Woodcrest Spanish Immersion
August 19, 2020 Newsletter
See translation information below / Consulte la información de traducción a continuación.
A Message from Sra. Linares
Greetings Woodcrest families,
We have been planning over the past three months and are looking forward to being back with our students on Thursday, September 10, the first day of school. We are excited to share details of plans for the upcoming year with you!
For distance and hybrid learning models, teachers will be working in teams to maximize real-time (live/synchronous) learning for our students to continue to have access to language; both Spanish and English. Teachers will continue to work in partnership with families as we implement our teaching and learning strategies and move toward our goals of innovative and personalized learning for each child.
Hybrid Schedule
If you have chosen the hybrid schedule your child will be assigned to a team of teachers which will consist of a classroom teacher and 1-2 support staff members. Students will be in groups of 15 or fewer students per classroom. This classroom will be self-contained, and the teacher team will provide core instruction in Spanish. Their day will include enrichment activities and interventions with the specialist staff in English and Spanish. Students in kindergarten and 1st grade students will attend school five days a week.
Grades 2-4
If you have chosen the hybrid schedule, your child’s schedule will consist of 2 days per week of in-person learning at Woodcrest, 2 days per week of extended flexible learning (online) and 1 day of on-demand learning at home. Your child will be assigned to a team of teachers, including one classroom teacher who will meet with students either online or in-person on Mon., Tues., Thurs. and Friday. Teachers will collaborate and plan together as much as possible to make your child’s experience cohesive. Students will not be in school on Wednesdays, but their experience will be individualized based on student need. Wednesdays may include the following: teacher communication with families, personalized individual or small group instruction, asynchronous lessons, and delivery of special education services.
On the days when your child will be doing Extended Flexible Learning (online) they will have both synchronous (live, real-time) and asynchronous (pre-recorded, non time-bound) learning experiences in Spanish and English.
Specialist Classes
Students in kindergarten will be receiving instruction guided by our kindergarten specialist each day. This class will be taught in English in the homeroom either live or virtually, and lessons will integrate art, music, physical education and health learning targets.
- Students will use their personal supplies to produce artwork or be provided with the individual supplies they need.
- PE will be outside for as long as weather conditions permit and will then move to the gym.
Breakfast, Lunch and Snacks
Breakfast, lunch and snacks will be served in the classrooms, monitored carefully by Woodcrest staff. Should your child have allergy needs, we will be in contact with you to develop a safe plan for eating meals and snacks. Students will be providing their own snacks. Drinking fountains will be off-limits, so please send a water bottle to school with your child. They would be able to refill their water during the day if needed.
Health and Safety
Our teachers will be trained in following health and safety protocols in their classrooms. We are committed to giving these practices the time and attention needed in order to keep our students and staff as safe and healthy as possible. If you would like specifics on these protocols, they are available here.
It is important to know that students must wear masks while at school. We will do our best to help children learn to keep their masks on, but should a child refuse to wear them, we will need to exclude them for the day. Any steps you can take at home prior to the start of the year to help make this a routine practice for your child would be greatly appreciated.
As we get closer to the school year, we will be sharing detailed information regarding arrival and dismissal practices. Please anticipate a staggered schedule should you be picking up and/or dropping off your child.
K-4 Extended Flexible Learning (distance learning)
Students enrolled in EFL will also be working with a team of teachers who will plan for both synchronous (live, real-time) and asynchronous (pre-recorded, non time-bound) learning experiences in Spanish and English each day.
You can expect your child to be working with the team of teachers, online in both a large group, small groups and 1:1 check-ins.
Teachers will provide detailed daily schedules for students and weekly communication for parents.
For all K- 4 Students
Student Services
If your child has an IEP or a 504 plan, we will be reaching out to you prior to the start of school to further plan for their services and support in collaboration with you.
Meet and Greet
In the past, Meet and Greet events were generally the first time you meet a teacher or are introduced to your schedule and teachers. This will look different than the past years. We’ll have opportunities to connect kids, teachers, and parents, and more specifics will be coming next week.
Whether you’ve chosen distance or a hybrid model for your child we want you to know that we are working hard to maximize what is possible for distance and hybrid learning and we are committed to creating quality, personalized bilingual learning for each of our kids and families.
Elizabeth Linares
Principal,
Woodcrest Elementary Spanish Immersion
Make a Plan for Internet Access
Students at all grade levels will need consistent access to wireless internet service throughout the school year. This is the time to make sure your student has a plan for how to work online when they are not at school. There are low and no cost wireless access options available.
- Apply for Internet Essentials from Comcast. Families who quality pay $9.95 per month.
- Find a free hotspot near you from Xfinity
- Consider public spaces that are following appropriate health and safety guidance and open for internet use like public libraries.
If you need assistance with an internet solution, the district can help. Contact Tech Support: Email: techsupport@district16.org or call 763-600-5555.
iPads: Is Your Tech Ready for a New School Year?
A student’s school-issued iPad is a critical tool for supporting learning this school year. The technology team has a few to-do’s for families before we kick off the year.
- Make sure your iPad is working well and not damaged. Contact the technology team if your iPad needs to be repaired. Email: techsupport@district16.org.
- Pay your iPad Protection Plan fee (for students in grade K-12). The cost of the protection plan is $10 per student. You can pay this fee online using your credit card in Campus Parent Portal. Find more information about the iPad Protection Plan online.
New to the district? New families, please contact techsupport@district16.org to request a school-issued iPad, case and charger for your new student. Kindergarteners will have a separate process for getting their school iPads.
For any student leaving the district, please drop off iPad, case and charger to the District Services Center, 1415 81st Ave NE Spring Lake Park, MN 55432, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. (Note, the office closed from 1-2 p.m.).
View School Supply Lists
School supply lists are available on our website’s Back to School hub. Navigate to the school dropdown menu and then click on the grade to view and download your student's school supply list.
Apply now for Free or Reduced-Priced Meal Benefits for the 2020-2021 School Year
Many families are pleasantly surprised to learn they qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
- The deadline to apply for free and reduced-price meals is Monday, October 26, 2020.
- Families who received free and reduced-price meals during the 2019-2020 school year must reapply by Monday, October 26 to continue benefits for the 2020-2021 school year.
- If you do not reapply by Monday, October 26, your students will no longer receive free or reduced-price meals and meals will be charged at full price.
Learn more and apply or reapply at SpringLakeParkSchools.org/freemeals
Need Care for Your School Age Child?
Spring Lake Park Schools is working to provide care options for your school age child to help with the challenges of modified school (and work) schedules.
- Before & After School on “Learning at School Days” - When your child attends in-person school, we will have Before & After School Care options for you. Current customers will need to adjust their fall 2020 days to match the days of the week they will be at school. Current customers will be able to cancel their fall 2020 contract for full refund up to Wednesday, August 26. New families needing this care can register now and will be accepted as space allows.
- Child Care on “Learning at Home Days” (the three days a week your child is not learning at school).
- Childcare for Tier 1 essential workers will be available per Executive Order 20-82 at no cost during the school day for school-age children up to age 12 when the district is operating in a Modified Campus Schedule (hybrid) or Extended Flexible Learning (distance learning).
- For other families who require Child Care on “learning at home” days, we have a fee-based child care option as space and staffing allow and will prioritize families who signed up last spring for this fall.
- Early drop off and late pick up options will be available for Child Care on Learning at Home Days.
We are expecting spots to fill quickly, Tier 1 will be prioritized through august 21 and as space is available throughout the year. Find more information, including answers to frequently asked questions, and register on the Child Care website.
Watch for Bus Route Information the End of August
Families who indicated they needed district transportation for this fall will receive bus route information in the mail at the end of August. For general information and bus routing, contact Spring Lake Park Schools transportation services at 763-600-5590 or visit the Transportation page.
This is a great time for parents and students to download the MyStop app. The app provides access to live bus GPS information so you can track the location of the bus.
Your School Newsletter Has a New Look for a New Year
You may have noticed school newsletters look a little different this year. In this new format, the entirety of the weekly newsletter will show up in your email so you'll no longer have to click into the school website to find all of the newsletter content. Same important school information, easier - and we hope more user-friendly - process!
School newsletters will continue to be emailed to families on most Wednesday evenings throughout the school year and will be archived each week on the school's newsletter page.
Newsletter translation feature - Want to translate the newsletter information into another language? Simply click on the newsletter in your email to open it in a web browser and at the top of the page, select your language from the dropdown menu.
Translate This Newsletter / Traducir Este Boletín
To translate this newsletter information to another language, please click anywhere on the newsletter to open it in a web browser and at the top of the page, select your language from the dropdown menu.
Para traducir este boletín de noticias a otro idioma, por favor presionen en cualquier lugar del boletín para abrir el boletín en un navegador web y en la parte superior de la página seleccione su idioma del menú.