Munhall Bulletin
April 10, 2020
Munhall Elementary School
Email: heather.miller@d303.org
Website: http://munhall.d303.org/
Location: 1400 South 13th Avenue
Phone: 331-228-2600
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Munhall-Elementary-1459358344296891/
Twitter: @MunhallD303
Principal Note
Hello Munhall Families,
Well, we are back in the swing of things after our week off for Spring Break. I know how hard the students, staff, and parents are working to support this new model of education. The amount of teamwork needed to make this successful for our students is immense.
It was so good to see many of our Kindergarten-2nd grades families during our electronic device pick-up days this week. I was able to hear some great stories about our students, and how they are doing with their time at home. It certainly made me miss them even more. Mother Nature definitely tricked us earlier in the week, but it was nice to act like it was spring for a couple of days.
Remote Learning Planning Days (Fridays)—NO NEW Assignments from the Classroom Teacher
As I have said many times, there was no manual or script for our teachers and staff with regards to remote learning. As a district and staff, we are continue to learn and grow when it comes to being remote educators. Therefore, tomorrow our teachers will engage in their first remote learning planning day. On remote learning planning days, teachers will not be pushing out new learning or assignments to students. Since they will be engaged in professional development, they will also not be able to be responsive to student or parent inquiries.
On these planning days, students and parents still have a few options for staying engaged with learning. First, our district has created a site for families that contain a variety of enhancement activities. These activities are entirely optional and they span several different content areas and interest levels. The link that takes families directly to the student enhancement activities can be found here. Once there, students and parents can select a Social/Emotional Learning activity, while also having access to a variety of optional engagement activities. The communication below was shared by Carol Smith, and it contain additional information about optional engagement activities for students during remote learning Fridays.
From the D303 Department of Learning and Teaching:
During the time that District 303 students and staff members are engaging in remote learning,
we have designated Fridays to be Remote Learning Planning Days. On Fridays, teachers will
not provide lessons, but students may use these days to work on assignments or to engage in
optional learning experiences that the district has created.
The safety and health of our D303 community is a priority now more than ever. Our efforts to
support student growth and development include academics and social-emotional learning
(SEL) standards. Both are critical to a child’s success and during times of stress, recognizing
feelings and having strategies to deal with those feelings, are essential. Each week,
parents/guardians and students will be provided with information related to SEL and lessons
aligned with the five core competencies as part of your principal's weekly newsletter. This
week’s competency is:
• Self-awareness: The ability to accurately recognize one’s emotions and thoughts and
their influence on behavior. This includes accurately assessing one’s strengths and
limitations and possessing a well-grounded sense of confidence and optimism.
We encourage students to reflect on the construct of positive self-talk. We have included video
clips with text to assist with family conversation. The challenges and uncertainty that are
currently facing families and children have an impact on overall mental health and well being.
We are hopeful that the resources we shared will be supportive for parents/guardians and
children. If you have any questions about the information or need additional support for you or
child, please contact Patti Palagi, Director Instructional Interventions (patti.palagi@d303.org or
331-228-6457).
Please visit the website D303 Optional Remote Learning for Students to access this resource.
In addition to the weekly SEL activity, the website houses a variety of optional learning
experiences in the areas of math, digital citizenship, English Language Arts, college and career,
and STEM. We encourage you to ask your child to engage in the SEL lessons before exploring
the other choice options. Although these optional learning experiences were designed for use
on Fridays, students are welcome to engage in the learning experiences on the website at any
time.
Sincerely,
District 303
Learning and Teaching Department
Remote Learning Parent Survey
By the end of the weekend, I will share a survey with all parents, which will provide you an opportunity to share your remote learning story. The information gleaned through the survey will allow the Munhall staff to reflect on our planning, communication etc., while also providing us with insights into next steps our staff can take to support our young Mustangs and their families. Thank you for taking the time to fill out this survey. We are doing our best to gauge how much work we are providing, how much time it's taking, evaluate the social/emotional needs of our students and families, and identify what is best for families at this time. Please complete and submit this survey separately for each child who attends Munhall. Your feedback is incredibly helpful as we go through this journey together!
Intra-District Transfer Waivers
This message is a reminder to elementary school families that the Intra-District transfer window for the 2020-21 school year opened on April 7 at 8:00 a.m. For the 2020-21 school year ALL elementary students have been assigned to their attendance area school by the District. This includes elementary students currently attending a school on an intra-district transfer.
An Intra-District Transfer Request must be submitted online no sooner than 8:00 a.m. on April 7, 2020 and no later than 4:00 p.m. on April 20. To access the form directly, please click on the link entitled Intra-District Transfer Information.
If you are requesting a transfer for more than one child, a separate request must be submitted for each. Due to fluctuating class sizes at schools and each grade level, siblings are not guaranteed placement. If granted, transportation is the responsibility of the parents. If you have questions about the process, please call the District office at 331.228.2000.
I wish all of you a restful and healthy weekend! Take care of each other…
Jarrod Buxton, Principal