Woodstock Schools Update
March 28, 2020
Hang in There Everyone
Dear Families and Friends,
Beginning Wednesday, April 1, 2020, Woodstock Public Schools will transition to e-learning. As previously mentioned, there will not be “live” classes for students to attend. All lessons and assignments will be posted and accessible at any time. We understand that many families will share technology, and we want this transition to be as user-friendly as possible. Students with IEPs and additional services will be contacted by their case managers to work out details if any live sessions need to occur.
Both Woodstock Middle School and Woodstock Elementary School will use Microsoft TEAMs as the platform for posting lessons, assignments, scheduling meetings, and communication. Recently students in grades 3-8 have been given access to this component of our Microsoft Office 365 programs. Accounts were created for students in grades K-2, which are necessary to log into Microsoft Office 365. All students will receive their log-in credentials and passwords next week from the school offices. We plan to provide families with tutorials on the use of Microsoft TEAMs, as this is a learning experience for all of us.
With our Microsoft Office subscription, please keep in mind only users within the Woodstock Schools organization will have the ability to interact with students. We are limiting access to many functions of the program to only what is necessary for productive e-learning. We ask that parents log in frequently with their students and use this method and email only to contact teachers.
It is important to note that students (or parents in the case of younger elementary students) will be expected to log in to TEAMs each day for a daily list of assignments. Links to any websites for student work will be provided in TEAMs. Work should not exceed more than two hours each day. Grading will also shift to a pass/fail model for the duration of the school year.
Microsoft TEAMs does face severe strain at the moment as millions of people around the world begin a stint of logging in remotely after the coronavirus outbreak. We may experience slowdowns and other disruptions while Microsoft upgrades its infrastructure to handle the tremendous load on their sytems.
Teachers are available by email from 9:00 A.M. - 3:00 P.M. each school day. Replies to any email should be received within one business day. We have asked all staff to turn off electronics by 6:00 PM each evening. In addition, teachers will offer specific office hours where they are available to “talk” to students and parents online through TEAMs. This is when students and parents are able to ask questions of teachers and get help on work.
Next week, look for further correspondence from both Woodstock Elementary School and Woodstock Middle School with more specific information. We appreciate your patience during this time as we all make the best of an unprecedented situation.
Stay Safe and Healthy,
Viktor Toth, Superintendent
Kristen Elliott, WMS Principal
Joyce Gresh, WMS Assistant Principal/SRBI Coordinator
Jenna Demers, WES Principal
Kim Wilson, Director of Student Services
20-21 Budget
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfKEebX1fT3bBZx4KIqUKqk2qFqQnAi7POapjsHv8000EDWyQ/viewform
This is just another way for us to provide you with necessary information, as public meetings have been curtailed due to our current reality.
The Woodstock community is very fortunate to have such a high level of collaboration between the Boards of Selectmen, Finance and Education. Your elected leaders and officials are in constant contact, working to do what is best for the citizens of Woodstock. It is an honor to be able to work each of the boards as they continue to plan for a brighter future for our town.
V. Toth