Good evening! I wanted to start with a big thank you to the parents out there. This is not an easy time and it is a lot to balance. Here is a video care of Elmo's dad that I thought was helpful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEmaWIxyhj8. Remember we are all doing the best we can and to take moments for yourself too!
Thank you to everyone who was able to complete the survey. We heard a lot of positives, so we are glad to be working from here as a starting point. We will continue to review and accept responses throughout the week, so it is a great way to provide your feedback. You can access the survey at: https://forms.gle/6NWmYPeBjEEVaGXH8.
We also wanted to address a few points that came up in case you were planning on discussing at conferences. We are viewing conferences as well-being checks. How are students and families doing? Teachers will be able to provide updates on student learning as well. (Remember conferences are typically under 10 minutes, so please be aware and respect this timeframe.) We want you to be able to focus as much as possible on check-ins around students, so felt it would be helpful to follow up on a few items brought up in the survey:
We are also making adjustments based on the feedback, so please be on the look out for this as well.
Have a wonderful and safe day,
Katie & Derrick
Thank you to everyone who was able to complete the survey. We heard a lot of positives, so we are glad to be working from here as a starting point. We will continue to review and accept responses throughout the week, so it is a great way to provide your feedback. You can access the survey at: https://forms.gle/6NWmYPeBjEEVaGXH8.
We also wanted to address a few points that came up in case you were planning on discussing at conferences. We are viewing conferences as well-being checks. How are students and families doing? Teachers will be able to provide updates on student learning as well. (Remember conferences are typically under 10 minutes, so please be aware and respect this timeframe.) We want you to be able to focus as much as possible on check-ins around students, so felt it would be helpful to follow up on a few items brought up in the survey:
- We have not received guidance from the district around the following questions (We will send out as soon as we receive information):
- 4th quarter grading
- Further guidance around Diverse Learner supports
- Selective enrollment High School applications and the testing being utilized for next year
- Remote learning is not a typical school day and does not have the same pacing of our typical instruction. Our goal is to support students social-emotionally and with an equity mindset during this time period. The suggested hours of expected engagement for the different grade bands are:
Grades K–2: 90 minutes Grades 3–5: 120 minutes Grades 6–8: 180 minutes - We are slowing down the pacing of instruction for the following reasons:
- We view this as an equity issue. We do not want to continue widening the gap between the performance levels of our students due to situations beyond student control. Allowing appropriate pacing for students helps us ensure all students are able to access learning and are receiving feedback.
- Next year will look different and staff are aware of this. We are already thinking about how this transition will look and how to support our students. Remember this has impacted all students across the country.
- Our biggest focus is mental health and wellness for our students. It is a stressful time and we want to give them time and space to process and feel connected.
- We view this as an equity issue. We do not want to continue widening the gap between the performance levels of our students due to situations beyond student control. Allowing appropriate pacing for students helps us ensure all students are able to access learning and are receiving feedback.
- Due to safety issues and per district guidance, teachers are not able to do one-on-one meetings with students. (Counselors and social workers have different permissions.)
- Teachers are not expected to have live sessions daily. There are a few reasons for this. We are focused on quality not quantity. Given the new environment, different planning required and other logistics, teachers need time to develop and implement. Another big piece of this is thinking about equity. Not every student has the same access and we do not want to continue to move forward without them. By varying how teachers are engaging with students virtually (i.e. live sessions, recorded lessons, chats, hangouts, etc.) teachers can differentiate for student need. (Teachers are expected to be virtually available or engaged with students at a minimum of 2 hours a day. The remainder of the day is used for planning, providing feedback, grading, etc.). We will continue to adjust based on what is working well for our students.
- Office hours - These are a great way to get questions answered or check-in. Parents and/or students can call or video chat in to get explanations or feedback. We hold school-wide office hours and teachers host as well.
- Please feel free to submit other questions you may have using our Skinner North Question Corner form available at: https://forms.gle/obuhrj72X9McGgrc6.
We are also making adjustments based on the feedback, so please be on the look out for this as well.
Have a wonderful and safe day,
Katie & Derrick
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