FPHS Parent and Student Memo
Nov 23, 2020
Franklin Pierce High School
Dear Parents and Students,
IMPORTANT: Please, visit the following link regarding remote learning schedule changes for secondary schools beginning Nov. 23: https://www.fpschools.org/remote-learning/secondary-schedule-change
New Schedule STARTS MONDAY, Nov. 23:
- Scroll all the way to the bottom of this memo to see the current schedule, the new schedule, and the Pierce County Skills Center Schedule.
- The intent of the new schedule is to provide more synchronous time with the teacher and less independent/unstructured asynchronous time for the students.
- In other words, this will mean less "homework" for students. Instead, that homework (aka asynchronous work) will be brought back into the classroom (synchronous time) where teachers can provide supervision, guidance, and on-going feedback.
- Your classes will NOT be 75 minutes of lectures or direct instruction. They will be a combination of teacher-led instruction, whole-group guided practice, small-group guided practice, and independent practice (think "Teacher does; We do; I do).
Making Sense of the Attendance Auto Dialer:
Recently, the district has stared automatic attendance phone calls when a student is absent from class. A student is marked absent when:
- They are not present in the live conference session OR
- If they did not log in to Canvas that day
Students who log in to Canvas but do not join their class session are marked absent with a special code: V for Virtual Presence. This will also trigger the automatic phone call because the student was not actually "in class." Please contact Ms. Disney or Ms. Marzano for attendance questions.
SAT Testing: Franklin Pierce Schools will not be hosting the SAT this year. Most outside providers have canceled the Saturday SATs as well. We are advising seniors to check the admissions page of their college of choice. For example, University of Washington is no longer requiring the SAT for 2021 admissions. This is likely to be the case with many colleges.
Please, make sure you have all the info below. We miss you and wish you all the very best. Stay safe and be well!
Zoom! Zoom!
While things have improved since the beginning of the year, we continue to experience challenges with Big Blue Button (BBB) as staff and students are kicked off conferences due to bandwidth issues and/or product instability. We have reached out to other districts, beta tested several conferencing platforms, and looked at product features associated with BBB, Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
Based on the recommendation of the teachers who have been conducting a pilot, FPS secondary schools will begin shifting the conferencing platform from BBB to Zoom beginning the week of November 23. Staff will be able to use Zoom or BBB until the end of the calendar year. We plan to move all video conferencing to Zoom by January 2021. Based on feedback from staff and families across the district, we are hopeful that this change will lead to better instruction and fewer challenges with audio and video quality.
Important: Canvas is still our Learning Management System for all classes. We're only shifting to Zoom for class conferencing.
Starting on Nov. 23rd, Zoom will become a conferencing option on teacher’s Canvas pages. Teachers will transition to Zoom between now and Winter Break. They'll transition at different paces as they get acclimated to using Zoom as well. Students will still enter their classes through Canvas and be directed from there to Zoom or Big Blue Button (the previous conferencing platform).
Students and Parents, if you are NOT familiar with how to use Zoom, please watch this tutorial HERE. You can also refer to the Zoom guide below.
November Culture Calendar
November is ...
- Native American Heritage Month. Learn more HERE.
- National Adoption Awareness Month. Learn more HERE.
- Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. Learn more HERE.
- 11/1: Dia de los Muertos. Learn more HERE.
- 11/11: Veterans Day. Learn more HERE.
- 11/14: Diwali. Learn more HERE.
- 11/16: Dutch American Heritage Day. Learn more HERE.
- 11/26: Thanksgiving
Cardinal Character Trait for October: RESPONSIBILITY
Native American Heritage Month:
This November, we celebrate Native American Heritage Month, a time for us to honor the history, culture, and traditions of Native Americans past and present.
A message from our Family and Community Engagement Coordinator, Ms. Bonita Lee:
Hello FP Community,
November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month.
- Please, see below for Tacoma's Rock Your Socks event for assistance with health care, food, voter registration and other Sea Mar services.
- Please, see below for Collaboration for a Cause!
If you have any questions, please reach out.
Sincerely,
Ms. Lee
Family and Community Engagement Coordinator
LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL:
Homework Center: Free Tutoring Daily
Hours:
- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 11am to 12pm and 2pm - 4pm.
- Wednesdays: 9am to 12pm and 1pm to 4pm.
HW Center LINK.
Assessment Center!
FPHS Sports!!!
Parents and Athletes,
The following message is for current registered athletes. Any additional athletes wishing to participate in the program need to register in FamilyID and fill out the Microsoft form on the Franklin Pierce HS website in order to be eligible to turn out for the conditioning program. Space is limited.
The conditioning program in the stadium from 3:30PM – 4:45PM will happen as scheduled for the remaining dates of 11/17, 11/19, and 11/24. Any additional dates or continuation of this program will be communicated out through email, from coaches, and through social media.
The evening conditioning from 5:00PM – 6:15PM in the main gym on 11/17, 11/19, and 11/24 is CANCELLED. This is in accordance with new guidance and regulations from the Governor’s office in regard to indoor activities.
If you were a part of the indoor conditioning program and would like take part in the outdoor stadium conditioning then you are encouraged to do so. No additional registration is needed if you have already registered for the indoor program.
When athletes arrive we ask that they wear masks before leaving motor vehicles or arriving on campus. We ask that athletes practice social distancing guidelines while staff members perform pre-participation testing requirements that include daily temperature checks.
Parents please help in ensuring these safety protocols are followed. These protocols are essential in ensuring the continuation of the program and ensuring the safety of our coaches, athletes, and community.
As a reminder, here are the participation protocols and requirements for participating athletes.
FPSD Daily Screening Protocols
· All coaches, student-athletes and approved school personnel are required to complete an in-person COVID-19 Screening PRIOR to entrance to the training session.
· Temperature will be taken of each person attending the training session.
· Screening questions will be asked of each person attending the training session. This allows coaches to interact directly with the student-athlete.
· Any coach or student-athlete answering yes will not be allowed to enter the facility or practice. Contact parent/guardian immediately about next steps and pick-up from practice.
· No parents or spectators will be allowed at Fall Training in-person practices. Only coaches, student-athletes cleared for practice, athletic trainers, and approved school personnel will be permitted. Others are welcome to wait in their vehicle or return after practice for student pick-up.
· Coaches will receive training/instruction on all screening protocol prior to conducting any training session.
Other Requirements
· Cloth masks will be properly worn by student-athletes any time they are not participating in drills. Entering and exiting the facility, moving around the facility, occupying the sideline, etc. To the extent possible masks should be worn during training.
· Students will bring their own clothing, towels, and other personal equipment. Sharing of any equipment is NOT allowed.
· Everyone will bring their own container of water to drink. Sharing is NOT allowed. Water faucets will not be available to use.
· Gathering size meets TPCHD and State DOH guidelines. This number will depend on multiple criteria such as TPCHD metric status, State DOH Guidelines, WIAA guidelines for each sport, indoor or outdoor training, and capacity of the facility.
· Maintain distancing protocols per State DOH, WIAA and TPCHD guidelines.
· Practicing physical distancing of more than 6 feet is always required of all participants.
SENIOR Yearbook Photos!
Hello Seniors!
This is a reminder from your FPHS Yearbook Crew that senior portraits are due by 12/1. Below are instructions on how to upload them online (do not send photos via email). Please, remember this is for seniors only. Underclassmen who want to submit photos will have the opportunity to do so at a later date. Thanks!Resources
School Resources:
- District Website: https://www.fpschools.org/
- Franklin Pierce HS Website
- FPS Remote Learning Website
- IT Help Desk for Students and Parents: 253-298-4647, 7:30AM to 4PM.
- Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)
- FPS Breakfast and Lunch Program: www.fpschools.org/meals
- FPS Education Resources: https://www.fpschools.org/exended-closure-resources-and-information/closure-educational-resources
- Want to add Canvas to your phone? Android or iOS. Once you download the app, search "fpschools" to find our district.
- FPHS Facebook page.
- Information about GRADES and GRADING.
- Information about BUSES.
- District CALENDAR.
- Information about ATTENDANCE.
- How to access and use DORA.
COVID- 19 Resources:
- District Website: https://www.fpschools.org/
- Gov. Inslee's COVID-19 updates web page: https://www.governor.wa.gov/tags/covid-19-coronavirus
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
Community Resources:
- District resources and partners: https://www.fpschools.org/departments/family-engagement-office/community-resources
- Check with your phone and internet provider: many providers are offering free and/or unlimited data, internet etc. during the Stay Home, Stay Healthy order.
- Financial Resources: https://dfi.wa.gov/coronavirus/financial-resources
DAILY/WEEKLY SCHEDULE (BEGINNING NOV. 23): (Note: 2pm to 3pm is asynchronous/homework time for students)
PIERCE COUNTY SKILLS CENTER SCHEDULE (BEGINNING NOV. 23):
Need help with time management or organization?
If you're noticing that managing asynchronous time has become a challenge, please use the Weekly Planner attachment below to organize your day. If you're organized and managing your time wisely, you should be finished with all of your schoolwork by 3pm each day. If you're using this planner and still not able to finish by 3pm, please contact your teachers or the HW Center for additional help.