Newsletter
March 24, 2020
A Message from the Superintendent
I would like to express my gratitude for our APA family who have supported students and parents during this global pandemic. We are living in a time on unprecedented restrictions. The health, safety, and welfare of our students remains our primary concern. With these circumstances to consider, I will continue to communicate and provide information as it becomes available.
Be safe and healthy, may God bless us!
Gratefully,
Dr. Pat Williams
Superintendent
COVID-19 and School Closure Update
We are taking every step to ensure that our students are healthy and safe. Our faculty and staff members are continuously gathering resources and developing plans to keep students on track with their education during school closure.
Please check our website and Facebook page for updates.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced health guidelines regarding COVID-19 (coronavirus). We hope that all individuals follow these precautions for the health and safety of yourself and others:
Cover Coughs and Sneezes
- The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person.
- Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet).
- Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
- These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.
- Stay home if you are sick to protect others
Clean Your Hands Often
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
- If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
Avoid Close Contact
- Stay home if you are able to
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick
- Put distance between yourself and other people if COVID-19 is spreading in your community. This is especially important for people who are at higher risk of getting very sick.
Learning from Home
Online Learning Resources
Google Classroom for all grade levels. All teachers at Ambassadors Preparatory Academy will be using Google Classroom to post lessons and assign homework. Every student has their own email and login created by the school. Contact your child's teacher for assistance.
For APA teacher contacts click here
ABC Mouse is a comprehensive digital early learning resource for students in preschool through 2nd grade. ABCmouse offers a research-validated curriculum with more than 10,000 individual Learning Activities and more than 850 complete lessons along our Step-by-Step Learning Path. ABCmouse includes a significant amount of Spanish language content.
Adventure Academy is a massively multiplayer online game (MMO) for students in 3rd through 8th grade. Adventure Academy brings learning to life as it builds critical knowledge of essential curriculum topics with thousands of learning activities in language arts, math, science, and social studies in a safe and engaging virtual world.
ReadingIQ is an advanced digital library and literacy platform for children through 6th grade that provides access to thousands of high-quality books, all curated by experts to advance literacy. ReadingIQ includes many books in Spanish, and an offline mode that does not require continuous Internet connectivity.
Daily Schedules for Learning From Home
Click the links below to view the recommended daily schedules:
Kindergarten-2nd Grade Daily Schedule
Tips for Parents: Teaching at Home
- Set up a work station: Students should have a space where they do school work, whether it's a desk or the kitchen table set up with all of their supplies, this will help them get into a routine and school mindset.
- Have a flexible schedule: Students are adjusting to learning from home, so they may take time to adjust to their new schedules. If they want to go outside, go outside and turn that into a science lesson, or bake together and turn measurements into a math lesson.
- Be patient: Teaching child(ren) from home can be stressful, so don't be afraid to take a break when you need one. We all will need time to adapt to this new normal.
- Tips from the CDC to help children continue learning and stay healthy.
Helpful Community Resources
Xfinity Hotspot - free internet access from almost anywhere look for an "xfinitywifi" network and join without an xfinity account.
Compudopt - offers free computers for low-income students (limited availability).
Cancellation of STAAR Testing
• The recommendation of the student's teacher,
• The student's grade in each subject or course, and
• Any other necessary academic information, as determined by the district.
Vocabulary Relating to the COVID-19 Pandemic
CDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Epidemiology - The study of disease and health conditions.
Telework - A work arrangement in which employees do not commute or travel to an office building.
Social distancing - Remaining out of congregate settings, avoiding mass gatherings and maintaining distance, (approx. 6 feet).
Non-essential - Not extremely important or necessary.
Self-quarantine - The restriction of movement of the population except for the necessary work.
Perspective - A particular attitude or way of regarding something; point of view.
Pandemic - An illness that is nation-wide.
Transmission - Something or the state of being transmitted.
Mitigation - The action of reducing the severity, seriousness or painfulness of something.
Continuity - The state of stability and the absence of disruption.
Presumptive - Presumed in the absence of further information.
Algorithm - A set of rules to be followed in calculators or other problem-solving operations.
Epidemic - An illness that is local.
Epidemiologist - A person who studies in the branch of medicine which deals with the control of diseases.
Essential - Absolutely necessary.
Acute - Abrupt, onset, rapidly progressive, in need of urgent care.
Xenophobia - Fear or hatred for something, dislike of prejudice against people from other countries.
Virtual Learning - Using laptops, internet hot spots, QR codes.
Threshold - The level or point at which something starts to happen.
Attestation - Evidence or proof of something.
Stafford Act - Provides the legal authority for the federal government to provide assistance to states during major disasters and emergencies.
Clinical Trials - Trial to evaluate medicine to test effectiveness. Investigational vaccine designed to protect against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Testing on patients.
Antiviral Vaccine/Drug - A class of medication used specifically for treating viral infections rather than bacterial ones.
Shelter in Place - Recommended to remain at home, only leaving for emergencies and grocery.
New Normal - What was previously abnormal or unusual is now the new state of normalcy.
Defense Production Act of 1950 - Authorizes the President to require businesses to sign contracts or fulfill orders deemed necessary for national defense.
Texas Disaster Act - State authority to close businesses and venues, cancel social gatherings, and provide emergency assistance.
Contact Us
For information regarding student learning during school closure, please contact you child's teacher.
Email: pawilliams@apagalv.org
Website: apagalv.org
Location: 5001 Avenue U, Galveston, TX, USA
Phone: 409-877-3111
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ambassadorspreparatoryacademy/