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United Way of Southwest Alabama / Uncategorized  / Back to School: Mobile County Public Schools

Back to School: Mobile County Public Schools

Mobile County Public Schools students will participate in remote learning during the first quarter of the 2020-21 school year using a variety of online resources through the district’s learning management system, Schoology. Students will be assigned the same classroom teachers they would have if we were in a traditional school setting. Those teachers will provide daily instruction, academic support, and intervention with a goal of helping all students be successful. Students will be expected to attend school daily, and we highly recommend that they follow a class schedule as if they were in a traditional school setting.

– From the Keeping Our Kids Safe: A Parent’s Guide to the 2020-21 School Year

Mobile County Public Schools – Learning by Distance

What is the difference between remote learning and virtual learning?

Remote learning is teacher-paced instruction, as the classroom teacher provides daily lessons and content. Virtual learning is student-paced. Through virtual learning, which is an option via the MCPSS Academy of Virtual Learning (formerly known as Envision Virtual Academy), students in grades 8-12 move independently through courses at their own pace. That allows them to accelerate their learning if they are able to do so. For more information about the MCPSS Academy of Virtual Learning, visit: https://www.mcpssvirtuallearning.com/

What Can Parents Do Now to Prepare for School?

  • Complete online registration at www.mcpss.com. All students need to register as soon as possible so that all students can focus on instruction from Day 1. If you are moving to a new school and need to provide
    documentation, contact your school for information about how to complete the registration process.
  • Make sure your school has your updated contact information, including phone number(s), email address and home address.
  • Follow your school’s Facebook page and check its website for information about any registration or orientation activities.
  • Look for information from your school about distribution of laptops for students who need them for online learning. Hotspots will also be available for families who have told us they do not have adequate internet connectivity.
  • Video tutorials as well as a parent guide and a student guide to remote learning are available for viewing at: https://acp.mcpss.com.
  • Stay positive. This is not where anyone thought we would be months ago, but this pandemic
    is beyond our control. Your children will react to how you are feeling and to what you are saying. Assure them that everything is going to be okay and remind them that we are here to support them in these unprecedented times.

District Calendar

Mobile County Public Schools has requested a waiver from the Alabama Department of Education so we can end the school year as close to the originally scheduled date of May 27 as possible. If that waiver is granted, we hope to keep the same holidays for students and teachers that were included on the 2020-21 calendar approved by the Mobile County Board of School Commissioners this past spring. We will send out the updated calendar after we hear back from the state . 

Download the Parent Guide – Keeping Our Kids Safe

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NOGGIN CARES

Noggin, a highly trusted, research-based, learning service for children ages 2 – 6, is committed to ensuring that all families have access to engaging and proven educational experiences every day.  Through our partnerships, Noggin Cares is helping tens of thousands of families across the United States learn and play together, at home!

Parents can find articles, tips, and off-screen activities created by the Noggin team of experts in early childhood development and education.

To sign up for your 90 day access to Noggin: https://www.noggin.com/noggin-cares-unitedway/

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CHARACTER PLAYBOOK is now the umbrella name for two programs: Healthy Relationships and Mental Wellness Basics.

  • The Healthy Relationships course is an interactive, digital education program that uses evidence-based strategies to teach middle school students how to cultivate and maintain healthy relationships, make good decisions and step in when they see questionable activity. The course engages students in activities that challenge them to better understand their own values and relationships with others. The six modules cover key concepts around positive character development, social-emotional learning (SEL), and building healthy relationships. The program empowers students to be compassionate friends who are better equipped to facilitate real connection to their community, family and friends.
  • The Mental Wellness Basics course builds on those learnings to equip students to become powerful advocates for the mental wellness of themselves and their peers. Like our physical health, our mental health can be strengthened or diminished through daily habits. Mental Wellness Basics is a digital resource that introduces middle and high school students to mental health education. Stigma associated with mental health can have serious and negative impacts on help-seeking behaviors, and many mental health conditions and symptoms can be significantly lessened through prevention. Placing importance on mental health education in schools leads to less stigma and improves the overall mental health of students

Parents and Students Without Existing Accounts

For the first time ever, United Way has created a website where parents will be able to search for their child’s school and receive a direct student access code to Character Playbook. 

Elementary School Resources

  • The Compassion Project: SEL Lessons
  • Vault – Understanding Money: Financial Education
  • Future Goals: Hockey Scholar
  • WORD Force: Literary Adventure
  • Healthier Me: Elementary

Middle School Resources

  • Metal Health Basics
  • FutureSmart: Financial Education
  • Character Playbook: SEL Lessons
  • Ignition: Digital Wellness & Safety
  • Venture: Entrepreneurial Expedition
  • Future Goals: Hockey Scholar
  • Endeavor: STEM Career Expedition
  • Honor Code: Beyond Bullying
  • 306: African American History
  • Healthier Me Middle School

High School Resources

  • Metal Health Basics
  • EVERFI: Financial Education
  • Prescription Drug Safety
  • Marketplaces: Investing Basics
  • Venture: Entrepreneurial Expedition
  • Keys to Your Future: Career & College Readiness
  • Ignition: Digital Wellness & Safety
  • Character Playbook: SEL Lessons
  • Endeavor: STEM Career Expedition
  • Honor Code: Beyond Bullying
  • 306: African American History
  • AlcoholEdu for High School
When your student logs in to their account, all lessons for their grade band (elementary, middle or high) will automatically be added to their student dashboard. Everything that is typically available to your student’s school is what they will see on their accounts at home.  Parent & Student Access

 

Parents and Students With Existing Accounts Login
Schools and Teachers Login
If you are an administrator, teacher or student with a current EVERFI username and password through your school, please note that you do and will continue to have access to EVERFI programming. Please log on to www.platform.everfi.net using your credentials to leverage the resources at this time.

 

Other Distance Learning Resources

History Museum of Mobile – History at Home

The Mobile Museum of Art – The Museum Online

Shelly Silverstein – Learning Resources

  • Whether you’re reading Shel Silverstein’s poems with your children, using his books to celebrate Poetry Month, or planning a Shelebration® event at your home, school, or library, we have the resources you need to engage kids in Shel’s extraordinary world.

Smithsonian Distance Learning – Learning Lab Open Access

 

 

 

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