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Parent Newsletter- Week of August 10, 2020
Welcome to the 2020-2021 School Year
Spring ISD will begin the 20-21 school year virtually!
First day of school is August 17th!!!
Missed the Town Hall? Below is the Info reviewed !
Lots of Important Beginning of Year Events This Week
This week we have 2 distribution days for Chromebooks as well as our Virtual Meet the Teacher event. Scroll down to read more details about this busy week ahead.
Stay Updated on District COVID Plans
Reynolds Chromebook Distribution- This Thursday and Friday at Wells Middle School
With students beginning the school year in remote learning, the district is working hard to make Chromebook computers available for checkout to all families who need them. Whether you select the Safety-First In-Person learning option or choose Empowered Learning At-Home for your child in the 2020-21 school year, these Chromebooks will help enable all students to manage their assignments and keep up with their schoolwork from home as needed.
Following distribution to high school students the week of Aug. 3, the district’s Technology department is coordinating distribution to our elementary and middle school families during the week of Aug. 10-14.
Pre-registration is highly encouraged, and will simplify the pickup process by allowing parents to enter their information online and to digitally sign all the necessary forms. Those who are unable to pre-register ahead of time will have the opportunity to do so on their smartphone while waiting in line in their vehicle at the pickup location. If needed, paper forms will also be available onsite for parents to fill out and sign.
All Students should visit Wells Middle School on Thursday, August 13 from 3 pm to 7 pm or Friday, August 14 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.
After arriving at their designated Chromebook distribution site, parents should join the drive-thru line and remain in their cars with the windows rolled up until otherwise instructed by Spring ISD team members. Those who pre-registered should write their student’s ID number on a piece of paper and place it on the dashboard. Parents will show identification through the window when requested, after which the device will be placed in the vehicle’s trunk (if the trunk does not open, the Chromebook will be placed in the backseat).
To sign up online and register ahead of time, parents and guardians can visit the district’s Chromebook distribution pre-registration site.
Coming Soon- Instructional Material Distribution!
During the week of Aug 17th we will be distributing "kits" of supplies for all of our students.
These supplies vary based on grade level but will provide students and parents with all the necessary supplies and resources to be successful. Some of the supplies are basic ones like pencils and glue but we will also be providing dry erase boards and markers, workbooks, binders with supplemental resources or activities and the list goes on and on. As you can imagine this is a huge task and with the current situation some of our deliveries are on delay but it appears we will be able to provide most if not all the supplies the week of August 17th!
Order your Reynolds Gear Today!
Please visit the following link to place orders.
District News
Spring ISD Introduces a New Look for its MySpringISD portal
On Aug. 10, the mySpringISD portal will feature a new look for staff and families, where they can access all of their digital resources, including Schoology and the Home Access Center.
The new portal features a cleaner, more modern look and allows users to customize their folders and add their most frequently used sites to their profile. In addition, the single sign-on option gives parents, students and staff instant access to all their online resources from any device and any location. So parents, students and educators will have everything they need to learn from home.
“We’re excited about this change and creating a better experience for our families and staff,” said Technology Officer Jeffry Kohrmann. “It also gives us better tools and data to make sure we’re optimizing the portal for all of our users.”
To get started, log on to my.springisd.org, and sign in by using your current Spring ISD network login username and password.
If you forgot your log-in/username, please contact your campus or call the district’s help line at 281-891-6337.
Here are links to user guides:
Spring ISD Annual Update Process for Returning Students is Now Open
The annual update process for returning Spring ISD students for the 2020-21 school year is now open. All parents and guardians should verify and update their child's information before the first day of remote learning on Aug. 17.
Parents and guardians should access the online registration by logging into the district’s my.springisd.org portal, going into the Home Access Center (HAC), finding the Registration Icon, selecting the Update Enrollment tab, and then following the directions on the site to access the Returning Student Registration Form. Parents with more than one student in the district will need to complete a separate registration for each child, returning to HAC and repeating the steps for every student.
Parents and guardians are encouraged to complete this important process for their students as soon as possible so campuses can plan appropriately for the upcoming school year and so that students can receive all the information and resources they need to start school remotely on Monday, Aug. 17.
If parents have trouble logging into the MySpringISD portal, or have additional questions, they can visit www.springisd.org/returning-students or contact the district support number at 281-891-6337.
Join Us for a Parent Session on Schoology and the Home Access Center
As we prepare for a strong start to the school year on Aug. 17, parents are encouraged to join a special virtual session to learn about two important tools that will help ensure student success.
The 45-minute sessions will be held on:
Tuesday, Aug. 11 at 6 p.m. (English)
and Wednesday, Aug. 12 at 6 p.m. (Spanish)
Participants will learn more about Schoology, the district’s learning management system. All students will be using Schoology this year to access their classes and their assignments. Come learn how to navigate the site and experience how your students will be using this important tool.
In addition, we’ll show parents how to log into the mySpringISD portal to access the Home Access Center, where they will be able to track their child’s grades, attendance and report cards.
We know how important parent support is to ensuring student achievement, so please join us for any of these sessions so you’ll be familiar with these important digital tools.
Whether your student will be learning remotely for the entire school year or coming back on campus for in-person instruction when it’s safe to do so, they’ll be using Schoology and the Home Access Center. So now’s the time to familiarize yourself with these resources.
We hope to see you in one of the sessions.
Want to Buy Your Own Device for Back-to-School? Here’s What You Need to Know
Whether families choose the district’s Safety-First In-Person option for the 2020-21 school year or Empowered Learning At-Home, Spring ISD students will experience distance learning for at least some portion of the upcoming year. Although the district is doing its best to make as many Chromebooks as possible available to loan out to families, many parents and guardians have been asking about buying devices for their students.
The good news is that devices that meet the basic specifications for Google Classroom, Schoology, web browsing and other necessary applications don’t need to be high-end computer models. Less expensive, basic laptops running Microsoft Windows 10 and Chromebook computers should work just fine.
Spring ISD is currently purchasing the Lenovo 300e with the following specifications.
11.6" Touchscreen
Intel Celeron N4020 Processor (2nd Gen)
4GB memory
32GB storage
Wireless network with Bluetooth
Built-in Camera and microphone
Please Note: The Lenovo is not a required model, any Chromebooks with the same basic processor, memory and storage capabilities will work.
Other important features to look for include:
Built-in wireless networking technology – allowing the device to easily connect to Wi-Fi networks at home and elsewhere
Built-in Bluetooth – allowing simple, wireless connection to a range of Bluetooth-enabled devices such as headphones, speakers, wireless printers and keyboards, and even mobile phones
Built-in front-facing camera and built-in microphone – for use during online learning sessions with teachers and classmates
If you can find a device with a touchscreen, that might be a plus, too, especially for younger students who may not be as comfortable using a computer mouse or trackpad.
Parents looking to purchase a new or used laptop, tablet, Chromebook or other similar device to support their student during Empowered Learning At-Home have many options to choose from. Most new devices sold these days will meet or exceed these specifications. Gently used or refurbished devices can be a great money-saving option, too, as long as you purchase them from a seller you trust.
For parents who want to borrow a district-issued Chromebook for their student, we will be sending out more details on the distribution and check-out schedule soon.
School Supply Lists for 2020-2021 School Year
Upcoming Dates
Virtual Meet the Teacher event- Friday August 14th from 3:00-4:00 PM. Your child's teacher will contact you to provide the link for the virtual meeting!
Teachers will begin reaching out to parents on Wednesday August 12th!