LCPS and laptops for K

[Anonymous]

My oldest is a rising Kindergartener. They're getting assigned a laptop on their first day of school in LCPS. I realize that there's been a pandemic going on and distance learning, but why do Kindergarteners need laptops now? There won't be distance learning in the fall. I'm not super crunchy, but my kids don't have screen time. What's the purpose of a laptop for K? Did this happen before covid?

[Anonymous]

Bless your heart. Most of school involves screens, even K

[Anonymous]

That's ridiculous. My kids weren't on screens hardly at all until this year.

[Anonymous]

I’m not sure why a kindergartner needs a laptop. What’s wrong with books and learning to write by hand?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That's ridiculous. My kids weren't on screens hardly at all until this year.

This has been an initiative for many years with LCPS, starting from HS, then MS, then elementary. The pandemic just put it all into overdrive.

[Anonymous]

I believe it is a chromebook. LCPS had these before COVID, but not necessarily all students at all schools.
I think now they have enough supply to give to everyone.
They are expected to use this for any homework given out and to bring it to class.
I took a chance and blocked Youtube on my router at certain times of day to keep them from ignoring the teacher and watching videos.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I believe it is a chromebook. LCPS had these before COVID, but not necessarily all students at all schools.
I think now they have enough supply to give to everyone.
They are expected to use this for any homework given out and to bring it to class.
I took a chance and blocked Youtube on my router at certain times of day to keep them from ignoring the teacher and watching videos.

But are kindergarteners doing homework on a computer? Don’t they need to be learning how to hold pencils and handwriting?

[Anonymous]

Yeah thats kind of odd and not the direction I hope we are going in. We had enough chromebooks for all the kids (Title 1 school) before the pademic, but they were kept in carts in the classroom and the kids used them maybe for 30 minutes a day on a reading or math app.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I believe it is a chromebook. LCPS had these before COVID, but not necessarily all students at all schools.
I think now they have enough supply to give to everyone.
They are expected to use this for any homework given out and to bring it to class.
I took a chance and blocked Youtube on my router at certain times of day to keep them from ignoring the teacher and watching videos.

But are kindergarteners doing homework on a computer? Don’t they need to be learning how to hold pencils and handwriting?

Homework on paper will be pretty rare. Actually homework of any sort will be pretty rare, except for having them play some games on the chromebook that counts as homework.

[Anonymous]

Where in Loudoun, OP? I’m the parent of a rising Kindergartener in Ashburn. We just had K orientation (online, of course), and I don’t recall being told this.

[Anonymous]

Like pp said, they have been working their way down for a while. I have one in preK and we were all given chromebooks last year, even for those who opted for in person. I think they were just ready to go in case the class had to go virtual. I expect that is why Kindergartners are being given computers, as a back up plan for next year.