We have decided to create and introduce the use of student Google email accounts in 5th-grade. Typically, we have not offered school email accounts until 6th-grade. After some consideration, we feel it will be academically beneficial to allow and begin to teach students to appropriately use email for academic purposes in 5th-grade. 

Prior to receiving access to their school email account, all students will be trained by their teacher in proper email etiquette as well as online safety. Email will be used for inter-student, and student/teacher communication and collaboration. Teachers will also have the ability to digitally assign work, share resources, and provide assessment feedback and live data to students in real time. Some aspects of the G Suite for Education your student's teacher may choose to utilize include: Gmail, Calendar, Classroom, Contacts, Drive, Docs, Groups, Sheets, Sites, Slides, Talk/Hangouts and Vault. Please see the following accompanying handout to learn more about the core services provided by G Suite for Education. 

It is expected that all parents will have access to their student's email account for transparency and security purposes. For this reason, your student's teacher will provide all parents and students with the login and password for your student's email account (i.e., login: first.lastname@renacademy.org password: [insert student lunch number]Ren!]. 

To gain access to their school email account, all students must first obtain parental permission and return this form, signed by both the student and their parent/guardian, to their 5th-grade classroom teacher. Students and parents must also be familiar with, and agree to abide by our 'Renaissance Student Internet Policy' which also applies to email use. 

PHILOSOPHY 

The Internet can be a valuable tool in achieving academic goals. Along with the opportunity to use the Internet at school comes the responsibility to use it appropriately. 

STANDARDS 

Students in Grades 5 - 9 may have access to the Internet under the following conditions: 

Students in Grades K-4 are NOT permitted to access the Internet for any reason, unless as a guided activity with a staff member. Students who use the Internet inappropriately will have their Internet/email privileges permanently rescinded. Students are not permitted to access the Internet for any reason after school hours. As a K-9 school, we use a filtering system that filters out websites related to pornography, obscene and tasteless material, alcohol, gambling, anarchy, chat rooms, criminal skills, drugs, personal ads, R-rated material, and web-based newsgroups. Although no filter will block all of the sites on the Internet that might be offensive, having a filter can help. All student-used Renaissance Academy computers will have an Internet access filter.