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LAPLACE — Riverside Academy students were supposed to pull on prom dresses and tuxes this weekend for a night of unforgettable high school memories at junior and senior prom. That’s changed amid the COVID-19 outbreak and school closures, and prom has since been rescheduled for May 9.

Parent Shawn Steinkamp said there’s a lot up in the air for his son, Jackson, a senior in high school. While Steinkamp is grateful school officials are adapting the schedule with health and safety in mind, it’s disheartening for him to see soon-to-be graduates’ feelings of excitement give way to uncertainty.

“You had all this excitement with two months of school left. They had a countdown of days, and then all this broke out,” Steinkamp said. “Now all of that has kind of been taken away from them. In a way, it’s sad. Since my son is a senior, there’s a lot of uncertainty with graduation. It’s that uneasy feeling of not knowing. Even if they give us the dates, we’re not sure those are going to stay in place.”

As a parent of a teenager with his own social networks, Steinkamp takes care to remind his son that not everything he reads online will be true. Like other families, they are taking care to stop the spread of infection with hand washing and hygiene.

In the meantime, Riverside Academy has sent out emails with educational resources to keep learning continuous.

Public School Resources

Public schools are out through April 13 as mandated by Governor John Bel Edwards’ proclamation to slow the spread of COVID-19, but learning will continue from home in St. John the Baptist Parish.

In a text message from East St. John High School on Monday morning, it was reported at this time prom, graduation, and LEAP 2025 testing are not cancelled. LEAP will be administered no earlier than April 25. In light of this week’s ACT test cancellation, the Louisiana Department of Education is working with testing coordinators to identify new dates.

Students with online classes through Edgenuity should continue to work toward 100 percent completion. It is important that all ninth through 11^th graders complete assignments for Algebra 1, English 1, Geometry, English 2, Biology, and U.S. History using USA Test Prep and ACT Prep for 12th grade. Students are asked to email their teacher if assistance is needed unlocking assignments, quizzes or entering the username and password.

The link is usatestprep.com. The East St. John Account ID is wildcats36, and the Teacher/Student Activation Code is stu1744. Please be patient as teachers upload assignments.

According to St. John Parish Schools, Charter Communications is offering free Spectrum broadband and Wi-Fi access for 60 days to households with K-12 and/or college students who do not already have a subscription. Additionally, limited income households can apply for $5 to $10 per month Internet access through AT&T Access, Cox Connect2Compete and CenturyLink Lifeline.

Several online resources are listed at www.stjohn.k12.la.us for grades K-8, intended for student whose teachers did not provide resources.

“This work is not mandatory but recommended for those students and for parents who would like additional work for their children while they are out of school,” the School District stated.

All public school gatherings, practices and rehearsals remain cancelled. As a reminder from the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office, all minors under the age of 17 must be off of the streets between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. unless supervised by a parent or legal guardian, as established in the St. John Code of Ordinances Section 28-1.

Ascension of Our Lord

In a letter to parents of Ascension of Our Lord Catholic School students, principal Toni Ruiz said there would be no pause in the educational process.

AOL is distributing weekly assignments every Tuesday from 3 to 6 p.m. from the school’s front office. Assignments will be completed and returned, at which time new material will be available for pick-up. Students are expected to complete all assignments, as they will be graded. Teachers will send weekly emails regarding assignments. Parents should contact their child’s teacher regarding any concerns.

For updates regarding this transition, please visit the AOL Facebook page or aolcrusaders.org. Ruiz invites any questions or parental concerns at tmjz@aolcnasaders.org.

Other Online Resources

This week, Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB) officially launched “At-Home Learning” through a partnership with the Louisiana Department of Education. The resource is designed to help parents and teachers of children in grades K-12 make this extended time at home more educational and productive.

Through the At-Home Learning page, teachers and families access free videos, apps and games for children, LPB broadcast schedules, a free Bright by Text parenting tip messaging service, access to LPB LearningMedia and Discovery Education for teachers. The resource also includes links to award-winning PBS Digital Studios videos like “Crash Course,” “Deep Look,” “It’s OK to Be Smart,” and more.

LPB will also provide information for educators from the Louisiana Department of Education about grade level assignments and resources.

At-Home Learning is available at lbp.org/athome.

Louisiana Public Broadcasting is just one organization providing free resources during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Other free learning websites include ABCmouse.com (ages 2 to 8), Adventure Academy (ages 8 to 13), Reading IQ (ages 2 to 12), khanacademy.org (K-12), commonlit.org (grades 3-12 ELA/social studies), Zearn.org (K-12 math) and Edmentum.com (K-12).