News From Nighthawk Nation
Elevating Excellence in Academics, Character & Community
Week of January 4
Happy Holidays!
January Learning Plan Update
Automated calls will go out to all New Vision Charter School families the week of December 28 to remind parents to continue to watch for symptoms and delay a return to school for any student with COVID-19 symptoms, positive test, or confirmed exposure (unrelated to school) until they have completed the required isolation or quarantine. If your child’s return to school in January will be delayed due to quarantine, or isolation, please email the teacher and/or your site administrator so we can prepare to set your child up for off-campus learning. You will be instructed to leave the following information:
Student’s first and last name and school of attendance
Is the student quarantined, tested positive for COVID-19, or exhibiting symptoms?
Date of COVID-19 Diagnosis or onset of symptoms (if applicable)
Date quarantine ends (if applicable)
Returning to School in January 2021
January 5-8: K-8 Return to Hybrid Learning (see schedule below)
Middle Students (6-8) will continue in hybrid learning with the new live streaming format/schedule.
January 11-15:
All Elementary students (K-5) will return to a daily in-person schedule starting on January 11.
Middle Students (6-8) will continue in hybrid learning with the new live streaming format/schedule.
We appreciate your continued support and transparency with New Vision Charter School. We wish you and your family a wonderful Holiday Season. We look forward to seeing you in 2021.
With much gratitude,
Tim Bishop, Executive Director
Mary Baker, K-3 Principal
Marian Hejl, 4-8 Principal
Todd Bissell, K-8 Assistant Principal
Grades 6-8
6-8 Shift in Hybrid Structure
We will be shifting the delivery of 6-8 grade level student's remote learning instruction starting after Winter Break. After Winter Break, students will no longer be assigned work to complete independently without live instruction on their remote days. Teachers will be providing students with a Google Meets code for their classroom and students who are learning remotely on that day will need to log into every core content class (math, ELA, science, social studies) at the time that they normally have that class. This means students will participate in live lessons for the direct instruction component of in person sessions Monday-Thursday.
Live instruction will not include Extended Learning Opportunities, Encore classes, or Advisory.
What to Expect During Live Streamed Lessons:
Teachers will mute students and turn off student video during direct instruction. If a student signals they have a question, the teacher will allow audio and visual components to be accessed if the student requests. When teachers switch to independent learning and small group instruction time, live feed for that core class will stop. Students will still be able to ask questions from the teacher using the chat feature during live stream lessons. During direct instruction time we ask remote students (and parents) to understand that our teachers are providing focused attention to our in person learners and that it might take a moment for teachers to get to your questions or needs. If a question is not addressed for a remote learner, please email the teacher with your questions.
Fridays: All students are remote, no in person learning.
Fridays will be used for small group support and individual support sessions for students. If you student is a part of a small group, you will be sent an email with their Friday small group session schedule. Please make sure your students are attending our Friday small group sessions. Friday is also a time for students to complete unfinished work from the week.
What if my student misses a live session?
Live sessions will not be recorded, if a student misses a live session, it will be as if they missed a day of school. Their teacher will get them the work that needs to be completed and will answer questions the student might have regarding the assignment. Fridays are a great way to get individual, or small group support for a missed session.
Attendance:
If a teacher notes a student is not logging in on their remote days and if the student is missing a significant amount of work, they will reach out to administration with their concerns. We do expect all students to participate in live sessions throughout the day. If your student is going to be absent on a remote learning day, please communicate this with our front office and the student’s teacher.
What if I am not comfortable sending my student to school on their in person days?We understand that every family has different needs during this time. If you would like to keep your student home and do 100% remote learning during this time, please reach out to your school administrator and we will work with you to get this option set up. Please note, that remote learning will only be an option for students while we are in the hybrid model. We will not offer this when we return to full time, in person learning.
This shift is being done because we have noticed a significant disengagement from students during remote learning days. We have also noted that we are not getting through as much content as we would like to this year. Please note that this is a new process and we are asking for grace and patience as we roll it out. We will be gracious with students in the early weeks of this transition and provide ample support. If you have a need during this transition please do not hesitate to reach out to your homeroom teacher and let us know what your needs are.
Thank you for your continued partnership,
Marian Hejl, 4-8 Principal
Todd Bissell, K-8 Assistant Principal
Florida Virtual News
Advisors will not be available during the break.
Please check your email on January 4th for 2nd semester updates.
SRO News
NVCS family, I want to open up on a positive note this week. I have attempted to integrate with the motoring public in an attempt to bring awareness to the driver’s behaviors in school zones. With that being said, the positive note is only one speeder was contacted this week and the driver took full accountability for the mistake. Ultimately, my goal is no speeders, but only one is a good start.
Now, I would like to take this opportunity to focus on the consequences resulting from a speeding infraction, enforcement, and road guard duties. Any speeder ticketed for 5 to 9mph over the posted speed limit can expect a fine assessment of $170 and one point against their Colorado Driver License. If the speeder is 10 to 19mph over the posted speed limit, the fine assessment is over $300 and four points. If the driver is ticketed for 20mph over the posted speed limit, it is a mandatory court appearance, a court cost of over $300, six points and a careless driving violation could be added as well (an additional $300 and four-point assessment). Make note that the points are not reduced due to the school zone violation. This will impact auto insurance rates in the future.
In relation to how the school zone is enforced is relatively simple. When a motorist enters (passes the flashing traffic light) the school zone and has not exited the zone as indicated by the traffic sign (passing it), the motorist can be ticketed. Many motorists will decelerate AFTER they enter and accelerate BEFORE the exit. This is an unsafe behavior, practice, and violation. Therefore, the speed of the vehicle should be at 20mph BEFORE entering the school zone and remain 20mph or less until AFTER the vehicle leaves the school zone.
The last topic I would like to expand on is the road guard duties. Their primary duty is to ensure the pedestrians are legally and safely escorted through the crosswalk. It is required by law (Colorado Revised Statute 42-4-802) for vehicles to yield the right-of-way and the road guards are an additional measure to increase the overall safety. Intersections are extremely dangerous at any speed due to the amount of pedestrian traffic, coupled with the vehicle structure and weight. Experienced drivers recognize the various blind spots in vehicles; however, many neglect the blind spots to the immediate front left and right. The driver and passenger side A-pillar (mirror locations) can easily block the view of someone offset to the left and right, to include the size of the pedestrian placing them near the lower portion. The driver’s line-of-sight to the pedestrian can be blocked by the A-pillar. I can speak first hand to the unfortunate auto-pedestrian collisions I have investigated involving this exact scenario. Therefore, in order to avoid this from occurring, adhere to the direction of the road guards, signage, and speeds for the safety of all pedestrians.
In all, school zones and pedestrian laws, combined with road guard assistance are designed to create the safest environment for students, parents, and staff. The fines and points that can be accessed for speeding and pedestrian violations are an attempt to correct a driver’s actions. Unfortunately, it cannot lessen the negative outcome of a student, parent, or staff member receiving a serious or fatal injury. Continue to drive defensively in order to save lives, time, and money. A ticket will impact time and money. However, they are a temporary inconvenience and can ultimately be recovered. Choose to drive defensively to save lives, because a ticket may be too late.
Thank you all for your time! Please have a safe wonderful Christmas & New Year.
Andres Salazar – Your friendly SRO
Important Dates to Remember
December 18: End of 2nd Quarter
December 21 - January 4: Winter Break
January 4: No School for Students
January 5 - January 8: Hybrid Learning Continues
January 11: K-5 Full In-Person Learning begins
About Us
4-8 Campus: 299 Peridot Avenue
Email: info@newvisioncharterschool.org
Website: www.newvisioncharterschool.org
Phone: 970-593-6827
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newvisioncharterschool/
Twitter: @NVCharter