DigiPen Academy Campus
DigiPen’s main campus is located in the city of Redmond, Washington about 16 miles east of Seattle. In addition to being the home of leading technology companies such as Microsoft and Nintendo, Redmond has numerous hotels, shopping centers, and local attractions as well as outdoor opportunities such as hiking and bicycling. We are fortunate enough to have resources from the college DigiPen Institute of Technology at our disposal.
Online Etiquette Rules:
As DigiPen wants to ensure that everyone has a safe and engaging experience, all students are expected to know and follow these basic rules:
1. Classes will begin on time so please plan to log in 5-10 minutes before the scheduled start time.
2. Be aware of your surroundings and avoid setting up in a place that is noisy or where people are constantly passing by.
3. Please do not use other devices during class including mobile phones, game systems, etc.
4. As you may be on camera, please dress appropriately.
5. Please do not eat during the class as this can be distracting to others.
6. As you may be asked to share your screen, we ask that only class-appropriate apps are running and that your desktop background image, file names, etc. are appropriate.
7. Mute your microphone when you’re not talking as this helps avoid echoes and random background noise being broadcast into the classroom. When you do speak, please speak clearly so everyone can understand you.
8. Whether you are talking on camera or using chat, always be respectful to everyone in the class. Any communication with the instructor or other students should be related to class topics, not memes, spam, or inappropriate material.
9. Please stay seated and present during class. Breaks will be provided by the instructor but if you do need to leave, please let the instructor know that you are stepping away from your computer.
10. Ask questions! Your instructor wants to help you learn so don’t be silent when you are confused or need help. If the teacher is explaining a topic, you can “raise your hand” or ask your question in the chat window.
Onsite Policies:
Vaccination Requirement & Safety
For the safety of all students, staff, and faculty, ALL students wishing to participate in our summer programs must provide proof of COVID vaccination. No exemptions.
All students will be required to wear masks at all times, and to maintain social distancing rules.
Check-in/Check-out
For morning classes, all Young Explorer (grades K-3) and Junior (grades 4-7) students must be escorted by their parents and checked into their classrooms. Teen (grades 8-12) students may check themselves in. If a teen has younger siblings in our program, they may also escort and check them into class. Students will not be allowed into their classrooms more than 5 minutes before the start of class as teachers will be preparing their classrooms.
Please arrive promptly to pick your students up from their classroom when class ends.
All Young Explorers must be signed out from their classroom by an authorized adult who was listed on their Pick-Up Authorization Form during the registration process. Adults checking out Young Explorers may be asked for photo ID to confirm they are authorized to pick up the student. If someone comes to pick up your child and they are neither listed on the Pick-Up Authorization Form, you will be contacted to verify pick-up authorization. Young Explorer students will NOT be released to anyone who is not authorized to pick them up. Juniors are allowed to be signed out by an adult they recognize/are comfortable with. Teen students may sign themselves out of the classroom. Teen students may check out their younger siblings; please make sure to include them on the Pick-Up Authorization Form. To review or add authorized adults, please contact the administration team at (425) 629-5007 or academy@digipen.edu
Lunch & Snacks
There will be a supervised lunch period from 12:00 pm – 12:45 pm. Please provide a lunch for your student. A microwave and toaster are available to reheat food. If your student is only attending a morning class and it is after 12:00 pm, please pick your student up from the lunchroom. If your student is just attending an afternoon class and you arrive more than 5 minutes before the scheduled class time, sign your student in at the front desk, and then escort them to the lunchroom. After 12:45 pm the sign-in sheet will be in your student’s classroom. Snacks are available for purchase.
To purchase snacks, you will need to have funds available in your account. To add funds, visit snack card purchase. From this page click “express registration” in the bottom left corner. Then select the third option, the “snachtime” option. If you select one of the first two options you will be charged $10.00 a month. Snacks are $0.50 each. Alternatively, you can add funds over the phone by calling DigiPen Academy Administration at (425) 629-5007. Adding funds to your account serves as a pre-paid snack card. Therefore, any funds that remain at the end of the course will NOT be refunded.
Supplies
Please send your student to class with a binder filled with loose leaf paper and a pen/pencil. We will provide any other supplies that your student needs.
Weather Closures
For days when weather conditions such as snow and ice may result in school schedule changes, DigiPen will send out an email by 7:30 a.m. to notify you. Please note that DigiPen follows weather closure decisions made by the Lake Washington School District, but because we have families that are outside this school district, DigiPen also factors this into account when making decisions about delayed starts or full closures. The email will go to the address listed when you registered your student.
DigiPen Institute of Technology teaches high school classes through several Tech Academies and Skills Centers in Washington State. Policies, applications, and additional information can be found through each program’s home Skills Center or school district.
Washington Network for Innovative Careers (WANIC) programs, held on campus at DigiPen Institute of Technology, adhere to all policies from the WANIC consortium of school districts. For questions or to excuse absences, contact WANIC at wanic@lwsd.org or 425-739-8400. Inclement weather policies for WANIC programs follow the Lake Washington School District.
If you have earned DigiPen credit through your Skills Center program and would like to request your transcript, please fill out the Transcript Request Form for Skills Center Students, and return it to DigiPen’s Front Desk or send it to academy@digipen.edu.
About Redmond
DigiPen’s main campus is located in the city of Redmond, Washington about 16 miles east of Seattle. In addition to being the home of leading technology companies such as Microsoft and Nintendo, Redmond has numerous hotels, shopping centers, and local attractions as well as outdoor opportunities such as hiking and bicycling.
Places to Stay in Redmond
If you are traveling to Redmond for a DigiPen Academy program and need a place to stay, we are happy to help you get started in exploring your options.
For Summer 2022 we will not be able to host DigiPen Academy participants and their families through DigiPen Housing, LLC. Here are a few alternative options you can explore:
- Hotels: Many of the recommended hotels offer complimentary breakfasts, free high-speed wireless internet access, or a shuttle ride to the DigiPen campus. View a list of local recommendations.
- Vacation Rentals: Many of our out of town visitors have also used vacation rental websites such as Airbnb or VRBO to find apartment and home rentals nearby.
- ABODA: ABODA is Seattle’s largest provider of temporary housing. Call them at 888-389-0500 or email them at reservations@aboda.com with your needs (area of town, number of bedrooms, budget, any pet info, etc) and they will assign a consultant to provide options based on those outlined needs.
Getting Around Redmond and Seattle
Some of the hotels listed above have shuttles that run between the hotel and the DigiPen campus.
To travel around other parts of Redmond and Seattle, students will need to find their own means of transportation. DigiPen suggests using the King County Metro System’s trip planner to find bus and train routes to and from DigiPen and the surrounding areas.
You may also consider renting a bicycle during your visit! Redmond has been called “The Bicycle Capital of the Northwest” and has numerous on-road bike lanes and off-road paved and natural trails to explore. Click here for more information about biking in Redmond.
Drop off / Pick up
Students cannot be dropped off more than 30 minutes before the start of any session. Students must be picked up within 10 minutes after the end of a session or within 10 minutes of the end of the After-Workshop Activities time slot (see below).
Failure to adhere to this schedule raises safety concerns for students, as there is only supervision during designated workshop and after-workshop hours. An early drop-off or late pick-up will result in a $1.00 fee for every minute you are early for drop off or late for pick-up. If a student is not picked up by 7:00 p.m., DigiPen will contact the local authorities for the next steps.
Parking Policies: Please make sure to park only in spaces marked with the DigiPen Logo or “Visitor”, or in blank/undesignated parking spaces. Parking in spaces unaffiliated with DigiPen, or in spaces marked either “Reserved” or “Pro Sports Club,” may result in your car being towed.
Siblings in Different Progams
If a student has one or more siblings attending a Summer Program that begins at an earlier time, both students may be dropped off at the earlier time. Conversely, if one student’s After-Care Activities end at a later time than the others, both students may be picked up at the later time.
For example, if a Teen student has a sibling in a another program, a parent may drop off both students at 8:30 a.m. and pick up both students by 5:00 p.m.
To access your course’s Canvas site, please visit canvas.digipen.edu
DigiPen Academy and all of our DigiPen Academy workshop programs use Canvas as a learning management aid to structure courses, facilitate parent communication, save student work, and many other tasks.
Some workshops and classes may utilize this tool more than others— digital workshops more than non-digital workshops, Teen programs more than Young Explorer programs.
If you have difficulty logging in, or have any other questions, please contact the DigiPen Academy administration at academy@digipen.edu or (425) 629-5007.
For Students
To access your Canvas page, you will need your DigiPen provided email, which is given to you by your teacher. The first time you log in to Canvas, students will need to complete the “Forgot Password” protocol, and access their DigiPen provided email to complete the flow.
This email account is accessible here. Please remember that logging in to this account only requires you enter your username, not the full email address.
For Parents
The first time you log in to Canvas, parents will also need to follow the “Forgot Password” protocol.
The account email provided upon registration is used to create parent/observer accounts with Canvas. Account holders will receive updates from the teachers- saved and archived on Canvas, but also sent through Canvas to this email address.
If you are unsure which email you provided, please contact us so we can confirm this for you.
If your student is in multiple classes or workshops with us, your account will follow your student automatically, and you will not need to reset your password each time.
