When weather conditions make travel hazardous, CUSD 10 will declare an E-Learning Day, meaning students will learn remotely from home based on expectations determined by their schools/teachers.
PLEASE NOTE: A complete school closure could still be issued if power outages or other circumstances make remote learning difficult or impossible.
E-Learning Days are important because students do not lose instruction due to inclement weather, so learning continues and there are no missed days to make-up at the end of the school year. If school is “Closed” – those emergency days are added to the school calendar. If no emergency days are used, the school year ends on the designated day.
The Collinsville Community Unit School District #10 Board of Education approved a plan to allow Snow/Emergency Weather Days to become E-Learning Days beginning in winter 2020-21. The change was approved on December 21, 2020. Since that time, CUSD 10 has had the option to designate an E-Learning Day when weather forecasts or events deem road conditions too dangerous for students to travel to and from school.
The 2023-24 E-Learning Plan was approved by the Board of Education on July 17, 2023
2023-24 E-Learning Plan
Click HERE to read the E-Learning plan in Spanish
What is an E-Learning Day?
E-Learning Days are designed to serve as official attendance days of school when the students and teachers stay at home due to emergency situations, yet learning continues as students remotely leverage digital tools and engage in teacher-prepared lessons. The Collinsville School District E-Learning Plan also includes teachers available remotely to assist students by email with their assignments during the hours of the E-Learning school day.
Issuing an E-Learning Day
In the event conditions are such that school must be canceled, administration will do its best to make that determination by 6:00am. Sometimes this is not possible, as conditions can change rather quickly in Southern Illinois, but the goal will be to make the determination by 6:00 am.
Once the decision is made, students, staff, and parents will be notified:
- through our District call system
- through our website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
- through local tv and radio stations, as well as newspaper websites
If an E-Learning Day is implemented, everyone will be notified in the same manner as when school is canceled. Students will be expected to utilize the day to meet with their teachers virtually and work on their required assignments/activities as described below in the Student Assignments/Activities section.
Teacher Availability
All teachers are required to offer live video conferencing sessions on an e-learning day. Teachers are also expected to be available to students/parents during their work hours to answer questions. For many teachers, other systems may work better than email (Telephone, ClassDojo, Google Classroom, etc.) and staff are encouraged to utilize these other communication tools as the situation dictates. However, all teachers will check their email regularly and provide feedback and guidance to students/parents on an as needed basis.
The District understands that many teachers have their own responsibilities that may arise with these days (supervising their own children, shoveling snow, etc.). The District also understands that there will be time spent in follow up activities after the e-learning day (reviewing completed assignments, providing support for students without internet access, encouraging students to complete assignments, etc.). Staff will respond to all communication requests in a timely manner (within 24 hours) during scheduled hours. Teachers may communicate outside of office hours as needed.
Live Video Conferencing Sessions
Google Meet will be one of the primary video conferencing tools used to host live class sessions in communication with students during E-Learning Days for online learners. If your child is unable to attend a live session, the classroom teachers may provide either notes or a recorded version of the session. Elementary teachers with students in grade PreK-6 will include in their morning announcement the times students are to log in for live instruction. At grade levels 7-12, staff will use the abbreviated class times when scheduling synchronous (live) sessions.
| CHS | CMS | |
| 1st hour | 7:50-8:25 | 8:45-9:20 |
| 2nd hour | 8:35-9:10 | 9:30-10:05 |
| 3rd hour | 9:20-9:55 | 10:15-10:50 |
| 4th hour | 10:05-10:40 | 11:00-11:35 |
| 5th hour | 10:50-11:25 | 11:45-12:20 |
| 6th hour | 11:35-12:10 | 12:30-1:05 |
| 7th hour | 12:20-12:55 | 1:15-1:50 |
Student Assignments/Activities
It is important to remember that activities, especially at the primary grade levels where students are not issued a Chromebook to take home, should be about reinforcement and review of already learned material. In the event of a long-term closure, materials will build upon already learned material and introduce new concepts. Learning materials will be offered in a variety of ways either to be returned to the teacher or materials to be signed off by a parent, guardian or caregiver (digital assignments, projects, print material, sign-off Choice Boards of activities, etc.). It is also important to realize that many students may have other responsibilities (shoveling snow, watching siblings, etc.) or be in a different environment (at a grandparent’s house, in daycare, at work with a parent, etc.). For those students with multiple classes, remember that they will have work from each teacher.
- PreK – K: Teachers will provide students with a “choice board” that will be sent home and/or electronically available to students/parents as soon as possible. It is important that the choice board not be solely dependent on the use of technology, as many grade school students may not have access to a device/internet during an E-Learning Day. Depending on student access to technology, it may be possible to add a “choice” to the choice board involving teacher communicated assignment. Teachers will provide students with an announcement on Google Classroom or other class communication programs announcing their assignment(s) by 8:00 am on the morning the E-Learning Day is initiated.
- 1st – 12th Grade: Teachers will provide students with a Google Classroom announcement announcing their assignment(s) by the school start time on the morning the E-Learning Day is initiated. For students who may not have access to the internet, it is recommended that teachers have “alternative” assignments/activities that students may work on that are not dependent on technology. These alternative assignments/activities should be communicated to students/parents prior to the possibility of an E-Learning Day…for example, sending a packet home with the student(s) that is kept at home and ready to be completed if an E-Learning Day is initiated or providing an E-Learning assignment on Google Classroom. The district will make every attempt to provide technology to students/learning materials prior to an E-Learning Day.
- Special Education and Related Services: Special education personnel will be available to students through electronic sources as applicable, based on student need and IEP goals. Modifications and adaptations will also be included in all assignments, based on the needs of the student and IEP goals. Individual goals and objectives will be addressed through assignments and activities provided by case managers.
- Most teachers will be utilizing Class dojo and/or Google Classroom as their online Learning Management System.
Student Attendance
During E- Learning, attendance will be taken. The preferred method of collecting attendance is always a one-to-one daily connection between the teacher and the student. However, we recognize that this method is not available or practical for all student scenarios under an
E-Learning situation. We encourage and suggest several ideas for how classroom teachers can collect and count a student as present during an E-Learning Day.
- Video conference “check-ins.”
- Wellness checks coupled with a question on student engagement/participation in lessons.
- Phone calls coupled with a question on student engagement/participation in lessons.
- Text messages or email communications coupled with a question on student engagement/participation in lessons.
- Packet collections by school personnel.
Grading
Students will be accountable for completing the assigned tasks either online or by printed materials in the same manner as any other school day. Incomplete work will be considered incomplete. Teachers are encouraged to hold students accountable for completing work as they would with any missing assignments. Completed work can either be turned in online or on an upcoming school day.
Technology
Between Thanksgiving and the end of February, the possibility of inclement weather will be monitored and allow teachers to send devices home with students. In the event, unexpected inclement weather arrives, an alternate option will be available for students and families to allow students an alternative to complete their work should a device not be in their possession. These alternative assignments will be in the form of choice boards, projects, reading and writing
assignments, etc. Teachers will also prepare E-Learning packets that can be sent home with students prior to the start of the bad weather.
Student/Parent Technical Support:
In the event of an issue with a student’s District assigned device, please call or email the technology support person at your child’s school. For a list of contact information, please use THIS LINK.
Teacher Technical Support:
Support for Instructional Programs – Mike Kunz
Phone: 618-343-2740 x3030
Email: [email protected]
* Approved by the Board of Education 7/17/23, Updated 08/01/23