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November 13, 2020
Dear Families,
SCHOOLS MAY BE CLOSED AS SOON AS MONDAY!
Like you, we are waiting for news from the Mayor with a decision about schools going fully REMOTE, for what we hope will be just a short time. If your child needs a Chromebook to use at home, please email your child’s Advisor ASAP. We are looking forward to an easy transition, mainly because we already have your children set up in classes with their teachers who will continue to be their teachers!
I am confident that as a community, we can make this new transition work with success. All our planning has prepared us for this. Your children will keep on the same schedule, we will have the same expectations, attendance will still be taken first period and we continue to ask that cameras be on, along with voices, minds and hearts.
KEEP CALM AND 75 MORTON ON
Parent Teacher Conferences by PHONE? Sigh. None of us ever use the phone that much. We need to re-learn the skill. Please know we are also missing out Student Led Conferences and that we understand that phone conferences feel different. In order to get the most out of your child's Parent Teacher Conference you have will be focused and come prepared with some specific questions:
Where is my child showing growth in (fill in the subject)
Where is my child in need of additional help?
Is there anything I can do to support my child at home?
What can we celebrate after this Conference?
While you may not get all of your questions answered, you should take notes and follow up with an email (kindly worded) to your child's Advisor. Keep in mind :
You are doing your best to parent during this pandemic
Your child is doing their best to learn during this pandemic and most likely needs support
The teachers are doing their very best to teach during this pandemi
Thank you to everyone who attended our Coffee Talks this past week. While it doesn’t replace seeing all of you in person, it was a great way to answer your questions and say hello. If you weren’t able to join us we hope to “see” you at our next one.
With Respect,
Jacqui & Katie
*******
Some updates
HIGH SCHOOL NEWS
We STILL have no updates regarding high school admissions. My advice for 8th grade families is for you and your student to continue to research the many high schools the city has to offer. This is a great opportunity to learn about the schools - Is it a big school? Does it have clubs or sports my student will enjoy? Is the curriculum project based? etc. - without having to worry about admission criteria. Create a list of schools that you think are a good fit for your student. 7th grade families? My advice for you is to continue to support your student to be the best student they can be.
GRADING
The DOE Grading Policy is as follows:
Families have flexibility in determining how passing final grades are reflected on student records. This is an option for families who prefer to have their child’s performance reflected more generally (such as “Pass” instead of a numerical grade) as they continue to adapt to blended and remote learning.
Additionally, students will not receive failing grades if they have not yet met the learning outcomes for their courses; instead, they will receive another mark (“needs improvement” or “course in progress,” depending on grade level) and will be provided with additional time and support to ensure they can master course concepts and earn credit as appropriate.
While students must continue to participate in remote and blended learning each day, attendance will not be a factor in student grades. Attending school, participating in class, and demonstrating understanding are all essential components of student learning, and school communities must make every effort to ensure that students attend school, with a goal of every student, every day.
How long do 8th grade students have to make up marks of ‘NX’ that they receive during the school year? In alignment with the promotion process, 8th grade students must complete the work for the course from the 2020- 2021 school year in which they received an ‘NX’ by August 2021. If students do not pass those courses by August, the grade will remain an ‘NX’ and will not be updated.
The 75 Morton Grading Policy is as follows:
We consider 65 and above PASSING. Therefore, if your student receives a 65, we hope you understand that if they fall below the 65, they will receive an “NX” (Course in Progress). It will not be considered FAILING due to the new NYC DOE but it is a signal that we all need to support your child. We completely understand the challenges of learning during this time and we 100% agree with the philosophy of the NYC DOE. However, we also feel strongly that we are responsible to communicate about the learning life of your child.
If your child misses the due date for a project, please note the following:
Your child has until the end of the marking period to submit all of their work
The teacher has the discretion to reduce the grade if the work is very late. However a failing grade will not be given if the work is completed by the final date.
TRAVELING AND DOE GUIDELINES
If you decide to travel, the DOE is requiring you to quarantine for 14 days. However, according to New York state "for any traveler to New York State from a noncontiguous state, US territory or CDC level 2 or level 3 country, the new guidelines for travelers to test-out of the mandatory 14-day quarantine are below:
For travelers who were out-of-state for more than 24 hours:
Travelers must obtain a test within three days of departure, prior to arrival in New York.
The traveler must, upon arrival in New York, quarantine for three days.
On day 4 of their quarantine, the traveler must obtain another COVID test. If both tests comes back negative, the traveler may exit quarantine early upon receipt of the second negative diagnostic test.
For travelers who were out-of-state for less than 24 hours:
The traveler does not need a test prior to their departure from the other state, and does not need to quarantine upon arrival in New York State.
However, the traveler must fill out our traveler form upon entry into New York State, and take a COVID diagnostic test 4 days after their arrival in New York.
Local health departments will validate tests, if necessary, and if a test comes back positive, will issue isolation orders and initiate contact tracing. The local health department must make contact with the state the traveler came from, to ensure contact tracing proceeds there as well. All travelers must continue to fill out our traveler form upon arrival into New York State to contribute to New York State’s robust contact tracing program.”
STUDY HALLS START MONDAY
We are very excited to announce that your students will receive study halls starting on Monday, November 16th. 6th and 7th graders will have study hall twice a week and 8th grade will have study hall once a week during specific times that they normally would have had specials. See the Study Hall Schedule by grades. Please encourage your student to attend as this is a great way for your student to catch up or get help with their school work.