Principal's Weekly Update
Volume 2 Issue 36: April 25, 2021
Message from Mrs. Aulmer
Progress reports went home last Thursday and all assignments that are missing on the progress reports are due this Friday. Please communicate any needs and concerns with your grade level teacher(s). We are aware that we had some Schoology connectivity issues towards the end of last week and we are hopeful that all issues have been resolved. Please know that we don't have control over Schoology or a way to repair these issues. We have to wait for Schoology to determine the cause and fix it. We will continue to monitor the connectivity issues this week. If you have any concerns about completing assignments, please reach out to your teacher(s).
The week of May 3rd - 7th our Kindergarten, first, second, and third grade scholars will take their last MAP tests of the school year. All teachers will communicate dates and necessary information to students and families. These tests will let us know how much your scholar has grown this school year and will help guide us when planning instruction for August. Please remind your scholar to do the best they can and to not worry if they come across a question they don't know the answer to. The way the MAP test is set up is if a scholar gets an answer right then the next question will be a harder question. Sometimes our scholars take the test and end up getting questions from higher grade levels that they haven't received instruction on yet. This is normal and okay. Please remember, if you are home with your scholar, do not help them on this test.
Attendance for students who have chosen in-person instruction: students are expected to be present and on campus daily. If a student has chosen in-person instruction and does not show up to campus then they will be marked absent unless they are on a required quarantine. If it is a required quarantine that was not initiated by the school, then parents must show documentation of the required quarantine. If an in-person student stays home and joins the teacher's ZOOM, the student will be let into the ZOOM, but will still be marked absent.
For the families who have reached out to see if there is anything they can help us with during this transition, we do have a few items on the list. If you can help with any of the below items for our classrooms it would be greatly appreciated:
- Lysol Spray
- Disinfecting wipes
- Hand sanitizer
Items can be dropped off in the main office. You can specify a teacher you would like to receive the donated items or you can add them to our supply closet for those who need them first. Thanks for your help!
Our school calendar for next year has been approved. Please be mindful of the date that school starts. We must have all students present on the first day of school and the last ten (10) days of school. Also, we do not approve extended travel opportunities. Legally we are required to have school for a certain number of days and hours and your scholar must attend no less than 90% of those days or retention in the grade level could occur. Thank you for your assistance.
Have you had a great experience at QCSS? Is there anything we are doing that you feel is great? If so, and you would like to share, you could write a review on our Google profile? https://g.page/QueenCitySTEMSchool/review?gm
Thank you for your continued partnership with QCSS as we work to make this a successful year for all of our scholars! I hope everyone continues to stay safe and healthy.
Lion in the Spotlight
This week we are highlighting Ms. Leoni (First Grade Teacher Assistant), Ms. Rosenfield (Third Grade Teacher Assistant), and Ms. Decker (EL Teacher/Coordinator).
Do you need help paying your heating bill?
Emergency Rent Assistance Program
If you're experiencing a financial hardship with paying your rent due to COVID-19 (Coronavirus Pandemic) the Emergency Rent Assistance Program for the City of Charlotte (ERAP-CLT) may be able to assist you. ERAP-CLT is a partnership between the City of Charlotte and The Housing Partnership.
ERAP-CLT may be available to individuals and families who are experiencing a delay in making their rental payments due to COVID-19. Please note that due to limited funding, applications will be approved, and assistance will be provided on a first come, first served basis.
For eligibility requirements and to complete the online application, please visit www.rampclt.com If you have any questions, please email erapclt@cmhp.org or call 980-406-7509.
Accreditation
Please see the Readiness Report for Accreditation below. We will keep everyone updated as we progress through this process.
In December of 2020, a survey was sent out to families asking for them to respond to some questions about the Climate and Culture at QCSS. We had 100 families at the elementary school respond to the survey. The staff looked over the responses and created the presentation below. Please take a few minutes to look over what our families responses were. The team at QCSS will continue to revisit this data to improve our processes at QCSS.
School Counseling Schoology Groups
Our Guidance Counselor, Ms. Bagley, has created Schoology groups for our students to help students receive resources during virtual learning. The groups include Social and Emotional Learning activities, character education lessons, and much more!
If your scholar is interested in joining the groups, please have them use the access codes below to join.
The group access codes:
K-2 School Counseling Group: 3K54-K6KH-X746P
3-5 School Counseling Group: NQGT-WNHG-NVVX7
Shout Out a Staff Member
If you have a teacher or staff member that you would like to "Shout Out" or "Brag" on, please go to the the link below and give them a shout out. The little words do go a long way! Thanks.
What's Happening at QCSS?
-Friday, April 30th: Last day to turn in missing assignments from the first half of the marking period
May 3rd- 7th: TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK!
-Monday, May 3rd: K/1st/2nd/3rd MAP ELA
-Tuesday, May 4th: K-2 ELA MAP Test
3rd grade math MAP Test
-Wednesday, May 5th: K-2 Math MAP Test
3rd Grade Science MAP Test
-Thursday, May 6th: K-2 Math MAP Test
3rd Grade Reading Fluency MAP Test
Board Meeting at 6:30 pm
-Friday, May 7th: K-2 Reading Fluency MAP Test
-Thursday, May 13th: NO SCHOOL; Teacher Workday
-Tuesday, May 18th: EOG's Reading (3rd-5th Grade)
-Wednesday, May 19th: EOG's Math (3rd-5th Grade)
-Thursday, May 20th: Science EOG (5th Grade)
-Monday, May 24th - Friday, May 28th: Chromebooks returned to the building (scheduled times will be shared soon)
-Monday, May 24th: Kindergarten Graduation
9 am - 11 am Ms. Geiger's and Ms. Ryan's classes
11:30 am - 1:30 pm Ms. Hall's and Ms. Pickett's classes
-Friday, May 28th: Last Day of School (1/2 day for students) Dismissal at 12 pm (noon)
Remote Instruction Schedules
Please follow the schedule below for your scholar's grade level. Students' daily schedules will be from 9 am until 2 pm. There will be a time for students to complete assignments for their specials areas teachers, a lunch break, and time for homework/physical activity/ and or one-on-one time with their teacher(s).
FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions)
1) What are the phone numbers for the campuses?
Elementary Campus: 980-299-6633
Secondary Campus: 980-321-7744
2) Who do I contact if I need my Powerschool login information and/or to update my contact information?
Ms. Williams – jwilliams@queencitystem.org
3) Who do I contact if I need my student google login information?
Mr. Bushman, IT Coordinator- sbushman@queencitystem.org
4) I need a chromebook, who do I contact?
Mr. Bushman, IT Coordinator- sbushman@queencitystem.org
5) My chromebook isn’t working/battery is low, what do I do?
Mr. Bushman, IT Coordinator- sbushman@queencitystem.org
6) I’d like to talk with a school counselor. Who can I reach out to?
Ms. Bagley: kbagley@queencitystem.org
7) Are there any resources for parents to help with remote learning?
https://sites.google.com/dpi.nc.gov/remote-learning-resources/home/parent-resources?authuser=0
8) My scholar has an IEP who can I speak with?
Ms. Robinson: hrobinson@queencitystem.org
9) My scholar has a 504, who can I speak with?
Ms. Bagley: kbagley@queencitystem.org
10) Can we use a tablet for virtual instruction?
As long as you are able to access ZOOM, Schoology, and any other platform the teacher will be using.
11) Will speech therapy or occupational therapy be remote as well?
Yes, the service provider for speech and OT will be reaching out to families soon. If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Robinson.
12) Will tutoring be offered?
Yes, please reach out to your scholar(s) teacher(s) to discuss options
13) How does my scholar access Schoology?
You must use the following website: queencitystem.schoology.com
-If you received a chromebook from the school, your scholar will be logged in when they enter the website above.
-If you are using a personal device, then you will need to make sure you are logged in with your QCSS Google information.
-Codes are not needed to access classes in Schoology. All class schedules are pulled from PowerSchool.
Video to show you how to login.
14) When I log in to Powerschool I see my student's grades from last year, how do I see this year's grades?
If you are using the app you may need to log out completely and sign back in to refresh the data.
15) My scholar attends the secondary campus who is the principal?
Mr. Alkan is the principal for the secondary school. You can reach him at malkan@queencitystem.org
16) My elementary scholar has four (4) special area classes assigned to them. How do I know what class to tell them to attend daily?
This is up to you and your child. The scholar must complete one (1) assignment per class each week. We suggest that you make a schedule together and stick to that schedule. An example is: Monday- music, Tuesday- Art, Wednesday- PE, Thursday- STEM Class.
Remember that your first point of contact should be your scholar's teacher(s). If you have questions about navigating platforms, assignments, or grades, please reach out to the teacher via email. Also, please utilize the school's website for distance learning information. queencitystem.org
Board Meetings
-Thursday, May 6, 2021 6:30 PM 8:30 PM
-Thursday, June 3, 2021 6:30 PM 8:30 PM
Box Tops for Education
THE NEXT GENERATION OF BOX TOPS IS HERE.
Box Tops is changing to fit today's families. The new and improved Box Tops mobile app uses state-of-the-art technology to scan your store receipt, find participating products and instantly add Box Tops to your school's earnings online.
Please download the Box Tops for Education App from your App store, sign up, connect with QCSS and begin earning money for the school.
About Us
Email: info@queencitystem.org
Website: www.queencitystem.org
Location: 8701 Mallard Creek Road, Charlotte, NC, USA
Phone: (980)299-6633
Facebook: facebook.com/queencitystemschool
Twitter: @twitter_QueenCitySTEM