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August 7, 2020
Dear Families,
Today Governor Cuomo announced that schools in New York state can open in the fall. He added that they will continue to monitor the infection rate leading up to the first day of school.
Thanks to those of you who were able to join us for the Community Meeting on Wednesday, 8/5. For those who missed the fun, we have put the powerpoint on the website! Please do your best to join all upcoming meetings. It's so easy! Just turn on your computer!
Warning: I will continue to nudge all of you to turn on you camera or post a photo of yourself during video calls. We intend to make that a part of Thunderbolt Thinking for your children:
Be on time - follow your schedule
Be present - turn on your video and join the community
Be respectful - follow teacher directions about muting/unmuting
All PTA/Community Meetings are an opportunity for you to model these crucial behaviors for your children. Thanks for the help!
A huge thanks to all of you who are sending in questions. Your questions and advice help us think more about all the details that we grapple with in our (endless) planning sessions.
I have a few more bits and pieces of information that came up after the meeting. I will continue to answer questions in each letter.
If we chose Blended Learning today, can we later decide to switch to 100% Remote Learning?
Yes, after the school year begins but not before. If your child begins the school year in Blended Learning, and you later decide that you would like to switch to 100% Remote Learning, you can. The DOE has yet to release the protocol for this. We do not yet know what you will need to do to switch. If you switch out of Blended and into Remote in the fall, and you then want to switch back to Blended, the first opportunity will be sometime in November.
When our children are learning at home will they be in front of the computer for 5 ½ hours a day?
As of today and per the DOE, the school day begins at 8:30am and ends at 2:00pm. Here is the current plan: Your children (wherever they are) will be in front of their computer and have it turned on for the whole school day. Much of that time they will be working, not staring at a teacher lecturing. The computer can be off to the side, but they should be on the Zoom and in the class. They might be working on paper, in notebooks, reading, or on the computer. We are not fans of all of this screen time either. Therefore, we plan to assign minimal homework.
Will the teaching be LIVE?
The teachers will be using Zoom for live teaching. They will pre-record a lesson each day and post it on Google Classroom. Your children will access this lesson with the teacher present. After the lesson, the teacher will have LIVE interactions with students - the whole class, small groups in break-out rooms, and individually. The teachers will not teach the lesson live due to the problem of wearing a mask and making the lesson hard for students to follow. We also know that some students like to have access to the lessons for clarification on their own time. This way the lesson will available for further study if necessary.
Will my child get the Intensive/Specials they chose in the Spring?
Unfortunately, no. This is due to the fact that in normal times, the Intensive classes for 7th and 8th grade are made of a mix of students from different classes. We cannot mix students now, and it is prudent for safety that teachers are not in contact with more than 4-5 pods each day. Therefore, students will see the same one or two specialists each day. Disappointing, yes. We have no wiggle room.
PAUSE - I need to explain a very important point here. Some of our teachers will be working from home for health reasons. The whole system of who is teaching what, and the choices we have in this regard are severely limited. Please reimagine school. Our staff is not in one place. Your children are not in one place. I am asking that you think very hard about the literally hundreds of variables this requires to simply have adults in front of children.
Should we buy school supplies for our children?
Yes. All students should have one set of school supplies. You can find details in the PTA Newsletters and on the website. You will receive information on supplies needed for specials later.
What will ICT classes look like?
Our current plan is that one ICT teacher will be in the classroom, while the other ICT teacher is either at home or in a separate school workspace, also participating in the Zoom class and co-teaching.
Will staircases be designated as UP and DOWN?
Yes, but we anticipate very little traffic except at arrival and dismissal when everyone will be moving in the same direction and remain 6’ socially distanced.
Can the students take stretch breaks?
Of course! We will incorporate this into the day A LOT.
LOOK FOR THESE, AND MANY MORE,UPDATES IN OUR NEW FAMILY HANDBOOK - COMING OUT LATE AUGUST!
We will be asking all families to send their children to school with earbuds or headphones.
No hats, or hoods next year. Masks are enough!
Students who are not compliant with wearing masks will be switched to Remote Learning
We are planning to provide a ChromeBook (unshared) for each student to use in school. We will also provide ChromeBooks to students who need them for remote work to keep at home.
Students will have the option of Grab ‘n’ Go lunch, or bringing a bagged lunch from home. There will be no hot food provided and no way to heat food.
Students will be eating lunch during Advisory, so students at home should have their lunch READY!
And finally, (not that we will not repeat or change some of this news in every letter….)
I have directed the staff to start slowly with the curriculum. We will spend the first few weeks getting all students acclimated to the technology and platforms we will be introducing. We will be assessing your children, spending time building community, doing a lot of social/emotional work, and getting schedules in place. The staff is preparing a rich, engaging curriculum across all subject areas, and are also considering the length of assignments and the best way to be timely with feedback and grades.
Those of you who know me will know that I stand by the staff. I know the extent of the behind-the-scenes work they are putting into this new, uncharted mode of educating your children.
Keep the questions coming. Trust us. Reach out. Show up at meetings. Be a part of this community effort to make this new system work for your children.
With Respect,
Jacqui and Katie