Panther Updates
April 20-24
Principal's Message
This week, we celebrate our Administrative Assistants who support all of us and keep our school running. Thank you to Becky, Kaye, and Joyce for all you do for Pleasant Union.
Special shout outs go to Kayla and Ben for planning and organizing the 2nd opportunity for families in need to pick up Chromebooks. Thank you for your support and leadership.
Tracking Student Engagement In Remote Learning
The district would like data regarding the number of students engaged in remote learning. Please input the percentage (can be approximate) of your class that is engaged in learning at this time in this spreadsheet. This data will be shared with our Area Superintendent. Please complete this by Wednesday at 9:00am.
Teachers, please begin taking a log of which students attend your class meets, and which students participate in daily office hours. This could be done in OneDrive or in a notebook. I am not going to ask you to turn this in at this time. However, I will communicate to parents, that we are tracking student participation.
If you are having class meets, this week, please be sure to let Kayla and I know. We will join several of them this week and next week. We want our students to hear from us, that we want them to remain engaged in remote learning. Their education is important to us regardless of whether we are in the building or at home :)
Professional Development on Digital Tools
The district DLCs have designed Lunch & Learn Professional Development Sessions to help enhance remote learning. Please consider signing up for a session. The link to sessions is here. There were two sessions last week. They have uploaded them to the bottom of the website so you can watch them.
Virtual PLT Practices
The Office of Professional Learning has created a Virtual PLT Best Practices document. Feel free to explore this resource.
Upcoming Staff Meeting
We will have a staff meeting on Tuesday (4/21) at 11:15.
Announcements/Reminders
Wake Connect Remote Learning Resources
The county has created a "one-stop shop" for remote learning resources for staff. Please visit https://wakeconnect.wcpss.net/sites/remote-teaching-and-learning for additional information about sample schedules, PLT planning resources, information about prioritizing standards and more.
Guidelines for Instructional Assistants
IAs, if you have questions about any of the guidelines from the county, please send me an email or I can join one of your Google Meets. You are working so hard and are doing many of the things that are mentioned in the document.
Virtual Meeting Guidelines from the County
Staff, please be advised that the district is always considering staff and student safety and security. Additional information regarding new guidelines is included here. WCPSS decided today that staff may not record Meet sessions for a variety of reasons (I can share more at our faculty meeting on Tuesday). There may be rare legal exceptions made with prior written approval from the WCPSS Chief Technology Officer, Marlo Gaddis.
Additionally, Google made updates to Google Meet to block students from joining Meets early and re-joining without a teacher presence when following the procedure below. These changes supersede all prior settings, beginning in mid-April, 2020.
SSA
The county has come up with guidance around students participating in SSA as we enter full remote learning. Students who were previously participating in SSA should continue participating in SSA. This is a structure that needs to continue, to the degree possible, during this period of remote learning. It is recommended that the teacher who has been providing the above grade level content provide continued learning at the above grade level standards while engaging in remote learning. This teacher should reach out to students participating in SSA as they would any other student for whom they provide instruction.
Intervention During Remote Learning
Intervention Teachers and Team Facilitators can support teaching and learning by collaborating with teachers to provide the best possible framework for remote learning to take place. This work would include the following steps:
Collaborate with teachers to determine the current well-being and readiness for the learning of each student.
Collaborate with teachers to identify and remove barriers in order to create the best possible learning framework by:
Assist teachers in identifying appropriate instructional technology resources to support learning
Ensuring teachers have instructional materials needed to plan and deliver lessons
Ensuring both teachers and students are knowledgeable about using designated online platforms (remote learning resources):
Google Hangout
Google Classroom, SeeSaw, Canvas
Instructional programs
When possible, work with teachers to create a consistent schedule (when feasible) with groups or individual students for receiving intervention instruction based on Wake County guidelines for communication.
Virtual meetings will provide insight on how to continue to support your students with Supplemental and Intensive needs.
Student Support Services
If you have students/families that you have not heard from at all, please contact Chloe or Jordan for assistance. They will reach out to the family to follow up. Chloe is working primarily with Track 1 and 3. Jordan is working with Track 2 and 4.
Staff, if parents contact you about mental health concerns related to their child or the need for resources, please contact Chloe or Jordan immediately. While counselors are not providing direct services during school closure, they will work to connect the family with appropriate community resources.
Specialists Remote Learning Information
Please see the information shared by Peggy of 4/11 regarding Remote Learning from Specialists. This information includes what you should communicate to parents so they can access remote learning activities from specialists.
State of Emergency Leave
If you have questions about State of Emergency Leave, please refer to Kaye's email from April 3.
Self-Care During Difficult Times
See the March 23 email from Jasmin Traughber with resources about self-care. Please engage in self-care - it's so important - especially now. And hey - the more time you have to practice them now and make them routine, the more likely you may use them when we are up and running again - and maybe a great thing to teach your kiddos and start your days off. Just a thought! Here are some free resources from Calm.
Mark Your Calendar
Monday, April 20
Special Education PLT at 10
Tuesday, April 21
2nd Grade PLT at 10
Staff Meeting at 11:15
K PLT at 2
Wednesday, April 22
1st Grade PLT at 10
3rd Grade PLT at 11
Thursday, April 23
4th Grade PLT at 11
5th Grade PLT at 12:30
K PLT at 2
*IAs are meeting virtually daily.
Pleasant Union Year-Round Elementary
Email: kbrown20@wcpss.net
Website: https://www.wcpss.net/pleasantuniones
Location: 1900 Pleasant Union Church Road, Raleigh, NC, USA
Phone: 919.870.4230
Twitter: @PleasantUnionYR