GREEN BAY (NBC26) -- As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to keep many kids out of the classroom, teachers are finding new ways to motivate and engage students while they're learning from home.
A morning inside Molly Lucareli's fifth-grade virtual classroom starts with community circle, a time for games, scavenger hunts and fun questions.
This fall, Lucareli is one of many at Webster Elementary School to tackle the new world of virtual teaching.
“There was no handbook. There was no, 'this is the step by step process in which you are now gong to virtually teach all of your students with the same rigor that you use to in your classroom,'" Lucareli said.
To inspire creativity and keep things exciting, Webster fifth-grade teachers have theme days where the class can dress up in costume during lessons. One day Lucareli was Princess Peach. Another day, she was a dinosaur.
Ryan Long, another fifth-grade teacher at Webster, has had Star Wars week, musical week, Michael Jackson week and Elvis week, to name a few.
Lucareli and Long said they were concerned about how they would build strong relationships with students they hadn't met before, a crucial part of teaching. Once initial technical issues were resolved, both said they were able to get to know students through community circle, break out sessions and independent learning times.
“I told my kids that’s all you have to do is give 110 percent and then I have to do the rest," Long said. "If you’re not learning that’s my fault. That’s why they put me here.”
Long and Lucareli collaborate and go over lesson plans together on a weekly basis.
They record lessons and house materials on a website Lucareli created for students to access whenever they need.
“They are going truly above and beyond," said Cheryl Seefeldt.
Seefeldt has a daughter in third-grade and a son in fifth-grade at Webster Elementary School.
Teachers lay out a full schedule from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day, which also includes movement breaks. As someone with a full-time job, Seefeldt said this helps her family plan who will help her kid's with school on any given day. She said her dad, a second-shift custodian, acts as "principal" twice a week while she's at work.
Although skeptical of online learning at the start, Seefeldt said her kids are adjusting well.
“Ultimately I would like to see them back in school, just because of that social aspect," Seefeldt said. "But on the other hand, it’s nice not having to worry about, 'okay, am I going to get that call tonight saying now they’re home for two weeks.'"
Like some families, Seefeldt said they experienced connectivity issues caused by the use of multiple devices at the same time. To get around that, Seefeldt said her son will turn off his camera while his sister is on a Zoom call or vice versa. Seefeldt said they stay in constant communication with teachers to let them know what's happening.
Jennifer Sipes, principal at Webster, said the school gave out hot spots to families struggling with Internet. She said the hot spots can handle multiple devices at once.
Webster also offers drop-off and pick-up days every month where families can get more resources.
With 305 students at Webster, Sipes said staff, students and families are adapting.
“The amount of engagement that we’ve been seeing with our kids has been really phenomenal," Sipes said. “We’re just trying to make the best of the year that we can until we’re back into some semblance of normalcy.”
This is the first year Sipes is principal of Webster Elementary School. To build connections with students, Sipes hosts a virtual "lunch bunch" where she can get to know the kids.
Since teachers aren't seeing students in person, Lucareli and Long said they make time to visit with kids and their families one-on-one if they need extra help.
“Our main goal is that their kids keep learning, and that they feel safe, and they feel loved, and they feel challenged and they feel ready to continue working on school even if it’s in this very unique virtual setting," Lucareli said.
The Green Bay Area Public School District's Board of Education is using Brown County's COVID-19 rate as the determining factor of when to switch from virtual learning to a blended or in-person model.
