Emergency Virtual Day Information

Frequently Asked Questions on Flexible Instructional (Virtual) Days

Do I need to prepare my child's District laptop or iPad for virtual meetings? 
Yes. Students will need their District device connected to WiFi and Global Protect for Internet access. District laptops connect to Global Protect automatically. District iPads need an additional login. Directions for preparing the iPad are here. 

How does my child connect to virtual meetings?To access and join virtual meetings, students will need to log into Schoology and Microsoft Teams on their District laptop or iPad with their Office 365 accounts. For assistance with Office 365 credentials, please contact familyhelpdesk@tesd.net.

Students will navigate to their courses in Schoology to find each teacher's virtual meeting link posted on the Materials page. Once students click/tap on the meeting link, Microsoft Teams will launch and prompt the student to join the meeting. Click here for an instructional video on virtual meeting access for grades K-4. Click here for an instructional video on virtual meeting access for grades 5-12.   

What if my child cannot use a District laptop or iPad on a flexible instructional day?
Students may attend virtual meetings from any Internet browser on a personal device such as a laptop, tablet, or phone. Directions for connecting via a non-District device are here. 

Where can I receive technical or login credentials assistance?
Parents may email familyhelpdesk@tesd.net. IT support staff will reply in a timely manner. 

What if my child needs assistance or has a question about an assignment during a flexible instructional day?
All teachers will be available during the school day to support students and families through email and Schoology.

How will daily attendance be taken on a flexible instructional day? 
Daily attendance in grades K-4 will be taken during their first virtual meeting time.
Students in grades 5-8 will record their daily attendance by visiting their Homeroom course in Schoology.
Conestoga parents will contact CHS Attendance Office to report the reason for their absence if their child is unable to participate in a virtual instruction.

What if my family has an individual circumstance that prevents my child from being able to complete schoolwork during a flexible instructional day?
If any student cannot complete the day’s assignments due to an individual family circumstance, please email your school’s attendance inbox to report your child as absent.

What if there are widespread power outages during a flexible instructional day and my child cannot log into Schoology or Microsoft Teams?
In the event of widespread power outages throughout the District, TESD may determine that a flexible instructional day needs to become a traditional emergency closing day.

Do flexible instructional days need to be made up at the end of the school year like traditional emergency closing days?
No. Flexible instructional days are considered instructional days. Instructional days do not need to be made up at the end of the year.

Students may attend Emergency Virtual Day meetings from any Internet browser on a personal device such as a laptop, tablet, or phone.

1. Open an Internet browser such as Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Safari, or Firefox. **It is best to use a Private Browser window so no former credentials are stored. Click the three dots in the top, right corner and choose Private Browser or Incognito Window.

2. Visit Schoology at https://schoology.tesd.net and log in with the student's Office 365 credentials. For assistance with credentials, please contact familyhelpdesk@tesd.net. 

3. In the Courses menu, click into the desired course to find the posted Microsoft Teams virtual meeting link.

4. Once the link is clicked, choose to open the meeting in the Internet browser. (You may have the Teams app installed on your device, but the app should be logged into the student's account to join the meeting.)

5. Enter the student's name (if not logged in) and click to join the meeting.

Preparing your iPad for Virtual Meetings

1. Is the student's iPad connected to WiFi and Global Protect? If not, please see Getting Started with Your iPad directions here. 

2. Is the student logged into the Teams app on the iPad? Tap on the Teams app and then tap on the three bars in the top, left corner of the app. Does the student's name appear at the top? If so, you're all set. If not, please see the Log into Teams instructions here. *Please Note: Students will not need to log into the Teams app each time; it will keep their credentials for any future meetings.

3. Is the student logged into Schoology on the iPad? Tap on the Schoology weblink icon. Does the student's Schoology account load? If so, you're all set. If not, please see the Log into Schoology instructions here. *Please Note: Students will not need to log into the Schoology weblink each time; it will keep their credentials for any future access.

4. Can you join the virtual meeting? Tap on the Schoology app and direct to the course where a meeting link is posted. Tap on the link and tap to open the Teams app. Tap to Join the meeting. *If you have trouble connecting to the Teams app, you may join the virtual meeting by joining in the iPad's browser which appears after clicking on the link in Schoology.

If you encounter any issues with preparing the iPad, please contact familyhelpdesk@tesd.net. 

Connecting to Virtual Meetings on the iPad

1. Students will tap on their iPad’s Schoology weblink icon.

2. Students will tap on the course where the teacher's link is hosted (ie. Homeroom, Core, or Math) in their Courses menu located at the top of the site. They will look for the Emergency Virtual Day folder or Emergency Virtual Day Teams meeting link. They will tap to open the meeting link. 

3. Once students tap on the Teams meeting link, they will receive a Microsoft Teams window prompt at the top of the browser where they will tap OPEN to open the Teams app. *IMPORTANT: If they tap Join Meeting in the middle of the screen, this will only open the Teams app and not connect them to the meeting. They will need to return to the meeting link in Schoology to join again.

4. Students will tap Join now in the Teams app which opens.

For technical assistance, please contact familyhelpdesk@tesd.net.