The start of 2021...we've all heard the many conversations and takes about the year 2020, and how challenging of a year it was...and for many people it was a difficult year. I believe that even in difficult times, there are lessons to take away and silver linings that we can learn from. The past 9 months have been like that...difficult at times, stressful at times, but also there are many parts to be excited about...I have seen so much growth from a teaching and learning perspective...teachers pushing out of their comfort zones and never looking back...certain changes to our in-school learning environment that have led to positive data in terms of our school climate...an overall flexibility and "we'll do our best to make it the best we can" mentality that has led to some awesome experiences.
To me, the start of this school year has gone by rather quickly...and I fully expect the second half of the school year to move quickly as well. I truly hope you have had the opportunity to unplug over the holiday break, to do things that you truly enjoy, and that the break has led you to a place where you feel re-energized and ready to get back to being that positive, consistent rock for our kids.
We have all gained a deeper understanding of how to operate a school during a pandemic, and even though we've seen advances in vaccinations, it'll still be some time before we see a relaxation in our mitigation procedures here at school. In fact, our safety procedures remain as important today as they were on the first day of school.
With that being said, we will now look to find ways to become even effective and efficient at meeting the needs of our students. Our modified approach has led to some weakness' in meeting needs in ways that we have become accustomed, and we have gradually made strides in how to meet the various needs that many of our students have.
Resource of the Week
We will start out the year 2021 with a resource that comes from within. Podcasting is growing in popularity as a learning tool. I know that podcasts have become a part of how I learn and I know the same is true for many of you. It also could be another way for our students to share what they know. I started a podcast (short) that highlights things that we do in our Middle School...how it came to be, why we do it, why it's important, and how it's going. I recorded a podcast which I hope you take a few minutes to give a listen.
Back to School!!
We are back to school virtually on Wednesday, and in-person on Thursday. We have had a number of families decide to have their students attend school in-person full time now, moving from the virtual learning model. I believe we have communicated about specific students with the grade level teachers that need to know, however, please refer to the Homebase Groups document to see the most up-to-date placements for students.
Wednesday (1/6/2021)
We'll plan to follow the virtual learning plan that we use when in-person learning is taking place. Please communicate with students about your grade specific plan during the morning homeroom meetings on Wednesday AM.
School Safety Drill
We will be conducting a "Lock-down Drill" next week. During this drill, we will NOT do our typical, shut off the lights, lock the door, and gather out of sight activity this year, due to our continued efforts to keep a distance from each other. We will, however, engage in a cognitive drill where we will talk through a scenario that would involve us needing to go into a lock-down situation.
End of Quarter 2
The end of the 2nd quarter will be on Friday, January 15th. We'll have a PD Day on January 18th, and on that day there will be time to wrap up grades and write Report Card comments. 2nd quarter grades will be due by the morning of Thursday (1/21), as we will start printing those report cards off during the day on Thursday.
Also, the start of the 3rd quarter will also signal the switch from Science to Social Studies or vice versa for our students.
Message to Families
The message below was sent to our families on Sunday evening, reminding them of our extended holiday break, and some reminders about the upcoming week of learning.
Greetings,
We hope the holiday break has been positive for you and your family. As a reminder, the holiday break was extended to last through Tuesday (1/5), and we are planning to start back up on Wednesday (1/6) with our typical Wednesday virtual learning day. On Wednesday morning, students should join their morning Homeroom meeting virtually, and then follow the plans laid out from their teachers (assignments/meetings) the rest of the day.
We will be back to our in-person learning plan on Thursday (1/7). As we return to school, please continue to communicate with the office about any symptoms your student may be experiencing or any close contacts to any positive case of COVID. Students should stay home and participate in school virtually if they have any symptom of being ill...always erring on the side of caution for these decisions. We are really looking forward to getting back to an environment where the concern for the spread of the virus is no longer at the forefront of our worries, but until then we all must continue to follow the mitigation routines and procedures we have had in place in order to have our school open for learning.
If your family is contemplating a switch to your student's learning plan (moving from virtual to in-person, or vice versa), please communicate with the office as soon as possible.
We have a great deal of appreciation for all that our families have done to help make the most out of this atypical school year. We look forward to all the potential positive developments that await in the year 2021. As always, please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.
I can't wait to see all of you back in action on Thursday!!
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