News From Nighthawk Nation
Elevating Excellence in Academics, Character & Community
K-8 Hybrid Learning Update
Leadership Corner
We want to take a moment to thank all of our students, staff, and parents/guardians for the tremendous amount of flexibility, responsibility, and dedication we have seen this year in regards to our educational environment and schedule. We know that this year has been difficult for many. Please understand that the situations we are facing are not a one size fits all. What works for most, will not work for all. As we are making decisions for the 870+ students at NVCS we are looking at numbers, collaborating with Larimer County Health Department, and reviewing student, parent, and staff feedback. We appreciate the support from all stakeholders during this difficult time in history and want to ensure each and every one of you that decisions are being driven by what will be safest for our students and teachers.
We have received questions regarding how long students will be in the hybrid model, and the simple answer is we do not know. We are constantly reviewing data from within the school and our community to drive decisions. We are also working closely with the Health Department and will follow their expertise in the area of safety. Any updates to a shift in learning models will result in parent communications prior to the shift taking place.
As always, our goal is to return students safely back to their regular learning environment and schedule as soon as possible. It is difficult to be at the mercy of such an unpredictable virus. Please continue to support our mission by keeping your children home from school if they are experiencing symptoms or have had close contact with an individual that has tested positive for COVID. We need everyone's help in order for us to be able to stay in session and keep our students and staff safe.
We appreciate your support and understanding during this time,
Tim Bishop, Executive Director
Mary Baker, K-3 Principal
Marian Hejl, 4-8 Principal
Todd Bissell, K-8 Assistant Principal
K-5 Move to Hybrid
Good Afternoon Nighthawks,
This newsletter is full of information about our K-5 shift to hybrid learning. After Thanksgiving Break K-5 students will return to school in the hybrid learning model. Every student will be assigned to a cohort (purple or orange), this will reduce our class sizes to half the capacity and offer a safer learning environment for students and staff.
What is different from Hybrid Model we had at the beginning of the year?
Based on teacher, parent, and student feedback we have updated our Hybrid Model of instructon. Starting after break teachers will be providing students with a Google Meets code for their classroom and students who are learning remotely will be able to participate in live streamed lessons. Students at the K-5 level will participate in direct instruction for the content areas of math, reading, writing(1-5), and for morning meetings.
Live instruction will not include WIN Time (K-3), Target Time (4-5), specials classes, or science/social studies.
What to Expect During Live Streamed Lessons:
Teachers will mute students and turn off student video during direct instruction. If a student signals they have a question, the teacher will allow audio and visual components to be accessed if the student requests. When teachers switch to independent learning and small group instruction time, live feed for that core class will stop. Students will still be able to ask questions from the teacher using the chat feature during live stream lessons. During direct instruction time we ask remote students (and parents) to understand that our teachers are providing focused attention to our in person learners and that it might take a moment for teachers to get to your questions or needs. If a question is not addressed for a remote learner, please email the teacher with your questions.
Fridays: All students are remote, no in person learning.
Fridays mornings will be used for small group support and individual support sessions for students. If your student is a part of a small group, you will be sent an email with their Friday small group session schedule. Please make sure your students are attending our Friday small group sessions. Friday is also a time for students to complete unfinished work from the week.
K-3 specials will do a live meet with the classes that they are currently teaching on Fridays as well. A google meet code will be sent with the information from the classroom teachers.
What if my student misses a live session?
Live sessions will not be recorded, if a student misses a live session, it will be as if they missed a day of school. Their teacher will get them the work that needs to be completed and will answer questions the student might have regarding the assignment. Fridays are a great way to get individual or small group support for a missed session.
Attendance:
If a teacher notes a student is not logging in on their remote days and if the student is missing a significant amount of work, they will reach out to the administration with their concerns. We do expect all students to participate in live sessions throughout the day. If your student is going to be absent on a remote learning day, please communicate this with our front office and the student’s teacher.
What if I am not comfortable sending my student to school on their in person days?
We understand that every family has different needs during this time. If you would like to keep your student home and do 100% remote learning during this time, please reach out to your school administrator and we will work with you to get this option set up. Please note, that remote learning will only be an option for students while we are in the hybrid model. We will not offer this when we return to full time, in person learning.
Please note that this is a new process and we are asking for grace and patience as we roll it out. We will be gracious with students in the early weeks of this transition and provide ample support. If you have a need during this transition please do not hesitate to reach out to your homeroom teacher and building principal to let us know what your needs are.
Thank you for your continued partnership,
Mary Baker, K-3 Principal
Marian Hejl, 4-8 Principal
Todd Bissell, K-8 Assistant Principal
Grades 6-8
6-8 Shift in Hybrid Structure
We will be shifting the delivery of 6-8 grade level student's remote learning instruction starting after Winter Break. After Winter Break, students will no longer be assigned work to complete independently without live instruction on their remote days. Teachers will be providing students with a Google Meets code for their classroom and students who are learning remotely on that day will need to log into every core content class (math, ELA, science, social studies) at the time that they normally have that class. This means students will participate in live lessons for the direct instruction component of in person sessions Monday-Thursday.
Live instruction will not include Extended Learning Opportunities, Encore classes, or Advisory.
What to Expect During Live Streamed Lessons:
Teachers will mute students and turn off student video during direct instruction. If a student signals they have a question, the teacher will allow audio and visual components to be accessed if the student requests. When teachers switch to independent learning and small group instruction time, live feed for that core class will stop. Students will still be able to ask questions from the teacher using the chat feature during live stream lessons. During direct instruction time we ask remote students (and parents) to understand that our teachers are providing focused attention to our in person learners and that it might take a moment for teachers to get to your questions or needs. If a question is not addressed for a remote learner, please email the teacher with your questions.
Fridays: All students are remote, no in person learning.
Fridays will be used for small group support and individual support sessions for students. If you student is a part of a small group, you will be sent an email with their Friday small group session schedule. Please make sure your students are attending our Friday small group sessions. Friday is also a time for students to complete unfinished work from the week.
What if my student misses a live session?
Live sessions will not be recorded, if a student misses a live session, it will be as if they missed a day of school. Their teacher will get them the work that needs to be completed and will answer questions the student might have regarding the assignment. Fridays are a great way to get individual, or small group support for a missed session.
Attendance:
If a teacher notes a student is not logging in on their remote days and if the student is missing a significant amount of work, they will reach out to administration with their concerns. We do expect all students to participate in live sessions throughout the day. If your student is going to be absent on a remote learning day, please communicate this with our front office and the student’s teacher.
What if I am not comfortable sending my student to school on their in person days?We understand that every family has different needs during this time. If you would like to keep your student home and do 100% remote learning during this time, please reach out to your school administrator and we will work with you to get this option set up. Please note, that remote learning will only be an option for students while we are in the hybrid model. We will not offer this when we return to full time, in person learning.
This shift is being done because we have noticed a significant disengagement from students during remote learning days. We have also noted that we are not getting through as much content as we would like to this year. Please note that this is a new process and we are asking for grace and patience as we roll it out. We will be gracious with students in the early weeks of this transition and provide ample support. If you have a need during this transition please do not hesitate to reach out to your homeroom teacher and let us know what your needs are.
Thank you for your continued partnership,
Marian Hejl, 4-8 Principal
Todd Bissell, K-8 Assistant Principal
Important Dates to Remember
November 23-27: NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS-Holiday Break
November 30: Hybrid Learning Begins K-5
December 18: End of 2nd Quarter
December 21 - January 1: Winter Break
About Us
4-8 Campus: 299 Peridot Avenue
Email: info@newvisioncharterschool.org
Website: www.newvisioncharterschool.org
Phone: 970-593-6827
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newvisioncharterschool/
Twitter: @NVCharter