SYRACUSE — Beginning with the 2016-17 school year, 1:1 electronic devices were made available for students and teachers in the Wawasee Community School Corporation. Now the school corporation is able to implement virtual learning days, known as eLearning, which it is doing this school year as some other school corporations in the state have done already or will be doing.

A letter was sent to parents and students Monday, Oct. 9, with instructions for eLearning. It will be used when there is inclement weather causing school to be canceled for an entire day.

“You may have noticed we have no built in snow make-up days on the 2017-2018 WCSC Corporation Calendar,” said Joy Goshert, assistant superintendent.

Teachers have learned how to plan lessons and will put lessons on the school corporation website, www.wawasee.k12.in.us. Each school building has held practice times for students and teachers to be familiar with how this will work. A web page has been created, sites.google.com/a/wawasee.k12.in.us/wcsc/Home/wawaseelearning, specifically for guidance on eLearning days and for students and parents to easily access assignments for the day.

“If weather looks like school in session as normal might be an issue, teachers will have students download plans for the following day as much as possible,” Goshert said. “There will be times when that may not happen. Notifications of eLearning days due to inclement weather will be made in the same ways we notify of school delays.”

If successive days of cancellations are needed, the first two consecutive days will be eLearning days, and the following consecutive days will become eLearning days on Saturdays that are planned and communicated for later in the year. If school is canceled three days in a row, the first two will be eLearning days and the third day will be an eLearning day on a Saturday several weeks later. Students will have two school days following the eLearning day to complete the assignments, with assignments due at the start of school of the third day following the eLearning day. Student attendance will be determined by their completion of assignments.

On eLearning days, teachers will post contact information and assignments by 9 a.m. and will host virtual office hours from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the course of the eLearning day. Digital office hours can be conducted via email, Google Chat, Google Classroom, or telephone, but not via social media. If a two-hour delay is called first before a decision to close, then assignments will be posted by 10 a.m. with teachers holding virtual office hours 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“It is expected assignments for eLearning days will be completed outside of school,” Goshert said, noting public libraries in Milford, North Webster and Syracuse have internet access available.

Assignments will be accessed via the web page cited above from the corporation’s website. Go to wawasee.k12.in.us and hover on the parents menu at the top of the page. Select the link Wawasee eLearning Days (due to inclement weather). The eLearning page will have links to each school. After clicking on the school’s link, the student should then click on the link of his or her teacher’s class.

WCSC will have hotline support to answer technical challenges and questions by calling (574) 457-3188 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Instructional questions should be directed to teachers.