JIS Home/Online Learning Middle School

You should plan on spending around 45 minutes per class which should allow you to complete what was assigned.  Your teacher will be providing you with feedback on a daily basis on your work that you submit. It’s important that you respond to the feedback to improve your learning.  If you have questions about your work, you should plan on attending the weekly subject office hours.  Your teachers will be sending you invites to those meetings.  If the times do not work for you, please make sure to email your teachers asking for an alternative time or help via email.

Do not worry! You are not expected to be online during your set class times. Everything that you need to be able to complete the class work is located on Google Classroom.  You can work on your assignments when the times make sense to where you are located in the world. You can always contact your teachers by email, or arrange a time to connect with them individually on Zoom.

Teachers will explain the expectations and deadlines for each assignment with you.  If if is not clear to you, please make sure that you email your teacher right away.

The JIS Tech Support office can be reached during business hours (Jakarta time).

Email: helpdesk@jisedu.or.id
Phone: (021) 50989555 Ext. 88888

Your core subject teachers (Math, Science, Social Studies, Science) and SSR teachers have scheduled weekly Zoom check-ins. You should accept the invites for the meetings you plan on attending.  Think about your learning space and setting when participating in a Zoom meeting and consider the following:

• Sit in a quiet, well-lit and comfortable space, such as at a table or desk.
• Ensure you are free of distractions (ie. siblings, TV, phones) so that you can focus on the meeting.
• Make sure you are wearing clothes that are appropriate, similar to what you would wear to school.
• Your video should be turned on for the entire Zoom meeting. If you have concerns about turning on your video, please talk with your teacher in advance.
• Be mindful of what can create noise in your environment when using audio.
• Inform the teacher if you plan on “leaving the room” early.
• Make sure you are wearing clothes that are appropriate, similar to what you would wear to school.

 It is important that you create a daily schedule and routine for yourself.   

• Getting a good night’s sleep, which means going to bed and waking each day at regular times. This is so important for your emotional wellbeing and ability to stay engaged with your learning. 
• It is important that you create a schedule that works for you.  Set up a specific schedule and be consistent with the times that you will work on each class.  Make sure to build in 20 minute breaks between classes.
• Communicate with your teachers and/or counsellors when you have a problem or have questions. 
• Plan on attending the SSR check-ins and subject check-ins.
• Make time to get exercise.
• Make time to connect with friends and spend time with family.
   

Just like you would if you were on campus, schedule breaks into your day so that you can achieve balance. Pick up a book, do some exercise, chat with a friend, have something to eat...there are many possibilities! Be sure to take regular breaks away from your devices throughout the day, to give your eyes and brain a break. 

Everything you need to know about your classes, you will find on Google Classroom. If you missed a class, a Zoom meeting or a deadline, be sure to communicate with your teachers via email or set up a time to talk on Zoom. Your teachers may not be in the same room as you, but they are never far away and they want to keep hearing from you. 

Yes, school will end officially on Friday, June 5th. All  JIS/National holidays between now and the end of the year will continue to be observed.  

Students are highly encouraged to attend the scheduled Zoom meetings with teachers. As it is essential to ensure that all students understand online etiquette and their ownership in the online conversations and connections, we are asking our students to follow these guidelines while on Zoom.

Please work with your child to ensure that he/she:

• Is on time for the Zoom meeting.
• Sits in a quiet, well-lit and comfortable space, such as at a table or desk.
• Is free of distractions (ie. siblings, TV, phones) so that they can focus on the meeting.
• Is wearing clothes that are appropriate, similar to what they would wear to school..
• Is mindful of what will create noise in their environment when using audio.
• Informs the teacher if they plan on "leaving the room" early.

Yes, school will end officially on Friday, June 5th. All  JIS holidays between now and the end of the year will continue to be observed.  

We are all navigating challenging circumstances and the transition to online and home learning may be difficult for you or as a family. Now, more than ever, it is essential for the entire community to work together in partnership. As a parent, you may need to think differently about how you will support your child. 

• Help your child set up a schedule of when they will work on each subject.  It should follow the same times each day. This should include breaks between classes.
• Set up a physical space where they will do their work away from distractions and where you can monitor what’s happening.
• Make sure your child is attending the SSR Check-ins and, if needed, the Subject Office Hours with teachers.
• SLEEP IS IMPORTANT. Make sure your child is going to bed and getting up at times similar to what they would during regular school days.  
• Communicate with your child’s teacher or counsellor if you notice your child is struggling with school, stressed, anxious, worried or sad.
• Make sure your child gets regular physical exercise and spends time outside.
• Make sure your child is connecting with their friends.

We encourage you to take a look at the passage entitled, Parental Supports for Students and also go through the numerous resources and tips located within the support and resources section of the site.  Please reach out to your child’s teachers or counsellors at any time if you have any questions or concerns. We are here to help!

During this period of home and online learning, teachers are deeply committed to ensuring the success of all students.

• Students can attend the live Zoom Subject Office Hours with teachers.
• Students can attend the live Zoom SSR check-ins with teachers.
• Students can email their teachers and/or Counsellors.
• Students can Zoom and collaborate with their friends to figure it out.
• For tech related issues, students should email the IT Help Desk:helpdesk@jisedu.or.id

Parents can also contact teachers and Counsellors with questions or concerns through email.

Yes. JIS realizes that this new online learning environment brings many challenges and stresses for families and students. Therefore communication is key to our success. Teachers are striving to be flexible and may grant grace periods to submit classwork and assessments past the deadline. It is helpful when students communicate when they are having problems or need extra time and help with assignments. That being said, students are highly encouraged to be diligent about submitting work on time.

Teachers will use similar assessment practices and feedback techniques as they would if they were in regular school. 

• Direct and specific feedback will be given to students on their daily work. 
• Teachers will provide students opportunities to demonstrate their understanding through carefully designed tasks (assessments) that students can do at home.
• Students will be provided with rubrics that clearly describe the learning targets that students are working to achieve.
• Students will be asked to reflect on their work using the rubric, self-evaluate their work and make a grade prediction.  Teachers will also provide a grade and post it in the gradebook.

Staying aligned with JIS’ MS assessment principles, the primary purpose of assessment is to improve student learning. Teachers will continue to provide many opportunities for students to demonstrate evidence of their learning, ensuring authentic assessments and an emphasis on the learning process.  Purposeful, timely and relevant feedback on student learning will be provided in multiple ways to ensure student success and student growth. Student self-assessment and self-reflection will play a critical role in this process.
 

At JIS, we believe that in order for learning to take place successfully, teaching and learning practices need to be relevant, coherent and inclusive for our student population and diverse learning needs.

Similar to the regular classroom environment, within an online learning environment, we maintain the belief that students learn best through a balanced and varied mix of educational approaches and tools that suit the learning goals and learning needs of the students. As always, our teachers value diversity and are committed to ensuring that the best learning tools for the purpose of the learning goal are considered.

Relationships remain essential during this time of home and online learning and a benefit of video-conferencing tools, such as Zoom, is that it allows for virtual face-to-face connections and interactions. Maintaining connections and relationships is of utmost priority at JIS and teachers will connect with students in their classes, and foster class connections and collaboration, on a regular basis throughout this home and online learning period.

Due to the COVID-19 virus, and the safety and well-being of families, our teachers and students are now spread throughout the world. This makes it difficult for teachers and students to follow the normal class schedule.  Therefore, in addition to designing varied learning engagements, tasks and activities within Google Classroom, the middle school will also:

• Provide video instructions for all lessons which will be uploaded to the Google Classroom site by 7:00 AM (Jakarta time) on the day the class was originally scheduled.
• Provide live Zoom check-ins twice a week for students to ask questions, get direct instructions and connect with teachers and peers.
• Ensure virtual middle school leadership and community building activities continue, such as the Friday Bali Stage.

JIS is aware that our community is now spread across the globe within a range of varied time zones.  JIS’ home and online learning model of asynchronous and synchronous learning is designed to ensure that all students can succeed. The asynchronous learning framework ensures the opportunity for students to learn in different zones at their own pace. It also allows for parents to support individual children at different times when there are multiple children in a family and there is a need for varied schedules.  In addition, synchronous real-time engagements that support learning, and the social-emotional well-being of students, are being scheduled at times with a multitude of time zones in mind.  

• Presentation Video
• Presentation Slides