Panther Administration Newsletter
April 11 and 12, 2020
A message from our Principal
Some of you know that I run every morning. While running, I'm an avid podcast listener. Recently, I've been listening to the fantastic season 2 of 13 Minutes to the Moon; from the BBC. It’s about the remarkable work effort that engineers put forth to bring the Apollo 13 astronauts home safely after a disaster occured 200,000 miles from earth. It goes far more in-depth than the incredible Tom Hanks movie Apollo 13 and really gives us breathtaking insights into the decision making and engineering that happened “on the fly.” It still is one of the most incredible feats of my lifetime.
Why am I telling you about my listening habits? Well, it got me to thinking about the comparisons (in the smallest of ways) of the WPHS Staffulty and their engineering of a Remote Learning Plan over what should have been their Spring Break. And, I’ve got to say, they really did “Apollo 13 the heck out of” a curveball the world threw at all of us this spring.
I wondered if you might not appreciate knowing a little bit of the behind the scenes work that they did during an incredibly short turn-around. So let me take you back just about 4 weeks...starting on March 5th.
WPSD district wide admin team had just met to discuss the emerging concerns that were starting to reach Colorado, when the first cases of Covid 19 were reported. We knew that calming the concerns of our students and community would be immediately important. So we quickly developed a cleaning plan for classrooms, buildings, busses and the like as well as a personal hygiene plan (recommended by the health department) and began to communicate that to our patrons.
March 12, we woke up that morning not knowing that by the end of the day, we’d have a decision to send students home early for spring break. You might recall that CHSAA started the snowball rolling down the mountain by putting restrictions in place for spring sports practices and games. Later, they began cancelling state championship basketball games. It was about 11AM when we first learned. By 2:00PM, district administrators were assembled as we listened in on a conference call with Regional Colorado superintendents. By 3:30, we’d decided that March 13th would be the start of an early spring break to help prevent the spread of the emerging pandemic.
A week later, things really got put into high gear. March 19th, Governor Polis recommended the closure of in-person education delivery at all Colorado schools until Mid April (later that was extended to the end of April). We knew immediately that we needed to develop a plan for continuous learning for our students. So, we went to work. We knew that salvaging the semester for our kids was the most important contribution we could make.
Three dozen video conferences between WPHS administrators, district administrators, and hundreds more between teachers were held over the next seven days. All designed to build what you now recognize as our Remote Learning Plan for continuous learning.
First, we needed a plan for delivery of instruction. And fortunately, we had a leg up because we had a couple of platforms already in use that were made for E-learning use. We knew that Google Classroom and the Summit Platform (Real) as well as our suite of on-line platforms (Apex, Edgenuity, Fuel Ed) all gave our students a chance to continue learning wherever, whenever.
Second, we needed to train our teachers quickly on the use of video conferencing. Fortunately, Google Hangouts had the privacy policy and tech capabilities to handle our needs. Plus...it was very easy to learn. And, it meshed well with our other Google Suite tools we already were using.
Next, our teachers and administrators worked to build curriculum that could be completed at home. Adapting courses like PE, chemistry, anatomy, physics, welding, music, etc. would take a very creative work-effort to pull together. And our staff was amazing.
Then, we turned to the logistics of getting technology into the hands of all our students across the district. WPHS was again, a step ahead as we’d begun the year by putting Chromebooks into our kids’ hands every day. And, we’d made the right decision to remind students to take their technology home with them on March 13th (just in case). As well, there was the task of creating hard-copy curriculum for those students in our most rural areas where access to the internet is difficult. Weekly delivery of those documents is still on-going as is meal delivery for many students who rely on school breakfast and lunch as a primary part of their weekly nutrition.
Finally, we needed to communicate all of this to you - in a timely, efficient manner so that we could resume learning on March 31st. And we made that happen. Our first day “back” in school, using the new Remote Learning Plan, WPHS had one of its best attendance days (percentage wise) since the first day of school in August.
It’s been such an incredible journey over the last 30 days. A journey that I know other school districts were not prepared for. I have to tell you though, this district, this school, this staff, and our students were ready for it. We’ve been pushing ourselves in a new learning curve over the last two years. And, because of that, we were ready to handle this curve ball. It’s not perfect. It will NEVER replace in-person instruction. But - We really did, “Apollo 13 the heck out of it.”
I’m proud of our team. I’m proud of our community. I’m proud of our students. I’m proud to be a Panther. I hope you are, too.
Mr. Burr
For Our Panthers
BE READY FOR CLASS
- in the Google Classroom
- in your Google Calendar
- in your email
Yes, each teacher has a slightly different method for posting the link, so BE READY!
Schedules and Finals - CHANGES and IMPORTANT DATES
HS Schedule for Weeks April 13-24 - Student Schedule
Monday, April 13th - Periods 1 & 3
Tuesday, April 14th - Periods 2 & 4
Wednesday, April 15th - Periods 5 & 7
Thursday, April 16th - Periods 6 & 8
Friday, April 17th - No School (no Friday attendance)
Monday, April 20th - No School
Tuesday, April 21st - No School (Teacher Work Day)
Wednesday, April 22nd - Periods 1,3,5,7 - No Teacher Office Hours
Period 1 9:00-10:00
Period 3 10:30-11:30
Lunch 11:30-12:00
Period 5 12:00-1:00
Period 7 1:30-2:30
Thursday, April 23rd - Periods 2,4,6,8 - No Teacher Office Hours
Period 2 9:00-10:00
Period 4 10:30-11:30
Lunch 11:30-12:00
Period 6 12:00-1:00
Period 8 1:30-2:30
Friday, April 24th - Friday Assignments due -
Teacher Office Hours (all day) - 7:30AM-3:30PM (lunch 11:30-12:00)
With the adjustment to the WPSD District calendar, there will be some changes we need to make at the HS to restructure curriculum expectations and due dates. For students in the REAL Platform, you will see the blue line move forward (it will appear that you’ve fallen behind) and due dates will be adjusted because our time is compressed. Please do not panic; just continue working diligently each day. Remember, the important thing is your learning. Please be patient with us as we adjust. More information will come from Mr. Burr and teachers in the days ahead. We have 30 remaining school days, and students will need to work diligently to complete their Demonstrations of Learning.
Finals Week:
In anticipation of the last week of school being moved “up” a week (because the last day of student attendance is now May 21st), we have organized FINALS the week of May 18-21 according to the chart below.
Finals Week Schedule:
If we return to IN-PERSON Instruction
If we remain in REMOTE LEARNING
We will build a schedule that delivers finals by subject area (ie; Science, Math, Social Studies, ELA, Fine Arts, CTE, World Languages, PE, etc).
Monday Period 1 (9-11) Period 3 (1-3)
Tuesday Period 2 (9-11) Period 4 (1-3)
Wednesday Period 5 (9-11) Period 7 (1-3)
Thursday Period 6 (9-11) Period 8 (1-3)
For our Panther Parents
School Success Tips of the Day
Some ideas for you all to use while you continue to work with your children to build their CURIOSITY and ACADEMIC TENACITY.
Apr 13, 2020
Does your teen know how the Census works? Getting an accurate count of the population impacts what federal funding your town receives. Go online with your teen and learn more about the census together. Then, fill out this year’s forms as a team.
¿Su hijo adolescente sabe cómo funciona el censo? Hacer un conteo exacto de la población influye en la cantidad de fondos federales que recibe su ciudad. Entre a Internet con su hijo para aprender más sobre el censo. Después, completen juntos los formularios de este año.
Apr 14, 2020
Build resilience by helping your teen make the best of disappointments. Band or chorus concert canceled? Suggest playing or singing with classmates via video-chat. No live sports on TV? Watch classic sports, perhaps a legendary game your child’s favorite team won.
Ayude a su hijo adolescente a aprovechar las desilusiones y fomente su resiliencia. ¿Se canceló la banda o coro? Puede tocar o cantar con sus amigos por videochat. ¿No hay deportes en vivo en la TV? Miren momentos clásicos, como un partido legendario que ganó su equipo favorito.
Apr 15, 2020
April is National Poetry Month. Encourage your high schooler to celebrate by adding poems to social media profiles or email signature lines. Your teen could write original poetry or use previously published poems (be sure to credit the poets).
Abril es el Mes Nacional de la Poesía. Anime a su hijo adolescente a celebrarlo publicando poemas en las redes sociales o en la firma del correo electrónico. Su hijo podría escribir poesía original o usar poemas que ya se publicaron (asegúrense de citar la autoría del poeta).
Apr 16, 2020
Sure, teens may roll their eyes at “together time.” But regular routines like taking family walks after dinner or playing catch on Sunday afternoons can help teens feel more secure—especially during uncertain times.
Aunque a los adolescentes les moleste la idea de “pasar tiempo juntos”, las rutinas, como hacer una caminata en familia después de cenar o jugar a atrapar la pelota los domingos por la tarde, pueden ayudarlos a sentirse más seguros, en especial en tiempos inciertos.
Apr 17, 2020
Use a deck of cards to shuffle up your family’s fitness routine. Have your teen assign an activity to each suit (hearts = squats, clubs = push-ups, and so on). Deal one card at a time, and do reps equal to the number on the card (ace = 1, face cards = 10).
Use cartas para barajar la rutina de ejercicios de su familia. Su hijo adolescente puede asignar una actividad a cada palo (corazones: sentadillas, tréboles: flexiones de brazos, etc.). Reparta de a una carta y hagan tantas repeticiones como indique la carta (as: 1, figuras: 10).
What Parents May Learn from Teaching Their Own Kids by Tim Elmore
One of the many viral Facebook posts spreading around the country is a note an eight-year-old boy named Ben wrote about how things were going at home now that his mom has assumed the task of being his teacher during this period of social distancing. To sum it up, Ben’s not so sure his mother is cut out for home-schooling.
Young Ben wrote:
“It is not going good. My mom’s getting stressed out. My mom is really getting confused. We took a break so my mom can figure this stuff out. And I’m telling you it is not going good.”
This humorous post has been shared nearly 300,000 times and has received loads of comments from parents who sympathize with Ben’s mother, Candace, who posted it. Candace was understandably entertained by it all.
What Will We Learn After This Is Over?
Like many of you, I’ve wondered how this COVID-19 pandemic will affect our habits and attitudes once we level the curve and life returns to normal. Will it be a new normal?
Here are my thoughts at this point.
1. Parents will gain a new appreciation for the daily grind of a teacher.
I’ll never forget watching an early episode of I Love Lucy where Ricky Ricardo and Lucy trade places. He learns just how difficult being a homemaker and mom really is, and, of course, Lucy experiences the challenges of Ricky’s job. I believe parents trading places with faculty will result in the same eye-opening experience. Guiding the learning of a student (especially a K-12 kid) is not as easy as it may appear. Many of our teachers are also parents who, during this pandemic, must teach their class virtually and their own children, too. Sort of makes you want to hug a teacher, doesn’t it?
2. Parents may realize that the teacher wasn’t the main problem at school.
One of the stereotypes of today’s generation of parents is that they tend to side with their children when problems arise at school: a poor grade, a fight, a missed assignment, bad behavior. Moms and dads seem to find an excuse to defend their children, feeling justified about being an advocate for them. Stereotypes almost always have a foundation of truth. I think millions of parents who defended their child in the past will discover their kids may actually be part of the problem in class. I just heard a mom joke about ripping the bumper sticker that reads, “My Kid is a Super Student” off her car. Parents may realize kids must be led better at home with consistent care and discipline. And maybe their teachers aren’t bad at all, but have the patience of the job.
3. Parents and teachers may both scrutinize what’s really important.
Once this pandemic is under control, we will all return to our routines, having scrutinized the subjects we are forced to teach our children. While many are timeless subjects and should continue being taught, some are antiquated and should be evaluated. Do we continue teaching these classes simply because they are core curriculum and have always been part of the lineup, or should we assess subjects based on what graduates genuinely need in the 21st century? A shakeup to our normal routines almost always enables us to see what we are doing clearly and ask the question: why?
Veronica is a neighbor of mine who’s a parent of three children, ages 7, 9, and 13. Heather is a neighbor who’s a middle school teacher. I just heard from Heather that she found a bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates on her doorstep. It almost appeared to be a Valentine’s Day gift. But it wasn’t. Heather told me Veronica had delivered the gifts to her as an appreciation for all she does day in and day out. Veronica bought them on the third day of virtual classes. Sounds about right to me.