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Parent Newsletter- Week of September 28
Reynolds Welcomed Back Armadillos for In Person Instruction
We had a great first week of face to face instruction with ALL of our students whose families chose the Safety First In Person option.
The district will continue to provide remote instruction through Empowered Learning At-Home to all families who prefer to continue learning remotely.
However, if families change their minds, the district is offering more flexibility to move from remote to in-person instruction. Rather than having to wait until the end of a grading period, parents will be able to make the switch at any time, keeping in mind that campuses may need up to two weeks to adjust staffing and arrange bus transportation. Students always have the option to move from in-person to remote learning.
** Please note that student returns will occur only on Mondays and students are unable to return until they have been cleared to do so by our campus registrar.
Spring ISD has also unveiled a new website that will give families information about COVID-19 cases in the district at www.springisd.org/covidtracker. This dashboard, which includes data starting Aug. 17, will be updated nightly so that staff and families have real-time data.
Virtual Open House
PK-2 Open House will take place on September 29th- from: 4:30-5:30
3-5 Open House will take place on October 1st from 4:30-5:30
Below are the Virtual Open House Links
Important!! Parent Attestation Form MUST Be Completed for ALL In Person Learners!
Spring Independent School District (Spring ISD) is committed to protecting the health and safety of its employees and students. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the District has adopted new protocols for students to follow while physically present in a Spring ISD building, which include a self-assessment expectation for parents to withhold students that exhibit COVID symptoms.
Please review the policy in the link below and complete the form to indicate that you understand the policy. Complete this form for each student who will be coming to school for in-person safety first learning.
Parents We Need Your Help: Mask Wearing
Doors Open at 8:05 AM Monday- No Early Arrivals Permitted
We understand the later time may conflict with work schedules. We are pleased to announce we will have Koala Kare Services for Before and After School. If you would like more information you can email the Koala Kare representative at Koala.care@yahoo.com.
Also in order to minimize contact, we will not be opening car doors. We will however escort students to their classrooms.
Google Nickname Support Video
Ms. Mallette will also be providing a parent support session this upcoming week on Thursday October 1st, 2020 at 9:00 AM.
To attend please click this link https://zoom.us/j/99641889755?pwd=dDhmRDBBTU41S0Ywb0Q4YXZtUkZvZz09
Peek At Our Week!
Reynolds Elementary is a No Place for Hate Campus ! We need your HELP!
We are a No Place for Hate school and in order to continue receiving this title we need to make sure our school community participates in three anti-biased activities. Our first school wide activity is celebrating International Day of Peace, which we will celebrate on September 28, 2020.
Our theme is “Hand in Hand we Stand and a Better Place we Demand”. For this activity students and school community will create a collage of rainbow handprints where each grade level will have an assigned color. In person and virtual students will elaborate their handprint with our wonderful art teacher Ms. Langan, during her instructional time. Virtual students will have the opportunity to drop off their handprints at school using the library mailbox, which is located outside the school main entrance. On September 28, 2020, the collage will be displayed as symbol to remind us that together we can build a peaceful world.
We will take pictures of the project and share it with the United Nations social media account so the whole world can know that Reynolds Elementary celebrates peace.
We are also encouraging students, staff and parents to dress on September 28, with the color that corresponds to their grade level.
In addition, we will observe a minute of silence. We invite our school community to please pause at 12 noon and join people across the globe in a Minute of Silence/Moment of Peace.
We truly appreciate your participation!
Kindergarten- Red
1st Grade- Orange
2nd Grade- Yellow
3rd Grade- Green
4th Grade- Blue
5th Grade- Purple
Campus Announcements
Car Rider Arrival and Dismissal - Please Read
We appreciate your support in this area.
LAMP Schedule
With the phase in for In person students beginning this week we are also preparing for our LAMP classes as well. Beginning this week- LAMP classes for virtual students will be asynchronous. All course content will be accessed through Schoology. Teachers are preparing lessons.
Message from Our PTO
Reynolds Armadillo Spirit Store Is Now Open!
Visit our digital store:
Reynolds Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month
This Week We will Learn about Cuba!
Read Aloud for the Week !
District Announcements
Want to see your student’s grades and report cards? Log into HAC!
As we prepare to release progress reports and report cards this fall, we wanted to remind you how to check your child’s grades on the Home Access Center.
The key is to log into the myspringisd portal and into HAC. There you will find a Grades tab. When you click on that, you will see where to locate your child’s progress report (IPR), report cards and more.
Remember, the username and password you use to log into the portal is the same username and password for logging into HAC. Also, parents should log in using their credentials, not their student’s.
Staying connected with your child’s academic progress is a great way to ensure your student’s success in school. By monitoring and encouraging, you can help support your child’s performance.
See the attached handouts in English and Spanish for step-by-step directions.
Community Resource Fair
Virtual Community Resource Fair for Spring ISD Families Scheduled for Sept. 29
The Family Engagement Department will host a Virtual Community Resource Fair for district parents next Tuesday, Sept. 29, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Held online so everyone can participate safely, the event will feature a range of community agencies sharing information about services they provide for area families.
A partial list of organizations and agencies participating includes:
The Harris Center
Houston Food Bank
Community Health Choice
DentaQuest
San Jacinto Girl Scouts
Boy Scouts of America
Northwest Assistance Ministries
DePelchin
ATHLETE Training and Health
Family Houston
Houston Public Library
Cabo Dental
This will be a little different from past resource fairs, but we know there will be lots of great information available to support our families and students, and we appreciate your patience and flexibility as we utilize this digital gathering format.
To join the resource fair online next Tuesday, log on via Zoom using the meeting ID and passcode below:
Meeting ID: 980 1890 5876
Passcode: 187580
For more information ahead of the event, contact Ysabel Luna, Parent Engagement Specialist at 281-891-6685 or yluna@springisd.org.
See What Spring ISD Will be Doing to Keep Our Safety-First In-Person Students Safe
Parents who have chosen to return their students to in-person learning when health conditions allow may be wondering what the district is doing to promote safety. We’ve created a video in both Spanish and English to help show our protocols. Please take a moment to watch and learn more about our protocols:
Elementary School
English language
Safety First In-Person School at Spring ISD, Elementary Campuses
Spanish language
Seguridad primero, escuela en persona en Spring ISD - Escuelas Primarias
How to Create a Learning Space at Home
Spring ISD has kicked off the 2020-21 academic year virtually as we work to keep our students and staff safe from COVID-19.
Learning from home can pose challenges for the entire family, especially as parents juggle work responsibilities and class schedules for multiple children who all need to be online. There’s no magic solution but there are some tips and strategies to help create a calm and positive environment for everyone:
Have a dedicated learning space for each student. This space can be the kitchen table, the corner of a room or a desk area, if available. The key is designating a quiet area.
Have your student personalize the space with their school supplies or a special name,
such as “Watson Learning Academy” or “Smith School Space.”
Make certain that the learning space includes a flat surface for writing, and a power outlet nearby in order to charge your student’s device.
Stay flexible. Find ways to make your space mobile if needed, such as using a folding dinner tray, ironing board, or a lap tray.
If limited on space, keep a basket with learning materials. This way, the kitchen table or some other area in your home can be converted into a learning space. Cups can be used to sort out items such as pencils, crayons and markers. Use bins or containers to store art supplies.
Get rid of distractions. This includes television, cell phones and video games. Use a prop up tri-fold board, DIY out of a cardboard box, or tabletop screens to eliminate interruptions.
Does your child get restless easily? You can fill a bowl with fidget toys your child can grab when they feel restless. Add things like a smooth stone, gummy erasers, a stress ball, spinner or a few LEGO pieces.
Make sure your child is supported in their seat. Use a pillow to give back support and/or place a box on the floor to support your child’s feet.
If possible, invest in a pair of headphones for your student so they can have better audio over the computer and minimize the distraction of background noises.
No one solution will work best for every student, so figure out the strategies that work for your child and family. The key is creating some calm and consistency so your student can stay focused on learning!
How to Access Schoology
The only way for students and parents to access Schoology is to log into the mySringISD portal from the district’s website using their district-issued username and password and then clicking on the Schoology icon.
Families who have been trying to log in through the Schoology mobile app or through the Schoology website will be unable to do so because the district is using single sign on, which makes it easier to access all instructional resources.
We know some parents and students downloaded the Schoology mobile app in the spring but we would urge everyone to delete that from your phone and log into the portal directly from the district website.
Reynolds Other Information
Stay Updated on District COVID Plans
Attendance Matters So Make Sure Your Student is Marked Present
With online learning, we know there are some questions on attendance and how to ensure students are marked present for the day. Here’s what families need to know:
Log in and attend class in real-time with your teacher during the morning and the afternoon.
If you were unable to attend a session because of a technology issue, don’t panic. Students attending either the morning or afternoon session will be counted present for the day.
We know some families may have trouble sticking to the daily schedule because of a variety of issues, including parents’ work schedules, power outages, technology problems or distractions at home.
If your student for some reason misses both the morning and afternoon live instruction with their teachers, they can still make up the work by logging into Schoology and completing the day’s assignments. For that effort to count, however, students must do this before 11:59 p.m. each day to be counted present.
Even with all the challenges of online learning, attendance is still being tracked and still counts. Attendance matters, and we want our students in class and learning every day, 100 percent of the time. At a minimum, state standards require students to attend school at least 90 percent of the time the class is in session to receive credit.
If your family is struggling with attendance, let us know now so we can help!