Fammatre Newsletter
April 1, 2020
Principal Message
From District Newseltter
Dear Fammatre Families,
Last week my message to you centered on some of the immediate, tactical steps we are taking to ensure quality distance learning for all of our students. Please know that we continue to actively work on meeting each of the below goals.
- Maintain and strengthen connections with all students.
- Ensure every student has access to distance learning.
- Provide professional development and support to our teachers and staff.
- To the extent possible, provide academic continuity that honors commitment to high-quality learning for all students.
This week my message is more reflective in nature. I take great solace in being a part of the Fammatre family. One of our greatest strengths is that we lean in and support each other when faced with challenges. It is important for us to pause and acknowledge that we are all enduring a collective global trauma together. We are in this together, yet we each experience a sense of pain or loss filtered through our own individual circumstances, feelings, and timelines. This is hard for everyone. I want to express my deep appreciation to all of you for the patience and grace you are granting our staff as we push through the current challenges to build the best possible remote learning community for our students.
On Monday I had the privilege to visit Mr. Wolff's 4th-grade class over a Google Hangout Meet. As I logged in and the faces of the 20 students came into focus, I felt a tremendous wave of loss. Seeing and hearing students in real-time, I was struck by how much I truly miss being at school and seeing everyone in person. It gave me perspective on how our students, families, and teachers must be feeling.
By the end of the video conference, my feelings shifted to an undeniable sense of hope. The time with the class was an affirmation of why I love working with children and teachers and serving in education. The students talked about their experiences with sheltering in place, distance learning, and new favorite family activities. They listened respectfully and compassionately to each other. The humanity, kindness, and resilience in their stories provided a beacon of light. A strong sense of classroom and school community can and is transcending from physical to virtual classrooms. The determination to keep learning and stay connected was palpable. I see this over and over again as I “drop-in” to Google and Seesaw classrooms throughout Fammatre’s virtual school.
I’m so proud of the work that we are doing together to make the very best of such trying times. Although we pause our distance teaching and learning for Spring Break from April 6-10th, know that your children are in our hearts and thoughts throughout the week. I look forward to continued, positive momentum in our shared distance learning experience when we return on April 13th.
Warmly,
Jackie Smith
Principal
Welcome to our newest Fammatre Falcon!
Questions, Feedback, Ideas about Distance Learning
I will look for common themes and try to address them in future communications.
Technology: Stay Safe, Responsible, Respectful, and Caring Online
Did you know? Live, interactive video meetings are a wonderful way for students and teachers to stay connected, but they also present new considerations around privacy and behavior expectations. In the coming weeks, your child will have opportunities to participate with their class on a Google Hangouts Meet (G Suite for Education’s video conferencing tool). Please read through Cambrian's Notice of Live Video Class Sessions for At-Home Learning and Guidelines for Students When Using Video Classrooms.
CSD Guidelines for Distance Learning at Home for Students and Parents provides resources to help parents support your child's learning from home.
Excellent Common Sense Media Resource for Families: Wide Open School.
Need help with a technology issue related to using Cambrian's digital tools? Please fill out this help request form and a member of the Cambrian staff will get back to you.
SNAPSHOTS OF FABULOUS FALCON WORK
Kindness Quilt
Although none of us probably want or need another link, I thought this one was worth sharing. One of my favorite activities right now is walking around my neighborhood and looking for the messages and signs of hope and resilience families are sharing. I love seeing the hearts and pictures in windows and words of encouragement spelled out in chalk or painted stones.
It gave me an idea - let's create a digital kindness quilt that highlights some of the ways Fammatre families are helping each other find moments of joy and hope.
Please share a link here: https://forms.gle/o61FEpzyGBbwvc7E8 to a document, image, video, song, artwork, poem or other creative artifacts you and your children have created to help spread positivity.
11th Annual Fammatre Starlight Auction - Message from Fammatre's HSC President
As part of our auction this year we decided that in addition to our date night we would also have it online. Well fast forward and we are now sheltered in place. This is so unreal. So now as a Board we are faced with a tough decision. Do we go forward with our online portion?
We are very sensitive to the struggles that families are having right now. We are also very sympathetic to the hardships that businesses are having. With an already dire fiscal situation in education, we expect there will be even bigger than anticipated budgetary challenges for Fammatre next year. So after much thought and consideration, we are going to move forward with the online auction since it was all set and ready to go.
We hope to bring our Fammatre community together as now anyone who wants to can participate. You can do it as a family. The money raised will not be earmarked for anything in particular at this time. This money will be used where it’s deemed most needed next year. We are also going to donate a portion of the money raised to Second Harvest Food Bank, so Fammatre continues to support those in need.
We hope that you are able to join us 4/13 to 4/18 but please understand there is no obligation it’s purely voluntary.
A link will be available next week so you can preview the auction items. Several classes had the opportunity to complete their class projects prior to the shelter in place. The projects are truly amazing!!
Sincerely,
Denise Fulton
Fammatre HSC President
Fammatre 2020-21 Enrollment Check
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Resources
Translations Services: Please visit this webpage for Resources for translating Cambrian emails and Cambrian webpages.
Cambrian School District COVID-19 (Coronavirus) webpage: https://www.cambriansd.org/Page/3515
Free breakfast and lunch daily Monday through Friday from 11- 1 PM. A drive-up food pickup service is available at Price Middle School, 2650 New Jersey Avenue, San Jose, CA 95124.
Reaching Out Food Center, 2315 Canoas Garden Avenue, San Jose, CA 95124, (408) 267-4691.
- SCCGov Covid-19
Santa Clara County Public Health Website http://sccphd.org/coronavirus
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Coronavirus COVID-19 Information www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV
Fammatre Elementary School
Website: www.cambriansd.org/Page/11
Location: 2800 New Jersey Avenue, San Jose, CA, USA