Research has linked social presence in virtual teaching and learning to greater retention of students, increased student satisfaction, and higher levels of perceived learning. Teachers and families also benefit from increased social presence and community. However, challenges exist to implementing effective virtual teaching and learning at all levels of education. A number of studies, particularly at the post-secondary level, reveal that overall student achievement can be at greater risk in the virtual setting as compared to the face-to-face setting. Social presence is especially significant in virtual learning because students need to overcome the physical distance to feel a connection to other learners and the teacher. As a result, strategies that create opportunities for social presence and community formation in virtual teaching and learning are an important area for research and development. However, very little research has focused on elementary teacher perceptions and experiences as the field of elementary virtual learning in public schools is only now burgeoning due to the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of intermediate elementary teachers of students in third and fourth grades about how they supported social presence in their virtual classroom environments through the 2020-2021 school year with the goal of adding to the existing literature. The study employed purposive sampling to select research participants in order to obtain data through semi-structured interviews and the collection of teacher artifacts that illustrated the virtual teaching done by the teacher. Artifacts included learning schedules, class communication, videos, activities, website content, and student feedback. Data sets and artifacts were coded and analyzed. The findings of the data have revealed information unique to intermediate elementary virtual education and the strategies each teacher used to establish social presence and classroom community. A key finding was that synchronous videoconferencing and asynchronous learning tools can positively impact perceptions of social presence and relationship building. While the study cannot draw any conclusions about the effectiveness of teaching or social presence, the research has added teacher voices--particularly, elementary teachers' voices--to the literature in this growing field of education. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]