At the Creek....
July 24, 2020
School Start 20-21
As I prepared to send this to all of you, the news came that we would be starting school in the High Risk level, meaning that there will not be any in person schooling for students. We're living in a time where change happens often and without our control, which is very difficult for all of us-myself included. I appreciate our policies and procedures in place that allowed us to get this information to all of you now to enable you to make personal plans. We are all in teh same boat right now-working hard to make the best decisions for your child and family as a whole.
I hope all of you have taken the opportunity to head to the Anchorage School District webpage to review the plans currently in place for starting the coming school year. Below is a photo of the page and the areas you can find information to assist you in making your decisions. Of course, everything in ASD will be dependent on the decisions made at the state, Municipality, and School Board level. If your child will be attending ASD either in school or virtually at home, you'll remain enrolled at Rabbit Creek. If you're choosing a home school program, in ASD or outside, you will need to unenroll your child from our school to enable you to enroll them in the new school.
I attended my first Elementary Principal meeting of the year today and I learned a great deal, some of which is communicated to you below. My goal is always to communicate with you-community and staff-as I know information that impacts us all. My apologies to staff who did not get a separate or advanced message regarding this information in my efforts to get it to all as soon as possible. My biggest learning in our meeting (5 hours long!!!) was about the Virtual School option. I'm thrilled to know that this will include a set curriculum and program-Calvert Learning-for our students in grades K-5. This enables our students and families to have a clear cut instructional program from "experts" in the field of online learning. As a district we weren't able to provide such a program last year due to the instant need to close schools and it would be incredibly difficult for our teachers to try to do both in school instruction and online at the same time. You're able to remain as Rabbit Creek students and families while getting a quality program at home. Our sixth grade students will be using a different program-one shared with the middle schools-and I hope to learn more about that next week. The bonus there is that they'll be familiar with the program if needed in their move to Goldenview and also that they will be getting a true middle school type of learning.
We currently have 272 students registered at Rabbit Creek for 20-21 with the official registration week happening next week (27th-29th). At the end of the first week of registration last year we had 401 students set to attend our school. Of course, I know this is under very different circumstances this year and that is impacting our numbers at this time. We've currently got a small handful of students registered for the virtual program and are hearing word of some who will be attending a home school. Please know that is very important that we know which students will be returning to Rabbit Creek for school this year, both in school and virtually. This will allow us to accurately plan classrooms and assign teachers while ensuring that we are able to follow all of the current safety guidelines and much more. I hope you'll communicate with us your plans and/or register for in person learning at your earliest convenience.
This is an uncharted time in our world in so many ways, and definitely in education. I never considered there being a point where we would be looking at how to meet the diverse needs of our community through creating online programs and discussing home school. If you've spent any time with me, you'll know that being with kids in school is my favorite place to be. Sitting here this week is a reminder of the fact that a school is just a building without the students present. That being said, safety is our top priority and we must take care of everyone in our community. My email today is my first step this year in my work to do this, as I share with you information to hopefully support you in the coming days. As always, I'm here to answer questions (or get the answer if I don't know it!). Please feel free to reach out!
Ms Peterson
See this information at www.asdk12.org
ASD In School--Blended Learning model
Online instruction while in the high risk level, as we are set to start the school year, will be very different than what was done in the spring. During all teaching this year-regardless of which program a family chooses for their child or the location-the focus will be on new skills appropriate to the grade level. Attendance will be expected, students will be earning grades and there will be assessments to support our instructional program. Those registering their children for the In School model will be able to look forward to the following:
ASD Virtual Learning
When a family chooses ASD Virtual Learning, you remain a part of our school-just learning from afar. You're able to register for this option if you've not yet completed this year's paperwork online. If you have done so already and want to switch to this option, please see the link below. Either way, you'll still be listed as a Rabbit Creek student (which is great news for us!).
If you have questions about this learning opportunity, please check the district website and/or search Calvert Learning for more information.
If your child will be attending school at home only through our virtual learning option, please be sure you've registered your child and that you've marked this choice on the documents completed online. Some of you registered previously and wish to now move to the virtual option-I've placed a link below to show you how to do this in the Parent Connect system. Once you have completed one of these processes we will be able to see the correct location of your child's schooling to use in our planning.
VIRTUAL enrollment instructions---click below!
ASD at Home-Homeschool option
If your child will be attending a home school program of any type, I ask that you take a moment to communicate with me via email at peterson_kristina@asdk12.org or by calling our school office at 742-5700. Thank you in advance!!!
Rabbit Creek Elementary
Email: peterson_kristina@asdk12.org
Website: https://www.asdk12.org/rabbitcreek
Location: 13650 Lake Otis Parkway, Anchorage, AK, USA
Phone: (907) 742-5700