Kidstock! Creative Theater’s
Online Classroom Policies
Given that live theater is traditionally taught in person, Kidstock! is proud of our creative commitment to facilitating an online environment which preserves access to safe learning, class presentations, and active student engagement. We ask families to partner with us in protecting our students online. This policy is subject to periodic reviews and updates as ongoing determinations are made in regards to safe online practices and the quality of our curriculum.
All parents are asked to review our CODE OF CONDUCT with their student before participating in a Kidstock! class.
All parents are asked to review our CODE OF CONDUCT with their student before participating in a Kidstock! class.
ONLINE COMMUNICATION
Kidstock! only communicates directly with parents. While we have merged into online classrooms during the COVID-19 international crisis, we avoid cell phone, email, chat, text, or other digital means of communication with our students. All communication regarding virtual classes is directed towards parents and the contact information they provide during the registration process. While your child may have their own email address and you may choose to forward our communications, it remains our responsibility not to exchange and/or collect personal information from children online, which includes their email address.
ZOOM CLASSROOMS
Meeting links, IDs, and passwords are only shared with parents of registered students. These links are not posted online. Limiting this information helps us ensure that uninvited guests are not trying to access our classrooms.
STAFF PRESENCE
Each virtual Kidstock! class is equipped with an instructor and a classroom moderator. Both individuals are employees of Kidstock! and are fully trained and background checked. The classroom moderator assists the instructor with the function of managing an online environment and keeps an eye on safety, security, and appropriate behavior to protect the overall quality of the online classroom experience.
STUDENT CONTROLS
The Kidstock! moderator controls the mute and unmute buttons for students so they can focus on learning with the instructor. Students are asked to keep cameras ON unless otherwise instructed by the instructor for a specific activity. This is an important part of the instructor being able to see if the student is PRESENT and ENGAGED. It is regular practice for Kidstock! to send a follow up email to any parents of an absent student so that the parent is kept informed of their child’s presence or absence in the online classroom.
PROTECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
Students are greeted online by the instructor and they are digitally renamed by the moderator with their first name only. We do not share last names and discourage students from sharing any confidential information or contact information. We disable students from renaming themselves so that they do not accidentally share their own personal information.
CHAT FUNCTIONS
Private chat amongst students is disabled. The chat function should only be used between the moderator and a family to briefly troubleshoot technical issues. No files or links can be shared in the chat.
NON-REGISTERED PARTICIPANTS
Only the registered child participant should be visible on-screen to participate in a Kidstock! class. No other individual- sibling, friend, parent, or otherwise should be consistently visible and/or participating. Parents are more than welcome to be present in the room to observe their child take a Kidstock! class or assist a young/hesitant child with increasing their participation for the first time. Please be aware of what is within view on your child’s camera and/or screen and be mindful that extra people within the view can distract the entire class. Parents are forbidden from photographing or recording anyone but their own child. We ask that every parent partner with us in protecting the classroom environment for every child. We all play a part in helping each other feel safe.
RECORDINGS FOR INSTRUCTIONAL CLASSES
Recordings are disabled for all participants. As it is when we are in person, we do not allow students or even other Kidstock! staff members to record a class. If you see the recording function, the instructor is being recorded by an approved staff member for quality and training purposes only. These recordings are maintained and properly destroyed. Kidstock! does not use the Zoom cloud for recording storage.
RECORDINGS FOR FINAL CLASS PRESENTATIONS
Plays, presentations, & shows are a dynamic and exciting component to the Kidstock! experience. In person, our developmentally appropriate curriculums utilize the sharing element of theater to express stories with an audience of family & friends. This can mean sharing games, exercises, mini-plays, full length shows, and much more.
In the absence of being able to gather together as an audience for our children in one of our theaters at 50 Cross Street, we will be recording certain sections of classes during the final week of the session. This helps us provide you with a “final presentation” as close as possible to ones you might see when you come to Kidstock! in person. These “virtual plays” are emailed to only the participating families of that class to represent only the students you would see onstage if you visited our facility.
Kidstock! only communicates directly with parents. While we have merged into online classrooms during the COVID-19 international crisis, we avoid cell phone, email, chat, text, or other digital means of communication with our students. All communication regarding virtual classes is directed towards parents and the contact information they provide during the registration process. While your child may have their own email address and you may choose to forward our communications, it remains our responsibility not to exchange and/or collect personal information from children online, which includes their email address.
ZOOM CLASSROOMS
Meeting links, IDs, and passwords are only shared with parents of registered students. These links are not posted online. Limiting this information helps us ensure that uninvited guests are not trying to access our classrooms.
STAFF PRESENCE
Each virtual Kidstock! class is equipped with an instructor and a classroom moderator. Both individuals are employees of Kidstock! and are fully trained and background checked. The classroom moderator assists the instructor with the function of managing an online environment and keeps an eye on safety, security, and appropriate behavior to protect the overall quality of the online classroom experience.
STUDENT CONTROLS
The Kidstock! moderator controls the mute and unmute buttons for students so they can focus on learning with the instructor. Students are asked to keep cameras ON unless otherwise instructed by the instructor for a specific activity. This is an important part of the instructor being able to see if the student is PRESENT and ENGAGED. It is regular practice for Kidstock! to send a follow up email to any parents of an absent student so that the parent is kept informed of their child’s presence or absence in the online classroom.
PROTECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
Students are greeted online by the instructor and they are digitally renamed by the moderator with their first name only. We do not share last names and discourage students from sharing any confidential information or contact information. We disable students from renaming themselves so that they do not accidentally share their own personal information.
CHAT FUNCTIONS
Private chat amongst students is disabled. The chat function should only be used between the moderator and a family to briefly troubleshoot technical issues. No files or links can be shared in the chat.
NON-REGISTERED PARTICIPANTS
Only the registered child participant should be visible on-screen to participate in a Kidstock! class. No other individual- sibling, friend, parent, or otherwise should be consistently visible and/or participating. Parents are more than welcome to be present in the room to observe their child take a Kidstock! class or assist a young/hesitant child with increasing their participation for the first time. Please be aware of what is within view on your child’s camera and/or screen and be mindful that extra people within the view can distract the entire class. Parents are forbidden from photographing or recording anyone but their own child. We ask that every parent partner with us in protecting the classroom environment for every child. We all play a part in helping each other feel safe.
RECORDINGS FOR INSTRUCTIONAL CLASSES
Recordings are disabled for all participants. As it is when we are in person, we do not allow students or even other Kidstock! staff members to record a class. If you see the recording function, the instructor is being recorded by an approved staff member for quality and training purposes only. These recordings are maintained and properly destroyed. Kidstock! does not use the Zoom cloud for recording storage.
RECORDINGS FOR FINAL CLASS PRESENTATIONS
Plays, presentations, & shows are a dynamic and exciting component to the Kidstock! experience. In person, our developmentally appropriate curriculums utilize the sharing element of theater to express stories with an audience of family & friends. This can mean sharing games, exercises, mini-plays, full length shows, and much more.
In the absence of being able to gather together as an audience for our children in one of our theaters at 50 Cross Street, we will be recording certain sections of classes during the final week of the session. This helps us provide you with a “final presentation” as close as possible to ones you might see when you come to Kidstock! in person. These “virtual plays” are emailed to only the participating families of that class to represent only the students you would see onstage if you visited our facility.