Team Thomson News & Notes
Week of: March 20, 2020 #ThomsonRocks
Important Information for You!
This newsletter is an attempt to take the major points from communication today and put it all in one place. Please take a moment to read and keep for reference. As you are fully aware, this is an uncertain time and one in which information is always coming and often changing. As things are updated, I will share information with you. I will also do at minimum, a weekly newsletter.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns! We are in this together!
This morning Mr. Brown sent an email outlining the expectation for staff to communicate with our families. Many questions rose from this email as teachers are working to understand their role in very foreign and uncertain territory. Mr. Lobban then worked to develop an FAQ to help teachers understand what you are actually being asked to do. The document can be found in the link below:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pM1hmr1hZroTZIJA0zdjvi0K9Se-haEdsGoc-Tlrj4w/edit?ts=5e74c6f0
Thank you for abiding by the directions given.
Let Go of the Fears of 'Competition'!
These are very difficult times to be an elementary teacher. Your hearts are so big and you want to give so much and I know you may be wondering 'what is everyone else doing'. While the sharing of ideas with one another (and me) can be very helpful, I do not want the sharing of ideas to create a sense of 'competition'...if you are feeling anything like this, LET IT GO! On any given day, I would not expect you all, nor would I encourage you, to be doing the same things and now is no different. If we were in school, you would all be doing different things in your classrooms and approaching your students and parents through different modes, so now should not be different. You know your kids best and what they need...keep that in mind, stay connected to your families, and breathe!
All Buildings are CLOSED
It has been stated very clearly that the buildings are closed to all staff members other than our cook who is helping with food distribution and the custodians. DO NOT ask our cook or custodian to grab something from your classroom. Sadly, for health and safety reasons, this is absolutely necessary. In my message to you, I reminded everyone that this included, "just running in to grab a few things." The building is closed. Until further notice do not enter the building for any amount of time and for any reason. I realize it is inconvenient, but many things are inconvenient right now and we all need to be patient and follow the safety precautions put into place for the common good. Thank you for complying with this expectation.
My Office Hours
As always, I am available to all of you any time. I recommend a text or phone call to reach me the quickest. I have enjoyed hearing from several of you already.When you communicate with parents please include the following information for parents to contact me by email if needed:
If you have questions or need to contact our Principal, Mrs. Miller can be reached by email at nmiller@davisonschools.org. She will respond within 24 hours. Although she is regularly checking email she is specifically monitoring it at the following times:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 9:00-10:00 a.m.
Tuesday, Thursday: 4:00-5:00 p.m.
'Out of Office Response
I have received several questions regarding the notification sent out from Michelle Edwards regarding the 'out of office' message. Some of you have shared that you plan to continue to check your email and respond daily. I just spoke with Matt Lobban, and while he has shared that you will need to have set times of immediate response, if you plan to check email and respond daily you do not need to put Michelle's message on your 'out of office'. Or you may want to keep it and add something to the message...below is what I have on mine:
Hello,
As you are aware, Davison Community Schools is currently closed due to the state-mandated shutdown. We are taking the Governor’s order seriously to help stop the spread of COVID-19, therefore all District buildings are closed. I will continue to monitor my email and respond as I can. I will have email 'office hours' Monday, Wednesday Friday from 9:00-10:00 a.m. and Tuesday, Thursday from 4:00-5:00 p.m. at which time you can expect an almost immediate response.
If you would like to reach a DCS staff member, please email them directly. All of our staff members’ email addresses can be found by clicking on the “Staff Directory” button located on the top right of our website. Please note, however; that many of our teachers are communicating with students and parents during this time but may not respond immediately to email. Also, please note that the entire District will be shut down at the end of the work day on Friday, March 27, through Sunday, April 5, during our scheduled spring break.
You can also contact the District by clicking on the “Contact Us” button on our website or by messaging us through social media on our Facebook or Twitter sites.
Please continue to watch our website for any further updates. Thank you for your support and patience during this very trying time.
Stay Well,
Natalie Miller
You will see I just added the times when I would be monitoring very closely.
Below is the link to Mr. Brown's Latest Edition of Brown's Blog
Quotes Worth Reading
"Kindness is like watching the sun begin to shine through the clouds after a rainy day."
-RAKtivist
Do ONE Thing and Make a Big Difference!
Celebrations & Announcements
Birthdays This Week: None this week!
Kudos: To all of you who have volunteered or will be volunteering distributing meals! I am so proud to be part of such a caring staff. I volunteered Thursday and we passed out 200 meals at Gates alone.
To each of you who have been brave enough to read to our kids via our Thomson PTO page. The response to this has been awesome! I know this isn't for everyone, so please don't fret if you haven't or won't do it.
Also, just a Good Ol' Kudos to All of You! I have been overwhelmed with all the care you are taking of your students, families, and each other...keep it up. This is going to be a long road and we all need to look out for each other.
Important Upcoming Dates:
Holding for now...
Thomson Elementary
#ThomsonRocks
Home of the Thomson Teddies!
And..
Where Kids Come First and Futures Begin!
Email: nmiller@davisonschools.org
Website: www.davisonschools.org
Location: 617 East Clark Street, Davison, MI, United States
Phone: 810-591-0911