Micro Elementary School Newsletter
August 2
Back to School!
I hope you have enjoyed your weekend. Soak up these last few prior to our returning to school. I wanted to share a few things with you so that you would be prepared prior to returning for the workdays on Thursday and Friday. As a reminder, staff can return beginning Monday if they would like to work in their rooms. The expectation will be that you wear a mask on campus unless you are alone in your classroom. Masks must be worn in the hallway and office area.
Please read the Staff FAQ if you have not already done so. It shares tons of information regarding the reopening of schools. This includes information regarding staff children. Currently, JCPS has approved school-aged children to accompany their parents to school on workdays and remote learning days. We are patiently waiting for information regarding staff children and face-to-face learning days.
There is a staff attestation station set up in the mailbox room. It is equipped with gloves, hand sanitizer, and a contactless thermometer. Staff should complete the following digital form each day upon arriving to work. There is a QR code that can be read with your smartphone's camera that will take you to the form, too. This procedure may change at a later date but this is the procedure to follow as of now. Daily Attestation Digital Form
Classlists have not been finalized. This is the case because virtual program enrollment has just ended. Technically, parents can still choose the virtual option or change back to face-to-face, so class placements continue to fluctuate. As we finish grade level and team meetings this week, this will help with the process of completing class lists. Please be patient and understand that I will share class lists with you as soon as I can but please understand they will be likely to change once I do share them. We are also enrolling new families and new kindergarten students everyday! Our goal is to finalize class lists this week and send out postcards to families by August 10th.
I also wanted to share with you that we will be working to plan and host face to face orientations. This will look much different than our traditional orientations. Parents of face-to-face and virtual students would have the opportunity to visit school to meet their child's teacher, pick up chromebooks, and instructional materials. We will also need to likely offer virtual orientation options for each grade level/classroom and pickup opportunities for instructional materials/orientation packets/technology.
These are challenging times. You likely have many questions. I am sure there are things that you are worried about. Please know this....
- we will make it through all of this together
- we will provide a high level education for the Micro Community
- we will grow and get better at virtual teaching and learning
- we will do things according to local, state, and federal safety guidelines.
If you have questions or concerns, reach out to me. I will answer your questions and we can problem/solve all the issues that arise.
Thank you for embracing the challenge of the 20-21 school year!
TJ
State Farm Office donates $250 to Micro Elementary Back to School Efforts
Micro Headlines
If you do not plan to work on the optional workdays, please email Mrs. Creech and Mr. Parrish. 9 month TA's can choose to work but will not have to take leave if they do not work. 10 month TA's and certified staff will need to take leave if they choose not to work. If you plan not on working, let us know what type of leave you will be using (most likely annual leave).
Staff FAQ: This is being updated often. I recommend that you read through it. It offers the answers to some very common questions.
Informational Video for the JCPS Virtual Program Overview This video is worth watching. It will show you what is being communicated with parents and likely answer questions that you may have.
Teacher Support for JCPS Virtual Learning: https://sites.google.com/johnston.k12.nc.us/jcpslearninghome/teacher-resources
The following three resources will be very impactful on our daily operating procedures this school year. The DPI guide is lengthy, I recommend looking through the table of contents and reading through a few sections. The other two guides are shorter and very informative. When asked health and safety type questions, this is where I am going for answers.
NC DPI has provided an in-depth guidebook for reopening schools. It is a great resource for what we can expect for next fall. Click here
NC Health and Human Services also have created a resource that I recommend reviewing. Strong Schools Tool Kit
Reference Guide for Suspected, Presumptive, or Confirmed Cases of Covid-19.
NC State has a great digital resource for remote learning: Instructional Design Principles for Remote Teaching and Learning
Sample Slide Show of School Wide Covid Procedures: Dan Kerwin, Principal of Powhatan Elementary, and the Public Relations Department put this slide deck together to exemplify what a school environment could possibly look like.
Grade Levels can begin discussing who their SIT reps for the 2020-2021 school year will be. Representatives from 2019-2020 can participate in the summertime SIT meeting that will coincide with the district's annual leadership conference. Teams that are due to rotate new members on are: 1,3,5, support.
We are updating the Micro Remind Safety Group. This is a group you should join to receive safety notifications during the school year. Please use this link: https://www.remind.com/join/microele
Welcome aboard!
Rachel Jones-5th grade teacher
Ms. Jones has joined the 5th grade team. She taught last year at Glendale Kenly. She comes to us highly recommended and with a clear passion for teaching/learning. Welcome aboard Rachel!
Here is a current schedule for our return to school
August 3rd-5th: Optional Classroom Setup time for certified staff (not official workdays)
August 6th and 7th: Optional Teacher Workdays
August 10th: Welcome Back to School Meetings (virtual, Face-to-race, flipped) School Provided Box Lunches
August 11th: Classroom Time and County WD's (virtual) Hinnant Outreach Box Lunches
August 12th: Classroom TIme and County WD's (virtual)
August 13th and August 14: 1-on-1 Family Orientations (information and details forthcoming)
August 17th: Remote Learning Begins (1st-5th)
Micro Staff Social Contract
Be Positive
Demonstrate Teamwork
Make the community feel welcome
Treat others with respect
Be Open-Minded
Be Supportive
Motivate Others
Listen to Understand
Micro Elementary Staff will support our social contract by intervening with the gentle question, "Are you okay?" and provide peers with an appropriate level of space.