Charger News
Every child. Every day. Whatever it takes!
August 2020
The Moreau Heights family is committed to providing a positive and safe learning environment to support responsible and productive citizens.
Our Vision
Moreau Heights is a school where students are eager to learn and where staff are excited to teach. Students are successful at Moreau Heights in growing and meeting personal and academic goals. Teachers are innovative and a collaborative team. We are a family of learners and a community of great achievers!
Thank you!
This year will surely present unique challenges for us to take on together. We don't know all that lies ahead for us, but I do know that we have an amazing team with incredible skills and knowledge, as well as a passion for student learning.
Thank you for letting us know when you have a question or concern so Dawn and I can see that is it addressed.
Staff Family Ice Cream Social
Please make plans to join us on the playground for ice cream, play, and a chance to reconnect with colleagues!
Please complete the google form using the link below to let us know how many of you will be joining us so we can plan accordingly with seating and ice cream on the playground.
Check out our Shared "Moreau Heights Staff" Drive
- Updated daily schedules (instruction, restroom, recess, lunch)
- AM and PM duties (What you are assigned and what it needs to look like)
- Lunch schedule and duties
- Morning meeting pairings
- Staff handbook
You will notice several differences from the past given our efforts to reduce interaction between groups of students and allowing time to sanitizing our common areas. Be sure to LOOK CAREFULLY at the information!
Connecting with Families
To assist with this, we are asking that each grade level teacher:
- compose an email to introduce yourself to parents and welcome their child.
- create a video to introduce yourself and your classroom or a favorite book. (be sure anything you share with parents is NOT in google since our content can't be viewed outside jcschools)
- make a phone call to each family to see what questions they may have and to connect (we will give you some points to be sure you address in these phone conversations. You will need to record all on the contact log in Infinite Campus).
- set up a google meet or zoom with your families during which you are available to interact with students and parents.
There will be some time to work on videos and call parents during school hours the week of the 17th. All must be done by Thursday evening, August 20th.
What to Expect . . . the week of August 17th
Monday, August 17
- Breakfast will be provided by PTO beginning at 7:00
- 7:30 - 11:30 - Meet as staff in gym
- 11:30-12:30 - lunch on your own
- 12:30-3:30 - Work in classroom
Tuesday, August 18
- 7:30 - 11:30 - Meet as staff in gym
- 11:30-12:30 - lunch on your own
- 12:30-3:30 - work in classroom
Wednesday, August 19
- District meetings
- Specials and others will meet by department
Thursday, August 20
- 7:30 - 11:30 - Meet as staff in gym
- 11:30-12:30 - lunch on your own
- 1:00-3:30 - Google Classroom training if you did not attend in July (required) or if you attended and would like additional support
- 1:00-3:30 - if you attended Google training, you will have this time in your classroom
Friday, August 21
- Awaiting plans from district
- lunch on your own
COVID Guidelines Updates
When you create a seating chart - line order should mirror this. Will help with contact tracing if needed. Will also need to share the seating chart with Snow so she can keep positions in PE aligned to this order.
There was a suggestion that grade level teams schedule a time to talk with previous year teachers for suggestions for kids within class to be separated when creating seating charts to start the year.
Suggestion to put student name plates on the front of student desks versus the top of the desk since desks will be sanitized frequently.
Restroom use when need arises outside of a class restroom break will require checking restroom availability (not during another class’s break) and making sure other students aren’t in the restroom. Sign outside to flip showing red/green based on the restroom being open?
When the classroom uses restrooms, you will allow only the number based on stalls/urinals with spacing. Instruction to students about distancing when washing hands.
If you have a student in your room with para support, will want to make sure the student is on the edge of the room, nearer the door for easy access by para.
If you want to use a yoga mat for a soft surface, it would need to be sanitized between uses by different students(spray and dry for 5 minutes).
We will have protocols for when to send kids to nurse and what we can do in our classrooms to address student needs. Judy will triage those things going to the nurse's office and addressing needs based on triage. She may send students with lesser needs back to class to call them up later.
If you have a student you think may look “puny” during the day and you would like a temp check, you could call the office and we can send someone with the infrared thermometer to check the temp real quick. May help to reduce traffic to nurse.
A child could sit on the floor under his/her desk for a reading/working spot that is out of the seat, as long as still in their area and distanced from others.
Guided Reading books will need to “set” for 72 hours from student use until placed back into the lending library.
When students come back for Guided Reading or other small group instruction, have students "gel in" for this setting.
Guided Reading supplies (letter trays for word work) can be sanitized between uses. The spray provided by the district would be sprayed on the letters/trays and allowed to dry for 5 minutes. Letters are ready to use by another student after 5 minutes. They MUST be sanitized at the end of the day.
We are working on a listing of topics you will want to be sure are addressed with families in videos and written communication since we will not have an Open House.
All students will receive an iReady license for math AND reading. We will talk more about how this will need to be monitored and supported.
Kids with Masks
Chromebook Info
- Students will take their chromebooks with them to the next grade level. They will not be returned to the classroom from the previous year.
- Chromebooks for 2nd grade will be from students who have completed 8th grade. They will be returned, sanitized and delivered to our building.
- Kindergarten and 1st grade will receive chromebooks so students will be 1:1 using returned chromebooks from seniors that have been reformatted and sanitized.
- If there are hardware issues with a chromebook (need repair/lost?found), you will complete a google form entry about the issue. Chromebook Repair/Lost/Found Google Form
- Tech will come onsite to address work orders. You can track the status of your request on this form: Chromebook Repair/Lost/Found Response Sheet
- Students who are doing Launch will return their chromebooks to the office. They will be sanitize these and they will be returned to the library to be available as extras to fill in as needed to keep all classrooms at 1:1.
- If a student has lost his/her chromebook, they will have to pay a replacement cost based on the model and years of use.
Self-Care
As things get busy, I often get so focused on the tasks at hand that I neglect my self-care. I will make every effort to do better this year and I hope you will join me! Some of you are already REALLY GOOD at this and have some strategies you can share with those of us who want to develop our "self-care muscles."
Follow our school, district, Dawn, and Sue on Twitter.
@Dr_D_Day (Dawn)
@suehaugenteach (Sue)
@JCMH_tweets (Moreau Heights)
@JCSchools_ (District)
You can also follow our school hashtag at #MHmissionpossible
You can follow our district hashtag at #JCStrongerTogether