Wednesday Update
Escondido: Friends Around the World
Escondido Vision Statement
Principal Message
April 1, 2020
Dear Escondido Families,
We are just two days away from closing out Phase II of our work together. I've been able to stay connected to the happenings in each classroom community by reviewing the teacher's communication logs. I know that each grade level team has collaborated and aligned more during this week, and I hope this has alleviated some of the stress that families felt during the prior week. Your patience, flexibility, support, and communication so we can address concerns or celebrate successes is appreciated. You can expect more alignment and consistency during Phase III when teachers use a variety of technology tools to instruct students, including Google Slides and video recording. Students will view lessons through Schoology, the PAUSD's Learning Management System. Students access Schoology by logging in to Rapid ID on the PAUSD website.
Phase III Highlights
Schoology is used to deliver asynchronous lessons that are grade level appropriate. Expect that the lessons and activities will look different across the grade levels.
Recorded lessons designed with new content, addressing CA grade-level standards
Students assigned assignments with completion deadlines
Completed student work submitted via Schoology or shared during a ZOOM check-in meeting
Assigned work does not require the printing off of documents at home. All work can be completed on a blank piece of paper, notebook or online via Schoology or Google Classroom.
Students required to participate in Zoom check-ins, and at times, small group support
Attendance monitored through assignment completion and participation in teacher check-ins
Parents can expect timely email responses during the school week within 24-48 hours
Many grade level teams will divide subject matter topics amongst their team in order to efficiently address the shift to an asynchronous teaching model. Your student will see a variety of teaching staff in these video lessons.
Schoology
Below is a Schoology account FAQ document that was sent out to parents in January and recently updated. Teachers at Escondido will be providing asynchronous lessons through Schoology beginning Monday, April 13th, when we return from Spring Break. Please look for details specific to your class communicated through your teacher's next newsletter.
How to access Schoology?
PAUSD Managed Parent/Guardian Schoology Accounts Frequently Asked Questions
I highly recommend that all parents take the "PAUSD Schoology Backpack" course in your Schoology account.
If you haven't already, please take a moment to review the Educational Services Phase III: Manual that was emailed to all families last Friday. In addition, our Superintendent, Dr. Austin, sent out a video on March 31, 2020.
Round 3 Device Loan
The PAUSD district is planning one last loan device distribution for Monday, April 13th, between 10:00 AM and 7:00 PM. The student Google form is now available via the PAUSD website and parents can submit their request directly using the link below. The deadline to submit the request is Sunday, April 12th at 8 PM.
Student Device Loan (available to the public)
Distribution site: Ohlone Elementary School
Date: Monday, April 13th
Time: 10 AM – 7:00 PM
Student Safety
Student online safety is important to us, and we need your support to ensure the appropriate use of these online tools.
Please do not allow your child to host Zoom chats with friends. This is a tool for adults, and our students are not always able to make the best choices to support the well-being of their peers.
Teachers are reviewing with students the expected behaviors for using online platforms. Check-in with your teacher if you have specific questions about these expectations.
Please read the guidelines and review them with your child.
Keep the guidelines close to the device so that children can take a look before going online.
Please do not take photos or record the Zoom meetings.
All school rules also apply online.
Always follow school guidelines, especially regarding cyberbullying and non-discriminatory behaviors and comments while working digitally.
Wear appropriate school clothes when visible on the video.
Stay focused and engaged during a teacher check-in.
Technology
During Phase III, your child must have online access, including the internet, and a device. If you are experiencing technology issues or need assistance, submit help tickets through Let's Talk.
Community Resources
PAUSD continues to collaborate with PTA and our community in developing resources to support each of our families in every way we can. PAUSD has compiled a Community Resources page that includes a comprehensive collection of resources to support a variety of needs as they arise. We are lucky to have Christian Muñoz, our Student and Family Engagement Specialist (SaFE). Christian supports our families in a variety of ways, as he is an additional link between our school, our parents, and our community. The Student andFamily Engagement Team in PAUSD works to provide another avenue for communication with the school to develop and foster community collaborations and to refer families to community resources. Please feel free to email him at chmunoz@pausd.org with any questions you may have.
Spring Break - Staff Unplugged
With the rapid shift to an online learning environment, the learning curve for adults is just as steep as it is for students! Our teachers have been working harder than ever with their grade level colleagues and instructional assistants these last few weeks in preparation for Phase III. Spring Break marks for the staff a long-awaited time to take a break. Everyone has been working very hard redesigning a traditional face-to-face teaching format to shift to an online asynchronous format by April 13th. Our staff all need to take a break from recording videos, reworking resources, and lesson plans, and working 100% from their laptops, as do the students. I hope that you will make time to relax and explore new creative things to do as families. If you want to keep to a "homeschool" routine with your child during the Spring Break please continue to follow the FLOs posted on the PAUSD website. Know that when we return, we move into Phase III where the expectations begin for full participation from all of the students at Escondido.
The staff at Escondido continue to miss our students. I hope that the check-ins with teachers and friends via ZOOM are helping to keep everyone feeling connected. Know that teachers are planning to recreate practices for their students that are similar to their previous ones, by doing things like greeting students each morning with a video message and building in mindfulness breaks. The goal is this next phase is not to replicate the whole school day at home but to provide students with a sense that they are still connected to the school community as much as possible, as well as engaged in meaningful and new learning. The lessons will be grade-level appropriate and aligned to the grade-level standards.
Lastly, I will host my monthly Principal Coffee for parents this coming Friday morning and I hope you can join me even if it's just for a little while. See below for details on how to join the ZOOM coffee. In the meantime, please let me know if you need help with anything.
Warmly,
Marcela
Marcela S. Simoes de Carvalho, Ed.D., NBCT
Principal
Principal Coffee This Friday
Topics: What to Expect during Phase III, Social-emotional Resources
Friday, April 3rd
Your Coffee Table, 8:00 AM to 8:45 AM
Special Guests: Sheri Heise, School Psychologist, Katie Lindell, CASSY Counselor.
You are all invited to attend the virtual Principal coffee meeting. We look forward to seeing you there! Please sign up to attend by clicking here.
Share Your Fun Moments
The Ochoa family doing a fun experiment with candy. Thanks for sharing a great idea!
Escondido Elementary School
Website: www.escondido.pausd.org
Location: 890 Escondido Road, Stanford, CA, USA
Phone: (650) 856-1337
Facebook: facebook.com/none
Twitter: @EscondidoElem