Tornado Times
News From John Tuck Elementary (April 2020)
Principal's Message
Greetings John Tuck Families,
I must admit, it feels incredibly surreal to be shifting everything we are doing to this new distance learning platform. Like you, the Porter household is adjusting to Mom and Dad working remotely and our three kiddos engaging in their schoolwork throughout the day. We live out of town a little ways and our less than stellar Wi-Fi connection is being put to the test! Of course, our students are our priority, but parents, I want you to know I have a huge heart for the burden this current scenario has placed on you. Hang in there and give yourself grace! Our team has made a steadfast commitment to view this entire experience as an opportunity to grow, learning new skills and stretching our brains to find creative ways to support students and families. I am grateful for an amazing staff that is currently spending countless hours learning and building the plane as we fly in order to figure out how to best serve everyone's needs.
Here are some key resource connections for families during this time:
Basic Needs Supports - FAN Advocate Jennifer Summerton - jennifer.summerton@redmondschools.org
Mental Health Supports - Student Services Coordinator/Counselor Andrea Hamann - andrea.hamann@redmondschools.org
Educational Technology Supports - STEAM Instructor Chris Jaentsch - chris.jaentsch@redmondschools.org
*Please note, it is our goal and practice to get back to support requests within 24 business hours or sooner.
In an effort to stay connected with our students I will be releasing a weekly video highlighting our monthly character trait and a prompt for students to share their ideas/thoughts/activities. Those videos can be found on YouTube by searching "Principal Porter's Weekly Connection." Students are encouraged to watch and submit their reply to the weekly prompt as time allows.
Thank you for your understanding and support as we make the best of our new learning mode for the remainder of this school year. If anything, I believe this experience will draw us all closer together and help us appreciate each other even more through the process and when we are able to return in the Fall.
Go Tornados!
Yours in Service,
Dusty Porter
Principal, John Tuck Elementary
Nurse's Message
Hello from Nurse Kristine! I am missing all the John Tuck faces so much! With that said I hope you are all safe, healthy, and staying home. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out to Kristine.ellis@redmondschools.org.
My new online office hours are Monday - Thursday, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Take care!
To stay informed of what’s happening with COVID 19 please see the CDC or Deschutes county websites.
News From F.A.N.
I hope all of you are staying healthy and safe at home during these challenging times. Like so many people these days, FAN Advocates are having to change the way we do things in order to conform to the new social distancing and stay-at-home guidelines. But rest assured, FAN stands ready to help our students and their families get through this difficult and stressful period in whatever way we can!
Obviously, during the school closure, I will not be available to meet with families in person or receive messages on my school office phone. But if you need assistance in accessing resources to support your family at this time, please email me at jennifer.summerton@redmondschools.org or text me at (541) 728-2754 (text-only line) and I will reply as soon as possible.
I’ve heard from many families asking about how to get Chromebooks or internet access for their students during the school closure. Please contact your child’s teacher to request a Chromebook, and they will take it from there. If you need help with internet access, please email or text me. I’m sure you’ve heard from your child’s teacher about the MANY educational resources available online, and we want to make sure that all students have the devices and internet service to access them!
Here are some general resources you might find helpful:
http://redmond.k12.or.us/covid-19-resources/
https://familyaccessnetwork.org/resources
Please stay home and stay healthy, and don't hesitate to contact me if you need assistance.
John Tuck P.T.O.
Hello from your John Tuck P.T.O. (Parent Teacher Organization)!
We’ve missed seeing your students around the school and hope that they’re all doing well learning from home. To help you and your kids have a little fun during this difficult time, we’ve been continuing to post links on our Facebook page featuring fun activities to do from home. Here are a few of those links:
Step By Step Painting Class with Ms. Nancy
Be strong Tornados! See you when we return.