Hawk Flock Family News
8/20/20
Hello and welcome,
If you are new to Hedden as a second grade family or just new to the district, I cordially welcome you. If you are an experienced Hedden Hawk family, then welcome back. As you can imagine there has been quite a bit of work going on behind the scenes to plan for this year and we're happy to start by getting information out and opening up to more collaboration with our families and students.
For those that don't know me yet, I'm Don Sims and I'm going into my 6th year here at Hedden and my 17th as part of the community. Both my daughter and son have come up through the district from kindergarten, and now attend CJH and FHS respectively. My perspective as a parent, community member, and educator make me confident that what we have in Fife, and specifically at Hedden, will give us an opportunity to make the best of this situation and give our students an engaging and successful school year.
We're fortunate too, that while we had a few staff leave we are able to bring on some really wonderful folks that will make a difference in the lives of our students this year. Amanda Swan and Janice VanRavensway have both joined our 2nd grade team over the summer. You may recognize them and their names as they're coming to us highly recommended from Discovery Primary. We also have Manpreet Brar stepping in as our school psychologist. Ms. Brar served part of last year at Hedden while she completed her internship. I've of course had the opportunity to work with and alongside these ladies and I'm proud to have them on board with us at Hedden.
While we know that we have a great staff and a solid plan for online learning, we also know that it can't replace the learning and experiences we have when we are actually at school interacting with one another. I am so hopeful that with responsible social distancing, cleaning, and eventual reduction in Covid-19 cases that we are able to work directly with one another before too long. In the meantime though we will make the best of what we have and support one another through this new process.
I'll wrap up this portion of the newsletter by encouraging you to read on for the various topics and events listed below. There is a lot of information and links for you to look at, but they really will help everyone be better prepared for the start of the year. While this is being sent to every family via the email we have on file, I do ask that you check in on your friends and neighbors to make sure they are getting updated information from the school, the teachers, and the district.
Kind regards,
Mr. Sims
Hedden Elementary Principal
Does Your Student Need to Checkout a Chromebook?
As we start the 2020-21 school year with fully online learning, elementary students have the opportunity to check out a district Chromebook to use at home until we return to in-person learning. Checking out a Chromebook is optional at the elementary level.
If you are interested and you are a legal guardian for an elementary student in the Fife School District, please follow the instructions below.
Instructions for Requesting and Agreeing to Checkout a Chromebook
Log into your Skyward Family Access account. The website is skyward.fifeschools.com. If you have never logged into your Family Access account, use the "Forgot your Login/Password" link on the login page. Enter your email address (what the school has for your contact information). You'll receive an email with your username and a link to reset your password. If you have trouble or need to update your contact information, please contact the school at 253-517-1500.
If you have more than one student in your family, go to the "All Students" drop down menu at the top of the home page and choose the elementary student you want the Chromebook checked out to.
Go to Online Forms on the left side and choose Chromebook Checkout or choose the link to the online form in the notification on the news feed on our home page.
Review the agreement and click the checkbox indicating that you agree to the conditions for checking out a Chromebook.
Submit the form on the second page of the form.
***IMPORTANT***
Complete this form by Tuesday, August 25th and a Chromebook will be prepared and ready for you during our Student Materials Pickup days on August 31st for 2nd and 4th grades and September 1st for 3rd and 5th grades.
New Office Entry
Entering Via a Vestibule
New Office and Waiting Area
Student Material Pickup: Monday 8/31 & Tuesday 9/1
We have a plan to try and get student materials distributed to the to get the year started. Hedden staff will be going into the building to bag up student materials, workbooks, and Chromebooks (if checked out through the Tech Survey) , while maintaining social distancing, of course. They will bag and label student materials. We will then stage all bags with student materials in the gymnasium.
We are currently planning to have families come to Hedden to pick up the labeled bags that we put together. The pickup dates are:
Monday, 8/31:
2nd Grade families from 10:00 to 12:00
4th Grade families from 12:00 to 2:00
Tuesday, 9/1:
3rd Grade families from 2:00 to 4:00
5th-grade families from 4:00 to 6:00.
Our plan is to have families pull up to our student pick up area in the main parking lot. Please be prepared to give 1. GRADE LEVEL, 2. TEACHER NAME(s) and 3. STUDENT NAME(s).
Staff will call that information into the gym where a runner will grab the bag(s) and bring them out to drop in the car. We will have a small crew of staff outside and a few folks, socially distanced, in the gym.
The diagram below is a general breakdown of the flow of traffic. There will be a single entry point and a separate exit to keep traffic flowing. No one should plan to park or get out of their vehicles. To maintain appropriate social distancing and keep the flow of traffic moving, we need your help with both these things.
While we did something very similar in spring, this will be a little bit different and the first time for a number of families. Please be patient and flexible as we go through this together. If you cannot make the time listed, please let communicate with your child teacher(s) and we'll try to work something out.
Free & Reduced Breakfast and Lunch Program
Both new and returning students who wish to apply for free and/or reduced meals should click the link to the application below. Completed applications must be either scanned and emailed back to Toni Barnett at tbarnett@fifeschools.com or mailed or delivered to Fife School District office.
The English & Spanish version of the Food Program application and the household letter can be found @ Fifeschools.com, Departments, Food Service, Free and Reduced Lunch Info
Returning students maintain their prior year’s free or reduced eligibility for the first 30 school days, or until a new application is processed. If a returning student does not have a new application processed by October 15, 2020, they will automatically be transferred to a paid account on the next school day. Families are responsible for any charges incurred.
Please notify Toni Barnett, Manager of Food Services (253.517.1000) if a returning student has a newly enrolled sibling so that we may extend the 30 school day eligibility to the new student. Families will still need to complete a new application to avoid any unnecessary charges.
Nurses Station
Vestibule and Office from the Inside
New Gymnasium Sign
Student Schedule Outline for Online Learning
A. Teachers will be emailing families before the weekend and sending letters home on Monday.
Q2. Will students get Chromebooks this year?
A. Yes, IF your student needs a Chromebook AND you complete the survey coming out from the district. Chromebooks will be handed out with student materials as described above on 8/31 & 9/1.
Q3. When does the school year start?
A1. The first three days (9/3, 9/4, and 9/8) will be focused on Family Orientations. Teachers will be setting up 20 to 30 minute Zoom orientations with each family on these three days.
A2. Instruction with class and group meetings will begin on 9/9.
Q4. How much time will my student need to be on the computer or doing school work?
A. Teachers will be sharing their schedules and going over expectations during Family Orientations, but on a daily basis there will be time for online instruction, discussions, and support, along with independent work opportunities.
Q5. Will my student need to participate in school everyday?
A. Students will have learning opportunities each day and will need to participate in online learning on a daily basis. Attendance will be taken for regular school days.
Q6. Will there be opportunities to get more support for students and families?
A. Yes. Staff will be setting and communicating out when we will have "office hours". These times can be used for student academic support or to meet with families.
Q7. My student receives support services (ELL, IEP, Title/LAP, Speech, etc.). When will they do this?
A. Support and Intervention staff are working to plan instruction and to connect with student withing the school schedule. Staff will coordinate and communicate supports with teachers and families.
Q. What if my child is in daycare or is not able to log-in at the assigned times?
A. We are required to take attendance daily. If you need assistance with this, please coordinate a plan with your classroom teacher.
Don Sims
Email: dsims@fifeschools.com
Website: http://hedden.fifeschools.com/
Location: 11313 8th Street East, Edgewood, WA, United States
Phone: 2535171500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeddenElementary
Twitter: @DSimsFife