Westwood Intermediate/Middle School
August 19, 2020 Newsletter
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Hello Westwood Families!
Welcome to the 2020–2021 school year. We have had an energizing summer working to create a positive, safe start of the school year based on the learning needs of our students. Our first day for students will be on Thursday, September 10 for all students in both hybrid and distance learning models.
Prior to the start of school, we will continue our tradition of students and families having an opportunity to meet and greet teachers and get ready for the year. This will look different this year but accomplish the same goals. We will have more information to share with you next week.
While families have received information about how the Modified Campus Schedule (hybrid) and Extended Flexible Learning (distance learning) models will work, I want to take an opportunity now to provide a bit more detail about what this looks like at Westwood. Included here is information about grade 5-6 hybrid and distance learning approach and the grade 7-8 hybrid and distance learning approach.
Grades 5-6: Hybrid (Modified Campus Schedule)
Students in grades 5-6 doing in the hybrid learning model, will learn at school two days a week and learn at home three days a week.
Learning at school (2 days a week)
- Students will be working in a classroom space with a teacher and a support staff member. The teacher will be working to meet the needs of the student for both at home and at school learning in the areas of language arts, math, science and social studies. Students will remain with the same group of students throughout the day.
- Specialist subjects (music, art, physical education) will be delivered remotely and the classroom teacher or support staff will work with the students in these areas. Grade 6 students will work with the band or choir teacher staying within their assigned cohort and follow physical distancing guidelines.
- Students will eat lunch with their cohort group in the cafeteria schedule permitting.
Learning at home (3 days a week)
- Students will work with the same teacher(s) they work with when they are learning at school when they are learning at home.
- Students will have daily, live learning experiences in the content areas of language arts and math in 1:1, small groups or whole class groups personalized to their learning and designed to maximize engagement.
- There will also be daily, “on-demand” or “not live” learning experiences with written and video or audio directions. These will primarily be in social studies and science.
- Students will receive written, audio, video, and/or live feedback.
- Families can expect daily greetings and clear learning expectations delivered in video and written formats in Schoology.
- Wednesdays will be a little different. These days will have “on-demand” learning (asynchronous) experiences with written and video or audio directions. Teachers will be available for office hours on these days.
Grades 5-6: Distance Learning (Extended Flexible Learning)
Students will be assigned to a distance learning team. The team of teachers will work with the students in the areas of math, science, social studies and language arts.
- Synchronous learning experiences in core content areas in 1:1, small groups or whole class to personalize learning and maximize engagement
- Additional asynchronous learning experiences with written and video or audio directions
- Multiple collaborative learning opportunities per week that allow students to learn with and from one another
- Asynchronous electives with opportunities for office hours
Grades 7-8: Hybrid (Modified Campus Schedule)
Students will learn at school two days a week and learn at home three days a week. Students will be grouped by a team with 60 - 70 students per team/cohort for the two days of learning at school. Teams will further be segmented into learning groups for each subject area and at no time will a learning space exceed 50 percent capacity.
Students will have the same teachers for their learning at school and learning at home days. To support flexibility in the time, place, and pace of learning, all courses will be built online in Schoology for 24/7 student access to course materials.
Learning at school (2 days a week)
- When students are learning at school, their assigned small team of teachers will work together to meet the academic needs of their students throughout the day.
- Four periods of the day will be dedicated to learning within the four core courses (English Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies). The small team of teachers will design the four periods of the day to meet each student’s needs and the plan for those periods will fluctuate based on the needs for the day.
- On learning at school days, teachers will capitalize on the face-to-face instruction opportunities and use socratic seminars, group work, small group instruction, one on one conferencing with students and other deep learning strategies to advance learning.
- In-person environments will provide time for students to maintain social connections with each other and their teachers as well as time to interact with the curriculum.
- Students will attend elective classes for two periods of their day. Students will stay in their team/cohorts for their electives whenever possible. Students will eat lunch with their cohort group either in the cafeteria schedule permitting.
- Students will carry a backpack with the supplies they need for the school day. Students will not be assigned a locker, or physical education locker (Students will not change for PhyEd. They may bring tennis shoes to change into in the gym space.)
- Student passing time will be limited to the area where their team’s/cohort’s four core classroom spaces are located and between their elective classes.
Learning at home (3 days a week)
Distance learning days will involve on-demand (asynchronous) learning experiences that include things like recorded lessons, reading, note taking on lecture and tutorials. The days will be designed to prep students for their learning at school days. For example, read the short story and develop three questions that you will ask in your socratic seminar. Or, watch the video on how to solve [problem] and complete three problems and check your work. Come prepared for Tuesday’s class to share how you solved the problem.
Grades 7-8: Distance Learning (Extended Flexible Learning)
Students will be assigned to a distance learning team. The small team of teachers will work with students in the areas of math, science, social studies, and language arts.
- Synchronous learning experiences in core content areas in 1:1, small groups or whole class to personalize learning and maximize engagement
- Additional asynchronous learning experiences with written and video or audio directions
- Multiple collaborative learning opportunities per week that allow students to learn with and from one another
- Asynchronous electives with opportunities for office hours
We will share more information each Wednesday in the lead up to the school year. We appreciate your patience, support and partnership as we get underway. While this year will have an unusual beginning, I am confident in the learning we will do together.
Tom Larson
Principal
Make a Plan for Internet Access
Students at all grade levels will need consistent access to wireless internet service throughout the school year. This is the time to make sure your student has a plan for how to work online when they are not at school. There are low and no cost wireless access options available.
- Apply for Internet Essentials from Comcast. Families who quality pay $9.95 per month.
- Find a free hotspot near you from Xfinity
- Consider public spaces that are following appropriate health and safety guidance and open for internet use like public libraries.
If you need assistance with an internet solution, the district can help. Contact Tech Support: Email: techsupport@district16.org or call 763-600-5555.
iPads: Is Your Tech Ready for a New School Year?
A student’s school-issued iPad is a critical tool for supporting learning this school year. The technology team has a few to-do’s for families before we kick off the year.
- Make sure your iPad is working well and not damaged. Contact the technology team if your iPad needs to be repaired. Email: techsupport@district16.org.
- Pay your iPad Protection Plan fee (for students in grade K-12). The cost of the protection plan is $10 per student. You can pay this fee online using your credit card in Campus Parent Portal. Find more information about the iPad Protection Plan online.
New to the district? New families, please contact techsupport@district16.org to request a school-issued iPad, case and charger for your new student. Kindergarteners will have a separate process for getting their school iPads.
For any student leaving the district, please drop off iPad, case and charger to the District Services Center, 1415 81st Ave NE Spring Lake Park, MN 55432, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. (Note, the office closed from 1-2 p.m.).
View School Supply Lists
Apply now for Free or Reduced-Priced Meal Benefits for the 2020-2021 School Year
Many families are pleasantly surprised to learn they qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
- The deadline to apply for free and reduced-price meals is Monday, October 26, 2020.
- Families who received free and reduced-price meals during the 2019-2020 school year must reapply by Monday, October 26 to continue benefits for the 2020-2021 school year.
- If you do not reapply by Monday, October 26, your students will no longer receive free or reduced-price meals and meals will be charged at full price.
Learn more and apply or reapply at SpringLakeParkSchools.org/freemeals
Need Care for Your School Age Child?
Spring Lake Park Schools is working to provide care options for your school age child to help with the challenges of modified school (and work) schedules.
- Before & After School on “Learning at School Days” - When your child attends in-person school, we will have Before & After School Care options for you. Current customers will need to adjust their fall 2020 days to match the days of the week they will be at school. Current customers will be able to cancel their fall 2020 contract for full refund up to Wednesday, August 26. New families needing this care can register now and will be accepted as space allows.
- Child Care on “Learning at Home Days” (the three days a week your child is not learning at school)
- Childcare for Tier 1 essential workers will be available per Executive Order 20-82 at no cost during the school day for school-age children up to age 12 when the district is operating in a Modified Campus Schedule (hybrid) or Extended Flexible Learning (distance learning).
- For other families who require Child Care on “learning at home” days, we have a fee-based childcare option as space and staffing allow and will prioritize families who signed up last spring for this fall.
- Early drop off and late pick up options will be available for Child Care on Learning at Home Days.
We are expecting spots to fill quickly, Tier 1 will be prioritized through august 21 and as space is available throughout the year. Find more information, including answers to frequently asked questions, and register on the Child Care website.
Watch for Bus Route Information the End of August
information at the end of August. Routes will be posted in Campus on August 31 and a postcard will be mailed out that same day. For general information and bus routing, contact Spring Lake Park Schools transportation services at 763-600-5590 or visit the Transportation page.
This is a great time for parents and students to download the MyStop app. The app provides access to live bus GPS information so you can track the location of the bus.
Your School Newsletter Has a New Look for a New Year
You may of noticed school newsletters look a little different this year. In this new format, the entirety of the weekly newsletter will show up in your email so you'll no longer have to click into the school website to find all of the newsletter content. Same important school information, easier - and we hope more user friendly - process!
School newsletters will continue to be emailed to families on most Wednesday evenings throughout the school year and will be archived each week on the school's newsletter page.
- Visit the PTO Facebook page: Westwood Intermediate and Middle School PTO
- Click here to receive email notifications about Westwood PTO
Translate This Newsletter / Traducir Este Boletín
To translate this newsletter information to another language, please click anywhere on the newsletter to open it in a web browser and at the top of the page, select your language from the dropdown menu.
Para traducir este boletín de noticias a otro idioma, por favor presionen en cualquier lugar del boletín para abrir el boletín en un navegador web y en la parte superior de la página seleccione su idioma del menú.