Titan eNews
Let the Learning Begin!!
Thank You!
We will continue to use Empower as our learning management platform. Facilitators will add 1-2 learning experiences per week during the next two weeks. Most of your assignments will be loaded and ready for learner access on Monday/Tuesday.
It's possible in a district of 52,000 students that you have received communication from a teacher of a sibling at another school regarding assignments or next steps. That has been my experience, too. Please know that we have been following our district protocol and expectations, and our district has determined our best next steps for a unified and common learning experience during these next two weeks. In this eNews, I hope to provide clarifying information on a number of topics. Our district leaders have been working around the clock to prepare for the re-engagement of learning, and we are grateful for their leadership and vision during a time of uncertainty for all of us.
As we move to Phase 2, Remote Learning, we are primed and ready to take on this challenge and take the very best care of our learners. You should have received regular communication from Plano ISD to your registered email address during the last several days, and I have included the most recent communication at the end of this eNews for your reference. Ready, Set, LEARN!
Plan for Learning 3/23-4/3 - Facilitators and Learners
Course Work:
We will continue to use Empower as our learning management platform. Facilitators will add 1-2 learning experiences per week during the next two weeks. Most of your assignments will be loaded and ready for learner access on Monday/Tuesday.
Our recommended schedule for learning is outlined below. Please note that this is a recommended plan for all learners, but we recognize that our learners are in the same fluid schedule as we all are with different demands at home. We will work to honor flexibility during this time. To prepare learners to manage their remote learning, assignments for these courses will only be assigned and due on one of these days, and facilitators will communicate with both learners and parents if assignments are not submitted. Facilitators will communicate in Empower with learners and provide timely feedback for submitted evidences of learning.
Parents may expect facilitator communication in the following ways:
- Emails from facilitators which include the course name in the subject line.
- Phone calls from unidentified numbers as we utilize apps for calls via Google, Teams, and Zoom.
- Weekly Missing Assignment Empower emails
Recommended Learner Schedule:
Monday/Wednesday
English
Science
CTE (Engineering/Tech)
Tuesday/Thursday
Social Studies
Math
LOTE
Art
Friday
Review, Reflect, Reteach
Learners Norms:
It is our expectation that learners do the following:
- Log into Empower daily beginning on Monday
- Submit your evidences on time
- Communicate via email or Empower with your facilitator for help
- Respond to facilitator intervention. We will be monitoring your activity through Empower and reaching out to you and your parents if you are getting behind.
Please see below to find the email addresses for your facilitators.
Facilitator Office Hours:
Each of your facilitators will hold virtual office hours daily. Please see the grade level specific information provided below. The purpose of these scheduled office hours is for parents and learners to have a standing time daily to be able to receive just-in-time responses and support for learning through email response, Empower message response, and scheduled phone calls from virtual platforms.
Tutoring and Reteaching
Fridays will be a day of tutoring and reteaching. Learners will be able to request additional assistance through Empower, and parents may request additional assistance via email. Facilitator email addresses are located below.
We will respond to and meet learner needs. Please presume positive intent and give grace as we navigate this new plan together.
Facilitator Emails by Grade Level:
1st Year Facilitators
Sherry Gleason (English) Sherry.Gleason@pisd.edu
Brittany Henderson (Physics) Brittany.Henderson@pisd.edu
Tracy Gray (Art) Tracy.Gray@pisd.edu
Morgan Law (Math) Morgan.Law@pisd.edu
Francisco Flores (Tech/Eng) Francisco.Flores@pisd.edu
Katelyn Morrison (Spanish) Katelyn.Morrison@pisd.edu
Katherine Terrell (French) Katherine.Terrell@pisd.edu
Kory Evans (World Geography) Kory.Evans2@pisd.edu
2nd Year Facilitators
Shawn Haag (English) Shawn.Haag@pisd.edu
Michael Hardy (Biology) Michael.Hardy@pisd.edu
Linda Aponte (Art) Linda.Aponte@pisd.edu
Kati Cooke (Math) Kati.Cooke@pisd.edu
Joe Fawcett (Tech/Eng) Joseph.Fawcett@pisd.edu
Nick Stamets (Social Studies) Nick.Stamets@pisd.edu
Shelli Brown (Spanish) Shelli.Brown@pisd.edu
Katherine Terrell (French) Katherine.Terrell@pisd.edu
3rd Year Facilitators
Russell Young (English) Russell.Young@pisd.edu
Julia Goodwin (Chem/ES) Julia.Goodwin@pisd.edu
Stephanie Nordlund (Art) Stephanie.Nordlund@pisd.edu
Lasma Jekabsone-Berrouet (Math) Lasma.Jekabsoneberr@pisd.edu
Tina Cone (Tech/Eng) Tina.Cone@pisd.edu
James Wright (Social Studies) James.Wright@pisd.edu
Katelynn Morrison (Spanish) Katelynn.Morrison@pisd.edu
Katherine Terrell (French) Katherine.Terrell@pisd.edu
4th Year Facilitators
Cameron Davis (English) Cameron.Davis@pisd.edu
Kim Gunnels (SRD) Kim.Gunnels@pisd.edu
Stephanie Nordlund (Art) Stephanie.Nordlund@pisd.edu
Stephanie Burnham (Math) Stephanie.Burnham@pisd.edu
Eddie Hong (Comp. Sci) Eddie.Hong@pisd.edu
Marissa Pinder (Social Studies) Marissa.Pinder@pisd.edu
Shelli Brown (Spanish) Shelli.Brown@pisd.edu
Katherine Terrell (French) Katherine.Terrell@pisd.edu
Counselors' Corner
2nd Year Academic Conferences:
Academic conferences will resume virtually beginning Monday, 3/23. You will receive an email from the counseling team regarding your scheduled date and time.
Please be prepared to answer an unknown number at the time and day of your scheduled academic conference, AND plan for your learner to be with you during the call.
Special Education/504/CMIT
We will continue to provide learner support and fulfill services and accommodations as we are able remotely. To request specific support for your learner served by CMIT, email Kayla.Millete@pisd.edu. To request specific support for your learner served by 504 or Special Education, please email Jennifer.Lorilla@pisd.edu
I implore our parents to give patience and grace as our guidance is evolving daily for our support of all learners.
Meetings: ARDs and 504: Jennifer Lorilla will be reaching out to confirm or reschedule meetings based on district guidelines.
Clinic Information
If you need to retrieve medication from the nurse's clinic, please email Donna.Adams@pisd.edu to schedule a curb-side pick up. Note that there will be a form to sign to return medication to you.
Testing
AP Testing: Some of our learners register each year to take AP tests in the spring. At this time, we do not have any additional communication from College Board. You may follow their updates here.
Learner Needs
Technology to engage in learning: If a learner is in need of technology assistance, please complete this form for:
- Chromebooks
- Chargers
- Internet access
- Tech problems
- AND email gurpreet.brar@pisd.edu and your facilitators to notify them of your need
To access help with your Password reset:
- Email: helpdesk@pisd.edu
- Phone: 469-752-8767
`Personal belongings at school: If you have any personal belongings at school that you need to collect, please email Principal Ojeda at lynn.ojeda@pisd.edu to schedule a date and time for curb-side pick up.
VOE Requests: All DMV’s are currently closed. Therefore, campuses will not issue VOEs for students at this time.
Progress Reporting
Empower: As a reminder, both learners and parents have access to up to date information on learner progress through Empower.
Empower Learning is the platform used at Academy High School for blended learning and for progress reporting (grades). As a parent, you are able to access you learner’s progress at any time using this platform. There are videos on our website which provide support for logging in and navigating the platform.
The video for login support can be found here.
The video for platform navigation can be found here.
For your first login this year, you will enter:
Login: FirstnameLastname
Password: changeme
If you have login challenges or need support with Empower Learning, please email Mrs. Brar at Gurpreet.Brar@pisd.edu.
Navigating the Progress Report:
For quick access to learner progress, we recommend you choose the “Progress Report” button in the upper right hand corner.
Dual Enrollment with Collin College
1st Years:
2nd Years:
3rd Years:
The 3rd-year team would like to welcome learners to Going Viral. We never foresaw such a strong “real-world” connection when designing this project years ago. As we enter this new phase of education, learners will be able to find the linked document updated weekly and hosted within the 3rd-Year Project course on Empower. Though we know there will be an adjustment period to the new format, all facilitators and learners will work hard to ensure that there is a continuation of learning.
In case the included link doesn't
Link to include: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ta3gJUj_Rrh_Apy6M5MxOPdPBUUVzbseR8yGusBCf1U/edit?usp=sharing
The link is set to be view-able by anyone with the link so that parents can click on it too.
4th Years:
Campus Events
4/23 Titan Fest - postponed
5/2 Prom - postponed
Senior Banquet and Graduation - no information at this time
Census 2020
Plano ISD wants to help our community and families understand how the U.S. Census helps our schools and neighborhoods. The goal for the Census is to get a complete count of everyone—once and in the right place. More information and answers to your questions about the Census, including how to participate, can be found on the U.S. Census Bureau website.
How to Complete the 2020 Census Online
See the video linked here.
Benefits
The census is an official count of the U.S. population and households. It provides important data to many functions in our society.
Your data helps your school
The census helps our country provide fair education to all of our students. It is used to:
- Determine where Title 1 grants go, which helps schools in serving students from low-income families
- Assign Special Education grants to states
- Fund the National School Lunch programs
- Provide grants to improve teacher quality and preschool programs
- Determine how to best meet the needs of students in a community
Used to inform our communities
- Residents use it in supporting community initiatives. Businesses also use it in creating places for jobs, and real estate agencies make new neighborhoods and revitalize old ones from the data.
- It aids in enforcing civil and voting rights legislation.
- It is used by local governments for safety and emergency preparations.
- It determines how government monies are spent supporting state, county, and community efforts.
- The census is key in redistributing the House of Representatives, which determines how many seats a state gets.
- It is used to redraw boundaries of congressional and state legislative districts.
COVID-19 Update for Plano ISD Families MARCH 19, 2020
COVID-19 Update for Plano ISD Families
MARCH 19, 2020
Plano ISD schools remain closed to the public through Friday, April 3, in an effort to support the community, region and nation’s need to slow the spread of COVID-19. The district will continue to monitor this health concern and reassess whether there is a need to extend the suspension of normal district operations beyond April 3. Although our buildings remain closed to the public, we will continue to meet the academic and social emotional needs of our students and families. We will stay connected with you through our multiple communications channels. Please use virtual communication channels, sending any questions you may have to askPISD@pisd.edu.
Remote Learning Plan During School Closure
Phase One - Preparing Students and Staff (Week of March 16-20, 2020)
What Students Should Do to Prepare for Remote Learning
STEP ONE: Start Gearing Up for Remote Learning and Take Advantage of Home Learning Resources
Website for At-Home Learning Support: www.pisd.edu/athomelearning
This website is organized by grade level and subject area and provides online resources, as well as suggested off-line activities to support student learning from home. The resources provided on this website are to help engage students in continued learning but will not be submitted to teachers for assignments or for feedback.
STEP TWO: Know Your Username and Password
All Plano ISD staff and students have a PISD username and password.
If students have forgotten their passwords or are otherwise experiencing problems trying to login, please contact Plano ISD's Technology Help Desk for assistance:
- Email: helpdesk@pisd.edu
- Phone: 469-752-8767
STEP THREE: Access to Technology
Plano ISD has a Chromebook for every student in the District should they need a device. These devices are being re-imaged from an enterprise configuration to an individual usage functionality for home use and prepared for deployment. It is important for every student to have a device and not one per family. Chromebooks will be checked out to parents next week from the student’s home campus. Please be watching for the Sign-Up Genius form to schedule a time to pick up a Chromebook should you need a device or devices.
STEP FOUR: PISD Webdesk and MyBackpack
After signing in to Google Chrome, navigate to webdesk.pisd.edu which is PISD's portal for digital learning resources. All students have an app in Webdesk called MyBackpack which provides easy access to course resources. It is a lightweight alternative to carrying textbooks around all day! And it's helpful to have the necessary resources in one location.
- Sign In to Webdesk - PDF document with steps for signing in | YouTube Video demonstrating the steps for signing in
- Webdesk App for Phones/Tablets - Webdesk is available via app, too! It's free for iOS or Android. Please search for Plano ISD after installing the app. Choose to sign in with ADFS then enter the student's PISD Username and Password.
- MyBackpack - All course-related resources are stored in one spot! Look for the MyBackpack tile in Webdesk.
- Accessing H: Drive - Files stored on the PISD Network, such as the H: Drive, can be accessed via Webdesk.
- Webdesk Resources - A collection of YouTube videos to demonstrating ways to use Webdesk | The PISD Webdesk resource page
What Teachers Are Doing to Prepare for Remote Learning
- Teachers are working with the Academic Services team and are attending virtual professional learning on remote learning platforms (Google, Zoom, etc.)
- Teachers are setting up or refining their online instructional and communication platforms
- Teachers are working with campus collaborative teams to create Phase 2 online lessons to be used in the delivery of remote learning
- Teachers will begin reaching out to parents to ensure communication channels are established
Phase Two: Launching Remote Learning (Week of March 23-April 3, 2020)
STEP ONE: Establishing Online Learning Communication Channels
- Teachers will continue reaching out to each student/parent to ensure they have an accurate email address/method of communication
- Teachers will provide an explanation of the online platform that will be used in delivering instruction and feedback to students
- When communicating with parents and students via email, teachers will include the grade level/course in the subject line
- Teachers will convey “virtual office hours” to students and parents in order to provide answers to questions and feedback to students
- Teachers are expected to give timely feedback to students after an assignment is completed and/or clarification
STEP TWO: Remote Learning Format
- Secondary teachers will be providing 1-2 lessons/week which total no more than 3 hours of instruction/application activities
- Elementary teachers will plan for a variety of daily learning experiences such as: teacher-created videos, activities, resources from unit plans, and reading resources
Time for Students to Spend on Each Subject
Grade(s) Literacy (Reading/ Math Science Social Studies
Writing)
PreK 60/day 30/day 15/2x per week 15/2x per week
K-2nd 60/day 45/day 30/2x per week 30/2x per week
3rd-5th 45/day 45/day 30/day 30/day
- Evidence of student learning:
- Lessons may include 1-2 student submissions showing evidence of student learning from the lesson.
- Submissions may include responses, practice, products.
- Teachers may provide feedback for submissions and will create flexible timelines for student submission.
STEP THREE: Resources
- Teachers will be using resources provided by the district through adopted textbooks, curriculum documents, and supplementary materials
- No resources, platforms, or apps requiring student fees or an associated cost to the family will be required at any time.
STEP FOUR: Grading
March 23-27, 2020
- Teachers will provide assignments for student completion, with plans to provide feedback to individual students; however, no grades will be recorded in the gradebook for the week of March 23-27.
- Focus on instruction and assignments:
- Students getting connected online
- Establishing a comfort level with online tools for learning, application, and submission of assignments
- Establishing communication, instructional, and feedback processes between teacher and students
- Notifying students and families of virtual office hours
- Determining levels of support for students who receive services in Special Education, ESL/Bilingual, or 504
March 30-April 3, 2020
- More information will be coming about grading practices beyond March 27.
Phase Three - Remote Learning through Digital Learning Platform (April 6 and Beyond)
Plano ISD has always written its own curriculum written by our own teachers and staff. For that reason, a learning management system for all instructional materials and learning delivery has not been needed. We are planning for movement to a new digital learning platform should the school closures extend beyond April 3.
If the closure of schools is extended beyond April 3, we will implement Phase Three of the remote learning plan to provide additional support and consistency for the majority of courses and grade levels across the district. During this phase, instruction will include teacher-developed assignments in combination with district-wide virtual content.
The Academic Services team is aligning content and designing training for staff that will roll out next week so that we are prepared for this transition if it becomes necessary. Student schedules are being uploaded into the digital platform at this time so we can customize the digital platform to each individual student. Parents and students will also be provided training on this platform and more information will be provided as training becomes available.
Meal Access for Families
New Location Added (Barron Elementary)
New Hours Next Week: Monday-Friday, 11-00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Starting Monday, March 23, hours for the district’s grab-and-go breakfast and lunch program will change to 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. During this pick-up time, families will be able to get lunch, along with breakfast for the following day. This cuts down on the number of times our families will need to leave home to pick up meals each day. Also beginning Monday, Barron Elementary will be added as a new location for meals.
This district-wide program serves children 18 and younger. Families can pick up meals for students curbside at the campuses listed below in the carpool lanes*(unless otherwise noted). Access to enter the buildings will not be available. We are excited to share that in just four days, the district has been able to serve 8,000 meals to our students!
Armstrong Middle School *(pickup at this location is the bus lane at the rear of the building)
3805 Timberline Drive, Plano, TX 75074Barron Elementary School**
3300 Avenue P, Plano, TX 75074
**Meal service at this location begins Monday, March 23Daffron Elementary School
3900 Preston Meadow Drive, Plano, TX 75093IB World School at Huffman Elementary
5510 Channel Isle Drive, Plano, TX 75093Meadows Elementary School
2800 18th Street, Plano, TX 75074Rose Haggar Elementary School
17820 Campbell Road, Dallas, TX 75252Sigler Elementary School
1400 Janwood Drive, Plano, TX 75075Thomas Elementary School
1800 Montana Trail, Plano, TX 75023
Mobile Food Pantry at Williams High School, Friday, March 20
North Texas Food Bank will host a mobile food pantry in the Williams High School parking lot on Friday, March 20 from 3 to 5 p.m. Families will be able to drive through and receive a box of shelf-stable items. North Texas Food Bank is anticipating being able to serve up to 500 families, so please spread the word and help our Plano ISD community take advantage of this opportunity.
Instrument/Equipment Pickup at Secondary Campuses
Due to the continued closure of Plano ISD campuses and postponement of district activities, specifically in the extracurricular areas of band, orchestra, and athletics, we have scheduled specific windows of time in which students may come to their respective campus and pick up their musical instrument or personal athletic equipment. We realize that having the instruments and equipment will allow students the opportunity to continue practicing and maintaining their skills during this unique time in which the regular rehearsals, sectionals, practice sessions, and competitions are not occurring.
Pick-up times for instruments and/or personal athletic equipment are
- Monday, March 23 or Wednesday, March 25
- 9:00am – 11:00am
- 1:00pm – 3:00pm
- 5:00pm – 7:00pm
A limit of five students at a time may enter and exit using designated entrances in the fine arts or athletic areas. Students will be required to sign in and no access to any other part of the campus will be allowed. More details are available on the Plano ISD website. Thank you for your flexibility and understanding.
Off-Campus PE
- The 2020-2021 Off-Campus PE (OCPE) application will be posted on the Plano ISD website at a later date to be determined.
- All current 2019-2020 OCPE students are not expected to attend instruction at their facilities. Any student that chooses to attend their OCPE site for instruction is at the parent’s discretion.
- Grades for this last nine weeks of spring 2020 are being discussed and information regarding this topic will be shared at a later date.