BHMS Principal's Update
April 20, 2020 (Remote Learning Update)
New and Important Information
Keeping Up with What is Going on at the Hill!!!
I hope you had a restful break. I suppose we were all in our homes but our hope is you were able to maximize the time with your family. Hopefully also any student who was behind on work was able to catch up with their studies. Lastly, driving through town was a wonderful experience. It was so awesome and needed for us to see you and from some of the emails that were sent you all felt the same way. I keep telling my staff that it was the best 4 hour road trip I have ever taken. Honestly, we miss you a ton. While the governor's order keeps us out at least until May 15, 2020, we are hopeful that we can get back into school even if it is for a few days.
Today, April 20, 2020 begins the 4th Marking period, this weeks newsletter will house some previous information, but most importantly some new information on ways to keep up with assignments and maintain grades.
Here are some new topics in the newsletter.
- 4th Marking Period Info/Closing out the 3rd Marking Period
- Additional Frequently Asked Questions
- New Meal Schedule for Qualifying Families
- Heegan Library Information
- Letter to 7th/8th Grade Music Families Regarding Dorney Park and High Notes Festival Cancellation.
Couple of Reminders:
- Remember 6th and 7th grade is being handled by Dr. Muscelli. 8th grade and General information is being handled by me.
- If you have any questions or concerns regarding academics or students being able to have access to their academics properly either because of technology or if your child has an IEP or 504, and you need guidance to navigate the situation, please reach out to the teacher or the child study team via email.
- As always if you are not sure where to turn for answers to questions, you can always call or text the numbers Dr. Muscelli and I provided you (which are indicated in this newsletter).
Please view the Principal's Video Message at this link (Principal's Message) to view a summary of what's in the newsletter.
Regards,
Mike D'Ostilio (Prinicpal)
The Final Marking Period...Click on the Picture Below to Access Very Important Information About Marking Period 4
7th and 8th Grade Dorney Park Cancellation...Click on the Picture Below to Read the Supervisor of Visual Performing Arts' (Mr. Corigliano) Letter to Music Families
Important Contact Information (other than teachers)
Click the Image Below to Access the School's Counseling Page with COVID-19 Counseling Resources
Answers to Some Questions That Have Come Up.
Question 1 Starting the Day
- Q: Do students have to log in a certain time of day?
- A. Not specifically, students should work during the school day to get work done. Typically a student will begin work at 8am. This keeps kids in the academic routine. They should be keeping up with email and emailing their teachers. Update: Teachers are expected to post their lessons by 9:30 am
Question 2 Talking to a Live Person
- Q: What happens if I need to speak with a person instead of email.
- A. Mr. D'Ostilio (Principal) and Dr. Muscelli (Assistant Principal) have set up phone lines that allow for text and voicemail. We will try to take the live calls but it won't always be possible. That being said, we will check these lines regularly and get back to you as soon as possible. Additionally, Mr. D'Ostilio is the point person for the 8th grade and Dr. Muscelli is the point person for the 6th and 7th grades.
- Mr. D'Ostilio's Contact is mdostilio@wtps.org (Email)/856-318-9386 (Talk or Text)
- Dr. Muscelli's Contact is gmuscelli@wtps.org (Email)/856-362-4441 (Talk or Text)
Question 3 Expected Work/Deadlines
- Q. How much work is expected, what if my child can't make the deadlines?
- A. Teachers are trying to give 20-30 minutes of work a day per class. If your child is struggling with more work or time management, please reach out to the teachers to let them know the pitfalls. Deadlines are expected to be adhered to, but there will be some latitude. However, please make sure your child is keeping up with work. Your child should not be getting additional homework on top of these assignments. Please let Dr. Muscelli and I know if homework is being assigned.
Question 4 Getting in Touch with Teacher via Phone
- Q: If I want to talk to my child's teacher, what do I do?
- A: Teachers have been given permission to reach out by phone based on their comfort or cell phone plan. If a teacher calls, it will be either "blocked" or "no caller ID" to preserve the privacy of the teacher's cell number. Phone conference would be arranged via email and then the teacher would call at the appointment time.
Question 5 Grades in PowerSchool
- Q: When are teachers going to put grades in?
- A: Since teachers are being flexible with deadlines, grades might not be entered as timely as you would hope or what has been our practice. Teachers are trying to have the quickest turnover with grades possible.
Question 6 Teachers Returning Emails
- Q: Why is it that sometimes I email a teacher at the end of the day, and he/she doesn't get back to me until the next day?
- A: Since its a long day for everyone, if the teacher receives an email after 3pm or so, he or she may not have the opportunity to respond until the following day. Thanks for your patience with that.
Question 7 Internet, Devices, and Wifi
- Q: What do I do if my computer fails to work or I'm having trouble with my software.
- A: Scroll Down to the IT Section and Click on the Links or go directly to https://www.wtps.org/Domain/3156 for the Technology COVID-19 Page of the District
Question 8 IEPs/504s/I and RS Plans
- Q: Who do we seek out if we need clarification if our child has a specialized academic program and need to talk to someone about it?
- A: We have a myriad of peole that can help. Remember, to reach a person via email, type in the staff members first initial of his/her first name, followed by the last name then @wtps.org
Question 9 Student Learning Gaps and Preparedness for Next Grade Level
- Q: What is going to happen to help students fill in the gaps of learning due to the students being taught remotely?
- A: Currently, we have scaled lessons way back. We have reviewed our curriculum and have given the students what we deem most essential to solidify learning while not all lessons may be at the rigor of expectation for the classroom. In our administrative meetings, we have discussed how Supervisors next year will have to look at their curriculum and have articulation meetings as to the expected readiness of the students. We understand that pacing may need to be adjusted and reteaching happen a lot more next year in the fall. We will go through the 2020-21 school year, where we are able to accelaerate units in content areas and spend more time on others depending on the readiness of the child. We are prepared that there may be a gap in instruction and are making plans to remediate that gap either by curriculum or teaching practices.
Question 10: Virtual Learning at a Specified Time
- Q: Why aren't teachers teaching lessons at specified times during the day and having "class."?
- A: There are several factors that go into this. It is incredibly difficult to have all students online at the same time per class. We have families that are sharing devices, we have families with different internet connectivity, we have families that are working where the older sibling has chip in and help with the household. Due to this unpredicatability, we have to be as equitable as possible. We have found that the best vetted course of action is to give lessons, check in via email with the students, and make ourselves available through Microsoft Teams, Schoologoy, Email, or WebEx to provide that feedback if a student reaches out to let us know they're struggling or we ourselves find a disconnect in the work the student is turning in versus their proficiency on an assessment. The model that we're employing here is to try to take into account all situations, while at the same time providing more opportunity for feedback. We are leaving it up to the familiy's individual needs to come up with a suitable working schedule for the family's needs. Our counseling department page on our website has a link to help students organize their day. You can download the form here at https://www.wtps.org/Page/30319 or you can use a Check off list, which you can find here: https://www.wtps.org/Page/30372.
Click the Image Below to Gain Access to Independent Reading Books for ELA
Remote Learning...Students Should Keep Up With Email.
In order to access the lessons your child's teacher assigns, teachers will email the students frequently (most often daily) about the work to be done for the day. Students are encouraged to work diligently on their assignments as tests and assignments are still being graded. Students are expected to work out opportunities to get their work done by the deadlines set by their teachers. For specific guidelines on how the middle schoolers will access their work, please view this link: Accessing Remote or Virtual Learning
Since the teachers will be using email more frequently, the student is expected to check that email daily. Please click on this link to access a quick tutorial regarding accessing your email: Email
For a more indepth tutorial, Mrs. Pitel, our tech integration specialist who works at all three middle schools created a 10 minute screen cast video. That link is here: Email Video
Update 3/16/20...Teachers may call you as parents to discuss your child's grades and the like. You may receive the call and it will say Blocked Call or No Caller ID. While we often don't answer these calls, this is how calls from the school may come since we'll be using our cell phones.
Update 3/29/20.
- NJSLA State Test and Middle School Final Exams Cancelled
- Teachers were given permission by the District's BOE to engage in video conferencing with students as an optional form of delivering instruction.
Update 4/6/20.
- Ms. Kerfoot and Mr. Petticrew link resources to counseling page to help with anxiety, understanding, and organization of academics and well being during this time.
- End of the 3rd Marking period is 4/9. However, we the grades will not be permanently stored at this time to give teachers an opportunity to obtained missed or incomplete work from students.
WTPS Food Service and Distribution (Mondays Only...See Changes Below)
Washington Township Technology Department
Please see the information in the following links:
Also please see the email from IT about students who are using the computer email groups inappropriately. Please monitor your child's activity. We need to band together to make sure our students can get the work properly and not overload the system. Thank you so much for helping us with this. It's mainly a high school issue at this point, but please be mindful when talking with your child. Please see the following link for more information: IT Letter
Should you have pertinent questions, Mr. Bollendorf and the district set up an email address to contact. This was outlined in Mr. Bollendorf's 3/12/20 Letter. Questions will be answered in terms of priority and when asked. The email address is feedback@wtps.org
Please consult links placed by our Nurse, Mrs. Keane. Her link contains information as to how to stop the spread and how to talk to your children about the Virus. The documents shared are put out by the CDC and National Association of School Psychologists. Please click the following link to view this information: BHMS Health Center Information COVID-19
Bunker Hill Middle School: Home of the Bulldogs
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Email: ddijohn@wtps.org
Website: https://www.wtps.org/bunkerhill
Location: 372 Pitman Downer Road, Sewell, NJ, USA
Phone: 856 881 7007
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