@ Alta Vista
April 3, 2020
With this week's announcement of school building closures through the end of the academic year was difficult to wrap my head around. Although it may not have been unexpected, it was still hard to hear. The logical part of me knows that they are just buildings and not the spirit of Alta Vista. But then my heart takes over. We didn't go into education to sit in front of a computer. I love children. They are the joy in my job. As I told my sister who teaches kindergarten in Boulder, without students, school is hard.
The part of all of this that gives me hope is the kindness that is happening around me. Sometimes it is the greatest challenges that bring out the best in us. And when people ask years from now where we were during the pandemic, we'll be able to say that we were safe at home with our families.
In the meantime, we need to cancel all previously scheduled school events such as field trips and Science Camp. You may have parents asking you questions...I've already gotten a few myself. Essentially, the message is, at this time, we just don't have any answers to questions about rescheduling events such as our fifth grade farewell. Our immediate focus is continuing to build a robust, sustainable, and equitable plan for @Home Learning to continue providing our students with their education and address their social-emotional needs.
I know you must be extremely disappointed...I am too. We'll figure out all of the details about wrapping up this school year and preparing for next year in the weeks to come.
I'll be sending out newsletters to the staff and the community on the Sunday before we return. For now, just be present and mindful. During the coming week, focus on yourself and your family. That is what is truly important.
Staff Message to Students
I've been hearing from families that their children are devastated that they will not be coming back to school for the remainder of the year. We need to remember that it is only the buildings that are closed - not the spirit of Alta Vista.
Let's share our Team Alta Vista spirit with our students through a video. Here's what I have in mind ... on this spreadsheet, you will find a short message for our students. Please sign up for one word or symbol. Then take a picture of you holding up the word/symbol and send it to me. I'll string the photos together to create a video message and share it with families on Sunday, April 13th. Hopefully this will get our cougars inspired to start week three of our @Home Learning.
I'd love to have everyone participate. Right now, there are 49 words and symbols. If these get filled up before you're able to join the fun, let me know. We can make the message longer so that we can include everyone.
To make it easier and to give me time to pull the video together, please do these two things:
- Take a landscape (horizontal) picture. IMovie likes these better than a vertical image.
- Upload the picture to this folder or email it to me as an attachment by Wednesday.
- Be sure you are signed into your USD Google account so that you can access the folder and spreadsheet.
Please take a few minutes to help boost everyone's spirit and spread some joy.
INFORMATION & UPDATES @ ALTA VISTA
Being on Campus
I've had a few of you let me know that you're going to campus to pick up things, use the better bandwidth than at home, or maybe just to get out of the house. These are all great reasons and because we are essential employees, still falls within the stricter shelter-at-home guidelines. Please know that students should not be on campus. If parents approach you about meeting with students or letting them in to get personal belongings, let them know that we cannot allow that at this time. I'm sure we will be coming up with a solution to reunite students and their things - but not right now. Also remember that you will need to use your classroom key to unlock the gate and be sure that it closes behind you. Finally, if you are going to be on campus, please send me a quick email with the date and time. We're all being asked to also copy Steve Burrell on the email. This is to make sure that everyone is safe. Thanks for your help in this and be sure to do everything possible to stay healthy if you are on campus.
Zoom has quickly become a communication platform that is being used by business and education. Unfortunately, this resulted in some misuse that has been termed "Zoombombing". Fortunately, both Zoom and USD have provided advice about settings that provide a secure environment for your classroom or grade level meeting. Here are some resources that you'll find helpful:
- Andrew and Chanmi worked together to create this blog article and slide deck on best practices and settings - https://blog.unionsd.org/2020/03/zoom-settings-revisited.html
- Chanmi created this slide deck of instructions for students - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_qb32mi8paV_M5omw-Eq39ajRRLqHo9f/view
- Megan Mullaly (DMS teacher) posted some helpful hints on Twitter - https://twitter.com/mullalyteach/status/1243655064679374848?s=20
- Zoom created a blog addressing best practices for a secure classroom - https://blog.zoom.us/wordpress/2020/03/27/best-practices-for-securing-your-virtual-classroom/
P.E. Update
Rhythm & Moves is still working on preparing the FlipGrid lessons to share. As soon as they are ready, Jay will share them with you. In the meantime, please share your P.E. Zoom lesson links with the following addresses: jaythomastraining@gmail.com, atafolla@rhythmandmoves.com, and me. Thanks.
Reese Gives Dresses to Teachers
Reese Witherspoon wants to show her appreciation for teachers by giving them free dresses made by her company Draper James. Here is a link to the article with more information and details. You need to fill out the form and attach a copy of your school ID by Sunday.
GRADE LEVEL MEETINGS
- Kindergarten - Thursday @ 1:00
- Second - Monday @ 1:00
- Third - Tuesday @ 1:00
- Fourth - Thursday @ 1:30
Our weekly meetings will start the week of April 13th. I'll send Zoom invitations so that you can put the date and time on your calendars. First and fifth, please let me know three days and times that will work for you. I don't want to assign a time that doesn't work for people. Thanks.
STAFF MEETINGS
I only received 14 responses to the survey about staff meeting times. I would love to get a little more feedback before scheduling our next staff meeting. So far, 1:00 on Wednesday seems to work for most people. Please fill out this form, checking any/all boxes that work with your schedule.
ALTA VISTA @ HOME SPIRIT DAY
RESOURCES AND LINKS
- @Home Learning Quiz - If you are looking for a fun activity to kick off week three, think about including the quizlet that Marika shared with her students today. It was a big help after the disappointing news of continued building closures. It only takes about five minutes to update and reflect your classroom. Enjoy.
- Raz-Kids - Nikki shared that using Raz-Kids, students can record themselves reading aloud and share it with you. Here's a link with other great tips for using Raz-Kids.
- E-Book Library - Nikki also shared this link to Oxford Owl. It provides students with free access to books by age, book type, level, or series. It does require parents to log in, but includes a large selection of books.