Ram Nation News
Distance Learning Week 5
Vision
Happy Birthday!!!
- Jesse Bales 4/3
- Martin Brown 4/4
- Juan Salazar 4/5
- Barbara Perez 4/11
- Joseph Childress 4/11
- Bailey Mason 4/14
- Shelly Kannada 4/22
- Shatavia Reeves 4/24
- Kiara Brunson 4/30
April 20 - April 24
It is hard to believe that we just finished the first week of the 6th six weeks and that we are starting our 5th week in At-Home Learning. This week, we learned that school will continue virtually for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. While most of us knew this was to be our reality somewhere inside of us, the announcement comes as both a relief in finally knowing and a sorrow in that we miss the interactions of school in the physical space.
I want to thank you for the hard work, commitment, and support you have provided each one of our young Rams. I know that our students and parents are very grateful for the support they receive. Let's continue to make purposeful moves and be very intentional toward our vision of cultivating scholars to be catalysts of change, life-long learners, innovators, and competitors in a global society.
Our goal is to accelerate transformation and ensure our kids have access to quality education. I know that within each of us there is a light that shines daily and we need to keep that light shining bright with a message of hope for our students and families. We must be beacons of hope for our students and our community. As shared last week, let's be the light that shines in the dark moments of our students' lives. Be the light that helps our students see there is a bright future ahead of them despite our current circumstances. Light up our students' path as you show them to have the courage to be the best they can be so that our students can achieve their highest potential.
Happy Administrative Professional's Day!
Food and Materials Distribution
Also, Ms. Shannan Martin, Ms. McGee, and Coach Bey came out to support our FLS students to provide with learning packets as well as collecting athletic gear. We are very thankful for their commitment and dedication to our students.
Distance Learning Plan of Action
Monday - Friday - April 20 thru April 24
Teachers and Staff:
- Teacher and staff will clock in at 9:00 a.m. by completing the Clock-In Form
- Teachers will be accessible online through the instructional day (9:00 a.m. -12:00 noon &1:00 p.m - 4:00 p.m.). Each teacher will have an online designated platform for courses, which can be found on our school Master Directory directly.
- Teachers will meet with their classes based on the schedule below and keeping our calendar of A/B days for electives. However, based on feedback from parents, and what we noticed with students, there are some students who need more structure and need a schedule. Therefore, share the schedule below with students so that they know what subject/Google Classroom to access throughout the day. These should be recorded and saved for flexible student access. Also, use the daily schedule to support those who need even more support keeping a schedule to keep up with tasks and assignments.
- Students needing assistance will be reaching out the teacher directly via email, the classroom platform, or phone.
- Review work completed and submitted by students, provide feedback, and assign grades. For Cycle 6, a minimum of 1 grade/week will need to be recorded in the Powerschool Gradebook. While teachers may maintain a separate student gradebook as a part of Google Classroom activities, they are required to enter grades into PowerSchool through PowerTeacher Pro.
- SPED Inclusion teachers will follow existing schedule of classes, assist teachers, and provide support to students according to their IEP. Please note that the courses are only 45-60 minutes, so please divide the time appropriately.
- SPED Inclusion and FLS teachers will work on completing the IEP Amendments for students whose IEP cannot be implemented as drafted in the ARD documentation.
Counselors:
- Follow up with students who have academic plans to ensure they are on track with online and material access to ensure they are successful with work completion and passing grades.
- They will provide follow up for those students reported by teachers who have not engaged with the our virtual setting. They will use the 6.1 Attendance Sheet filled out last week as a reference to help contact students. They will collaborate with Ms. Alanis, Ms. Strong, and Mr. Sanders to help contact parents/students.
- Follow up with students who were receiving psychological as well as Youth and Family Services to provide support and guidance.
- Counselors will work on completing the 504 Amendments for students whose 504 plan cannot be implemented as drafted in the 504 documentation.
- Counseling Services is requesting for Dallas ISD counselors to document their work by filling this link.
Administration:
- Coordinate and support food distribution - Thursday 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
- Respond to parent and student questions and concerns via email.
- Meet with Mr. Kastl as admin team to discuss virtual learning, academic tasks, and student work.
- Conduct virtual PLC meetings with content teams. Deliverables: Update Syllabi and Instructional Planning Calendars for @HomeLearning.
- Admin virtual meeting to review the week and plan next steps based on survey results, parent, student and teacher input.
- Check calendar invites.
- Monitor PowerSchool grades weekly and provide support as needed.
- Participate in ARDs and 504 meetings. Use the Final ARD Script for Administrator Facilitating the Meeting
- Continue virtual interviews for current vacancies.
Parent and Student Communication
Communication is key to ensure our students feel supported and are successful. Therefore, we will formally document these phone calls in our Teacher-Parent Contact log.
- Based on feedback and to provide alignment with our tracking form, we will change to contact our 2nd period as "Advisory" students at least once a week. Of course, this does not mean that our 2nd period teachers will not call students; however, this helps to better align our efforts in attendance tracking. During this time, 2nd period teachers should also check on the data inputted by colleagues so that we can all keep students accountable for completing work in all subjects. Use the Check-In Script provided by our counselors. I understand that we may reach out in different ways such as, ClassDojo, Remind, e-mail, or text; however, hearing a friendly voice means a lot especially when faced in times of social distancing. This will allow students the opportunity to stay connected with the school and for the teacher to help students solve issues or concerns.
- Our website is updated with information about At Home Learning.
- Please adhere to technology etiquette and policy guidelines. Teachers should not be directly communicating with students or parents after 9:00 pm and before 7:00 am. We understand if you are providing feedback and do not need student responses, but we cannot expect students to respond, nor should texts and Remind 101 messages be sent after 9:00 pm or before 7:00 am.
Use this School Student Directory to have access to more students' contact information. It is listed by grade level at the bottom of the screen. You can search within each sheet the student's information you need to access.
Below, there are flyers with Emergency Information for the community and information for our families considered Homeless (extended stays fall under this category and we have about 50-60 students who fall under this category).
SEL Lessons for Students - April 20 - April 24
Refer to e-mail sent by Ms. Woods:
In order to make lessons more interactive, this week we will continue to implement a Nearpod lesson. Ms. Woods uploaded it to our school library. The lessons are titled Rusk (Subject) SEL date. Below you will find step by step instructions on how to place this lesson in your google classroom.
After signing in to Nearpod
New Accounts have been created for teachers that did not have an existing account. User
Name: Teacher District email address (i.e. jcordoba@dallasisd.org - you will be surprised)
Password: RuskRams1
Click on School Library (on the left side bar)
- Find the lesson and click Add to my library
- Go to my Library
- Hover over the lesson and click Student Paced
- In the pop up, select add to google classroom
SEL Schedule Reminder
Day
- Lesson/Content Area
Monday
- Math
Tuesday
- Reading
Wednesday
- Science
Thursday
- Social Studies
Grading Procedures
Cycle 6 (6th Six Weeks): April 14, 2020 = May 27, 2020
- Teachers will enter 1 grade a week per course
- All grading categories will be weighted the same.
- Students who are missing assignments will not be given a zero. - The grade for the assignment will be blank. - The missing grade(s) will not be calculated in the final grade for the cycle.
- Students without grades for cycle 6, will not receive a zero for the final grade. A blank grade will be entered.
- Final grades will be available to parents/guardians and students on May 27th (ES) and June 10th (MS/HS) via Parent Portal. Parents/guardians may also request the report card be emailed. Parent/guardian identity confirmation over the phone will be required.
See document below to access more information on Grading and how to Resolve Missing Final Blank Grades
Attendance Procedures
- Teachers are required to enter and submit student attendance every Tuesday and Friday.
- Attendance will NOT be submitted on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. CRCs and Registrars do NOT submit attendance on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
- Teachers have until 4:30 pm on Tuesdays and Fridays to enter and submit student attendance.
- Unexcused absences during District Closure and implementation of at-home learning will NOT count against a school’s attendance percentage.
- Student attendance corrections due to teacher error must be submitted via email to the school CRC/Registrar and principal (or designee) within 5 school days. See attachment below for attendance correction requirements:
Secondary:
- Attendance is taken only for the teacher’s “ADA” course (meets at 11:00 am.)
o On Tuesdays
o On Friday
All Teachers are required to confirm participation in at-home learning for each student.
- Confirmation of participation at-home learning will be used to enter student attendance as “present”.
- Confirmation of participation in at-home learning can be determined using electronic login by student (Google Classroom, Zoom, Teams, or other learning applications or platforms)
- Confirmation of participation can be used for any of the three days prior to official attendance accounting on Tuesday and Friday.
Unexcused Absences: Students are only marked as having an Unexcused Absence if the teacher has attempted multiple times to contact parents/students and received no response at all. Confirmation of participation should begin well before the Tuesday/Friday deadline. Teachers should be encouraged to keep a log of participation so that on Tuesday and Friday, they have very few students/parents to reach out to.
Use link below to access an example for secondary campuses.
Attendance - Work Completion Tracker
We are using the Attendance and Work Completed Tracker each week.
Teachers will still have until 4:30 pm on Tuesdays and Fridays to enter and submit student attendance for their 2nd period students.
This will allow for better alignment and communication as grade levels to ensure that our students are logging into each class and completing work. This will also allow our counselors and CIS to continue to contact students who neither are completing work nor have reported online.
Here is the key to for what you will enter for all of your students throughout the week.
0 - No Communication (have not talked to at all)
1 - Talked to- No internet
2 - Online/No WORK
3 - Online and Work Submitted
You will also enter the best working number you have for the students in your 2nd period; (if someone is blank and you have a working number please enter it) however, the information for all students in your caseload needs to be entered to better support you.
Student Activities going Virtual
In an effort to keep students engaged and to continue with scheduled plans, all district extracurricular activities sponsored by the Student Activities Department have been adjusted to online competitions. Using platforms such as PlayVS, Google Forms, Zoom, UIL Solutions, and ChessKid, students will compete in the originally scheduled spring season of activities. As with at-home learning, coaches quickly made the adjustment to the online competition format and continue to prepare their teams for success. Look forward in the coming month to seeing videos and pictures of your students participating in academic competitions. Attached is an overview. If you need additional information, please contact Sharla Hudspeth, shudspet@dallasisd.org.
Technology Support
Resources for Online Learning and Management
AT-HOME LEARNING WEBINAR SCHEDULE FOR STAFF
Webinar schedule outlining dates and times for professional learning. We will have some of our administrative team members attend to support in implementation, but you are welcome to log in and participate for your own learning.
Instructional Resources
Instructional Resources List
All In Learning
Video for use of AIL in At-Home Learning
Teacher Guide To Make Online Assessments Via AIL
Student One-Pager for AIL Online
Nearpod
Resources: OnDemand Videos, Instructional Videos, Webinar links
EdPuzzle
Make any video your lesson: Choose a video, give it your magic touch and track your students' comprehension.
Engage students: Introduce students to self-paced learning with interactive video lessons. It's easy to add your own voice narration and questions!
Reinforce accountability: Check if students are watching your videos, how many times they're watching each section, and if they're understanding the content.
These are the guidelines for our teachers that serve students receiving Advanced Academics, Bilingual/ESL, Section 504/Dyslexia, and Special Education services as each of these groups has compliance requirements that remain in place during the district closure. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide additional information as it becomes available.
Important to note, all ARD and Section 504 committee meetings will be conducted virtually through Microsoft Teams. Principals in collaboration with Special Education Case Managers will coordinate these meetings where applicable.
Procedures for Recording a Virtual ARD during COVID-19 School Closures
Counseling Corner
Request for Counseling Services
- Request for Counseling Services
- Request for Counseling Services (Spanish) This form is for current Dallas Independent School District students, parents/guardians, or staff who would like to request counseling services for a student from a professional school counselor. Once completed, a member of the counseling team associated with the identified school will contact you regarding your concerns.
One-on-One Counseling Support through Bookings
Students may schedule an appointment with our counselors using the Rusk Counseling Booking Link.
Social-Emotional Learning
- Mindfulness and Emotions: To help find a sense of calm and focus on the present, we encourage both adults and students to practice mindfulness and regulate our emotions. Each of us can build our skills by pausing to breathe deeply, focusing on the present, and allowing emotions to come and go rather than being swept up in one particular train of thought or heightened emotion.
- Remember to visit Dallas ISD's At-Home Learning for SEL resources for students (available in both English and Spanish). If you feel students need support from our counselors, please refer them to one of our counseling queens team members.
Accountability Updates
District Extended Emergency Leave
During an Extended Emergency Leave, some employees (this applies to all of us) may be required to perform limited duties remotely/work from home to maintain key functions of the District (i.e.: activities such as instruction, lesson development, curriculum development, staff supports and business office functions). An employee must be available during normal work hours.
If an employee is unwilling or unable to fulfill their assigned duties on a given day or are not available due to a trip, vacation, surgery etc. they should utilize PTO.
Confidentiality of Health Related Information
Open Transfer Period (MUST read if planning to transfer)
The Open Transfer application for regular schools will be available starting March 6, 2020. Eligible employees must apply via the open transfer application online at https://www.dallasisd.org/careers within the time frame established. Principals will have an opportunity to submit open transfer recommendations no later than April 10, 2020 for regular schools. If you are seeking a transfer to a High Priority Campus listed here, then you can still participate of the Open Transfer Window until May 8, 2020. Transfers are not final until an approval email notification has been sent from Human Capital Management. All notification will be completed by April 24, 2020.
If you know that you are planning to transfer or leaving the district, please let me know as soon as possible so that we can plan accordingly. As we are working on having a solid and effective team, transfers will not be approved after the April 10 deadline for regular schools or May 8 for HPC. In previous years, I have tried to be flexible and supportive allowing staff members to transfer; however, we have found ourselves in a bind trying to fill vacancies for transfers approved after the deadline. Therefore, while I want to keep as many of you as possible, I know that life happens and some of you will be transferring. Please, plan accordingly and let me know of your next steps.
Rusk Middle School
Email: jcordoba@dallasisd.org
Website: www.dallasisd.org/rusk
Location: 2929 Inwood Road, Dallas, TX, United States
Phone: 972-925-2000
Twitter: @RuskAllTheWayUp