School Closure Updates
We are Bulldog Strong!
Purpose of this Page
We know that this is a trying time for all.
The purpose of this page is as follows:
- Address your specific Brevard Academy questions.
- Provide you with educational resources for your children.
- Provide you with resources in order to help navigate this unique situation.
Our community is stronger together. Go Bulldogs!
Update on April 29, 2020
Dear Bulldog Families,
As you know, last Friday, Governor Cooper announced that schools would not reopen for in-person learning this year. This has prompted many questions from families. Below is a list of the most common questions and answers.
How will my child be graded?
Brevard Academy will issue grades in accordance with the NC State Policy on grading. A full copy of the policy can be found here.
- Grades K-5
- Students will not receive a final grade.
- Grades 6-8
- Students will receive a final course grade of PC19 (Pass) or WC19 (Withdraw).
- Middle School Students Enrolled in Spanish 1 or Math 1
- Parents will be contacted directly about options of claiming credit in these courses.
- All students
- Parents will receive year-end written feedback for students/families based on their child’s learning this school year.
- Virtual 30-minute Parent-Teacher Conferences will be offered the week of May 18-May 22. We will offer sign up times next week.
- All students will be provided Summer Enrichment Activities and specific learning goals to work on over the summer to prepare for learning in the Fall.
Will my student be promoted to the next grade level?
Students will be promoted to the next grade level unless you have already been personally contacted by me about grade placement for next year.
Will there be any Summer School offerings?
We are still awaiting funding decisions from the NC State Legislature regarding funding for summer school. However, we will have learning activities posted regularly to our Facebook page and paper packets at the school for pick-up beginning on May 26. These activities will be available throughout the summer.
When can we pick up student materials? When will we return Chromebooks?
Student materials, end of year report cards, etc. will be distributed to students May 26-May 29. Chromebooks will be collected during this time as well. We will have further details regarding the pickup procedure as we get closer to this date.
We will still have Field Day, an Awards Day, and graduation ceremonies?
We have designated May 18-22 as Celebration Week. During this week, we will post whole school and class award ceremonies and graduations to various platforms in order to celebrate our students. More specific information will be available in the forthcoming weeks.
Our culture is all about celebrating students and their successes. We have begun celebrating our 8th-grade graduates and will continue to recognize their accomplishments during the month of May. Help us celebrate our 8th-grade Gold Standard by liking our Facebook Page and giving our students a shout out.
Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week. Our teachers are true heroes. They have worked tirelessly since March 13 to create vibrant and sustainable ways to keep learning going and keep your children connected to the school and community. Please join me in celebrating all their hard work.
Since social distancing is still an active part of everyday life, below you will find daily suggestions on ways to celebrate social distancing while letting your teacher know how much you appreciate them.
MONDAY MAY 4TH:
- Share your favorite photos with Teachers and Staff on your school’s social media (and your own!) and don't forget to use #ThankATeacher and #ILoveBA
- Today’s Special Message: Use this My Favorite Thing About My Teacher template to share what you love about your teacher. Click here for a digital version you can edit in Google Slides.
TUESDAY MAY 5TH:
- Record a video message or write a letter to your teacher! You can email it directly to them, upload to your digital classroom, or share a photo on your school’s social media.
- Today’s Special Message: Use this You Taught Me template to share something special that you learned from your teacher. Click here for a digital version you can edit in Google Slides.
WEDNESDAY MAY 6TH:
- Dress up like your favorite teacher or staff member! Share a photo on your school’s social media.
- Today’s Special Message: Use this Making You Proud template to share a special moment when you knew you made your teacher proud. Click here for a digital version you can edit in Google Slides.
THURSDAY MAY 7TH:
- Give your teacher something special! Students can draw a picture, write a poem, sing a song — the sky is the limit! Share a photo or video on your school’s social media or email it to ebrewton@brevardacademy.school
- Today’s Special Message: Use this Favorite Memory template to share your favorite memory from your class this year. Click here for a digital version you can edit in Google Slides.
FRIDAY MAY 8TH:
- Decorate your neighborhood for the teachers and staff so they can feel the love as they visit the school. Use sidewalk chalk to leave messages on driveways and sidewalks, create fun signs and put them in your yard for when they drive by — anything is possible! Share a photo or video on your school’s social media.
- Today’s Special Message: Use this What I’ll Miss template to share what you will miss most about your teacher. Click here for a digital version you can edit in Google Slides
Please email submissions directly to your teacher or if you would like your message to be put on our social media platform, email to ebrewton@brevardacademy.school.
If you have specific classroom-related questions, please reach out to your child’s teacher. If you have school-related questions, please either email baclosed@brevardacademy.school or drop in on one of parent Zoom Q&A sessions. Times and call-in information is listed in the BA Smore as well as posted on social media.
Have a great rest of your day and...Go Bulldogs!
Best,
Ted Duncan
School Director
Comporium Internet Service
Frequently Asked Parent Questions
March 18, 2020
Will there be a 2nd opportunity to pick up Chromebooks?
We will offer a 2nd round of Chromebook pick up tomorrow between 9:00-3:00.
March 17, 2020
When will children be able to log into Chromebooks?
Teachers will email out log in information in the coming days. This is a new experience for our youngest students and we need to build login accounts for them. For now, there is nothing that your child has to be engaging in online.
March 16, 2020
Why are you waiting until March 30 to begin distance learning?
The situation is changing rapidly. We are taking this week to close the school, train our staff on distance learning, provide high-quality enrichment ideas to parents, and allow staff members to take care of their families and loved ones.
In the event of a closure lasting longer than two weeks, we want to have the best online program that we can possibly offer. This will take time to put together. In the interim, students can participate in the low-tech options below, use Compass Learning and Moby Max.
We thank everyone for their patience as we work through this situation together.
Can we pick up our children's personal items?
As of now, we are not requiring students to continue working on long-term projects. We are discussing virtual ways to support students on these projects.
At this time, we are restricting access to the building for employees and essential items only, food and medicine pick up.
If we are able to have personal items picked up in a safe manner later this week, we will do so.
How will 8th graders register at Brevard High School?
We are working with the High School to get clarity on this process and we will have that information out to you as soon as possible.
Are meals at BA free?
Yes.
Will this affect Spring Break?
This is a very fluid situation in terms of how the state is adjusting calendar law for public schools. Updates from the Governor's Office and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction are coming in several times a day.
As soon as we have official school calendar changes, I will alert you to the changes.
BA Bonus Learning Days
Dear Bulldog Families:
I want to thank the incredible efforts of staff in their work today; they were able to accomplish the following tasks:
Close out 3rd quarter grades
Sanitize their rooms and hallways
Prepare the school for closure
Create a roadmap for our BA BONUS learning days
Provide parents with free online and no-tech options
Begin learning how to convert in-class experiences to online learning
As we continue to work through this unprecedented time in history, please know that your child’s learning is still something we take extremely seriously.
Our staff is working to launch an online learning platform that will be available to all students.
In the meantime, we recognize the importance of keeping your children engaged in stimulating activities during their time away from the BA campus. Our staff and administration have created a rubric titled Bonus Learning Days aimed at providing families with a structured learning day for all children, grades K-8. It is full of online, low tech, and high tech activities geared at keeping young minds occupied in educational activities.
Packets are also available at school in our information tubes and at the Transylvania County Library if you do not have internet access.
Bonus Learning Days are intended to provide structure for parents and students while we are building our distance learning program. These are not required school days and there is no need to submit work to teachers at this point. Our staff is engaged in building distance learning courses for your children.
If your child is in Kindergarten-5th grade and needs a computer, the school will be open to check out Chromebooks from 12:00-6:00 pm, tomorrow, March 17, 2020.
We will also serve a grab and go lunch tomorrow from 11:00-12:30.
I will continue to update you each day at 4:30 with our progress. I invite you to visit our webpage and click on the Sunday Message link to stay up to date with the latest news from BA.
Take care of yourself and your loved ones.
In partnership,
Ted Duncan
Parent Resources--Keep your kids learning while school is closed
Distance Learning Begins March 30
We will be moving our instruction to Google Classroom on March 30. Prior to that time, parents can take advantage of the Bonus Learning Opportunities below.
Our staff members are still learning the ins and outs of Google Classroom, and we want you to be prepared as best as possible.
Below is a link to learn more about this online delivery platform.
Bonus Learning for K-2 Students
Kindergarten- Reading
In a book ask the child to identify certain letters. Say, “Find the lowercase g”. Then move onto another letter. Use upper and lower case letters. After the letter has been found, have the child give the sound for the letter.
Identify and count the number of specific letters in a sentence. Find the letter “t”. How many of these letters can you find on this page?
Find the word in the sentence that I call out. Tap it out with your fingers. Ask the child to use that word in a sentence.
Parents will write letters on a paper. The child traces over the letter with different color pencils, markers or crayons.
Air write. Put your arm in the air and write letters and words.
Write letters and words on the table with your finger.
On one set of index cards write the uppercase letters. On another set of index cards write the lowercase letters. Use these cards as flashcards for speed, for matching upper and lowercase letters, and for alphabetical order. Have the child put the upper case letters in alphabetical order. Another time, have the child put the lowercase letters in alphabetical order.
Place all upper or lowercase cards in alphabetical order. Have your child close their eyes. Take away a card. Have your child tell you what letter is missing.
Rhyme- Read a book that rhymes. Repeat and say the first rhyme word. See if the child can remember the second rhyme word. Repeat again, and see if the child can repeat both rhyme words. Ask the child if he/she can create a rhyme word that goes with the other two rhyme words.
Call out 3 words making sure that two of them rhyme. Ask your child to tell you the two words that rhyme. Then ask them which word didn’t rhyme.
Ask your child to give rhyme a word with the one you give them.
Ask your child to give you the beginning and ending sounds of words you call out.
Have your child read to you.
READ, READ, READ to your child so they can develop strong listening skills and new vocabulary.
Kindergarten- Math
Trace the numbers 1-20 in different colors.
Air write the numbers.
Write the numbers on the table with your finger.
On notecards, put the numbers 1-20. Have your child put the numbers in order.
Place the numbers in order. Have your child close their eyes and remove a number. Have your child tell you the missing number.
With the numbers in order, count backwards touching each number.
With the numbers in order, ask the child to touch a number. Do not go in order. If they cannot find the number they need to start with the number 1 and count-up.
With the numbers on the cards placed in order, ask your child questions such as: What number comes before? What number comes after? What number in between? When the numbers go to the right, do they get bigger or smaller? If I start with 20 and go to the left do the numbers get bigger or smaller.
Play games using the words forward, backward, up, down, after, before, more, less, right, left, whole and part. This is the language of math.
With the numbers in order, have your child find items inside the house that correspond to the numbers.(Your child should do this in order.) After your child has completed this task, take the numbers away, shuffle them, and have your child put the numbers to the corresponding items again.
Compare and sort objects
Create patterns, extend patterns, find patterns in nature
Explore all the different shapes and solids in your house and out in nature.
Using manipulatives, (any items you have in the house), start adding numbers.
Bonus Work:
1st Reading:
Partner read with your child. Take turns reading a sentence, a paragraph, or a page each. If your child gets stuck on a word, have them try to sound it out. If it takes more than 5 seconds read the word for them. After reading, ask them to recap what was read. Ask them to tell you about the characters and setting. Continue this for 20 minutes.
Have your child draw a scene from the story that was just read. Then they can write a sentence about the picture. The sentence should go along with the story.
Ask your child to find the nouns in sentences.
Discuss vocabulary words that may be new to your child. Create a sentence using the new vocabulary word. See if the child can use the new word in a sentence.
Ask your child a question/detail about the story. Have them point to the page and sentence with the answer.
Alphabetical Order- Write the alphabet on cards. Have your child put the in letters in alphabetical order.
Create stories in a journal.
Read, Read, Read to your child so they can develop strong listening skills and new vocabulary.
1st Math:
Play games using the language of math--forward, backward, up, down, after, before, more, less, whole, part, right, left, add, subtract and equal. Create stories using these words.
Play games that include problem solving.
Practice addition and subtraction computation skills with items in nature or around the house. Then practice the computational skills using only mental math.
Addition and Subtraction flash cards
Practice counting by tens.
Compare items.
Bonus Work:
2nd Reading
Your child should read 20 minutes each day. This can be silent reading, oral reading, or a combination of both. It is important to listen to your child read.
Read to your child from a book that interests them to strengthen their listening skills and vocabulary development. It is also important for your child to hear your expression as you read.
Keep your child writing. They can use a journal for this. They can create lists of things they need or want to do in a day. They could write a few sentences about a part of a story they have read. They could create an imaginary story, or create a story of a place they visited. They could write a song. The importance is to keep your child writing.
2nd Math
Continue to work on addition, subtraction and multiplication problems
Practice addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts
Make games using estimation and measurement
Practice mental math
Low-Tech and No-Tech Ideas to Keep Young Minds Occupied
Outdoor:
Cloud watching
Bird watching/listening
Observe a tree, plant, or one square foot of your yard every day and record/draw your observations*
Collect natural materials and make a fairy or troll house
Paint rocks or your sidewalk with water
Star gazing
Games: freeze tag, dodge ball, balloon tennis, frisbee, water gun tag
Build a teepee or fort from sticks and a sheet
Scavenger hunt (let kids make a list of what to find, then check off as you find them)*
Nature notebook (look at stars on other entries, things to add)
Plant a seed from something you’ve eaten, like an apple or watermelon
Draw with sidewalk chalk or a rock
Play hopscotch
Have a picnic
Teach your child games you played when you were young (ex: hot potato, kick the can, monkey in the middle, tag)
Indoor:
Build a blanket fort
Set a goal & complete a home project
Kitchen math (measuring, fractions, temperature, using a timer)
Make dough or oobleck
Card games, or make a house of cards
Build an invention with recyclables
Go an alphabet hunt: in one room or the whole house (find an object that starts with A, then B)
Make a sentence where all words start with the same letter (go down the alphabet)
Make a shadow play
Make a sock puppet
Read a short story and act it out, or rewrite the ending
Finger painting (paints, pudding, shaving cream)
Engineering with marshmallows and toothpicks or spaghetti, or pretzel sticks and then you can eat them!
Money math (sorting, making math equations, planning budget for grocery shopping)
Look through old photo albums and discuss family history
Play charades
Play “I Spy”
Make your own memory game out of family photos
Write a letter to someone (even yourself!) and mail it out
Plan and prepare a meal together (even if it’s sandwiches!)
Indoor basketball (using a rolled up sock)
Teach yourself to knit or sew
Create “Who Am I?” cards within a category (animals, plants, famous people, teachers at BA, professions) or “Where Am I?” cards (places in the community, solar system, famous cities)
Free Online Resources
Brevard Academy
Online Enrichment Opportunities
All Free!
Eighteen best podcasts for K-12 students
Sixteen free resources for schools who are closing due to Coronavirus
Twelve Museums You Can Visit Virtually
30 Great Educational Netflix Shows
Mystery Science School Closure Planning
Celebrities reading children's books aloud
Señor Mac's curated Spanish YouTube Videos
Yearbooks! Yearbooks! Get Your Yearbooks!!
Make sure you order your yearbook soon! March 31st marks the last day yearbooks are on sale at a discounted rate. We will order very few extras.
Please go to Jostens website to reserve your copy today!