And, just like that, the March that we know is back - sunshine one minute and back to winter the next. It's nice to have something familiar, isn't it? The kind of March weather we know and (sort of) love. I hope you all were able to get outside for some fresh air and sunshine this weekend. I know that crisp, Adirondack fresh air and Vitamin D was a much needed boost for me.
We are up and running for Week 2 of online and remote learning. Thank you to our students, families, teachers, staff, and community for all playing a role in helping to expand instruction and school services beyond our building’s four walls. It definitely takes a village. Although this continues to be an unimaginably challenging and strange time for all of us, we have come together to muster a rhythm that is beginning to reverberate. Let’s keep it going!
As of 8 p.m. last night Governor Cuomo’s executive order “New York State on Pause” went into effect. As a result, we have made further changes at school, and in turn you may see and experience some changes too. Anticipated changes for families include the following:
Our food service and custodial/bus driver staff are operating on a limited and essential basis. Our food service team will be at school to prepare and package food, and our custodial team will be at school to check the safety and security of the building and to transport the meals to families on a daily basis from 9 a.m. - 10 a.m. on Monday through Friday. We ask all families who are participating in our meal delivery program to place a box or cooler outside for our drivers to place the bags of food. We now are operating on Deerland and Kickerville routes so that our drivers, Eric Hample and Dustin Traynor, can drive in separate vehicles. Meal distribution is identified as an essential service by Governor Cuomo, and we will work hard to maintain this service, but we need your help to maintain this service. Additionally, the building is not open, so although these staff members will be in the building for limited periods of time we are not allowing faculty, students, or any members of the public into the building until further notice. Our custodial team has worked hard to disinfect our building in preparation for us to reopen and we are maintaining strict guidelines for access to maintain the disinfected status.
Our main office and business office staff are now working remotely. There will not be a person to answer the phone at school, but our staff is still available via email during the school day. To connect with the main office, please email Ms. Kelsie Adams at kadams@longlakecsd.org, and to connect with the business office, please email Mrs. Lisa Walker at lwalker@longlakecsd.org. Ms. Adams and Mrs. Walker will work together to check our general mailbox three times per day, so if you leave a message at (518) 624-2221, they will check it Monday-Thursday and share that information with those that need to be included. If you need to contact Mrs. Snide with business office and or transportation questions, you can reach her at vsnide@longlakecsd.org.
Our superintendent/principal, (that’s me) Ms. Noelle Short, will be working mostly remotely. There will be times that I will need to go into school, but that will be on a very limited and essential basis. I am directly linked to my email (nshort@longalakecsd.org and noelle.short@longalakecsd.com ) during my regular school day hours, so will do my very best to answer any questions that cross my virtual desk in a prompt manner. I am also available to speak over the phone or via videoconferencing as needed.
As I have shared in previous communication, keeping us together as a school community is a really important piece of our time apart. We live in an isolated area to begin with, so it feels like during this time we need each other more than ever. Today I hosted our first “Digital Lunch.” This was open to 9-12 grade students and teachers who are connected to them by being a class or club advisor or their homeroom teacher. Tomorrow I will host the 7th and 8th grade in the same format, and will continue to explore ways to connect our PK-12 students to me and to their teachers during this extended closure.
The "Digital Lunch" meetings are taking place via Google Meets and it’s an opportunity to see each other “in real time” and to share stories, swap jokes, show off our pets, and to connect. Students are sent an invite to the meeting via their Gmail and just have to click the link to login. There is no requirement to participate and students and teachers can drop in anytime during 12-12:30. I will continue to expand this on a daily basis. Just like all of you, I too am learning how to make my way through this!
I would also like to offer “Open Office Hours for Parents/Guardians” via Google Meet. My current plan is to change-up the time that this is offered to meet different needs of different households. The idea behind this is that parents/guardians can videoconference or call in to the office hours to ask questions and to connect as needed. Stay tuned for more information.
Some parents have shared that the amount of email notifications they receive from Google Classroom is overwhelming. This is completely understandable, and the good news is that there is a way to fix this in your settings! Mr. Sass has created a Google Slideshow with instructions on how to adjust your email notification settings. This will help you to tailor the amount of “notifying” that works for you.
We’re taking one day at a time! Please reach out with any questions and/or feedback. We’re in this together!
Sincerely,
Ms. Noelle J. Short
Superintendent/Principal
nshort@longlakecsd.org
noelle.short@longlakecsd.com
