Return to Learn Update
August 7, 2020
In this update, you will find more information about:
Student schedule information
Fall and winter sports seasons postponed
Google Meet for virtual classes
Tools for communicating with teachers
Status of WCPS facilities reservations
Student Schedule Information
In the last update, Washington County Public Schools (WCPS) shared student schedules with live, online instruction times. In addition to these times, some learning will occur offline. You may hear these activities and assignments referred to as “asynchronous learning.” These tasks will vary between grade levels and among subjects.
During Tuesday evening’s Board of Education public business meeting, staff shared the following schedules for elementary and secondary students:
Fall and Winter Sports Seasons Postponed
The Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) announced this week that the high school fall and winter competitive sports seasons are postponed through the first semester.
WCPS will stop in-person voluntary athletic conditioning activities and in-person voluntary extracurricular activities as of Thursday, August 6. According to MPSSAA, February 1, 2021 is the potential start date for a shortened three-season sports schedule, which could run through June. We will await further guidance from MPSSAA, which is expected to come in early September.
Google Meet for Virtual Classes
WCPS students will be transitioning from Zoom to Google Meet to participate in online instruction with their teacher. Students will be able to join virtual classes right from Google Classroom. Google is in the process of upgrading the program’s tools to support teachers in making online learning interactive and engaging, like breakout rooms, digital whiteboards, quick polls, and more. The transition from Zoom to Google Meet will occur once Google has completed these updates.
WCPS will be providing tutorial videos for Google Meet and more online learning tools.
Tools for Communicating with Teachers
In order to protect private student information, WCPS teachers are not able to use apps like Remind, Class DoJo, Seesaw, and others. These apps do not meet federal or state safety requirements the way they are currently configured. As a result, their use is being discontinued in the school system.
Parents are encouraged to use ParentVUE and WCPS email to communicate directly with teachers regarding their children. Each student in kindergarten through grade 12 is assigned a WCPS email address, which can be used for parents to email teachers.
Teachers can also invite parents and guardians as guests to their child’s Google Classroom. Parents can choose to receive daily or weekly assignment summaries to track their child’s progress.