The Triton Tribune
Be Kind ~ Be Awesome ~ Make The Right Choices
Volume 2 ~ Issue 16 ~ November 16, 2020
Awesome Triton Staff,
While we ended our week with a bit of bad news of going back to the Purple Tier status in San Diego, I want us to focus on all that is good. Eckhart Tolle once said, "Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance." It is impossible to be grateful and be depressed at the same time. And being grateful for what we have is a choice. I want you to take time this week to chronicle all the good in your lives and verbally express your gratitude for them. Here is what I am thankful for:
- I am thankful for my faith that keeps me grounded.
- I am thankful for my husband and two children who serve as constant reminders of what is important.
- I am thankful for my circle of friends who have encouraged me along this journey called life.
- I am thankful for my ELM staff who continue to persevere and aim to give the best of themselves and many times in sacrifice of their own families.
- I am thankful for my students who have shown resilience beyond compare.
- I am thankful for my ELM parents who are doing their very best to support their children's learning.
Academic Honor Celebration on November 20
On Friday, November 20, we will be celebrating students who have been recognized as recipients of the Principal Honor Roll, students who have earned Reclassification status of English Proficient and special ed students who have been identified as having earned academic progress distinction between Progress Report 1 and Progress Report 2. We will have drive-through celebration between 9:00am - 12:00pm. The student list will be released on Tuesday evening in addition to receiving an email in their students' district gmail accounts. I will be sending you the list by Tuesday. Students who participate will get a participation slip that they need to submit to you as evidence they attended. We can't wait to celebrate our students!
ELM Virtual Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Weekend
This year, ELM has decided to host a virtual Turkey Trot. Students will have the opportunity to sign up by this Thursday, November 11. Those who will register ahead will receive a race bib and stickers that you can pin on you as you complete your mile. The Turkey Trot will take place on Thanksgiving weekend (November 26 - 29) and you will have to submit your picture with your bib as you run the mile. See details below.
ASB Spirit Day: Animal Dress Up Day on Thursday, November 19, 2020
Do you have a favorite animal dress outfit. This Thursday, you will have the opportunity to showcase your animal gear. I can't wait to see your outfit!
Finishing Strong in the Academic Journey
As we march toward the end of the semester, we want to make sure that our students are maintaining their good grades or working to improve any failing grades. If they need to improve your grades, please encourage them to take advantage of all the virtual tutoring that we are offering. Some of our students have been identified to come back to school for additional support. If you have these students, please encourage them to attend.
Communicating Potential Fs to Parents
Progress Report 2 serves as official notice of potentially failing a class in which your students has received an F. But it is not too late as long as they take advantage of every available academic support that we office. We hope to see an increase in your children using these supports. However, if you have students whose grades decrease from a passing grade, it will be necessary for you to communicate with parents that they will potentially fail. You may offer parent conference or send a written report home. We have change the district's Report on Student Progress Form into a fillable document. Here is the link to the form that you can download and below is the video on how to complete the form. If you want to use physical copies, please arrange to pick up documents, envelopes and stamps from the school. I prefer that you use the fillable document but you can choose your preference.
NEW!! SUHSD Substitute Protocols for Distance Learning
Below are the district guidelines for teacher absences, especially if you are in need of a substitute teacher. The only additional information on here is for pullouts where you need to complete a leave of absence form [link] and then follow the aysnchronous absences protocol. Please read carefully. We are still waiting for attendance taking policy for the asynchronous days for the 1-2 absences scenario. Until then, please continue on our current protocol.
PearDeck Video Support
We have purchased premium copies for all of you to use PearDeck. Megan Rowen has created several short videos to support your learning and implementation. Please try this application. We also have received one (1) free PD with PearDeck. We will wait to use that PD for Semester 2. Here is the link to all the videos to help you get started.
- Video 1: Getting the Pear Deck Add-on in Google Slides
- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sPPaaZguYtbQuhaMJ8Qoqex_R-RQVMNl/view
- Video 2: Using Pear Deck to make your slides interactive
- https://drive.google.com/file/d/13O6bF2cZzjPzMPWlAuZ8Pp4TDxlZWcXh/view
- Video 3: Start the Interactive Pear Deck Lesson and Share with Students
- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1H1drNrMF4RwLkL2cwS_IorEsG514ZeWH/view
- Video 4: Student View and Teacher Dashboard
- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UkRRVW4qrX_fMRPRmZE18vhpfh1rtGLo/view
- Video 5: Students can Watch Videos in Pear Deck Lesson
- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1C7FoJgUHbWjOc6NO_nIhz-8c9Cmq_j-7/view
- Video 6: Navigating Peardeck.com
- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1L5J9H539yYZEKvbGUSDedY8MfkT2pMxz/view
- Video 7: Using the Pear Deck Dashboard Discretely During a Synchronous Session
- https://drive.google.com/file/d/15Tk9Qi2HONzL06ZaBxea_jLQX6LKOBFe/view
ELM Spirit Gear Purchase Window Is Open Again:
Tritons! The online spirit gear store at Next Day Printed Tees is open again! Orders can be placed on bit.ly/ELMspiritgear until November 30th. Expected completion date of items is December 15th (the week before Winter Break). Paid shipping or free customer pickup at NDPT available.
National City 2nd Annual Thanksgiving Drive:
Our own, Mr. Josue Villegas, is a major sponsor of the National City 2nd Annual Thanksgiving Drive, a community service that he started to give back to the community that has given him so much. If you would like to donate to this drive, please click on this link.
Below are slides and video information that are pertinent to the week. They appear in this order:
1. Academic Honor Celebration: 11-20-20
2. Important Schedule Changes
3. How To Improve Your Grades for the Next Six Weeks
4. SUHSD Substitute Protocols
5. How Complete the Fillable Report on Student Progress
6. ELM Turkey Trot Fall 2020
7. ELM Artist of the Week
8. November Triton Trait: Gratitude
~Gratitude Quotes
~Triton Trait Nomination
9. Yearbook Submission Request: Triton Trait of Gratitude
10. ASB Activities This Week
~Animal Dress Up Day
~Purple Pride Club
~Eastlake Middle School Gear - Round 2
11. Important Schedule Date Changes
12. Meal Distribution Announcement
13. Teacher Attendance Change Form
14. ELM Google Calendar
15. ELM Staff Handbook
16. Genius Bar Teachers Support Form
17. ELM Parent Restorative Practices Request Form
18. ELM Technology Support Line
Finally, here is the link to the parent newsletter.
Let's have a wonderful week!
Mrs. Finley
Students have six weeks to improve their grades if they are not the grades that they want to have in the end. Please encourage all students to use all the available academic support that ELM has to offer. Check the picture slides below to see how your students can access them.
AVAILABLE TUTORING OR ACADEMIC SUPPORT:
- Office Hours and Asynchronous Sessions [See slide below]
- Virtual Math 7 and 8 Tutoring [See slide below]
- Virtual 7th Grade Science Tutoring [See slide below]
- Virtual 8th Grade Science Tutoring [See Slide below]
Onsite In-Person Support Begins November 9
In the works are several plans to bring a select group of the most at-risk students on campus to provide them the support they need. Students who are identified will be asked if they are willing to attend the online support tutoring that has been identified for them. Below are the cohorts that have been identified.
During The Day Support
- General Support - Mr. Alvarado: Begins November 9
- Moderate Program - Ms. Coleman: Begins November 16
- General Support for Sped Students - Ms Schult: Begins November 9
- Mon & Wed General Support - Mr. Rapp: Begins November 9
- Tues & Wed General Support - Mr. Winczowski: Begins November 10
- Spanish Support - Ms. Velazquez: Begins November 16
Not all students will be able to access the onsite support, so it is important that you access all available virtual support.
In order to facilitate ease of transition of classes to a substitute teacher, please add a support administrator as a co-teacher to each of your classes. This will allow for a substitute to be added in the event you are not able to add a substitute before your absence begins. Instructions on how to do so for each platform are linked below.
If you belong to the following departments (if you belong to more than one, choose the department in which majority of your teaching assignment is), please add as a co-teacher/co-host the following liaison administrators:
- English/ELD: Easter Finley
- Math: Easter Finley
- Science: Easter Finley
- DLI: Easter Finley
- Social Science: Dean Nafarrete
- VAPA: Dean Nafarrete
- World Languages: Easter Finley
- Physical Education: Dean Nafarrete
- Special Education: Ruben Sanchez
A TEACHER WILL NOT NEED A SUBSTITUTE
If you are a teacher and will be absent the equivalent of up to two(2) days, you must:
- Call in the absence to Frontline. DO NOT request for a substitute.
- Post all asynchronous work on your Google Classroom/send through Jupiter Grades and let students know clearly the expectations for what counts as attendance. For example: will work submitted at a particular deadline count as attendance? Will students have to sign into a google document through a link you will provide on their meeting day?
- Inform Lidia Puga via E-mail and copy me. Attach a copy of your lesson plans (especially if you send via Jupiter Grades).
- The district is still determining how attendance will be taken during the asynchronous instruction as a consequence of the absence(s). In the meantime, please follow current protocols until we receive the new protocol.
A TEACHER WILL NEED A SUBSTITUTE:
- If your absence will be longer than two days or you anticipate it will be longer than two days.
- We understand that some absences are emergency cases and there will be no time to plan for an asynchronous lesson. Your emergency lesson plans will be used. Please make sure your emergency lesson plans have been turned in to the Emergency Lesson Plan Folder. You may access the folder by clicking on this link or in the Nuts and Bolts Section of the ELM Staff Handbook.
WHEN A TEACHER NEEDS A SUBSTITUTE, the teacher will:
- Put absence in Frontline.
- Contact the appropriate administrator & provide pertinent information such as:
- Which platform is used for synchronous learning?
- (i.e. Google Meets, Microsoft Teams, Zoom)
- Which platform is used for classroom organization and announcements?
- (i.e. Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, Canvas)
- Where will assignments be available?
- What is expected for attendance & engagement?
- If you are assigned a substitute and are able to add them to your platforms as a co-teacher, teacher, or alternative host, please do so as soon as possible.
- If you are unable to add your substitute to your platforms, an administrator or [designated person] will assign the roles to the substitute teacher. (In zoom, in lieu of an alternative host, a new zoom link will be created and sent to students in each class.)
ON DAY OF ABSENCE:
- If a teacher was unable to add the substitute teacher to the platforms, an administrator will add the substitute as a “co-teacher” in Google Classroom or “teacher” in Microsoft Teams. (This provides “ownership” of the class/team so the substitute teacher can manage student participation, microphone use, etc. and mitigate any possible behavioral concerns.) A link will be emailed to students for zoom meetings if that is the teacher’s platform for synchronous instruction.
- If substitute teacher is teaching from campus, substitute will arrive to campus, participate in symptom screening, and receive key to absent teacher’s room (custodians will clean that evening, based on classroom usage log)
- During class period, substitute will minimally:
- Open Google Meet Link from within Google Classroom or Meet Now Link within Microsoft Teams or Zoom Meeting
- Take attendance in Infinite Campus
- Review lesson/instructions with class
- Remain in synchronous session for the entire period, to offer support during asynchronous work or facilitate any synchronous instructional activity
Following our standard practice, in the event that an absence is not picked up by a substitute (or is entered late), the Main Office (Lidia Puga) will reach out to part time and/or prep period teachers for coverage, as we wait for a sub to pick up the job. Procedures 1 & 3 will be followed for teachers covering classes.
Once a substitute has accepted the job, the sub will follow the process detailed above.
Purple Pride Club
This video is brought to you by ELM's Purple Pride Club. We want to promote awareness and acceptance of the LGBTQ community and ALL people. The word of the week is ALLY. Thanks for watching!
Eastlake Middle School
Email: easter.finley@sweetwaterschools.org
Website: elm.sweetwaterschools.org
Location: 900 Duncan Ranch Road, Chula Vista, CA, USA
Phone: 619.591.4000
Twitter: @erfinleysd