About
Remote Learning
What to Expect From School During Remote Instruction
We have two primary goals during remote learning at University Prep.
Goal #1: All scholars, families and teachers remain deeply connected and engaged while having a positive and meaningful experience.
Goal #2: Our scholars continue to learn at the highest levels because that’s what they absolutely deserve.
Key Features of Remote Learning at University Prep:
- Morning and afternoon team-building with a dedicated teacher advisor and peers
- Live, online classes with a teacher directly teaching and scholars actively engaging in learning
- Strategic breaks off-screen throughout the school day to ensure our scholars are refreshed and focused during key learning moments
- Continued enrichment programs at each campus
- Support services for our English Language Learners and exceptional learners
High Quality Curricular Resources:
Part of our commitment to ensuring high quality learning during remote instruction is a continued commitment to high quality curriculum. Our curriculum partners provide additional products, resources and guidance on how to enhance learning experiences during remote learning.
Eureka Math: The Eureka Math curriculum was created by Great Minds, a nonprofit that brought together teachers and experts to craft a program based on the world’s most successful math programs. Eureka was built around the core principle that students need to know more than just what works when solving a problem—they need to understand why it works. The curriculum goes beyond facts and formulas, teaching students to think about math conceptually. This helps students become not merely literate, but fluent in mathematics.
Wit and Wisdom: Wit and Wisdom is a K—8 English curriculum that brings the rich content everyone loves into your child’s classroom. Wit & Wisdom helps your student meet the expectations of the new standards, and build content knowledge in history, science, and art while celebrating the joy of reading and writing.
CKLA (K-2): The CKLA Skills Strand teaches the mechanics of reading–students are taught systematic and explicit phonics instruction as their primary tool for decoding written English. By the end of grade 2, students have learned all of the sound‐spelling correspondences in the English language and are able to decode written material they encounter. In addition to phonics, students also are taught spelling, grammar, and writing during the Skills Strand.
HD Word (3-5): HD Word is a set of intervention lessons that build the important and lifelong foundations needed for all future academic and life success. The lessons systematically teach the essential phonics structures that unlock the English code in both simple and complex words. While the focus of HD Word is word study (phonics and phonemic awareness), there is a high rate of transfer to students’ skills in other areas of reading, such as fluency and comprehension. The net effect is faster, more accurate, and more confident readers.
E.L. Achieve (English Language Development): E.L. Achieve’s Systematic ELD offers a robust English language development curriculum for linguistically diverse students learning English as a new language. Intentionally designed to provide foundational and academic English instruction, it is interactive, student centered, standards aligned, and specific to students’ identified proficiency level. ELD classes serve as an opportunity for students to gain tools that empower them to take charge of and fully participate in their learning. To find out more, click HERE (English) or click HERE (Spanish).
Technological Platforms:
In addition to continuing to use our high-quality curricular resources, we will also integrate a series of technological platforms designed to increase engagement and connectivity in our virtual classrooms.
These include:
Zoom: All of your scholar’s synchronous instruction will take place on Zoom’s video conferencing platform. Your child’s teachers will spend a lot of time helping scholars navigate its functionality, and your child’s homeroom teacher will be in touch to help you with any tech support you need. In the meantime, please follow the link to find helpful “how to” content. Zoom Privacy Statement.
Nearpod: Nearpod is a platform your scholar’s teachers may use to provide engaging, two-way experiences for your scholar during remote instruction. Nearpod helps make learning truly interactive as teachers can view scholar work in-the-moment and provide targeted feedback and support. Your child’s teachers will spend a lot of time helping scholars navigate its functionality, and your child’s homeroom teacher will be in touch to help you with any tech support you need.
Google Classrooms: All of your scholar’s coursework, assignments and communications from teachers will be housed in google classrooms. Instructions for accessing your scholar’s account can be found by clicking the link.
For Families: Setting Up for Success
During remote learning, families/you continue to be our partners in supporting their/your scholar’s education. We are excited to figure out how we can best support each and every one of our scholars alongside their families/you. As families/you develop new daily routines, we’ve created a checklist to ensure that scholars are ready for a successful day of remote learning.
Morning Checklist
- Check internet connectivity and access (contact your campus office if you need support)
- Check to make sure your scholar’s electronic device is fully charged
- Check to make sure your scholar is showing his/her school and team pride by wearing his/her U Prep polo
- Check to make sure your scholar’s school materials are accessible (contact your teacher if you need additional school materials)
- Support your scholar in finding a quiet space where they can focus
- Support your scholar in logging on to their advisor’s Zoom link by 7:30AM
Afternoon Checklist
- Support your scholar logging on to their advisor’s Zoom link by 12:00PM (after lunch break)
Evening Checklist
- Check to make sure your scholar’s electronic device is plugged in and charging
- Support your scholar in completing his/her reading log and/or read with your scholar for 30 minutes. Extensive research shows daily reading builds brains, fostering early learning and creating connections in the brain that promote language, cognitive, and social and emotional development.
