FALL PLANNING UPDATES
Our theme for this year is “Clear is Kind”. This year, more than ever before, making sure we are clear on what we are doing, why we are doing it, how we will do it, and how we will support each other in the work is essential.
I KNOW WE CAN DO THIS AND DO IT GREAT!!!! I believe in us 110%, and there is NO PLACE I’d rather be to head into this school year and positively NO ONE ELSE I’d want to be working with.
So...buckle in...here are a number of updates to help clarify what’s coming our way. More to come, but I'm hoping that having this info (yes, it's a lot) can reduce your anxiety, if only a little...
*Welcome Week (August 17-21) is being designed so that, ideally, everyone is on site. HOWEVER, if you cannot be onsite, we will do as much as is possible to provide virtual learning too. We will have staff report to your home site (Lotus or Stanton) and NOT all meet on one site. I’m going to try my hand at live online learning for Monday’s whole staff welcome. The working copy of the schedule is linked here. I will send out a more final version of details with next week’s Monday Memo, but you can see the big picture here and that will NOT change. Safety guidelines must be followed at all times...and all times you are onsite. We will ask staff to complete a self-certification verification as part of our beginning of the year procedures.
*As you will see in the Welcome Week schedule, we have drive up materials pick up planned for Wednesday morning during the Teacher Work Time. We’ll need all of our support staff to help with this, as it will be held at BOTH sites. More logistics coming on that.
*You’ll also see that Virtual Meet the Teacher is planned for Wednesday afternoon, when we would typically have our Meet and Greet. Time is allotted in the schedule for you to work on this, and we have will some links/samples ready if you want to take a peek or get some ideas flowing.
*Please know that, while we are in full remote, Wednesdays are days the buildings WILL be open and staff CAN be onsite. Since we will have so few kids and staff onsite, we can disinfect and sanitize daily and a full closure isn’t required.
*All staff are expected to report onsite at least 2 days full work days per week. You are welcome to be onsite as often as you like...this is your home. Our hope is that teams arrange to be onsite at the same time as much as possible for collaboration, support, and connections! If you have any medical or childcare issues that prevent you from reporting, please contact me as soon as possible but by Wednesday, August 13 at the latest. We need to be able to plan with you and the goal is to make this all work for everyone as much as we possibly can.
*On days you are onsite, we’d ask gently that you please leave the building by 4:00 daily so that we can clean thoroughly. Thank you so much in advance!
*We have NO INTENT to furlough or lay off anyone. We have work for everyone to do as long as people can be flexible!
*We WILL have kids onsite for learning! Students invited to be onsite 4 days/week are PreK and our most complex IEP-entitled students. Students invited to be onsite Wednesday only are IEP-entitled students whose goals/SpEd support time are a majority of their day. All other IEP-entitled students will receive support through remote learning. Every single IEP-entitled student will have to have a Remote Transition Plan written--training and time for this will be provided during Welcome Week. It’s really not too hard--I promise! :)
*Yes, you CAN record your live lessons to post for families to view later. I checked with legal counsel and this is ABSOLUTELY ok. I have written a letter indicating this and setting out the parent expectations for this and it will be handed out to families with the updated Acceptable Technology Use Policy at materials pick up. This means you do NOT have to do double lessons to post...just record what you lead remotely.
*We are working to make sure we can issue a Chromebook to each student as part of their materials. We know we can do it for Grades 2-8, and are scrambling to get enough to do it for PreK-1 as well--will be able to confirm mid-week. By assigning Chromebooks to each student, we can push out updates, use district protocols/images, and YOU know what device each student has and what it can do.
*Certified staff will be getting new laptops! New teachers will get theirs at New Staff Orientation on Thursday. All returning certified staff will find yours in your classrooms/offices starting Wednesday. Please be sure to sign and return the agreement that will be with your new machine. We’ll then use the existing laptops to make sure support staff who need a device also have one to use. YAY!
*Grab and Go meal pick up will continue through the week of August 17 and then will stop. Starting August 24 (the first day for students), we will shift to meal drop off by our buses. Daily meals will be dropped off by bus stop on the Lotus bus schedule. Our drivers will have route helpers to do this. This keeps families from having to leave home to get meals so they can stay home to support remote learning. We’ll push out a reminder each day. We will discuss the logistics of this during Welcome Week to make sure everyone knows their role and has input into the process.
*We’ll also use the bus routes to deliver any materials that students need EACH FRIDAY. Teams will be responsible for organizing these materials, but this will allow us to get supplies, hard copy documents, books, novels, etc. to our students when we need them to have them. The supplies will stay on the routes so--in case someone misses a Friday drop off--they can still get the materials.
As always, when you have questions, please ask. When you have suggestions, please bring them forward. We are ONE TEAM, ALL IN...now more than ever.
Ways you can help:
Complete this Essential Apps form to help us make a "best of the best" starting list based on what you have used and loved. As with everything right now, I want us to all focus on doing a few things really, really well. This is best for the kids, our families trying to implement and support our plans, and for us, too!
Brainstorm learning needs for Institute Week. Email me what you'd like to see learning developed around. We are building it from the ground up, and your input is KEY.
Keep a positive perspective! I truly believe that we will come through and out of this stronger than EVER before.
Know that parts are moving quickly and decisions are being made daily. If there is ever a miscommunication or a question that gets answered more slowly that you really want, please know that it's not intentional. We are all doing our very best. 💖
THANKS to everyone for your work to complete the FLASH BACK reflection to help us know where our students' gaps exist!!!!
The FIRST priority for any summer curriculum work is to use the FLASH BACK information to better understand what kids need. This then should be used to help plan starting the year. The tools you need are linked below:
LINKS:
PreK-8 Flash Back Standards
Exploratories Flash Back Standards
Case Manager Flash Back Reflections
All staff MUST wear masks AT ALL TIMES when onsite and in public spaces.
If you are working in an office/classroom with the door closed, you may remove your mask. It must be worn when anyone enters that space with you.
In addition, the steps below (from the CDC website) MUST be taken if you have been diagnosed with or exposed to COVID-19:
If you come onsite, you are self-certifying and verifying that:
Tuesday, August 11--Board of Education meeting--5:30 PM via Google Meets:
Monday, August 17--First day for all staff!!! WELCOME WEEK!
Monday, August 24--First day of school for K-8 students (full day)
Congrats to Michelle Serini (6th grade at Stanton) on your engagement!!!!Heather
