Pine Hollow Middle School
April 17, 2020
Dear Parents,
We are now a month or so into our school closure, and it still does not seem normal. As a parent of two young children, I understand just how difficult and complex family time and schedules have become. Hang in there and let your child(ren) know that they are doing a great job engaging with their school work, and to keep it up! If they are feeling anxious or stressed out, tell them that teachers are being extremely flexible right now, and that they should just do the best they can. You can also encourage them to email or contact our counselors Lori Nardone and Ed Perryman if they want to talk to someone or need extra support.
This week the district and school board implemented some changes to the distance learning process, so please carefully review those updates below. In the next week or two, my staff and I will be holding a Zoom conference call for parents so that we can discuss some of these things live in person. I will send out date/time/login info about that soon.
Thanks for your flexibility as we work through things, and feel free to email me or our staff if you have any questions or concerns. Say hello to your kids for me and let them know that we all miss them very much! Have a great weekend and be well,
Ben Campopiano
Principal
Pine Hollow Middle School
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Distance Learning Update
Starting this week, the school board, district, and school staffs have implemented some critical changes to the distance learning process. Please review these updates carefully and let us know if you have any questions.
- All MDUSD secondary students will receive a grade mark of CREDIT or NO CREDIT at the end of the 4th Quarter / Second Semester.
- This grade mark will be given based on how students engage in the work this quarter.
- Students should be making an effort to engage with their teachers, classes, and assignments each week.
- Students will not be graded traditionally on their work - rather they will be graded on their effort and engagement on assignments.
HOMELINK
- Teachers will be utilizing HomeLink to document and track if students are engaging in the work.
- Work won't be graded in the traditional sense, so HomeLink will simply allow staff, students, and parents to see how students are engaging in the work that is assigned.
ASSIGNMENTS
- View our ONE-STOP-SHOP document to view teacher's emails, office hours, Google Classroom codes, and assignments.
CHROMEBOOKS/WIFI
- If you need a Chromebook, email Ben Campopiano to set up a time to pick one up.
- If you need a low-cost internet/wifi option, please click here for options.
MDUSD Information and Resources
Click here to review information put out by the Mt. Diablo Unified School District regarding:
- Free community meals distributed on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays
- Affordable home internet and WIFI options
- Childcare resources
- And more
Free Educational Websites for Home
Sometimes screen time is a necessity if we have children at home and work we need to do. Here are a few sites that make screen time a learning time:
- CodeMonkey: A game-based education program that teaches children to code. It comes with a membership fee, but there's a free 14-day trial that doesn't require a credit card.
- BrainPop: Online learning across subject areas for children in kindergarten through middle school and ELL learning for all age groups. Free.
- Khan Academy: Online learning in math, science, and literacy for all age groups. Standards-aligned. Free.
- Scholastic Learn at Home: Interactive learning journeys for all ages.