SPHS eNews
Spain Park High School 07/17/2020
A Message from the Principal
Dear Parents,
I hope all is well with you and your family. If you have been following the news regarding the re-opening of our schools, you know our system and school leaders have collaborated with local health officials, state education leaders, parents, and teachers. The task of opening our schools under the current conditions is a daunting task that must be done and done well. There are many unknown aspects of this challenge that we are faced with, and we must get it right for our students.
At this time, I do not have the answer to all of your questions, and I know you are most anxious about what school will look like for your student. Hopefully, this newsletter will give you an idea of how we will open Spain Park High School for the 2020-21 school year. The information below is designed to help you make the appropriate decision for your student’s education. We have spent many hours planning and addressing the “What Ifs,” concerning your student’s safety, health, and quality of education, we hope to provide. Please take the time to read and review this information thoroughly. We have included a FAQ at the end of this document so we can further assist you in the decision making process.
Your student and your family are of great importance to us, and we are ready to work with you during this important process. I am available to meet with you by email lgiangrosso@hoover.k12.al.us by phone at 205-439-1400 or in person by calling our secretary, Mrs. Wingo, 205- 439-1411 to schedule an appointment.
Sincerely,
Peter L. Giangrosso
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Optional On-Site Registration
Important First Step In the SPHS Registration Process
All students who will attend Spain Park High School for the 2020-2021 school year must complete online registration (Powerschool Enrollment) prior to July 31st. Your personal link has already been sent to you. If you have not received the email to complete online registration please contact Renee' Hohler, registrar, at ehohler@hoover.k12.al.us
Residence information must be up-to-date prior to July 31st. If you need to update an expired lease or change your address, please email the deed or lease along with a current utility bill to ehohler@hoover.k12.al.us
Optional On-Site Registration Dates
Wednesday, August 12th, 9 am-3 pm
Thursday, August 13th, 9 am-3 pm
Friday, August 14th, 9 am-3 pm
On Monday, August 17th, administrators will host a virtual New Student Orientation. More information about this will be sent at a later date.
Spain Park's on-site registration will be optional this year for all students. Students will need to attend registration for these purposes:
Students have a scheduling error. Schedules will be visible in the iNow portal on Monday, August 10th at 8:00 am for students to view. If there is an error in a student’s schedule, there will be a digital schedule change request form available for students to fill out posted in grade-level Google classrooms. Counselors will work with students through email to correct any scheduling errors. However, students may come to school during on-site registration to meet with a counselor by appointment only. Students are asked to contact their counselor for this option.
Complete Powerschool Enrollment (formerly Infosnap). For families who have not completed the online registration process, computers will be available for parent use.
Walking the schedule. Students will be able to come to the school to walk their schedule to become familiar with the building. This is especially important for incoming 9th-grade students and new students.
New student tours. These will be offered by our student ambassadors during on-site registration on the hour between 9 am and 2 pm, August 12-14, and will begin in the cafeteria. The last tour each day will be at 2:00 pm. These will not take place on August 17th.
The following items are normally handled during on-site registration but will be different for this year’s optional registration.
There will be no student IDs issued for the 20-21 school year.
Student textbooks will be issued after school begins.
No lockers will be issued for the 20-21 school year.
Parking hang tags need to be purchased before the first day of school on My School Fees. The form needed for completion is attached to the payment portion of My School Fees. The only parking lots available this year will be the Red (front) and Yellow (side) lots.
Bus information will be posted on the HCS website.
We encourage parents to visit MySchoolFees to join our SPHS PTSO. This will open on August 18th.
Information about athletics will be sent out at a later date from the athletic department.
Required reading books will be for sale in the library after Labor Day.
Health Guidelines for Registration and Information from our School Nurse
Please limit attendance to one student and one adult only. Masks will be required and social distancing guidelines will be followed.
Our school nurse plans to be available at SPHS during registration. Please see her during registration or email her if you have any questions regarding your student's medical needs for the 2020-21 school year. If your student will require any type of medication at school or during school events during the 2020-2021 school year, please see the attached forms. We will also have medication forms available during registration. Form#1 Form#2 Please contact Becky Laney, RN at blaney@hoover.k12.al.us if you have questions.
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SPHS Reopening Plan (Curriculum and Instruction)
At the July 13th meeting, the School Board reached consensus on a plan to offer students a choice in how they return to school in August for the beginning of the 2020-21 school year. The plan offers families these choices:
Engaged Learning at School and Home
For students choosing this option, there will be in-person, full-time school on campus. There will be four levels of response depending on public health conditions:
Level 1 Normal school operations when COVID-19 conditions have significantly subsided.
Level 2 Normal school operations with good hygiene, social distancing as feasible, face
coverings for all (PK - 2nd grade strongly encouraged, 3rd - 12th grade required), and additional restrictions which may include no PE dress-out, limited class changes PK-5, and limited drills
Level 3 Level 2 plus staggered schedules, Monday / Thursday and Tuesday / Friday (2 days
in-person per week, 3 days remote)
Level 4 Full remote learning for all students at home and no extracurricular activities
As of today, we do not know in which level we will begin school on August 20th. Our superintendent will make that decision closer to the beginning of school.
Engaged Learning in the Virtual School
Students with health concerns can also choose full-time virtual learning. Students choosing this option will choose from courses on THIS course selection sheet (being updated daily). As you can see, not all courses at Spain Park will be offered in a virtual format. Advanced content is available, but the full scope of Hoover curriculum offerings cannot be fully replicated. If you are interested in your student becoming a full-time virtual student, please sign up on THIS district form if you have not already done so. The deadline to sign up for this option is Monday, July 20th, at noon. On Tuesday, our administrator and counseling staff will host virtual sessions to answer any questions you may have about virtual learning at home. Additional information will be sent about those virtual meetings soon.
Important note: The selection to be in virtual school will include a commitment of one semester at the high school level.
Blended Learning
Some may choose the blended format of learning to allow a student to continue in-person instruction in areas of particular interest that cannot be supported in a virtual format. This is not the best option for those choosing virtual learning for safety reasons. Examples of this could be engineering students, band students, or RC3 students. If you are interested in your student becoming a blended learning student, please sign up on THIS district form if you have not already done so. The deadline to sign up for this option is Monday, July 20th, at noon. On Tuesday, our administrator and counseling staff will host virtual sessions to answer any questions you may have. Additional information will be sent about those virtual meetings soon.
Important note: The selection to be in blended learning will include a commitment of one semester at the high school level.
Please review THIS district document for additional information about curriculum and instruction.
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SPHS Reopening Plan (Operational)
Face coverings will be required for all students and school personnel inside the building. This includes masks, gaiters, or shields. Bandanas are not allowed per the HCS Code of Conduct. Face coverings should be a solid color or with the school logo only.
Entrance points each day will be limited to the front office entrance and the gym entrance (bus drop-off/pick-up will be at the gym entrance each day).
Upon arrival to school, students must be socially distanced at all times, as feasible, and will not be allowed to congregate in any area of the school - this includes the parking lots.
We strongly encourage student drop-off no earlier than 7:45 AM each day.
At that time, students will go directly to their first period class.
If you arrive at school before 7:45 AM, you must report to the library unless you are eating breakfast.
Breakfast will be served as normal - the only students allowed to be in the lunchroom before school will be students who are eating breakfast. Students will not be allowed to congregate in the lunchroom.
Students will walk on the right side of the hallways at all times. Students will not be allowed to congregate between classes.
Students will walk up the stairwells on the right side and down the stairwells on the opposite side.
Students will walk to the lunchroom to get lunch and return to their classrooms to eat.
Restrooms will have a limited occupancy throughout the day with frequent sanitation.
Student temperatures will not be checked daily, but school staff will look for signs and symptoms. At the request of school staff, students may have their temperatures checked and be assessed by the school nurse.
Classrooms will be sanitized frequently.
All exit doors will be available for student use.
Bus information - students will be required to wear a mask on the bus and will sit two students to a seat, as feasible.
Locker rooms will not be used for PE classes. Students will not dress out for PE classes.
Water fountains will not be in use but we do have eight touchless water filling stations located throughout the building. Students must have their own clear water bottle for refilling throughout the day.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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New Jag Spirit Store
Our new Spain Park Spirit store has opened! You can now have 24/7 access to Jaguar apparel. Simply click the link provided, and get started with your order today! Also, with our launch, you can save 25% through July 31, 2020. Enjoy and Go Jags!
Use the promotional code, GrandOpening20
http://sideline.bsnsports.com/schools/alabama/hoover/spain-park-high-school
Spain Park High School
Email: hcsnotices@hoover.k12.al.us
Website: https://www.hoovercityschools.net/sphs
Location: 4700 Jaguar Drive, Birmingham, AL, USA
Phone: 205-439-1400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpainParkHS/
Twitter: @SpainPark