Falcon Flash
January 8, 2021
Principal's Message
Hello Stetson Families,
Happy New Year to all of you! I think this was a challenging emotional week for all of us after witnessing the attacks on the Capitol. We recognize the feelings that it triggered for all of us especially our children. We are a strong community that needs to work together to make sure our children feel safe, valued, and supported at all times.
Looking toward next week, on Monday, January 11th, we are looking forward to seeing our students in person and on camera during zoom-related activities for the school day. We feel strongly that all students would benefit from this requirement. The interaction between students is a part of social development and overall well-being, which we feel is very necessary during these challenging times. This change will also help assure accurate attendance for our students. Our teachers want to be able to develop fundamental relationships with their students which has been associated with student achievement and engagement.
We have received feedback that our high schools are having success with this requirement. In an effort to support our instruction and improvement with student engagement, we are asking for our community to help support our children with this transition.
Our number one priority is that all of our students feel safe and comfortable in our virtual classroom environment while optimizing their learning. We can help support and create a personal virtual background to help alleviate any stress. We did show our students how to accomplish this during advisory class today for 6th and 7th graders (8th grade on Monday).
We appreciate your support and encouragement to help our students reach their maximum potential. If you should have any further questions, please feel free to reach out to me to discuss them in more detail. School counselors will be available to help support any student that needs it.
Reminder: Hybrid Block schedule
We are doing all we can to provide a safe and caring learning environment for all students despite the current challenging conditions in our community. If you wish to keep your hybrid learner at home or RETURN back to the hybrid in-person model, you need to request this in an email directly to me at mpuchalla@wcasd.net. We want to be sure that all of our students feel safe when they return back and that there is plenty of room in their scheduled class in the building.
It is also important that our students and staff are taking precautions outside of school as well, for as we've seen by now, the virus contracted outside of school can have a direct impact on what happens in school.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions. Thanks for your time and attention!
Have a great weekend,
Mrs. Puchalla
Hybrid Calendar next week (Including Cyber students)
January 11th--Day 5 AM (periods 1-4) *A Cohort in person
January 12th--Day 5 PM (periods 5-8) *A Cohort in person
January 13th--Day 6 AM (periods 1-4) *All Students remote
January 14th--Day 6 PM (periods 5-8) *B Cohort in person
January 15th--Day 1 AM (periods 1-4) *B Cohort in person
*ALL MDS Students attend 5 days*
January 18th--NO SCHOOL **MLK DAY OF SERVICE
Technology concerns--As technical issues arise during remote learning, please use the following resources:
Tech Support @ Home – WCASD website with important information:
- Schoology / Seesaw Support
- Laptop / iPad Support
- Additional Resources
If there is an issue with your 1:1 device please email SMStech_support@wcasd.net
Parent concerns
Parents need to remember that interrupting the zoom classroom environment is not the appropriate time to discuss academic concerns. If you wish to discuss a specific concern with your child's teacher, please contact the grade level counselor to set up a zoom conference at your convenience.
Nurse's Corner
After School Athletics for 7th & 8th Graders ONLY--Cyber & Remote Students
- Tryouts /Practices for both basketball teams will run daily between 3:00 - 5:15/5:30 PM hours, starting on Monday, January 11, 2021. If necessary, tryouts may be extended to keep in compliance with covid protocols.
Monday, January 11 7th Grade Girls
Tuesday, January 12 7th Grade Boys
Wednesday, January 13 8th Grade Girls
Thursday, January 14 8th Grade Boys
- Co-Ed Fitness Team will practice on Jan. 11, 12, 14, 15 from 3- 4:30 pm
- ALL students will REMAIN in the cafe from 2:15 until official practice time
- PIAA physicals (dated after June 1, 2020) must be uploaded into Family ID by
January 8, 20210 for your son/daughter to continue to workout.
- If your child played a fall sport, all you have to do is upload page 7 or 8 of the physical to Family ID.
The information below was sent out in our previous email of 21 December.
- All parents and students must complete the Covid-19 waiver form BEFORE they attend their 1st workout. Please follow the link below. WCASD will re-evaluate athletics on or around October 9th to consider the prospect of competitive play. We will use a variety of sources to make this determination. Waiver Form Here
- Parent Contact Info - All parents should answer the questions on the link below so we have accurate contact information Parent Contact Form Here
- Any 7th grade or 8th-grade student who has not already had an ImPact concussion baseline test in the last two years is required to get one during the first week of practice. The athletic director and trainer will coordinate with coaches and relay information to students regarding when they should bring their laptops to practice.
We are looking forward to offering these extra-curricular activities the best we can as we begin the 2021 winter sports season.
If you have questions or concerns please contact me (wcorcoran@wcasd.net) at 484-266-2725.
Message about Attendance--Cyber & Remote Learners
When a student misses class due to a doctor's appointment, please email the teacher whose class they will miss and Mrs. Sadik (lsadik@wcasd.net) in the Attendance Office. Please ask the doctor for a note and email/scan a copy of the note to Mrs. Sadik so the missed time can be entered as excused.
A reminder that students are to attend all FOUR classes each day. If they miss 2 out of the 4 classes, they are officially marked absent for the day.
If your child is going to be absent for the entire day, we need an email from the parent/guardian on file in Power School. Please make sure your information in Power School is updated for our records.
CYBER STUDENTS--MUST submit attendance quiz in Schoology by 10:45 am EACH DAY or they will be marked absent. Please remind your children about this task.
Textbook info
Attention 7th and 8th Grade Students:
We are requesting that families check at home for any science, math, or social studies textbooks from last year that were not returned. If you find a textbook, please bring it to school during your in-person hybrid day and give it to your current science, math, or social studies teacher. If you are a cyber or remote-only student, the book can be dropped off at Stetson. Thank you for your help as we try to account for any missing textbooks!
PTO information
The PTO is looking for new board members for 2021-2022 school year. if you are interested in helping out, please email us at this email address, ptostetson@gmail.com. Even if you reached out before, please let us know again that you are interested. Also, we are requesting that you let us know what grade your child(ren) are in.
Counselor Information for Parents
Advisory--Remote Learners
All students are required to attend this class in person and remotely. Attendance will be taken each class period. I hope you have gotten a chance to look at the planning sheet (has current grades on it). It was sent to you by your child and is updated weekly. If you have not, please discuss with your child at home and reach out to the grade level administrator if you have any additional questions.
We will continue to work on executive functioning skills, building initiatives, and individual academic support for all students. This time block is also a good opportunity for students to catch up on missing work or touch base with a teacher to ask questions about an assignment.