Parent's and Student's Handbook for

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Parent’s and Student’s

Handbook for

Rev: 8/17/2020

South Lane

School District

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Table of Contents

Student Expectations ............................................................................................................. 3

Parent/Guardian/Others Present at Home Guidelines ......................................................... 3

How to Know if a Student’s Assignment is Finished .............................................................. 4

1. First Login ........................................................................................................................... 5

2. Joining a Class .................................................................................................................... 6

3. Navigate the Classroom ..................................................................................................... 7

Classes ............................................................................................................................................................................ 7

Stream ............................................................................................................................................................................ 7

Classwork ........................................................................................................................................................................ 8

Assignments ................................................................................................................................................................... 9

People ........................................................................................................................................................................... 10

1. To Do List and Google Calendar ....................................................................................... 11

2. The Assignment in Google Docs ....................................................................................... 11

3. The Assignment that Requires Writing without a Doc attached ..................................... 12

4. The Assignment that Requires a Photo ............................................................................ 13

5. More Methods of Turning In Photos ............................................................................... 16

6. Draw on diagrams, maps, or pictures .............................................................................. 16

7. Finish Turning In Work ..................................................................................................... 18

8. Assignment is Turned In and You Need to Revise It ....................................................... 18

9. Where Are Assignments Stored? ..................................................................................... 18

1. Overview .......................................................................................................................... 19

2. Student South Lane E-mail Account ................................................................................. 19

3. Contact a Teacher ............................................................................................................ 19

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How to Find a Teacher’s E-mail .................................................................................................................................... 19

Writing the E-mail ........................................................................................................................................................ 20

Text ............................................................................................................................................................................... 21

Phone Calls ................................................................................................................................................................... 22

Private Comments ........................................................................................................................................................ 22

Comments to the Stream .............................................................................................................................................. 23

Notifications Settings ................................................................................................................................................... 23

Google Meets ............................................................................................................................................................... 24

Parent Notifications ...................................................................................................................................................... 25

District Technology Center................................................................................................... 28

Help with Home Access Center and Google Classroom ....................................................... 28

More Help with Google and Chromebooks ......................................................................... 28

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Introduction

This handbook is designed to be a Google Classroom reference guide for parents and students. It has three basic

sections: Access Lessons and Learning, Respond to Instruction, and Communicate with Teachers and Staff (ARC). The

table of contents is linked to the sections of the handbook to help find what you need quickly.

To begin there are a few behavior guidelines for digital citizenship that students are expected to follow during online

instruction. In addition to these digital citizenship guidelines, students must continue to adhere to all school rules and

classroom rules, and all other SLSD and school policies, including but not limited to policies related to Student

Discipline, Harassment, Bullying and Acceptable Use of Technology.

Student Expectations

Below are important behavior guidelines for Zoom, Google Hangouts (Meets), or any online classroom setting students

and teachers will share.

1. Please be on time to scheduled online sessions to the best of your ability, mute as you enter, or watch the

recorded session as quickly as possible once it is available. Do not go into an online space when you are not

scheduled to be there unless you have permission.

2. Please get permission from your teacher before taking photos, screenshots, audio or video recordings, etc. of

any online classes or meetings. Links to any teacher’s online space are ONLY for your classmates and your

families.

3. We know you cannot always prevent the appearance of a pet or others, but please make your best effort to

minimize distractions in the class setting.

4. Avoid backgrounds that are distracting. Backgrounds and student work areas must be free of any material that

violates the law or school policy.

5. Students should not engage in side conversations on any other device or use devices for texting/playing games,

etc. during an online lesson or live session with teachers.

6. If the teacher asks you to mute or unmute yourself, please respond appropriately.

7. Avoid background noise or talk that is distracting to the group. The teacher may have to temporarily mute you

until the distractions stop.

8. Take care of any borrowed district devices and follow the guidelines in the SLSD Chromebook Loaner

Expectations. If you need help with passwords or a Chromebook, please call the technology department:

(541)767-3778; Option 1.

Parent/Guardian/Others Present at Home Guidelines

Because we are all in this together, the schools need the help of parents and guardians. Teachers do not expect parents

to have to teach the kids; however, we do need your help. Below are some things parents and guardians can do.

1. A parent/guardian or responsible adult caregiver should provide direct supervision during online education

when possible.

2. Family members or others in the home should not interfere, interrupt or engage in online sessions, unless

requested by the teacher.

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3. Students will have questions. The best way parents can help is to see that the students receive all parts of the

instruction. Please have students attend or watch video classes, take notes, engage in the activities that are

posted, and read the directions.

4. If a student is receiving virtual, online or telephonic counseling services from a SLSD employee or contractor, to

ensure student privacy, no other individual is allowed in the room or within seeing or hearing distance of the

room or place in which the student is receiving the counseling service.

5. Parents/guardians and responsible adult caregivers must maintain strict confidentiality of any personal

information they obtain regarding other students while supervising a student’s virtual or online instruction or

school-related activities.

It is important to remind students to act kindly, show consideration for others, and treat one another online

appropriately. Any behavior that falls out of the above guidelines will be discussed with families/guardians. Students

who repeatedly violate expectations may lose their privilege to join future live sessions and will be expected to watch

recorded sessions and complete any work assigned on their own. Thank you for everyone’s cooperation in making this

distance learning experience a positive and productive one.

How to Know if a Student’s Assignment is Finished

Sometimes, students will turn in an assignment and it may not be finished. How can parents double check? One way is

to wait for a notification after the teacher has graded the assignment. Often the teacher will put a comment on the

assignment that will indicate the work was unfinished.

Another way is to have the student show you the work before it is turned in. This may not be very efficient given work

schedules and family life.

If there is a particular assignment parents want to know about, parents can have the student sign into Google

Classroom and show the parent the finished work. If it is already turned in, the assignment can be “unsubmitted” so the

parent can see it. For information about unsubmitting and resubmitting assignments click (8. Assignment is Turned In

and You Need to Revise It).

This video shows how a student can view their grade on an assignment, if it is missing, or assigned (not turned in yet), if

there is a message, or if there is an attachment. Asking to see this page, may help parents know how kids are doing in a

class. This is viewed through the student’s access to the classroom. Click Here the last half is the part that shows how to

view the grade: How to check for completed work. Or this web site:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfArO9umsXw&feature=youtu.be

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ccess Lessons and Learning

1. First Login

Google Classroom allows teachers and students to communicate and collaborate, manage many assignments

paperlessly, and stay organized. Google Classroom is part of the Google Apps for Education suite of tools and is only

available to Google Apps for Education accounts. How to sign into your SLSD Google Account for the first time (video)

or use this URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsQsoprByck&feature=youtu.be

On a Chromebook, students simply need to login to the Chromebook with their South Lane School account:

[email protected]

On a different computer (not a Chromebook), open the Chrome browser. Next you will need to click on the icon in the

upper right hand corner. Other users of the computer will need to change this for their work. This one says “paused”

yours might not, either way is fine.

If Google Classroom icon isn’t shown in the menu, type classroom.google.com in the address bar.

Next click on the nine dots in the upper

right corner and click on Google

Classroom

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2. Joining a Class

Next you will be asked what your role is in Google Classroom. Select “I’m a student.”

Click on the “Join a Class” button; it is the plus sign in the upper corner of the screen. How to join a Google Classroom

(video) or this URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrvtwLTEn2M You will need a class code.

You will need a code to join a class. The list of class codes for your teachers based on your class schedule are included

at the end of this handbook in Appendix C. Type the code in the box.

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3. Navigate the Classroom

Classes

Once you have joined your classes, you will see a screen like this with a box for each of your classes.

Stream

When you click on a class, you will first see the “Stream.” This is where you will find announcements from the

teacher. Some teachers will also allow students to post to it as well. Here is what you see for the class “Stream” page.

Important parts of this page are labeled.

Class title

Class

Code

Google

Meets

link

Due date and time and

the status of the

assignment (assigned,

turned in, or missing)

Assignment posted to

the class

Quick glance at

what

assignments

are coming up

for this class

only

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Classwork

The most important page is the “Classwork” page. To get there, you click on “Classwork” at the top middle part

of the “Stream” page.

The Classwork page will have an organized set of lessons and assignments. There are several parts to the page as

shown below. The three lines before the class title will take you back to a list of classes.

Class title

Topic:

Listed by

date

Class Drive folder will

show you all of your

classwork that is in

Drive.

Google Calendar is a

good tool to know

what assignments for

all of your classes are

and when due. Click

this to add the class

calendar to yours.

View your work: Here

you can look at the

work you turned in,

what is assigned, and

what is missing.

Topic with all

assignments and materials

listed below. Topics are arranged by

most recent first.

Assignments will have a due date and

time listed.

Materials will have the date posted.

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Assignments

This is what you see when you click on an assignment. On this page there is the due date, instructions for the

assignment, a schedule for the week, and a personalized assignment sheet. For each class each part will look

different, but all will have these parts.

If you click on “View assignment” at the bottom of the page, you will get some added information like this. The part

of the assignment that is work for the student to do will appear in a box to the right. There is more about this later in

the document under Respond to Instruction.

When a student clicks on the assignment, a Google Doc will likely open because the assignment is a Google Doc with

questions. The assignment could be in a different program as well. Another common one is Google Forms. If a

teacher needs to have the student go to a different site, the link will be here. There is more information later in this

handbook regarding the assignments.

Due date

Instructions

Information or the

Lesson (this could be

a reading or a video

or something else)

The assignment

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Below is an example of how an assignment may look.

People

There is another page to access from the Classroom page. It is labeled “People.” By clicking here you will find the list

of teachers for the class and the list of students participating in the class.

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espond to Instruction

1. To Do List and Google Calendar

Students and parents can see the list of all assignments coming due and the status of finished assignments by clicking

on the three lines before the class title. An option for “To Do” will be in the list along with all classes the student is

enrolled in. If you click on the “Done” tab in the top center of the page, you will see a list of all completed assignments.

Click here: How to check for work to do. Or URL:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfArO9umsXw&feature=youtu.be

Another way to see and link to assignments is to click on Google Calendar in the same drop down menu. This will show

all assignments, the due date and time, and if an assignment is clicked it will link directly to the assignment.

2. The Assignment in Google Docs

When a student clicks on the assignment, a Google Doc will likely open. The assignment could be in a different

program as well. Another common one is Google Forms. If a teacher needs to have the student go to a different site,

the link will be here. In this case the document looks like this Click here: How to turn in an assignment. Or use the

URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-af6doIpWHI

Once you have finished and assignment, click on “TURN IN” to send it to your teacher.

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3. The Assignment that Requires Writing without a Doc attached

Sometimes there may be an assignment that requires a written answer and there is not a document for you to open

and write the answer. If that happens, the Doc can be created by following the steps below.

A box will be added to the screen. Then click on “+ Add or Create.”

Click on “View

assignment”

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A Google Doc will be created. It will have a TURN IN button at the top. Write your name and the answer(s) to the

assignment. Use the TURN IN button to hand in the assignment once you have finished.

4. The Assignment that Requires a Photo

Some assignments cannot be handed in through a Google Doc like the one above. There are cases when a photo

must be taken and handed in. Some teachers will have students text the photo in order to hand in the assignment.

Another way is to hand in the photo as a Google Doc. This will place the photo directly into the Google Classroom and

you and the teacher will have an easy to find record of it.

The assignment below may have a picture to send in. To do this, take the picture with your phone or with the camera

on the computer (be careful to get the entire assignment and to have something solid behind the work if using the

computer camera). From either the phone or camera, place the picture in Google Photos or on the desktop of the

computer so they will be easier to access.

Next, click on “View Assignment” at the bottom of the assignment page.

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You will then see a box added to the screen. Click on “+ Add or create.”

Select Docs. A link to a Google Doc will appear just above the Add or create button. Click on that and a Google Doc will

show and it will have the TURN IN button at the top. Type your name at the top of the page.

This is what the Google Doc will look like.

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Next, in the menu bar click Insert, then from the drop down menu, choose image. You will get another drop down

asking where the image is. Here Google Photos was selected, and the images from Google Photos show on the right

hand side of the page. Click on the image you need to send to your teacher and click on insert (the blue box below

the images). The photo will appear in the document. See the steps and the outcome below. More than one photo can

be added to a document.

Now your assignment is ready to be turned in make sure your name is on the page, then click on the turn in button.

See below for a simpler way to attach a video or photo from your phone.

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5. More Methods of Turning In Photos

 If the picture is on the computer, then select Upload from computer instead of Photos. You may

have to resize the picture to fit on the document. Make sure the work shows clearly so it can be

graded.

 You can also take a photo and save it right to the Doc by going to the Camera at the bottom of the

menu. This will use the camera on the computer and place the photo directly into the document.

 Another way to hand in multiple photos is to place the photos in one PDF document (see Appendix

A: Make a PDF of Photos for instructions)

 Some teachers may prefer that photos be submitted by text or email attachment. See the section in

“Communicate with Teachers and Staff” about text and email.

 Photos and videos can be uploaded directly from your phone if you have Google Docs and Google

Classroom on your phone. Here are the instructions Click Here: How to upload a photo or video

from your phone or use the URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwl45PEvwi0

6. Draw on diagrams, maps, or pictures

Sometimes you will have to label diagrams, or color maps, or make notes on pictures. To do this you will need your

phone or mobile device like a tablet or iPad. As of now, this won’t work on the computer.

First, make sure you have the Google Classroom App on your Android or iOS mobile device. Then click on Classroom

and select the class. Next open the assignment that you need to write on; it may be already attached or you may have

to Add Attachment. Most will likely be already attached (see section 2 and 3 above).

In the upper right hand corner, click on the Edit button ( Edit ). Now you can make your notes or drawings. Once

you click on the edit button, you will see a set of tools.

The write, mark, and highlight tools are available in different sizes and colors.

1. To see color and size options, double-click Write, Mark, or Highlight.

2. To see more colors, click the Up arrow ^.

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3. Click a color or point size to use it.

Resize Erase

4. To resize an image or Erase, use these buttons. Adding an image, first select the resize button, then select your

image. Resized by pinching and moving apart or together and move by dragging it.

5. Click on Erase once to erase a mark. To delete ALL marks on the page, double click erase then “clear page.”

6. If your assignment is a Google Doc or Microsoft Office document, the new document (with the drawings and

comments will be saved as a PDF. If the original is a picture (JPEG or PNG) or a PDF, the new one will replace the

original.

Click on the A and drag your finger

to where you want to write. Write

your comment or label. This can

be resized by dragging the corner

or pinching the text and making it

larger or smaller.

To UNDO or Redo Actions

To Undo, click the back curved arrow. To

Redo, click the forward curved arrow.

You can undo and redo more than one

action by clicking again.

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7. Finish Turning In Work

Once you have clicked on the TURN IN button, another dialog box will appear. It will ask if you are sure. When you

click Turn in again, the assignment will be sent to Google Classroom for your teacher.

8. Assignment is Turned In and You Need to Revise It

If you realize you need to change something in the assignment or revise it, but it is already turned in, you can get it

back to make the revisions. After the assignment is turned in, the box to the upper right will change to look like the

figure below. To change the document, click on “Unsubmit”. Another dialog box will show up and click “Unsubmit”

again.

Once you are done with the revisions, turn in the document again.

9. Where Are Assignments Stored?

When a student enrolls in a class, a folder is created in Google Drive. It is named “Classroom.” This folder will contain

another folder for each class. Student work and other items for the class are stored here.

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ommunicate with Teachers and Staff

1. Overview

Communication is a critical component of Distance Learning and allows students, parents, and teachers to stay in touch

regarding:

 Lesson instructions and due dates

 Grades and progress

 Academic questions and needs

 Non-academic services and supports for students and families

 School and District related events and announcements

To make sure communication occurs easily, please take a moment to:

 Update your contact information with the school (email, mobile numbers, work numbers, etc.)

 Confirm all email addresses are functioning (student South Lane accounts and guardian accounts)

 Set up voicemail inboxes for all phone numbers (mobile, home, work) and make sure they can accept messages

2. Student South Lane E-mail Account

E-mail is the most powerful tool for communicating with your teachers and other school staff. Your teacher, school, and

the South Lane School District will send messages to your South Lane School District account. Check your email DAILY to

keep track of important messages and updates.

3. Contact a Teacher

Please understand that immediate messages to your teacher after school hours or on weekends may not be seen until

the next school day. Teachers will do their best to respond as quickly as possible.

How to Find a Teacher’s E-mail

Students can access the link to their teacher’s email by clicking on the envelope to the right of their name while in the

People tab of Google Classroom.

Your teachers’ email addresses will be formatted like this: first.last@slane.k12.or.us

Staff emails can also be located on each individual school’s web page.

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Writing the E-mail

When communicating via email make sure that you:

 Fill in the subject line so your teacher can quickly see what you are communicating about.

 Begin the message with a greeting (“Hello Mr. X…).

 Be clear and specific regarding your main thoughts or questions.

 End with an appropriate parting phrase (“With thanks, Andy T.”) and any additional contact

information.

Teachers will read and respond to emails as quickly as possible during regular school hours (do not expect immediate

responses on evenings and weekends).

3. Text, Remind, and Phone

Your teacher may invite you to use other tools for communication, including text, Remind, and phone. Below is what

each may look like.

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Text

Text messages: Many teachers have a Google Voice number specifically for handling school communications. Your

teacher may invite you to text when you have a question/need, and they may use text as a means to initiate and

maintain contact with you.

Remind

Remind messages: You may be asked to join the Remind group for a class as the Remind app allows your teacher to text

with you, or the entire class, without the exchange of phone numbers.

Hi Ms. Jones,

Can you help

me with

problem 12 on

today’s work?

Sure, what

can I help

you with?

This is the

screen to

join Remind.

This is a

message

screen in

Remind.

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Phone Calls

Your teacher may simply phone you when they need to communicate, and they may ask you to use their dedicated

Google Voice number or Remind to do the same. Make sure your phone number has a functioning voicemail inbox and

check your phone messages regularly.

4. Google Classroom Comments

In addition to the above methods of communication, your teacher may also Google Classroom tools for communication,

including private comments or the stream. While there are several ways to contact the teacher, you will need to choose

the most effective method for the need you have.

Private Comments

Private comments in Google Classroom will be used by your teacher to communicate with you regarding your progress

on a specific assignment. The Private Comment section is found on the assignment page in the classroom section of the

class. Please understand that the teacher may not see a private comment on an assignment until they grade the

assignment.

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Comments to the Stream

Posts in the Google Classroom Stream will be used by your teacher to communicate with you regarding class work or

other class announcements. Some teachers will allow students to post to the stream; others will not in an effort to keep

the stream less cluttered. Anything posted to the stream will be viewed by the entire class. In most cases, you will see a

place under the post from the teacher that has a place to “Add class comment.” If there are comments already, you can

click on the number of class comments and a window like the one below will pop up. Here again you can add a

comment.

Under classwork there is another place to add comments that are public. It will be right below the assignments and will

look similar to the one above.

Notifications Settings

Use the notifications settings in Google Classroom to receive an email notification when your teacher communicates

with you using these Google Classroom tools. You need to go to “Settings” to see how your notifications are set.

The settings button is found from most pages in Google Classroom by clicking on the three lines to the left of the class

name, or from the classroom page, the three lines to the left of “Google Classroom.”

When you click on these three lines, you will see a list of your classes. Scroll down to the bottom of the list and click on

the settings wheel.

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Here you will see a place to set up your notifications. All of these notifications should be turned on so you will see all

messages and comments that involve your classes and work.

Please note that not all notifications are on for teachers because teachers do not need all of these. Your teachers will let

you know the best way to contact them.

Google Meets

Classes will often meet as a Google Meet (Google Hangout). These are video meetings or class sessions similar to Zoom.

The link for your class will be in the Classroom at the top of the Stream page. It will be under the class title and the class

code. There is a picture of this in the Navigate Classroom section.

To join a Google Meet session, click on the link from the Stream page for the class. You will see yourself and a button to

click to join the meeting. Press this. You will also see a microphone and a video camera icon to turn on and off these

items. It is best to keep the microphone muted (off) so everyone can hear the teacher. Muting the microphone also

keeps background noises to a minimum.

During a Google Meet, please focus on the meeting. Teachers will expect you to be working and paying attention to the

lesson. Watching TV and playing games is distracting for you and for others in the class.

In the Google Meet there is a chat in the upper right corner. This allows people to comment on the conversation and

ask questions. Keep in mind that these comments are public. All people in the Meet will be able to see the chat.

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A picture of the Google Meet screen is below. Important parts of the screen are shown and labeled. To leave a Google

Meet, click on the phone icon.

Parent Notifications

You can ask your child’s school to add you as a guardian and so you will get email updates about your child’s

assignments. You only have to be added for one class, you will receive notifications about all classes your child is

enrolled in if the teacher has turned on the notification setting. Unfortunately, grades are not included. Here is what is

included in the parent reports:

 Missing work—Work that’s late at the time the email was sent

 Upcoming work—Work that’s due today and tomorrow (for daily emails) or work that’s due in the

upcoming week (for weekly emails)

 Class activity—Announcements, assignments, and questions recently posted by teachers

Here is a video that shows a guardian summary Click here: Parent/Guardian summary or the URL:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl9ofDHkIpE

Note: Due to privacy laws, parents and guardians can't access Classroom or student assignments. They can get email

summaries if the teacher allows it.

In order to see grades, please ask the teacher how to access the grades.

Click the

three

dots to

get this

menu.

If you click

“change

layout”

you will be

able to see

people in

the class.

microphone and video buttons

as these are shown the microphone is on and the video is off

Here is

the

button

for the

chat.

When the Meet is over, press this to

leave the session.

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Appendix A: Make a PDF of Photos

If you are planning to send photos of work to your teacher, you create a PDF and attach it to an email to send to the

teacher. For a Mac Click here” How to Attach a Picture on Google Classroom with a Mac laptop Or use this URL:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DaPyZL5Qic&t=143s

For a PC the process is similar to a Mac. First open your pictures folder on the computer. Select all of the pictures you

want to put on a single sheet. To do this click on the first picture, then CTRL click on the rest of the pictures. Then right

click on one of the pictures.

Next, right click on one of the selected pictures. A drop down menu will appear. Then click on “Print.”

Four pictures are

selected.

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The next window you will see looks like the one below. Here you will select the layout you want for the pictures by

scrolling through the options. Then use the drop down menu under printer and select Microsoft Print to PDF. Then click

on Print at the bottom of the window.

You will be asked to name the file to save the PDF. You can select a file or the desktop to place it, then give it a name

and press Save. Now you can make it an attachment for an email.

Select the

layout.

Press

Select Microsoft

Print to PDF.

Name the

PDF.

Select

where to

save the

PDF.

Press

Save

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Appendix B: How to Get Computer Help

District Technology Center

If your student is having issues accessing their South Lane School District related accounts or equipment that has been

issued to your student, please contact the helpdesk:

 Via phone: (541)767-3778; Option 1

 Via E-mail: [email protected]2.or.us

 Via the Online Helpdesk: https://helpdesk.slane.k12.or.us

Help with Home Access Center and Google Classroom

For help with Google Classroom, contact the teacher.

To login to Home Access Center

More Help with Google and Chromebooks

If you need more help with using a Chromebook or Google, here is a link to a Google Sheet with links for help

Student/Parent Tutorials another way to access this is to copy and paste this link

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cgyeHapPfsBMEyXg1Mt0Q3zSCodIFPoyeASfsUA7bCI/edit?ts=5f2cb413#gi

d=0. The links will send you to help for many different parts of Google including Docs, Sheets, Slides, Classroom, etc.

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Appendix C: Class Codes