Back to school: DoDEA full-time virtual school

DoDEA understands that some families may have concerns about physically returning to the brick-and-mortar school setting due to COVID-19. For the 2020-21 school year, DoDEA is offering a full-time virtual school option for grades K-12.

“We are giving families options,” said DoDEA Pacific Region Director Lois Rapp. “While we know that most students learn best in the classroom environment, with face-to-face instruction from their teachers, we also understand that in-person learning may not work for families with health vulnerabilities.”

The full-time virtual school curriculum will be standards-based and aligned to the DODEA College and Career Ready standards and is specifically developed for each grade level in the online learning environment.

While there is not a standard school supply list for the virtual school, students will need access to a computer and reliable internet to use the DoDEA Learning Management System, Schoology. Students who do not have an adequate laptop or internet at home may request to check out a laptop and hotspot from their local school.

The registration window for current families to apply for the K-12 full-time virtual school has closed; however, newly-registering families will have the option to select full-time virtual education from home when they register their students using DoDEA's online registration system (DORS) and contacting the registrar at their assigned DoDEA school to complete the registration process.

For more information about DoDEA’s virtual school option, visit https://www.dodea.edu/returntoschool.cfm and select the “Virtual Option” tab.

School supplies
DoDEA Pacific schools release a school supply list for the upcoming school year each summer. Due to the impact of COVID-19, the lists look a bit different this year.

In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, schools will be limiting the use of shared classroom supplies to the greatest extent possible. DoDEA Pacific asks that all student supplies be labeled with the student’s name so that we can ensure each child’s items are kept separate.

Please understand that optional supplies, including hand sanitizer and wipes, are not mandatory. Schools will be equipped with the resources necessary to effectively mitigate the spread of COVID-19 upon resuming classroom instruction.

In addition, students will be wearing masks throughout the school day when social distancing cannot be maintained. Families must ensure their child has a mask to wear on the first day of school. DoDEA will also provide each student with two washable masks once they get to school for their use throughout the year. Parents will need to launder their child's cloth masks on a regular basis. All masks brought from home need to be in compliance with existing school dress codes and must not have any inappropriate language or graphics printed on them.

To view general lists of school supplies for each grade level in the Pacific region, visit https://www.dodea.edu/Pacific/SchoolSupplies.cfm.
– DoDEA Pacific

Educational resources
Help your kids get back into a school mindset as they reinforce reading skills, learn stress-management practices, build a paper Mars helicopter or participate in youth programs online. Resources include:

• The Morale, Welfare and Recreation Digital Library offers an amazing variety of education and entertainment resources for all ages. Programs include BookFlix, Explora Primary, Mango Languages and many more. The Teachables program offers printable activities for children pre-K through grade 6.
• Tutor.com provides live, on-demand tutoring, test preparation and homework help in more than 100 subjects, for students in kindergarten through college. During COVID-19, program eligibility has been extended until Sept. 30, 2020, to include any adult or child member of Department of Defense civilian, National Guard, reserve or wounded warrior military families.s
• Thrive is a free, online parenting-education course from a Department of Defense partnership with the Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness at Penn State. It offers evidence-based, positive-parenting practices for children from birth to age 18. Check out its downloadable resources for stress reduction, healthy eating and physical activities.
• Sesame Street for Military Families offers a variety of resources including activities, games, videos and the Breathe, Think, Do wellness app. 
• Helping Your Child Become a Reader provides tips from the U.S. Department of Education for parents of young children.
• NASA STEM has a wide variety of science, math, engineering and technology ideas for students in kindergarten through college to encourage the next generation of explorers.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America Virtual Club currently offers 11 programs youths can participate in via the MyFuture social platform. Programs include Digital Literacy Essentials, Media Making, Computer Science, Visual Arts and more.
• Making School Fun at Home offers helpful tips from the Boys & Girls Clubs of America for supporting learning at home for children of all ages.

Talk with an education consultant
If you would like to talk to an expert about educational concerns, Military OneSource offers free and confidential one-on-one sessions with professionals knowledgeable about education resources. Learn more about How to Ease Back-to-School Transitions With a Military OneSource Education Consultant.

COVID-19 continues to create challenges, and Military OneSource is here to help. Consultants are available 24/7 anywhere in the world to help you stay strong while you navigate military life. No matter what kind of questions or concerns you have, you can call us at 800-342-9647, call OCONUS or start a live chat.

– Military OneSource