DAVIS HILL COMMUNITY UPDATE
March 30, 2020
Dear Davis Hill Community,
I know that I continue to miss our students, staff and families during this time. I am hoping that everyone in our community is remaining healthy/ safe and is managing this extreme change in our day-to-day lives. Please reach out if you, or anyone that you are aware of, needs help. As I have mentioned previously, it will be critical that we remain supportive of one another in both our Davis Hill Community and the broader community as a whole during this time. It will be challenging, as there is a high degree of stress and anxiety inherent in a transition this significant; however, I am hopeful that we will grow together in new and exciting ways as we face this challenge. That said, I can't wait to get back to school... and have everyone back in our building again.
Provided Dr. McCall's latest email (see below from 3/25), I have included in this week's update a series of links to Grade Level 'Choice Boards' which will support focused enrichment opportunities for students (See Below Under Focused Enrichment Activities). In addition, our classroom teachers will be holding 'Office Hours' that they will be informing you about in their correspondence (if they have not already). I have included information from our specialists (Art, Music, PE) below as well. Please contact me if you are having any difficulty locating the information you need.
I would like to take a moment and thank our amazing teachers and staff members. We have spent a great deal of time 'virtually' meeting, emailing, texting and having phone conversations over the last few weeks and the love and compassion our Davis Hill staff has for their students has overwhelmed me. While we may feel somewhat like 'fish out of water' as we no longer have our students physically with us, I know that our staff has, and will continue to, put their energy into finding ways to maintain their connections with their students and families.
Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions/ concerns. We are finding our way as this situation evolves... and we will continue to work hard to support our DHDragons as we move forward.
Kindly,
Jay C. Norton, Principal
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Dr. McCall's Email
March 25, 2020
Dear Wachusett Families, Staff and Students:
First and foremost, I would like to personally thank all of you for your patience during the past week. We have been extremely busy since my last communication, and a great deal has changed in our world in one short week. Even though our schools are now closed, please be assured that the WRSD teachers, administration, and support staff remain dedicated to helping our students, and I will continue to provide you with updates on important news and developments. There is no doubt that this is a difficult and chaotic time in everyones’ lives and we appreciate your support as we face the challenges that we are all working through.
Over the past two weeks, I have engaged in regular conference calls with the Massachusetts Commissioner of Education and other superintendents from across the state. I have also participated in calls with DESE business officials and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. These communications have helped to provide necessary guidance to all school districts as we develop our COVID-19 contingency plan.
As you know, we are currently scheduled to return to school on April 6th, yet this return date will most likely be extended. We hope to hear from our state officials concerning the timeframe for extended closures by early next week. As we learn to address the changing educational landscape before us, we have developed a plan of action to support our student enrichment activities to provide continuity and consistency. As some of my superintendent colleagues have stated, the better we plan for the unknown time frame before us, the better we will be able to support students and families during this tumultuous time.
There are several areas that we are working on in terms of providing support for students and staff as we transition to an online platform:
We have offered the opportunity for K through 8 students to borrow a Chromebook from the District if they do not have access to a computer at home. These devices will be made available on a limited basis to families through a drive-through at the high school soon.
We continue to offer meals to our students who receive free and reduced lunch. This has been well received by the community, and families have been grateful for this support. During this time of uncertainty, the financial stability of some families may be adversely affected. Please follow this link to complete a free and reduced lunch request form.
We have defined a more focused, online enrichment support process for students that will connect them with their teachers and their learning community.
Focused Online Support for Students
Beginning on Monday, March 30th, teachers will offer weekly focused enrichment activities that are designed to help support the educational experience for our students. While we understand that this process is not meant to replicate school, the goal is to help students remain connected to their teachers, their friends, and their learning.
During this next phase of our educational process this year, teachers and students will be working together through online platforms. Subsequently, teachers will be reaching out to families and students to communicate with them concerning questions they may have or to check in. Some teachers have already communicated with families and students and they will continue to do so.
Virtual Office Hours
Teachers will hold virtual office hours each school day. Our educators will reach out to students and families through a variety of means including Google classroom, email through Powerschool, or other avenues. We encourage families and students to take advantage of the online time when families can connect with teachers to ask questions or comments associated with the activities posted through the WRSD website. Teachers will connect with families and students at specific designated times when they will be available for discussion or to provide support. Please remember that our teachers are also working from home in an environment that is probably similar to the one in which all families are currently in and flexibility and patience will be greatly appreciated by all.
Enrichment and Engagement
Teachers will provide students with opportunities for enrichment and engagement. Activities may span from long-term projects to shorter duration activities. Each day, activities in grades PreK-8 will be organized through a choice board, which teachers may use to offer optional activities by subject or provide their own activities by grade level/subject. For grades 9-12, teachers will reach out directly to our students. All of this information will be posted on the WRSD website, www.wrsd.net. Please be aware that this information will be updated as needed, so you are encouraged to check back for any new links or resources. While some of the communications that occur may be through email, others may be through video or audio group conferencing such as Google Hangouts or Zoom. To protect the privacy of students and families, we ask that video or audio conference calls not be recorded.
Balancing Screen Time and Learning
As we transition to an online educational support platform, we understand that students and families have additional issues that they are dealing with during this unsettling time. Our intentions are to provide an opportunity for structure and support that helps our students have some sense of normalcy and to provide focused academic enrichment activities. We are also aware that screen time for students is most likely much greater than it would be in a typical day. Our teachers will be looking to provide alternatives to tech-only activities so as to offer a variety of learning experiences beyond the screen.
Social-Emotional Support
School counselors and school psychologists will be available as resources for the social and emotional needs of students. Staff availability, office hours, and email access will follow the same structure as teachers.
For emergency situations related to your child’s health or mental health, please call 911 for immediate emergency response. The district has compiled a health and mental health resource list for families that can be found at the following link. Link for District Health and Mental Health Resource List
Role of Special Education
Special education teachers will focus their communication on working with teachers and families to support them as they participate in the focused student enrichment activities. If they have not already done so, special educators will be reaching out to all families by the end of the week to discuss times for continued communication and to check in. Our special education staff will collaborate with related service providers, general educators, and others who support students to help ensure that focused enrichment activities are accessible. As always, please do not hesitate to contact your Team Chairperson with any questions or concerns. Additional information on special education support will be shared by our Administrator of Special Education, Christine Smith, in a forthcoming memo.
Third Quarter Report Card Grades
For our elementary and middle grades, staff are currently working on calculating student third quarter grades. These grades are being calculated based on student work submitted up to the closure of school on March 12. Parents and students will be able to view report cards for the third quarter in PowerSchool beginning on Tuesday, April 7.
At the high school, grades are being calculated based on student work submitted up to the closure of school on March 12. Staff have been asked to calculate third term grades in a manner similar to that used throughout the year. Parents and students will be able to view final averages for the third quarter in PowerSchool beginning on Tuesday, April 7.
Meeting Challenges by Working Together
On behalf of the entire Wachusett Regional School District, our goal is to ensure that we all work together to provide support to families by engaging our students. I am confident that we can meet this new challenge together with kindness, optimism, and patience, and come out stronger and more united as a district. We hope that you and your family remain healthy and reach out to us when needed.
Take care, and be well!
Darryll McCall, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
WRSD
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RESOURCES:
Social-Emotional Resources:
How to Talk to Children about the Coronavirus (click here for link)
Talking to Teen/Tweens about Coronavirus (click here for link)
A Comic created from NPR based on interviews with experts (click here for link)
The NASP released a resource for parents (click here for link)
Massachusetts 2-1-1 (call 24/7 to learn about coronavirus in 150+ languages) (click here for link)
Resilience and Routines for Families During the Pandemic (click here for link)
CDC- Helping Children Cope with Emergencies (click here for link)
For Parent Well-Being:
Video Message
We tried a few takes... and still had some bloopers and our editing skills aren't wonderful... but we are trying!
FOCUSED ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES
*The following activities are suggestions for OPTIONAL at-home enrichment. All are based upon review and practice of skills we have previously covered in school. Students are encouraged to reflect and share their learning experience, but no assignments will be graded or need to be turned in.
Please email me if you have any trouble accessing the information at jay_norton@wrsd.net. Please keep in mind that many members of our staff (me included) are engaging with new technology/ resources and linking. We are working to increase our effectiveness and efficiency with these tools. Thank you!
Spirit Week
SQUARE 1 ART INFORMATION
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You can now still order your child’s Square 1 Art keepsakes and gifts even while the schools are closed. The company has added the ability to search for the artwork by student name and school, see instructions below. If you run into issues you can contact kirstensmith4@yahoo.com, or Square 1 customer service using the contact info below. The products will now be shipped to the address you provide rather than distributed through the school.
Simply click on Square 1 Art shopsite, and click on "Find Your Child's Art", and enter your state, school name, and your child's name. Your child's art code will appear. Once you enter your child's art code provided, you may view your child's art, and order products!
Contact Information:
service@square1art.com or at 888.332.3294x1
Butter Braid Information
-Davis Hill PTA
Davis Hill Elementary School
Email: jay_norton@wrsd.net
Website: http://www.wrsd.net/davishill/
Location: 80 Jamieson Road, Holden, MA 01520, United States
Phone: 508-829-1754
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DavisHillDragons/
Twitter: @DHPrincipal