PRINCIPAL NEWSLETTER
May , 2020
Dear Tapteal Elementary Families,
AT HOME LEARNING
STAY CONNECTED
Every week, as directed by the state, Tapteal and RSD will be maintaining student participation data. Even more important to us is maintaining high engagement in learning with your teachers. If you are having trouble connecting with your teacher, or need any assistance, you can reach out to your teacher directly, call 509 967-6350, or email me directly at sean.langdon@rsd.edu. We have just a few weeks left of school, so let's finish strong! We can do this!
SPECIALISTS at HOME LEARNING
Please take a moment once a week to hop on to the Specialist Home Page for Tapteal Elementary. Here you will find activities for your student to engage in as part of their At Home Learning for ART, PE, MUSIC, LIBRARY, COUNSELOR, and COMMUNITY IN RESOURCES.
CHARACTER TRAIT FOR THE MONTH - Self Control
LIBRARY BOOK RETURN
LIBRARY BOOK DROP OFF
TUE - FRI, MAY 26-29
10:45-12:15
All students who return their library books, and those that have clear accounts, will receive a cool string that you can do tricks on like the Cat's cradle, Spiderweb, and the Star! Come on down and see your favorite librarian Mrs. Neitzel and get your meal for the day!
CHROMEBOOK & INTERNET ISSUES
PHONE: 509 967-6162
EMAIL: chromebookhelp@rsd.edu
On the Home Learning website tab, a Technical Assistance button is available for students and families with the above information as well.
We understand that some families do not currently have Internet access in their homes, making it difficult for their children to stay connected to their teachers. Charter Communications will offer free spectrum broadband and Wi-Fi Internet access for 60 days to households K-12 and/or college students who do not already have a Spectrum broadband subscription and at any service level up to 100 Mbps. Families may enroll by calling 1 844-488-8395. Installation fees will be waived for new student households.
TAPTEAL VIRTUAL FIELD DAY
YEARBOOKS
The yearbooks are $20 each. The PTA will accept cash, check, or card. There is a small processing fee for cards.
Plans for distribution of the books are under way and information will be provided via email, and facebook. When the yearbooks arrive, sales will be first come, first serve. Stay tuned, and thank you so much to our wonderful PTA!
FIFTH GRADE CELEBRATION
CHROMEBOOK PLAN
MOVE DELAY - TAPTEAL 2020-2021
COUNSELOR and SOCIAL EMOTIONAL SUPPORT
The closure can be especially difficult for students and families. Every week, Debbie Wheeler our school counselor updates the Specialists Home Page with Social/Emotional support. Please check this out weekly.
AT HOME LEARNING PHASE II
DISTRICT AT HOME LEARNING SUPPORT
The Richland School District will continue to provide:
- Virtual Learning Links: The district has set up a for kids to engage in online. Click link for more info.
- Learning Packets: The district Teaching & Learning Department will provide online that can be downloaded to your computer starting Monday Mar 30, or in packets that can be picked up at the school every Monday (starting this week on WED, APR 1, but every Monday after that). These will be in grade bands. Click link for all the details, & scroll to the bottom.
Chromebook Support Services:
- Email: ChromebookHelp@rsd.edu
- Hotline with voice mailbox: (509) 967-6162, available 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday
- Chromebook Check In/Out: 8-11 a.m. & 1-4 p.m., Monday through Friday at IT Offices (615 Snow Ave.)
- The IT department will provide support to students and families with hardware issues and access to district-approved applications with district-issued Chromebooks.
- NOTE: appointments need to be scheduled in in advance to allow IT staff time to prepare accordingly, drop-ins will be asked to enter a support request via tech support options before a replacement will be issued.
- IT specialists will not be able to assist with connectivity and software issues for Chromebooks or problems with personal devices.
A Message from our Superintendent, Dr. Rick Schulte
To Our Richland Families,
We have a little less than three weeks of At-Home Learning left this school year and we want to thank all of you for the tremendous efforts you are making to help your children stay engaged in learning from home. Our staff, teachers, and administrators greatly appreciate your patience and your assistance as we work together to help students finish their studies for the 2019-20 school year.
We are committed to continue doing all we can to keep students engaged in learning until the last day on June 16. We are surveying parents, staff and students to get feedback about our At- Home Learning Plan. This feedback is helping us adapt our current efforts as well as prepare for school in the fall.
As much as everyone wants to resume normal school operations in the fall, we do not yet have any good, reliable information to share about what the fall might look like in our schools. The state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) has convened a “Reopening Schools Work Group” to discuss potential models for reopening. This workgroup includes 123 people from across the state, including teachers, administrators, education support professionals, elected officials, businesses, and community-based organization representatives. This group is looking at health data and different options for how to safely reopen schools. They are scheduled to complete their work between June 8-12, when they will forward it to the Governor for his consideration and possible action. We expect to receive some guidelines with both state rules and local flexibility. Once this state level work is complete, we will be able to move forward with building our road back to school in the fall. We have already put together our own Return to School Committee so we can be ready to act quickly.
We know our current approach of serving students remotely with At-Home Learning will not work for our students and families beyond this school year. The current situation is a hardship for families. We miss our students, and we are eager to engage them in learning as we have always done so—face-to-face. But we also know that it will be most difficult to resume school in September without some significant changes to protect the health and safety of students and staff. We will be communicating with you, and asking for your opinions, on a variety of topics, issues, and plans throughout June, July, and August as we prepare for the start of school in the fall. Please watch for further information and please participate in our surveys and opportunities for feedback. We value your insights and experiences and we will use your new-found expertise to inform our future plans.
Sincerely,
Dr. Rick Schulte, Superintendent
Richland School District
615 Snow Avenue
(509) 967-6000
Student Meal Assistance
RSD Chromebook Technical Assistance
Thank you,
Sean Langdon
Email: sean.langdon@rsd.edu
Website: https://tapteal.rsd.edu/
Location: 2100 Sunshine Avenue, West Richland, WA, USA
Phone: 509 967-6350