Week of July 27-31
Acton Staff Weekly Updates
I can't wait to see you!
Dear Acton Tiger Staff Family,
I hope each one of you has had as relaxing and restful summer break as possible during these times we live in! I know several of you have been in to work and establish yourselves in your new room and things are looking good! I get so excited when bulletin boards start to go up! It brings excitement and the school alive again! I look forward to everyone being back as an Acton Elementary School FAMILY again very soon!
It’s about to get real and our school year will begin! What will it look like? We don’t know. Whether our students are learning online or in-person though, we ARE going to make it a great year for all of our families and for you! I'm excited to reconnect with you, learn with you, and get to know our new AC Staff family members.
While we are excited to start school again and be together, many of us are feeling anxious too due to Covid-19. We completely understand and we will need to rely on each other to make this the superb year our kids and colleagues deserve. As we think about some of the differences this year will force upon us, here are some thoughts I’ve pondered and I’m sure you have too. It has helped me to think about these and to keep my mind thinking positively:
We will be wearing masks. Even though this is new, we will still find ways to greet each other and every student in fun ways. I can just picture the winking, the waving, the dancing, and maybe even some dabbing? (Did I just say that?) Bottom line, our kindness and support WILL shine through the masks!
We will all be social distancing from each other. We may not be able to be side by side, but we WILL find innovative ways to collaborate, communicate, play, and learn from one another and with our students. We WILL still learn together and create that unique family-feel that Acton Elementary is known most for!
We will not have all of our students in the building to start the year. Some of us will have our learners at home. We need to remember that we are all AC Tigers and no matter who is online or who is in the building with us, they are ALL of our students. We are inclusive to everyone. #WEARETIGERS
We will be learning and teaching many new procedures at school for both ourselves and our students. We will need to implement our strategies for Conscious Discipline for ourselves, and for our kids. We will be understanding of mistakes by fellow staff members, administration, and our students. We will encourage each other and give everyone the time to learn. We will be better when we continue to support each other.
We will need to be adaptable as our plans may change at any moment. We do not know exactly what this year may bring. That concerns all of us. However, our district is committed to making decisions together and when student and staff safety issues arise.
This year’s changes seem like a lot. However, one of my favorite things about Acton is that we show kindness, empathy, understanding, and unity NO MATTER OUR ROLE. It’s truly amazing to see and for those of you that are new to us, it is our hope that you see this immediately if you haven’t already!
Your focus the first two weeks should be identifying the needs of your kids and the ways that we might support them. Academics will probably take a second seat to the social emotional well-being of your kids to start this school year, as well as the additional time to teach and learn new procedures and routines around the building…... IT’S OK and WE EXPECT that to happen! We are IN this TOGETHER! Stay positive, talk to us, share concerns, and brainstorm ideas.
Our theme this year is a FRIENDS theme, but the most important part is the line, "I'll be there for you." We need to be here for each other. We need to help each other. We need to support each other. We need to check in on each other. We need to be silly with each other. We need to build each other up. But, most importantly we need to find the positive with one another. It might be a challenging year, but TOGETHER we can find the good and focus on that!
Brook
Monday, July 27: NO STAFF REQUIRED, BUT YOU ARE WELCOME TO COME IN AND WORK IN YOUR ROOMS.
12:00-2:00 and 4:00-6:00pm--Building open for new families to walk through (classroom doors locked)
Tuesday, July 28: NO STAFF REQUIRED, BUT YOU ARE WELCOME TO COME IN AND WORK IN YOUR ROOMS.
10:00AM-12:00PM and 2:00-400PM--Building open for new families to walk through (classroom doors locked)
Wednesday, July 29: NO STAFF REQUIRED, BUT YOU ARE WELCOME TO COME IN AND WORK IN YOUR ROOMS.
11:00 IA's invited in for lunch and tour
12:30 Front Office Safety Team Training.
Thursday, July 30: CERTIFIED STAFF REQUIRED
8:15-12:00- Certified Staff Meeting in the Cafeteria
12:00- 12:30- Lunch on your own
1:00- 4:00- Staff Meeting Continues
(times are approximate and may need to change. )
Friday, July 31: CERTIFIED STAFF REQUIRED- work on your own or meet and plan with your team.
A few first week of school items I'm thinking about.
Below is a link to a transportation form I sent to all families requesting that they let us know how students will get to and from school. We've had a pretty good response from it, but we know there are many families who have not filled it out yet. Once class lists are posted and you begin reaching out to parents it will be very important that you find out how students are getting home each day. For the past two years we've not had any students unaccounted for on buses and I'd like to make this year lucky number 3 for us. The first day of school, IA's will be coming around to check with you on how EVERY students is to go home. If you don't know you will need to let us know early so we can contact the family. I will have the lists sorted for you before school starts so you can use this as a reference too.
Transportation spreadsheet
Also, since we can't have volunteers in the building our AM first day of school routine will look much different. Bus drivers and volunteers will not be able to put tags on backpacks like we've done in the past. Each teacher will have a bus list and the tags. We will need you (and we will try to help) to attach the colored tags onto backpacks to help identify which bus students are riding in the afternoon.
Instructional Assistants:
The first week of school, our Gen Ed and Title One staff will be supporting mostly K and 1 classrooms along with assisting with beginning of the year routines and lunch duties. We won't get into our normal duties and routines for about two weeks. Please be flexible.
Schedules:
Our first few days we will start our dismissal routines much earlier than normal. We have to train new staff members on their roles and teach students where and how we dismiss each day. This will take some time and will require everyone's patience and flexibility.
ONLINE LEARNING
I have had a couple people reach out to me about questions with online learning and I know you have had parents reaching out to ask questions of you as well. Here is what was released as part of the return to school plan:
FTCSC Online allows students who cannot attend school physically (due to medical conditions or parent choice) the opportunity to remain engaged in learning while progressing appropriately through the Indiana Academic Standards. This online option will allow students to receive instruction of essential skills and standards via a highly qualified teacher and/or a virtual learning platform. Daily attendance (via logging in online) is REQUIRED, all assignments will REQUIRE a submission, and students WILL RECEIVE grades for assignments and assessments. Course credit will be granted when applicable.
FTCSC Online requires a 9-week commitment for those parents opting in. Students who initially attend school physically but are excluded due to a positive COVID-19 test or onset of COVID-19 symptoms will continue to receive instruction through their classroom teacher.
Elementary (K-3): Students will receive instruction for language arts and math. Social studies and science will be exploratory. This instruction will consist of virtual and recorded lessons, daily assignments, checks for understanding, and assessments for each of the subjects through Google Classroom via an online instructor. If the student returns to school during this school year, the student will be placed with their assigned teacher at their homeschool. Related Arts will not be part of the online option.
Many people are understandably expecting our online learning to look similar to the eLearning we had in quarter 4, and it is not going to be much like it at all. It will be much more robust. This option will mirror the instruction occurring in classrooms in terms of content, pacing, and assessments. Some of the instruction will be live, some will be recorded lessons, assessments and checks for understanding will be included, and the instruction will occur in real time, meaning that students will need to log in at times during the regular school day (9 - 4). Students will be doing guided reading and will be using Everyday Math just like students in the classrooms. Grades will be part of the online learning.
Specifics beyond this, such as who will do the instruction, etc., will be determined once we know the demand across a building and the district.
I plan to send an IC letter to parents sharing this info with them. Please let me know if you are hearing questions that have not been addressed here so that I can also include that in the info to parents.
SETTING UP CLASSROOMS
Some people have asked about bringing in children or other people to help in setting up classrooms. At this time we are not allowing this. Our custodial team is willing and eager to help when they are available. Please try to remember that this is in the name of safety for all.
As you set up your classrooms with social distancing guidelines in mind, please be aware that this may result in less room in the classroom for furniture or some of the special places that are normally part of your classroom environment. As with so many things right now, we know this is not optimal nor the way we want to do it forever. I am choosing to believe that many of our current circumstances are temporary - a prolonged temporary, for sure - but temporary nonetheless. You do need to have a guided reading table, but I think you will be able to make that fit.
We are asking teachers to put away or remove plush stuffed animals, pillows and fabric furniture for this time being. Classroom furniture should be industrial material that can be easily cleaned.
We will do classroom supply orders once we return to school. Please see me if you need something prior to the start of school.
All classrooms will be equipped with the following cleaning/sanitizing supplies:
- a spray bottle of sanitizer for furniture and surfaces
- a squeeze bottle of hand sanitizer
- a large roll of paper towels
- plastic partitions for teachers to use in small group work, specifically the guided reading table
The building will have some touch-less hand sanitizers installed at various points around the building.
Thank you for all that you are doing and the questions you are asking. Your questioning helps us all be better by prompting various ways of thinking. I appreciate it.
Keeping our School Safe and Beautiful!
This year we will be working together to keep our school clean. This will take EVERYONE! Your initiative and willingness to wipe down items and pick up a spray bottle go a long way. We will do anything to keep our school a safe place to learn!
Our custodians will clean the high-contact areas each day (doorknobs, staff dining areas, main office where parents may enter, etc.) and will continue to clean rooms each night. We do not have the manpower to fully clean each and every room every evening, but each classroom will be given a spray bottle and towels to disinfect each day. I would suggest spraying desk tops after students leave. They do not have to be wiped down, just leave it to sanitize and dry by morning. If teachers need more towels, let our awesome custodial team know. We're a great team!
Pictured below is the bottle of hand sanitizer each teacher will receive for their classroom. Please save this bottle when it is empty so that it may be refilled. Hand sanitizing stations will also be located throughout the building soon. The district has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on cleaning supplies and personal protection equipment with much more on order and due in soon!
PPE
Masks or face shields are required for our staff to wear each day. If you do not have one, please see me so I can provide one for you. Face shields are also provided for each teacher. This will be handy to have at our Guided Reading tables. Window partitions (pictured below) will also be available.