Galloping Gazette
A newsletter for the Faculty and Staff - July Edition
Put Students First • Seek Growth • Be Open to Change . Do Great Work Together • Value Differences
Principal's Message
I hope this newsletter finds you in between relaxing in the sun and spending time with friends and family. As we kick off our summer, we are continuing to adapt to our new normal. ESY has kicked off at the farm and Mrs. Porter has done a phenomenal job organizing it in a way that keeps everyone safe while promoting a welcoming learning environment. I, envision, that we will continue to use ESY to learn lessons of what works and what does not work and thus help us immensely for the fall.
Speaking of the fall, I wanted to take a quick moment to reiterate Dr. Spence's latest Alert Now message. We are all very curious as to the plan for the 2020-2021 school year. What will the school year look like? What social distancing measures will be in place? What type of remediation will be provided for our students? We could spend hours writing down our questions. Please know that the school division has been working very hard to ensure that we are prepared for any scenario.
Last week, our families received an updated questionnaire through Parent Portal about how plans for their child(ren) return to school would be shaped based on the three scenarios we’ve been considering:
- Scenario 1 - Schools reopen as close to what we think of as normal, with some public health mitigation strategies in place.
- Scenario 2 - Schools reopen with physical distancing and other public health mitigation strategies in place. Physical distancing requirements would necessitate a hybrid instructional plan that would include a combination of face-to-face instruction and remote learning.
- Scenario 3 - Schools would remain closed, and a remote learning plan would provide a high quality and rigorous learning experience with graded classwork assignments---something closer to what might be experienced while in school, while still recognizing the challenges we face while doing so remotely.
Even through, we are still in limbo and that is tough to hear - we will continue to work with our school leadership directors and teaching and learning to ensure that no matter what the fall looks like, we are well prepared. This morning, I was reminded of a quote that fits our current situation - "It's better to go slow in the right direction than go fast in the wrong direction. "- Simon Sinek.
After spending some family time up north, I am grateful to be currently living in Virginia Beach. We are continuing to move forward at a faster rate than our northern counterparts. This gives me hope and as long as the momentum is forward moving - we are on the right track.
I hope you and your family are having a wonderful and safe start to your summer. If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to email me.
-Robyn
News and Notes....
I wanted to pass along the link to the 2020-2021 Professional Learning Sessions for Elementary teachers. For those of you who are new to VB or not familiar, teachers are required to take essential sessions every summer. This is professional development and typically provides you with curricular updates. Again, these are required and I’d like for you to have the sessions complete before teacher work week. If you have any questions about your required session, let me know. If you have technical difficulties, please reach out to Robin.
Staffing Updates...
*Mrs. Cindy Matney will be leaving the farm to be the new full time Literacy Leader at New Castle!! While we are sad that our time with this amazing educator was short, we are so excited for Cindy as she continues to share her passion of reading in this new role.
Welcome to the Farm - Mrs. Janet Coulson
- I live in Virginia Beach with my family which includes my husband, Eric, my rising 10th grade kiddo, Cory, and our sweet rescued pup, Ella.
- We spend a ton of time in Sandbridge in the summer and love being on the water. Cory and I also like to spend time at the barn and love horses and riding.
- I lived in Kenya for two semesters as an undergrad on exchange program. It was an amazing experience that still influences my everyday life and interest in diverse perspectives and cultures.
- I am a lifelong learner and reading enthusiast and I absolutely adore elementary aged kiddos. I am so excited to get to know the Christopher Farms family and to share my passion for reading and literacy with our students. I look forward to partnering with you this school year!
PALS certification for ALL teachers at CFES Prek - 5!!!
PALS offers online tutorials for PALS certification in Pre-K, K, and 1-3. These can be accessed through your PALS account. You can register for the tutorials in Frontline to receive points for participation. Here is a brief video from Monica Bennett on how to access the tutorials:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bXD3bSfzc-RhnbjTUQZQ6JypvMkH0W_S/view?usp=sharing
Here is a document that provides directions for how to search for your PALS account, reset your password, and create an account (if one doesn’t already exist) using a VBCPS registration code: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_JV_HpWj_8zf86YtdSe9lk0yrt4iSve1HdlQMP7rkgA/edit?usp=sharing
New and Revised Leave Regulations Effective July 1, 2020
To better align ourselves with neighboring divisions, VBCPS is making significant changes to our Personal Reasons Leave and Annual Leave regulations. Ten and eleven-month employees will begin earning three Personal Reasons days per year. Changes to the annual leave regulation include decreasing the time required to reach leave accrual anniversaries.
For instance, employees will now obtain their first accrual increase at the beginning of year three rather than year six. In addition, we are increasing the carryover allowance by two days (from 50 to 52). Both regulations have been expanded to award additional leave as part of the service recognition program.
Two new leave options will be available on July 1. The first regulation, Leave for School Volunteering/Student Related Activities, will grant employees up to the hourly equivalent of two workdays per year for activities such as parent/teacher conferences, chaperoning field trips, or volunteering in a classroom. Supervisor approval will be required. The second regulation, Administrative Leave for Emergencies/Disasters, grants paid administrative leave to employees for specific emergency or disaster relief situations.
The summaries on the attached memo highlight the new and amended leave regulations that will be in effect as of July 1, 2020, including moderate changes to Leave for Long-term Illness or Injury of an Employee or Family Member and Academic Leave. Please note these are brief descriptions, not the actual regulations. Complete regulations will be available on vbschools.com prior to the implementation date. In addition, an email communication to all employees will be sent prior to July 1, which will include similar summaries.
If you have any questions, please contact Edie Rogan, Director of Employee Relations, via email at edie.rogan@vbschools.com.
Windows Device Connectivity and Security Changes
- For security purposes and to provide access to applications both on and off our network, DOT is implementing Virtual Private Networking (VPN) on all Windows laptops this summer. VPN will allow all laptops to function as if they were connected to the VBCPS network which helps prepare us for remote work situations that may come up in the future.
- Effective immediately, all Windows computers will receive security updates each month and will be required to restart so the updates can be activated. A restart warning will be provided four (4) days prior to a required restart. Staff are advised to restart their device as soon as it is convenient when the restart alert appears.
- All staff will have the ability to access the VBCPS network from home. DOT has also noticed an increase in fake emails being sent to staff. To better prepare staff to recognize and appropriately respond to fake email messages, an email phishing tool will be implemented. This tool will periodically send fake emails to staff. If staff click on the email’s contents, a short training session will be available to teach them how to spot fake emails and what actions should be taken in the future.
VASCD SUMMER PD OFFERINGS
Professional development opportunities are available this summer from VASCD:
-Designing Virtual Assessments, Tasks, and Activities This is a self-paced workshop including strategies and tools for online instruction. Choose June 1- 30 or June 10-July 10 as your completion window.
-Profile of a Virginia Classroom Virtual Conference: Join designers of the Profile Briefs as well as leaders who are using them in their schools. Receive resources for job-embedded professional learning in your school. July 14-15, online.
-Student-Centered Coaching Online Course: VASCD has affiliated with Diane Sweeney to offer the self-paced course based on her new book, The Essential Guide for Student-Centered Coaching. The course can be completed independently, as well as with support for VASCD members with facilitate discussion groups.
Self Care Recommendation
Game Changer Moment
Helpful List of Resources
VBCPS 2019-2020 Emergency Learning Plans for Elementary Schools
Newly updated VBCPS 2019-2020 School Calendar
Emergency Learning Plan Webpage
VBCPS Mental Health Resources: You are taking care of our students. Here are some resources to help take care of yourself also.
Meals for families: These are the locations you can give to families in need of food. Kids must be with the family to receive food.
Chromebook Repair: Here are the sites families can exchange their broken Chromebook for a new one.
Dr. Spence's Deskside Chats: Closed- captioned videos shared every Tuesday and Thursday on YouTube, where Dr. Spence tackles a few questions and provide some updates.
VBCPS General Updates: Most current updates on nearly everything here.
Technology Tips: These are tips on working from home. You need to be logged in to your VBSchools account to access it. As always, the DoT Help Desk is available at (757) 263-1111 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday should you need support as you work to ensure our students continue to learn.
CDC Guidelines: Tips to keep you and your family safe. We love you. Stay safe.
The Office of Employee Relations has published FAQs for employees regarding work locations/hours, pay, leave, FMLA, as well as the new Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) on the Intranet. Here is the direct link to this information: https://vbcps.sharepoint.com/sites/Intranet/Pages/COVID_19FAQs.aspx