338-7394 Access Code: 24815
Telelanguage (in case an interpreter is not available with the first company) 1-800-514-9237 Access Code: 25800
Google Translate - Watch this video to learn how to use the Chrome extension

Mental Health Support

For students:

During the extended school closure, after school hours or on the weekend call Colorado Crisis Services at 844-493-TALK (8255), or text “Talk” to 38255. This service is available 24/7 year-round. If this is an emergency please dial 911.
The walk-in clinic is available between 8:00am and 11:00pm daily at Anschutz Medical Campus 2206 Victor Street, Aurora, CO 80045

On and after March 30, between 8:00am and 3:30pm you can contact your student’s school counselor, social worker, or psychologist through Google Hangouts. Please go to the remote learning website to find the name and contact information for the school mental health provider.

For staff:

Professional counselors can help you manage any type of problem with complete confidentiality, 24 hours a day.
Guidance Consultants can assist you at 1-888-324-2631 or visit guidanceresources.com and register using the organization web ID: APS to create your own personal login.
Completely confidential - APS will never know if you use this program.

Instructional Tools & Resources

Curriculum and Instructional Resources

➡️START HERE! Content Guides Website

Instructional Tools and Resources Hub (Beta)

Curriculum and Instruction Resources

Students Use Clever To Access Everything

The Clever Portal will automatically be signed in and all resources available when students sign in to Google Chrome.

Video - Logging into Clever from Home Computer

The Clever Portal has sections at the top of the page called "Remote Learning" with buttons that will take students to school content, eBooks, Google Classroom, and back to this website.

Communicate with Parents with Talking Points

The district now has access to Talking Points - a great tool for texting with parents. Talking points translates languages automatically so that there are no barriers to effective communication. See more about Talking Points here: Talking Points

Foundational and Essential Tools for Online Learning

Below are each of our foundational and essential tools for learning, along with links to the asynchronous training module in Performance Matters? Class full? While on the waiting list, visit this site to access training resources - without the "deliverables" (or credit): Using Technology in the Classroom

Seesaw

Intended for P-3 teachers. Seesaw is an app that organizes student-created videos and annotation into digital portfolios and gives parents access to their student's portfolios.

Take our asynchronous class on Seesaw

Choice Reading

Sora eBook and Audiobook Library Over 6000 ebooks and audiobooks curated for Aurora Public School's PK-12 students.

ELD Language Supports

ELD Online Resources

ELAchieve Email

Chat & Video With Your Students

Google Chat - For quick chat, link sharing, and even setting up a quick Meet.

Google Meet - For a more "formal" webinar-style video teleconferencing including features like recording and live closed captioning (great for ELL students!).

Tech Support & How To Guides

Need Personalized Human Help?

For technical issues: Email the APS help desk - helpdesk@aurorak12.org or call extension 28203

How To Use Your Home Computer For Instruction

Download and install Google Chrome

Short Video on syncing Chrome

Go To & Log In To Clever

Use this link to get to APS Clever: clever.aurorak12.org - Use your Google username and password if prompted.

Video - How to sign in to Clever using your Google email and password

Video - How to sign in to Clever using the Clever Badge (easier for young children)

How To Get Started Using iReady

❗️ K-5 Students Having Trouble With iReady On APS Chromebook? This help sheet will show you how to fix your chromebook screen so you can see iReady properly.

Quick Video - Assign Lessons

Quick Video - Class Monitoring

Quick Video - Student Monitoring

Webinar - iReady Reading - Online Lesson Assignment

Webinar - iReady Math - Online Lesson Assignment

Webinar - iReady Administrator

Article - iReady Support - Get the Most from Online Instruction

Website - iReady at Home