The Grass Valley WAG
Week at a Glance: 8/17 - 8/21
Our Collective HOPES for our Eagles
A note from Casey...
Happy End of Week 1 Grass Valley Staff,
Thank you so much for an incredible Week 1! I know this week has been new and different, but I am so incredibly inspired and proud of the work we are leaning into this year. Seeing students and staff in ZOOMrooms this week has been exciting and such an impressive reminder of HOW MUCH WE HAVE GROWN SINCE THE SPRING! Students are engaged and excited to be learning with us!
Please continue to strive for balance between your personal/work lives as we step into this new and unknown situation. I know things are anxiety producing because of the unknown, but remember our rocks and the supportive community we have around us - lean on one another.
As your principal, I promise...
- honesty & transparency in sharing all information with you as quickly as I can
- flexibility in being understanding about where each of you are during this crisis and how this impacts your work
- support in finding the balance that best supports you AND our students
- a continued focus on equity as a school so we can serve ALL of our students to the best of our abilities
- a continued focus on team as we all lean in in new and different ways to support our greater community this year
Thank you for all you do for our students and please reach out with any questions or needs!
Respectfully,
Casey
Inspiration for Week 2!
Week at a Glance
Monday
- 8:30a Class Meetings
- 10:00a COST
- 1:00p OPTIONAL Office Hours w/ Casey (Teachers)
- 2:30p Whole School Community Meeting
Tuesday
- 8:30a Class Meetings
- 2:30p Whole School Community Meeting
Wednesday
- 8:30a Class Meetings
- 2:30p Whole School Community Meeting
Thursday
- 8:30a Class Meetings
- 10a-1p Materials Pick-up
- 2:30p Whole School Community Meeting
Friday
- 8:30a Class Meetings
- 10a Coffee with the Principal
- 10a-1p Materials Pick-up
- 2:30p Whole School Community Meeting
Important Reminders (Teachers)
- Materials Pick-Up: Families will come to campus again on August 20/21 to pick up materials. For every child we will provide a pair of headphones, a whiteboard, and a mechanical pencil. Teachers should prepare any other materials that they want their students to receive by August 20.
- Engagement Tracker: linked here, be sure to update this weekly!
- Family Newsletter: Be sure your Family Newsletter has been shared on Class Dojo with families for Week 2!
- Back to School Night: We will host BTSN Wednesday, August 19. We will engage in discussion
- Family/Student Welcome Meetings: These should be in full effect! I will be checking in with folks next week regarding progress. Remember that these are for the sole purpose of building relationships with families and shoring up communication. Please be sure you are meeting with 100% of your families to build strong relationships in support our work this year!
Upcoming Dates
- 8/19: Back To School Night (time TBD)
- 8/20: Family Materials Pick-Up (10a-1p)
- 8/21: Coffee with the Principal (10a)
- 8/21: Family Materials Pick-Up (10a-1p)
- 8/28 Student of the Month @2:30p
- 8/28: Coffee with the Principal (10a)
Being on Campus!
- times: 8a-4p
- optional: at present, coming to campus is completely optional, and no one should come who cannot or does not want to
- wear a mask: put it on before you enter the building and leave it on while you are not in your own room
- socially distance: at least 6 ft, no gathering in groups of any kind
- review the Grass Valley Site Safety plan for COVID-19
- review/answer "no" to the COVID-19 Health Check Questions
- complete/have completed the Keenan Online Pandenic Flu Training: https://ousd-keenan.safeschools.com/
Staff Communication Expectations
This year will be one that is dramatically different in a number of ways, especially in regards to communication. In order to best support our students and our greater community, ALL staff are expected to:
- Email - check OUSD email at the beginning and ending of each day; all emails should be responded to within 24 hours
- WAG - review the "Grass Valley WAG', which is sent out weekly by Casey by Monday morning; complete any required action within stated time frame
- Class Dojo - use Class Dojo for tracking positive student behavior and communicating with families; register for your account at classdojo.com
- Zoom - use Zoom to participate in staff and student functions
- Whole School Community Meeting - participate daily in whole school community meeting with our students from 2:30-2:45p
- Crew - lead a small group (4-12) of students daily in learning about Toolbox and the Grass Valley Way from 2-2:30p
- Class Meeting (Teachers & Classroom Support Staff) - participate in a daily class meeting with your students at the beginning of each day
It will be critical that we communicate clearly across all staff, students and families this year, and these pieces will be an important part of that. Please reach out with any questions!
Distance Learning Framework @ Grass Valley
Vision: At Grass Valley, our vision for distance learning is to virtually provide equitable access to grade level content to all students so that they may learn and thrive. Our distance learning program will be a bridge to build social emotional skills as well as ensure all students and families have a daily connection to the school community.
Important Shifts from 19/20 include:
- regular daily schedule for classes to assure equity across students' experiences in different classrooms
- schedule rocks (ie. class meeting, crew time, PE with coach, whole school community meeting) that will hold the structure of our regular school day
- week by week roll out schedule to slowly shift the heavy lifting to students
Important Reminders:
- our DL framework fits within the district's guidance
- our mindset during DL will be one of inquiry, where we are always asking ourselves "is our current framework meeting the needs of our most IN NEED students?" and following that up with action responses to improve our work
Appreciations!
Welcome to 2020-2021!
- Welcome back to all of our returning staff members! We look forward to "seeing" you all soon!
- Welcome to Ms. Shelby Lawton, who will join us as our music teacher at Grass Valley this year!
- I appreciate Olivia for sharing all of her amazing parent letters and resources!
- Shout out to Tammy for help with Google Classroom and always being willing to answer my questions!
Want to include an appreciation for a colleague in the next WAG? Add it HERE!
Useful Links
Grass Valley Info
EL Education
General