HILLSBOROUGH RESPONDS
Important information for our families - August 2, 2020
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A MESSAGE FROM OUR SUPERINTENDENT
Dear Families,
There are so many emotions you’re probably feeling right now as we are just 3 weeks from the start of school--excitement, frustration, anxiety, indecision. I get it. We are living through unprecedented times right now.
During the special-called Board meeting on July 23rd, the Board approved my School Reopening Plan. That plan offers families three choices for their learners: classroom instruction, eLearning and Hillsborough Virtual K-12. Thank you to everyone who filled out their Declaration of Intent, allowing our principals to begin preparing for the school year.
Regardless of the decision you made for your student, know that my staff and I are working around the clock with school administrators to make sure every student receives a quality education in the safest environment possible.
Our eLearning plan is structured and rigorous, and our teachers who will be educating in the eLearning format have dedicated themselves to providing creative, robust lessons.
For our families who chose to send students back to brick and mortar classrooms, we have made every provision to make the schools a clean and safe place to learn. We have a stockpile of sanitation materials that we have been gathering for months now, and our schools are committed to making sure we are social distanced as much as possible and our students and staff follow healthy practices.
If I could ask you just one thing, it would be to stand with us. We are all on the same side—we ALL want what’s best for our students, families, staff and the community.
Respectfully,
Addison Davis
Superintendent of Schools
SCOOP WITH THE SUPE!
Superintendent Davis answers questions from parents about reopening schools. Five minutes in, the superintendent talks about making the decision for his daughter.
PREPARING FOR A SAFE RETURN
Our district has been gathering supplies since May in anticipation of making our schools as clean and safe as possible...
- Face coverings, hand sanitizer refills, disinfecting wipes, gloves, paper towels and soap
- More than 6 million disinfecting wipes currently on hand and will be receiving another 8 million more wipes before our learners come back to school
- More than 25,000 hand sanitizer refills with more on the way
- So much soap and paper towels that we do not have room for more in our warehouse at this time
We continue to gather supplies for our schools. Truckloads of supplies arrive at our warehouse each week.
The safety of our students & staff is our #1 priority.
TEACHERS AND STAFF RETURN TO SCHOOL
For some, it was the first time they had been inside their classrooms since March 13th, the day we left for Spring Break and schools shut down because of the pandemic.
Most schools welcomed staff back with breakfast and preplanning. Teachers sat at tables, socially distanced, wearing their masks and began preparing for the school year ahead.
Thank you to our teachers and staff, for your dedication to the students and families of Hillsborough County Public Schools
Watch Superintendent Davis welcome staff back to Mitchell Elementary in Tampa
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR OUR FAMILIES
There will be a special called School Board meeting Thursday, August 6th at 9:30am to discuss the superintendent's reopening plan.
Hillsborough County Public Schools is proud to partner with Canvas, our learning management system, to provide a hub of learning for our students, parents and teachers. The district will be providing instructional videos within the next two weeks to help parents and students navigate the new system. We will communicate those videos to you and they will also be available on HillsboroughSchools.org.
Congratulations to the Class of 2020! Every high school's virtual graduation ceremony is ready to view on our district YouTube page.
SUMMER MEAL PROGRAM EXTENDED
Kids and teens can continue to receive balanced meals Mondays through Thursdays until August 13th from 10:30am - 12:30pm at more than 70 select school sites throughout our district. Children do not have to be present to receive a meal, however parents need to bring a student ID number (for enrolled HCPS students) or date of birth for children who are not enrolled.
Each student will receive a lunch for that day and breakfast for the next day. On Thursdays, each child will receive meals for Thursday and Friday.
Parents are encouraged to apply for free or reduced price meals. You can do that here. You can also apply for benefits through the Florida Department of Children and Families.
OUR EXCEPTIONAL STUDENT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT IS PREPARING FOR eLEARNING & SOCIALLY DISTANCED BRICK AND MORTAR LEARNING
Changing our Vision: Re-imagining vision services across all models
As the 2020-21 school year opens, the Program for Students with Visual Impairments will be participating in trainings which aim to raise the bar for student services regardless of the learning environment selected by the student’s family.
Professional development this year will not happen in just one day or in two trainings but with a focused series of trainings. Topics are concentrated on:
- Understanding the models
- Safety
- Technology
- eLearning platforms
- Creative new ways of delivering content
- Successful strategies used in the spring
- Ways to assess students remotely
- Dual sensory impairments/screening for USHERS Syndrome
- How to use Microsoft TEAMS for instruction
- Resources from our Florida Instructional Materials Center
- Tactile Graphics Production
- How to hold Virtual IEP meetings
Teachers and staff can sign up for live professional development content, watch recorded webinars or complete self-paced activities. During the extended pre-planning, this itinerant staff will meet daily for virtual group trainings, to ensure that when students return to school, teachers of the visually impaired will be ready to receive them, teach them, accommodate for them, support school sites, families, and each other.
This year we move from responding to an emergency situation to re-imagining our educational services so we may reach our high standards within this new normal.
ESE teachers take part in professional development to best assist our students on the autism spectrum during this unprecedented time
The Hillsborough County Public Schools Exceptional Student Education Department, in collaboration with the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities at USF, and Partnership for Effective Programs for Students with Autism, had the pleasure of hosting a two-day, professional development institute with more than 500 teachers, administrators, and related service providers.
The presenter, Dr. Paula Kluth, is a consultant, author, advocate, and independent scholar who works with teachers and families to provide inclusive opportunities for students with disabilities. Her focus is to create more responsive and engaging schooling experiences for all learners.
Paula is a former special educator who has served as a classroom teacher and inclusion facilitator. Her professional interests include differentiating instruction and inclusive schooling. Her extensive websites, differentiationdaily.com and paulakluth.com provide useful tools to those supporting inclusive education.
The two-day institute provided invaluable opportunities for our teachers to further their skills in best educating and assisting our students on the autism spectrum.
eLEARNING - SUPPLIES FOR SUCCESS
A lot of our students have chosen to start their school year with eLearning. If this is you, your back-to-school supply list may look a little different than years past.
Of course, your teachers will be providing a detailed list as we get closer to the start of the school year, but below are some items that you might want to start picking up now:
- A comfortable chair. You could be in this chair for several hours a day. Make sure you like it! Make sure you can adjust the chair to the right level to see your computer easily.
- Earphones or earbuds. This way you’re not disturbing others while listening to instruction or a video provided by your teacher.
- Printer and printer paper. Even though many assignments can be submitted online, you may want to print items for your own records.
- An online or paper calendar. This will be crucial to keep track of daily assignments and due dates.
- Traditional school supplies. Again, your teacher will be providing a list closer to the first day of school but you’ll still need pens, pencils, paper and folders.
- A backpack. Even though you’re not going to a brick and mortar school, doesn’t mean you may not go to a classmate’s house or somewhere else to study for the day. Owning a backpack, with space for a laptop, books and other supplies will prove useful.
Here’s something else to consider… Take the time to set up a defined space for your eLearning. Doesn’t matter if it’s a desk or if it’s a spot at your dining room table. But it will be the place you go to every morning for eLearning. Make sure it’s a quiet space and you will not be easily disturbed or distracted.
REVISED STUDENT CALENDAR FOR 2020-21 SCHOOL YEAR
Because of starting the school year two weeks later, the School Board approved a revised student calendar to make up the instructional hours.
OUR STUDENT-ATHLETES ARE HARD AT WORK
Our athletes are conditioning, lifting, training--doing what they can in the safest way possible. The district is in Phase II, which allows for voluntary conditioning workouts. Our coaches are making sure every safety protocol is followed. Here is a glimpse at how Hillsborough High athletes are getting ready for the season.
A WHOLE BUNCH OF STUFF GOING ON...
Thank you Titus O'Neal and the Bullard Family Foundation for the Back to School Bash 2020! The virtual event included giveaways, raffles and a live broadcast from Amalie Arena.
Computers have become the modern day textbook. Get the extra support you need & save $5 per month with Frontier's Personal Security Bundle.
HCPS staff is teaming up with Hillsborough Education Foundation for a School Supply Drive! Employees are shopping from our district's Amazon Wish List and supplies are sent directly to HEF to be distributed to students in need in Hillsborough County.
If you'd like to help, check out the district's Amazon Wish List or make a monetary donation at HillsboroughEducationFoundation.com/Donate.
OH YEAH, WE WERE PREPARING FOR A POTENTIAL HURRICANE TOO
Many of our schools are used as hurricane shelters. So, in preparation for Isaias, Superintendent Davis, along with our Chief of Security and school principals, were in constant communication with the Emergency Operations Center in case they called on us to open our schools as storm shelters.
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Email: newsletter@sdhc.k12.fl.us
Website: HillsboroughSchools.org
Location: 901 East Kennedy Boulevard, Tampa, FL, USA
Phone: 813-272-4000
Facebook: facebook.com/HillsboroughSch
Twitter: @HillsboroughSch