Spring Lake Park High School
August 19, 2020 Newsletter
See translation information below / Consulte la información de traducción a continuación.
A Message from Principal Boucher
SLPHS Families,
Welcome to the 2020-2021 school year. This will be a start to the school year unlike any I have ever experienced as an educator or student. I am confident we will provide high quality and safe learning opportunities for our students this school year while continuing to support student progress toward their post-secondary goals.
We have been working to finalize our plans to support students, families and staff in Modified Campus Schedule (hybrid) and Extended Flexible Learning (distance learning) models. Based on the selections families have made we are designing for 73% of our students in Modified Campus Schedule (hybrid) and 27% of our students in Extended Flexible Learning (distance learning) models. Our teachers are passionate and committed and will be working hard to engage our students in their learning whatever the model.
We are working to develop our course master schedule to accommodate as many student course requests as possible regardless of the learning model chosen. Just as we do every school year, we are doing a final assessment of requests and determining if changes need to be made. We are focused on providing students with the courses they requested, or alternate courses.
Modified Campus Schedule (hybrid) model
Students will learn at school two days a week and learn at home three days a week. Students will be grouped by team with 60 - 70 students per team/cohort for the two days of learning at school. Teams will further be segmented into learning groups for each subject area and at no time will a learning space exceed 50 percent capacity. Students will have the same teachers for their learning at school and learning at home days. To support flexibility in the time, place, and pace of learning, all courses will be built online in Schoology for 24/7 student access to course materials.
Learning at school (2 days a week)
- When students are learning at school, their assigned small team of teachers will work together to meet the academic needs of their students throughout the day. Four periods of the day will be dedicated to learning within the four core courses (English Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies). The small team of teachers will design the four periods of the day to meet each student’s needs and the plan for those periods will fluctuate based on the needs for the day.
- On learning at school days, teachers will capitalize on the face-to-face instruction opportunities and use socratic seminars, group work, small group instruction, one on one conferencing with students and other deep learning strategies to advance learning.
- In-person environments will provide time for students to maintain social connections with each other and their teachers as well as time to interact with the curriculum.
- Students will attend elective classes for two periods of their day. Students will stay in their team/cohorts for their electives whenever possible.
- Students will eat lunch with their cohort group either in their classrooms or in an area adjacent to their classroom.
- Students will carry a backpack with the supplies they need for the school day. Students will not be assigned a locker, or physical education locker (Students will not change for PhyEd. They may bring tennis shoes to change into in the gym space.)
- Student passing time will be limited to the area where their team’s/cohort’s four core classroom spaces are located and between their elective classes.
Learning at home (3 days a week)
Distance learning days will involve on-demand (asynchronous) learning experiences that include things like recorded lessons, reading, note taking on lecture and tutorials. The days will be designed to prep students for their learning at school days. For example, read the short story and develop three questions that you will ask in your Socratic seminar. Or, watch the video on how to solve [problem] and complete three problems and check your work. Come prepared for Tuesday’s class to share how you solved the problem.
Extended Flexible Learning (distance learning)
Students will be assigned to a distance learning team. The small team of teachers will work with students in the areas of math, science, social studies, and language arts.
- Daily synchronous learning experiences in core content areas in 1:1, small groups or whole class to personalize learning and maximize engagement
- Daily asynchronous learning experiences for electives with written and video or audio directions and teachers available for office hours
- Multiple collaborative learning opportunities per week that allow students to learn with and from one another
Considering the current circumstances and safety guidelines we will not be hosting our typical open house event before the start of the school year. However, we will be offering alternative ways to meet and greet new teachers and make connections before school begins. I will provide more details on our meet and greet plans/schedules next week.
Thank you as always for your continued partnership. We learned a lot together last spring, and that learning is informing how we move forward. I am certain we are positioned to create quality learning opportunities for our students as a learning community this year, with you as partners.
Together we build future!
Regards,
Matthew Boucher
SLPHS Principal
Make a Plan for Internet Access
Students at all grade levels will need consistent access to wireless internet service throughout the school year. This is the time to make sure your student has a plan for how to work online when they are not at school. There are low and no cost wireless access options available.
- Apply for Internet Essentials from Comcast. Families who quality pay $9.95 per month.
- Find a free hotspot near you from Xfinity
- Consider public spaces that are following appropriate health and safety guidance and open for internet use like public libraries.
If you need assistance with an internet solution, the district can help. Contact Tech Support: Email: techsupport@district16.org or call 763-600-5555.
iPads: Is Your Tech Ready for a New School Year?
A student’s school-issued iPad is a critical tool for supporting learning this school year. The technology team has a few to-do’s for families before we kick off the year.
- Make sure your iPad is working well and not damaged. Contact the technology team if your iPad needs to be repaired. Email: techsupport@district16.org.
- Pay your iPad Protection Plan fee (for students in grade K-12). The cost of the protection plan is $10 per student. You can pay this fee online using your credit card in Campus Parent Portal. Find more information about the iPad Protection Plan online.
New to the district? New families, please contact techsupport@district16.org to request a school-issued iPad, case and charger for your new student. Kindergarteners will have a separate process for getting their school iPads.
For any student leaving the district, please drop off iPad, case and charger to the District Services Center, 1415 81st Ave NE Spring Lake Park, MN 55432, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. (Note, the office closed from 1-2 p.m.).
View School Supply Lists
Apply now for Free or Reduced-Priced Meal Benefits for the 2020-2021 School Year
Many families are pleasantly surprised to learn they qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
- The deadline to apply for free and reduced-price meals is Monday, October 26, 2020.
- Families who received free and reduced-price meals during the 2019-2020 school year must reapply by Monday, October 26 to continue benefits for the 2020-2021 school year.
- If you do not reapply by Monday, October 26, your students will no longer receive free or reduced-price meals and meals will be charged at full price.
Need Care for Your School Age Child?
Spring Lake Park Schools is working to provide care options for your school age child to help with the challenges of modified school (and work) schedules.
- Before & After School on “Learning at School Days” - When your child attends in-person school, we will have Before & After School Care options for you. Current customers will need to adjust their fall 2020 days to match the days of the week they will be at school. Current customers will be able to cancel their fall 2020 contract for full refund up to Wednesday, August 26. New families needing this care can register now and will be accepted as space allows.
- Child Care on “Learning at Home Days” (the three days a week your child is not learning at school).
- Childcare for Tier 1 essential workers will be available per Executive Order 20-82 at no cost during the school day for school-age children up to age 12 when the district is operating in a Modified Campus Schedule (hybrid) or Extended Flexible Learning (distance learning).
- For other families who require Child Care on “learning at home” days, we have a fee-based child care option as space and staffing allow and will prioritize families who signed up last spring for this fall.
- Early drop off and late pick up options will be available for Child Care on Learning at Home Days.
We are expecting spots to fill quickly, Tier 1 will be prioritized through august 21 and as space is available throughout the year. Find more information, including answers to frequently asked questions, and register on the Child Care website.
Watch for Bus Route Information the End of August
Families who indicated they needed district transportation for this fall will receive bus route information at the end of August. Routes will be posted in Campus on August 31 and a postcard will be mailed out that same day. For general information and bus routing, contact Spring Lake Park Schools transportation services at 763-600-5590 or visit the Transportation page.
This is a great time for parents and students to download the MyStop app. The app provides access to live bus GPS information so you can track the location of the bus.
Your School Newsletter Has a New Look for a New Year
You may have noticed school newsletters look a little different this year. In this new format, the entirety of the weekly newsletter will show up in your email, so you'll no longer have to click into the school website to find all of the newsletter content. Same important school information, easier - and we hope more user friendly - process!
School newsletters will continue to be emailed to families on most Wednesday evenings throughout the school year and will be achieved each week on the school's newsletter page.
Newsletter translation feature - Want to translate the newsletter information into another language? Simply click on the newsletter in your email to open it in a web browser and at the top of the page, select your language from the dropdown menu.
Trimester 1 SLPHS Student Parking Permits
SLPHS students will not need to pay for parking permits during Trimester 1 modified campus schedules (hybrid) or extended flexible (distance) learning. However, for safety and security reasons students are still expected to register their vehicle and pick up a parking permit/window sticker in the main office. Tri 1 sticker will be defined in yellow. We will revisit parking permit sales and procedures for Trimesters 2 and 3 in October/November.
Activities and Athletics Update
All activities and interested based clubs are currently being reviewed to determine if they meet Minnesota Department of Health guidelines. More details to come.
The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) has decided to move ahead with the following fall sports as planned. The fall season began August 17 for:
- Boys and Girls Cross Country
- Girls Tennis
- Girls Swimming and Diving
- Boys and Girls Soccer
Volleyball and Football have been postponed until spring 2021. The MSHSL Board of Directors has approved the creation of optional Fall Training Seasons for volleyball, football and MSHSL
sanctioned spring sports.
Volleyball and Football Fall Training Seasons:
- Start Date - September 14, 2020
- End Date - October 3, 2020
- Maximum Number of daily sessions per sport - 12
Spring Sport Fall Training Seasons:
- Start Date - October 5, 2020
- End Date - October 24, 2020
- Maximum Number of daily sessions per sport - 12
Practice Plans are being developed and registration will open at a later date. Questions? Contact the Athletics and Activities Department at 763-600-5580.
- Thursday, September 10, 2020 - First day of school for Distance Learners and Group A Hybrid students
- Friday, September 11, 2020 - First day of school for Group B Hybrid students
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