Full-Year Distance Learning (FYDL)
Wednesday Newsletter #13 November 4, 2020
Welcome New Friends to FYDL
Dear New Families,
Welcome to Full-Year Distance Learning! I want to express my excitement to everyone reading this newsletter that we are welcoming new students and families to the PAUSD's FYDL program. As I mentioned before, we are in a unique position to make friends with people from all around Palo Alto. While learning in FYDL, students will have an opportunity to meet peers and teachers from all over PAUSD that they would not have a chance to ever work with in a classroom or school setting.
We all realize that these changes might be difficult for some, but we are living in a year of challenges and transformations. This opportunity presents an occasion to encourage our students to practice the life skill of perseverance and resilience. With that said, I want to remind you that building a new community takes time. Please allow time for you and your child(ren) to make this adjustment.
Additionally, I would like to remind all parents of the Zoom guidelines. We must allow our children to experience online school as close to their "brick and mortar" experience to develop independence, responsibility, flexibility, and perseverance. Please allow the students to "take the reigns of their learning."
PAUSD Parent ZOOM Guidelines
- Once your child is set up for their Zoom meeting, please allow them to attend the session by themselves, as would happen with a classroom session. Avoid comments to your child while instruction is occurring.
- Please try to have your child set up for the meeting in a space where there will be minimum disruptions.
- Please do not use photography or any recording equipment (including Zoom recording) during the Zoom session.
- Student online safety is important to us, and we need your support to ensure these online tools are used appropriately.
- Please do not allow your child to host Zoom chats with friends. This is a tool for adults, and our students are not always able to make the best choices to support the well-being of their peers.
Grades 4 and 5 to start new weekly schedule on Monday, 11/9.
The adjusted weekly schedule will roll out as the Hybrid opens for the grade-level bands.
- 4/5- November 9
Due to the shifts in blocks and the elementary hybrid schedule adjustments, the "enrichment specials" might result in a block change as well. Your classroom teacher will notify you if there is a schedule change.
(FYDL) greendell school site council
We are looking for families interested in joining our Greendell School Site Council. The site council will meet once per month over Zoom and work together to review and plan the program's goals for our students.
Please contact me at nmanou@pausd.org to let me know you are interested in joining our site council with Greendell to do this important work. We will adjust our meeting times/days to meet the scheduling needs of site council members.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ELAC) Slides avaliable
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ELAC)
Last Wednesday on October 28th at 4:30 pm, the first English Language Advisory Committee was held for Greendell Full Year Distance Learning families. Please let me know if you have any questions about our ELAC meeting. I have included the slide presentation below.
More Lunch Time Activities to build our FYDL community.
We are pleased to announce that we have another lunchtime offering for our students in FYDL.
Kathryn Sakata, an instructional aide and artist, will be offering 30-minute art lessons to students. Due to the nature of this art class, there is a max of 20 students per class. If there are more than 20 students interested, students can only sign up once to give fellow classmates the opportunity to participate in the next round(s).
From Kathryn:
In non-COVID times, I teach after-school enrichment Learn to Draw art classes at Nixon Elementary. Now, as a part of the FYDL staff, we want to offer Noon Art for our students during the lunch break time block. There will be two half-hour sections: Tuesdays (grades 1-2) and Thursdays (grades 3-5). Sections will be limited to 20 students at a time, on a sign-up basis. We will start with simple objects and expand to seasonal subjects as drawing skills are developed. The following are recommended supplies (or something comparable), but not required to have in order to participate:
- Canson Universal Sketch pad 5x8 - $6.10
- Prismacolor Premiere Colored Pencils - $9.85 (comes with a coloring book, but don't waste these pencils on the coloring book)
Students in grades 1-2 can join on Tuesdays from 11:50-12:20 pm:
- 11/17
- 12/1
- 12/8
- 12/14
Students in grades 3-5 can join on be Thursdays from 11:50-12:20 pm:
- 11/19
- 12/3
- 12/10
- 12/17
Optional Lunch Time Activities: Math Olympiads for 4th and 5th
Math Olympiads for 4th and 5th-grade
A few parents have taken the initiative to start Math Olympiad practice sessions for 4th and 5th grades. The sessions are scheduled for Wednesday lunch hour and will go until March 8, 2021. In addition to the practice sessions, there are 5 Math Olympiad sessions that the team will participate in.
During each session, we review several problems, give the kids a chance to solve them on their own, have them walk us through their solutions, and provide a review. After each class, we send you the question sheet and the solutions so you can review/practice the remaining problems with the kids during the week.
If you would like your student to participate in these sessions, please sign-up here.
Palo Alto November Edition of School News.
CASSY: Parenting and Supporting Youth During Covid-19
Attached is a flyer of much need free parenting webinars CASSY is providing as families are transitioning into their new school schedules. Here is the information below but the flyer attached also has direct links to register.
CASSY is putting on a free webinar for parents struggling to support their kids during COVID. We will be providing specific interventions to support parents. See the flyer below.
Friday 11/06/20 6-7:30 pm
Laurel Vandiver, LMFT #121235 Lisa Miller LMFT #48946
If anyone needs help registering, contact Alice Bui at abui@cassybayarea.org.
Got a PAUSD Chromebook?
Important Update:
This is an important update regarding PAUSD student Chromebooks. The IT department is going to be enforcing updates in all PAUSD Chromebooks in the coming weeks. This update will support a better Zoom experience for students. Unfortunately, we cannot control the day and time these updates are pushed to devices, as they come directly from Google.
When the PAUSD Chromebook receives notice that the update is ready to be installed, students will see a small popup on the bottom right of the device notifying the student the update is ready to be installed. Students can simply close the lid of the Chromebook to turn off the device and install the updates.
If students do not close the lid, the Chromebook will automatically shut off and update anywhere from 5-17 days after the popup notification appears.
Please encourage your students to shut the lid of their Chromebooks at the end of the school day once the popup is visible.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you,
Emily Garrison
Coordinator of Educational Technology
Reminder! Greendell for Attendance
The attendance email is greendellattendance@pausd.org. This is the best way for a parent to report an absence.
The office phone is (650) 856-0833. Voicemails left on this phone number will be forwarded to the Greendell office staff.