Barbara Morgan S.T.E.M. Academy
Parent Newsletter - August 28, 2020
Important Dates
9/3 - Meet and Greet (See information below)
9/8 - First Day of REMOTE Learning
10/14 - No School
Meet and Greet, Thursday, September 3
BMSA is hosting a Meet and Greet on Thursday, September 3, from 8:30am-6:00pm.
At the Meet and Greet, we look forward to meeting our students and families, while providing the opportunity to distribute district issued laptops or iPads to BMSA students. Teachers will be sending an email to families with a SignUp Genius link to sign up for a specific time that works best for them, so only one family will be in the classroom at a time.
Families will be asked to enter through the exterior classroom door and to avoid the hallways. Facemasks are required.
At the Meet and Greet, your child will have the opportunity to meet his/her teacher, see the classroom and pick up their district issued device. Students in grades K-3 will be issued an Ipad with a hard case and a charging cord. Students in grades 4 and 5 will be issued a laptop and a charging cord. We are currently waiting on some laptops and all laptop cases for grades 4 and 5. Once they arrive, we will get them to students as well. For those families who needed internet, wifi ‘hotspots’ will be issued when they become available. If you cannot attend on Thursday, please contact your teacher to make other arrangements.
BMSA Farmer's Market
We want to thank all of the families and staff members who helped tend to the garden throughout the summer.
We have some fresh vegetables from our garden, so we will be setting up a “Farmer’s Market” during the Meet and Greet for families to take what they need. Vegetables have been harvested with great care, with safety measures in place.
When you come to the Meet and Greet on Thursday, September 3, feel free to take some vegetables (while supplies last).
Donations will be graciously accepted, but are not required. Donations will go back into the garden, towards the future purchase of seeds, plants, and other needed garden supplies.
Student Devices
Student device checkout will be during our Meet and Greet, Thrusday, September 3.
Before getting a device, please update Powerschool, particularly the SchoolForms found under the tab "Update Student Information". Then, follow these steps...
- Update Contact Information.
- There is a drop-down menu page which has the following documents that must be updated:
- Student Info
- Household Information
- Emergency Contacts
- Policy Forms
- Device Responsible Use Agreement
Please review the documents below to be sure you and your child know the responsibilities and expectations of use for the devices.
Parent Student Device Handbook
Optional Device Insurance Agreement (Insurance for the district issued device can be purchased to offset the costs to replace/fix a damaged device.)
West Ada also offers technology support for families. This service can be accessed by calling 208-350-5300, Monday-Friday between 7:30am-4:30pm. Families can also get support by
submitting the Home Technology Help Request Form.
Remote Learning
Since we are starting our year in Red, learning will take place remotely from home. Teachers are trying our best to mimic our daily school schedule, so when we resume classes in a Yellow phase, our students will be familiar with the daily routines. Our goal is for students to have a seamless transition between Red Remote Learning days and Yellow In-Building Learning days.
What you can expect in Red - Remote Learning:
- A Suggested Schedule (a sample 2nd grade and 5th grade schedule is below.)
- Daily live meetings with the teacher (These will be recorded so that it is available later for students that cannot attend the live session.)
- Recorded videos and assignments.
- Graded and ungraded assignments to be completed either digitally or on paper and then submitted digitally
- "Office Hours" so your child can get additional support if needed.
- Daily video lesson, OR assignment from a Specialist (PE, Music, STEM, Computer/Library)
- Video meetings as needed and scheduled from the classroom teacher for specific academic needs
What you can expect in Yellow (Alternating day schedule) - Hybrid Learning:
- In person attendance on alternating days (Team 1 days and Team 2 days).
- Suggested Schedule for at-home days (When your Team is at home).
- On at-home days, there will be no live video meetings or office hours.
- On at-home days, all instruction will be delivered through recorded videos and assignments.
- Video lessons or assignments for each subject area
- Graded and ungraded assignments to be completed either digitally or on paper and then submitted digitally
- Daily video lesson, OR assignment from a Specialist (PE, Music, STEM, Computer/Library)
- Video meetings as needed and scheduled from the classroom teacher for specific academic needs
**Please know, when working remotely (in Red or Yellow phases), students may progress through their activities more quickly or at a different time that what might be on the schedule. Also, some families might not be able to attend certain learning blocks at the specified times. For this reason, live teaching will be recorded for students to view at a different time frame.
What will a student schedule look like?
Our teachers are working very hard to create a learning schedule for our students and families.
Below is a sample 2nd and 5th grade schedule for remote learning (if in Red or Yellow Alternating plans). The schedules are very similar to a schedule students would have if they transition back to face-to-face learning. However, there will be a combination of live instruction, recorded videos, posted assignments, and opportunities for live class discussions via Microsoft Teams.
Our Specialist teachers (PE, Music, STEM, and Library/Computer) will also provide opportunities for students to be learning live from their Specialist teacher, learning from recorded videos, and/or working on pre-assigned items.
Students on IEP’s and 504’s:
Your classroom teacher will work with the IEP and 504 case managers to ensure educational plans are followed. We have incorporated time within our schedules to allow for our Resource Room teacher, PBI teacher, EL teacher and Paraprofessionals to work with students one-on-one or in small groups remotely.
Student Drop Off and Pick Up
Safety to and from the school grounds is our priority. When we have students back in the building, students and families will be asked to follow the drop-off and pick-up routines below.
With the safety plans we have in place, we are asking parents and guardians to remain in their vehicles when dropping off or picking up students. No visitors are allowed on the playground or near classroom doors.
At drop off, students will need to enter the building through their teacher's classroom doors. We will be placing some brightly colored pictures on the exterior doors for each teacher, so your child can find their door easily. Your teacher will soon tell you which photo to look for so you know which classroom door is yours. On the first few days back to school, we will have additional staff helping students find their teacher's classrooms. (If eating breakfast at school, students will enter the cafeteria through the cafeteria near the front.)
At the end of the day, students will be lined up with their grade level (see map below). Students will need to let the teacher know when their parent drives around the loop, then they can go to the loading area (green zone) and load.
If parking on the streets, please consider Sandalwood walkway exit or Chateau exit as easy areas to drop off and pick your child up from. There are crossing guards at both locations. Students will be allowed to walk out to those locations for their rides.
Bikers and Walkers who have parents/guardians waiting for them will walk or ride to the Sandalwood or Chateau exits.
Some tips to smooth out drop off and pick up in the loop:
- Loop pick up is for quick self-loading and unloading students with parents remaining in the vehicle.
- No Parking in loop.
- Pull all the way forward, past the gate, along the straight away.
- Only load and unload on the passenger curb side when vehicle is at a complete stop.
- Remind your student to watch for their vehicle, raise hand to tell their teacher, so they can come over to the pickup area. Students must watch for their ride.
- If you don't see your student in the pickup/drop off area, please go out and join the line again. This will smooth the process for everyone.
- Watch for children and follow crossing guards signals.
If you have any questions, please inquire with the office.
Thank you for your patience and understanding while getting students to and from school safely.
School Nutrition Services
Curbside meal pick up and delivery are available during remote learning for children enrolled in West Ada School District.
Lunch costs $2.50, or $0.40 for children with free and reduced meal benefits.
Children not enrolled in West Ada School District, or employees, may purchase lunch for $4.00. Meals will be available from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Meals can be pre-ordered by parents via My Payments Plus www.mypaymentsplus.com
Or
emailing the student’s name, birthdate and pick up location to nutrition@westada.org
Or
by calling our School Nutrition Office 208-855-4575, no later than 7 a.m. on the day they wish to pick up the meal.
Free and reduced meal benefits are available for those who qualify. Visit this webpage for more information: www.westada.org/FreeMealApp.
Counselor Corner
All Parents, please complete this BMSA Needs Survey.
We want to know how we can help each other. We know there are both needs and resources within our community, and that we are better when we work together. Whether you have needs or might be able to help others, this survey will give you a chance to share that information. The results will go to our School Counseling staff.
If you have any questions or concerns that are not addressed in the survey, please email or call Kristin Wright, "Counselor Kristin," at wright.kristin@westada.org or 208.855.4432.