First Day of School Orion
August 19, 2020
The First Day of School - A Day to Remember
Dear Families,
Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the families and communities affected by the fires, smoke and extreme heat conditions.
All of these challenges on top of the beginning of a new school year in Distance Learning.
Most students were able to log into their Google Meets and see their teachers and classmates. If your child was not able to log in due to access codes, challenges with low or missing connectivity or a missing or broken device, please know that we are working to get you the tools needed ASAP. Teachers will continue to engage students and connect with them as they join classes.
Parents, the process and procedures for Distance Learning will improve and students will develop a routine over the next several weeks.
Technology Support
Current RCSD families without internet access at home:
The school district has placed a second order of hotspots specifically for families who do not have internet access at home. The earliest that the hotspots will arrive in Redwood City is on Friday, Aug. 21. District staff will be available on Sunday, Aug. 23, to distribute one hotspot per family for those families who do not have internet at home as indicated on the annual registration form as follows:
McKinley Institute of Technology-400 Duane St. in Redwood City
Families without internet access at home from Clifford, Henry Ford, MIT, North Star, Orion, Roosevelt, and Roy Cloud schools can visit McKinley Institute of Technology at the following times to borrow a hotspot. One hotspot per family will be provided.
- 12-12:45 pm: Orion families without internet service at home
Families will drive the parking lot of MIT, and give the name of their student. Staff will look for the name of the student on the district’s list of families without internet at home. These families will be issued a hotspot.
Starting on Monday Aug. 24, the District Office will be available to help families who are not able to visit Hoover or MIT this Sunday. The District Office, located at 750 Bradford St. in Redwood City, is open Monday-Friday, 9 am-4 pm.
First days of school for families without internet service:
The district has implemented an internal process for students and families who will receive their new hotspot on Sunday, Aug. 23.
The district’s staff development team has developed learning materials for students to complete by hand at home from Wednesday, Aug. 19 through Friday, Aug. 21 if the family does not have internet connectivity. Families whose children are in 1st-8th grades can pick up their learning materials at their school site on specified times as per site principal.
Families with Questions About Recently-Issued Distance Learning Tools:
Families who have questions about their recently-issued devices should visit the District Office. This includes questions about how to operate the tools and if replacement materials are needed. We want to help you with any replacement as quickly as possible.
The District Office, located at 750 Bradford St. in Redwood City, is open Monday-Friday, 9 am-4 pm.
Short Videos for Parent to view for support with student tech tools
Help with on site with Tech Tools - Thursday and Friday August 20, 21, 24 and 25 9-12
Broken and damaged devices: please take the device to the district office Monday-Friday 9-4.
Startship PTO Corner
Join Konstella! This summer we moved to a new parent communication platform that we hope will provide greater support and flexibility for our campus needs. You should have received an email invitation inviting you to join. You can also join using this link here https://www.konstella.com/cd/KU7S9V.
Please sign up and join the following groups.
- Program's Grade (Parent Participation or MI)
- All Orion Alternative School (this is for all school chat)
- Program specific committee (Parent Participation or MI)
- Other committees or jobs of interest
Class Coordinators: We are looking for parents to join as class coordinators to support school communication and connection during this next year. We hope to have bilingual teams supporting each grade. Please sign up on Konstella if you are interested.
Every parent, teacher and staff member is a part of Starship and it is essential that Starship represent both programs and the entire community. There are lots of places for parents to get involved and it is exciting to explore the opportunities to come together in these uncertain times to support the campus. Our first Starship meeting will be in early September.
Friday Assembly and Book Read Aloud from Librarian Christina
Google Meet times and Links:
Friday Schedule:
Grades k-1:
Principal Katherine Link: meet.google.com/jxe-tqgv-vtw
k-1. 9:00-9:15
Librarian Christina Library Link meet.google.com/efi-nrgs-pfr
k-1 10:00-10:15
Grades 2-3
10:00-10:15 Principal Katherine Link: meet.google.com/jxe-tqgv-vtw
11:00-11:15 Librarian Christina Library Link meet.google.com/efi-nrgs-pfr
Grades 4-5
4-5 9:00-9:15 Librarian Christina Library Link meet.google.com/efi-nrgs-pfr
4-5 11:00-11:15 Principal Katherine Link: meet.google.com/jxe-tqgv-vtw
Please join us!!
Parent In service dates for Distance Learning
The links to the meetings will be sent this week. Meetings will be held in both English and Spanish.