Google Classroom
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A Parent's Guide to Google Classroom
Google Classroom serves as your child's secure, digital home base for accessing lesson resources for each of their subjects, and in many cases, receiving teacher feedback and completing homework.
This quick guide will help you understand how your child uses the platform and how you can support their learning.
Important Note on Homework: All school homework is officially set on our primary homework platform, Satchel One. Google Classroom is used alongside SatchelOne as the digital workspace where students find resources, collaborate, and complete specific digital tasks.
Accessing Classroom
Because every student at Hertswood has their own Chromebook, accessing Google Classroom is seamless:
Turn on the Chromebook and log in using the school-provided Google account.
Access Classroom through any of the following:
The first page which opens is our Student Hub. Click the 'Classroom' link near the middle of the page.
From within Gmail or any other Google service, click the 'waffle' icon in the top-right, and choose Classroom.
Navigate to classroom.google.com
Alternative Access: If your child needs to log in from a mobile phone, tablet, or home computer, they can download the free Google Classroom app or visit classroom.google.com using their school email.
Navigating the Essentials
Once logged in, your child will see their homepage with 'cards' for each of their classes. Clicking a class card opens it, revealing three key tabs at the top of the page:
Stream -- The class bulletin board. Teachers use this to post daily announcements, class reminders, and general updates.
Classwork -- The learning hub. Resources, lesson materials, and specific digital tasks are organized here by topic or week. This is where students spend most of their working time.
People -- The class directory. This displays the teachers and classmates, which is helpful if your child needs to identify their teachers.
Students can also access an overall 'To do' list for all their subjects, from the three-line menu in the top-left corner of the homepage. This section is a fantastic tool that summarises upcoming, missing, and completed digital tasks in one place.
Submitting Work
While many assignments will be completed on paper, and others will be completed on various educational platforms, some homework and schoolwork will be completed and submitted directly through Google Classroom.
For these digital tasks:
In the Classwork tab, click the assignment and select View Assignment.
Read the instructions. Any digital templates the teacher has provided (e.g., a Google Doc) will appear under 'Your Work'.
Once the digital work is complete, your child must click Turn In (or Mark as Done). Simply writing on the document does not submit it; they must click this button to notify the teacher that it is ready for grading.
If they are struggling with an assignment, your child can type a question in the 'Private Comments' box right on the assignment page to send a direct, private message to their teacher for help with that specific task. Alternatively, they are always free to open Gmail and email their teacher.
Support with issues
If your child has any issues with understanding or using Google Classroom, there are a lot of resources available. They can speak with their Form Tutor, the relevant class teacher, or they can visit the IT Office (room 228) before or after school.
If parents have any technical issues or concerns with Google Classroom, or any Hertswood service, they can contact our IT support team at helpdesk@hertswoodacademy.org.
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