Homecroft Elementary School
November 13, 2020
Update
We hope you are doing well. It is a time of continued change and flux within our learning model. It is bittersweet; recognizing the need to keep our students/staff safe and healthy, yet the contrast of missing "our kids" when they're not here.
We are here for you. We understand the range of emotions going into full distance learning. If you find you/your family needing support, please take care of you. We have options for student mental health and academic support. The following agencies have partnered with us to assist in the weeks ahead:
- Human Development Center: HDC
- Mentor Duluth - Five Points Program - student tutoring/mentoring
- Reading Intervention: Homecroft Reading Intervention Teacher
- Reading & Math Corps: Academic support for reading & math needs
More information on some of these offerings are listed below.
BYOD - Bring your own device: Teachers will be going over further "how to" related to technology uses during distance learning next week. If you would like to send a device to school with your child so they can see how it would be done on your home device, next week is the time to do that.
We understand there are likely concerns with this! Please feel free to send the district chromebook if you have one. If you do not have a device, info will be displayed for students IF reteaching is necessary. BYOD devices will be able to access the student filtered network.
If you need a device, please reach out to the office. We are doing all we can to ensure families have devices. We understand having multiple children can create an issue if one device is available. We will continue to work with the 3:1, student/device ratio, but if families are not able to make this work, please contact Mr. Cawcutt.
If your family needs a hotspot, we have forms that you would need to complete to request one. Please notify the office if you would like to request a hotspot. Their availability is limited at this time.
We understand the many changes ahead and we appreciate your partnership, grace, and understanding.
Mr. Cawcutt
Distance Learning from Supt. Magas
Dear ISD 709 Families:
This message is to alert you that next week we will shift to distance learning at elementary level and pause in-person secondary student supports, athletics and activities through December 13. We are doing so in response to a sharp rise in Duluth and St. Louis County COVID rates that are projected to continue.
We have also seen a recent rise in students and staff testing positive as well as those in quarantine. District administration made this determination after consulting with the Minnesota Department of Education and local health officials who recommended a shift to distance learning for several weeks.We are announcing this with as much advance notice as possible to provide families and staff time to plan and prepare. We regret the challenges that this will cause to students and families, but must do so to help avoid deeper spread within our schools and community.
>>Wednesday November 18: in-person athletics and activities are suspended. The district’s middle and high schools are already in an academic distance learning model.
>>Thursday November 19: elementaries will transition from hybrid to full distance learning.
Both elementary student groups will meet in person next week, with Group A on Monday the 16th and Group B on Tuesday the 17th. Wednesday the 18th will serve as a transitional preparation day with distance learning resuming immediately on Thursday the 19th.
Elementary students should bring home any personal items that they may wish to use for distance learning, including paper, pencils, crayons, etc. All students will be bringing home their student workbooks. These will need to be back at school once in-person learning resumes.
Teachers will communicate their new schedules to their families following the transition period. Please contact your child’s teacher first if you need additional support with distance learning. Special education students will continue to be served by their case managers during the transition day.
We are tentatively planning to return to elementary hybrid in-person learning and secondary in-person athletics, activities and supports on December 14. However, please be aware that current forecasting may not allow for this. The Department of Health has indicated if the numbers do not improve, distance learning through January 8 may be needed due to continued high rates of community spread and holiday exposures. While we are hopeful that we can return to our current model and eventually to even more in-person instruction, we want to be as transparent as possible with the community, allowing families to plan for the possible extension of distance learning if needed.
While in distance learning, the district will continue to provide bagged breakfast/lunches for pickup Monday through Friday when school is in session. Emergency Tier 1 childcare and KEY Zone services will continue.
Duluth joins many other districts that have had to shift to full distance learning as infection rates increase. The district will continue to closely monitor COVID rates and consult with local and state health officials. We are partnering with the city and neighboring districts and communities to encourage preventative measures, including mask wearing and social distancing. We all want our students back in school safely and our collective efforts can help make that a reality.
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to work through the pandemic together.
Sincerely,
John Magas, Superintendent
Duluth Public Schools
Information
Please know our teachers are working to implement those options and this may take time to get up and running smoothly.
If you have questions about the distance learning schedule, please contact your child's teacher.
I still need a device: We have some chromebooks available for distribution. Please call the office to arrange a time to pick one up. If you need a "hotspot", which is a WiFi access point, please contact the office to learn more about how to get one. Hotspots are not unlimited in terms of minutes and connectivity.
Reading & Math Corps Support
Regardless of your current safe learning model, Reading Corps and Math Corps can help! In anticipation of a growing need for support, we’ve continued to recruit tutors and currently have a large pool of candidates who are excited and ready to serve virtually.
There are two options to get your students extra support:
- Request a virtual tutor or tutors for your school
- Refer families to Scholar Squad (our new online tutoring program)
Please reach out to Mr. Cawcutt if you have questions.
Five Points through Mentor Duluth
Five Points is an academic-based mentoring program designed to provide support for youth
throughout the school year. Five Points is a program with the organization Mentor North. They are a mentoring organization and also coordinate the Mentor Duluth and Mentor Superior programs (similar to Big Brothers Big Sisters).
● Matches meet consistently once a week for one hour throughout the school year. An example of a match is meeting regularly on Tuesdays from 4-5pm.
● Mentors are community members who signed up to support youth throughout the school year. They are screened and trained through Mentor North, and they are committing to being matched with a youth consistently for the year. Your youth will meet with their mentor once a week to receive support, assistance with homework, etc.
● In order to be successful, youth have to consent and be willing to engage with their mentor.
If families are interested in pursuing an academic-based mentor, please contact Mr. Cawcutt, your classroom teacher, or the program advocate for Homecroft. Contact information listed below:
Porsha Cline
Mentor North Program Advocate
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Direct Line: 218-606-2558
General Line: 218-722-3600
HDC Support
We are excited to partner with your building for the 2020-2021 academic school year. HDC was awarded the School Linked Mental Health grant from DHS, which means we will be able to offer more ancillary services and training than we were previously.
Our hope is to partner with schools and/or districts to offer a full array of mental health services to meet the needs of students. HDC is able to utilize the expertise of its staff, so some of the services may be provided in collaboration with other providers.
In short, HDC can offer:
Individual Therapy (Therapist)
Group Therapy (Therapist)
Individual Skills (bachelor’s level practitioner)
Group Skills (bachelor level practitioner)
Day Treatment Groups (2+ hours per week, at least once per week)
Staff training on mental health issues/trauma
Consultation to staff regarding mental health in general or about specific clients
Participation in IEP meetings/Student Support Team meetings
If you have questions, please reach out to Mr. Cawcutt, your child's teacher, and/or the program coordinator. Contact information listed here:
Erin Durkee, MA
Clinician
Human Development Center
Office (218) 730 - 2376
Please Log Attendance Each Day During Digital Learning
Families, thank you for your support as we continue to build and improve digital learning in our school district. This is a challenging time and we appreciate your efforts.
Tracking attendance for digital learning each day is vitally important. In addition to helping schools know students are engaged, districts must regularly report accurate attendance numbers to the state education department.
During digital learning, we’re asking that students/families log attendance in Infinite Campus each day. This step will provide more accurate, up-to-date attendance records and help teachers have more time to provide educational support and interact with students.
- Elementary students and families will log their attendance each day through Infinite Campus Parent Portal or Student Portal.
- Middle & High School students will log their own attendance each day using Infinite Campus Student Portal.
If you don’t have an Infinite Campus account, please contact your school.
For instructions about how to log your child’s attendance, please check online at www.ISD709.org/DigitalLearning. You’ll find step by step instructions and video tutorials.
Beginning November 9, if a student’s attendance is not logged each day you will receive an absence notification phone call from the school as a reminder.
We appreciate your patience and flexibility while we navigate virtual learning and attendance taking. As always, feel free to contact your school with any questions.