Shark Mail
Friday, May 29th 2020
From Ms. Wood
Dear Sutherland Families,
I hope that you are all well and were able to enjoy your Memorial Day weekend. As we begin to wrap up the year, I wanted to share with you some of the work that we will be doing in the next few months to support our students. We have learned a tremendous amount regarding online learning through the division survey and feedback teachers have solicited from their individual classes. We will be working hard over the summer to reflect on what we have learned to improve our experiences for our students. Please see below a list of conversations we will be engaging in to prepare for next year, regardless of whether we are face-to-face; blending learning; or virtual learning:
Streamlining our communication plan to alleviate information from coming from multiple sources.
Coordinating our practices in Schoology for consistency for our students.
Developing learning modules for students on how to navigate Schoology and digital tools so that technical skills do not create a barrier to accessing content.
Coordinating with the division level leadership to make sure we are in alignment with the goals, priorities, and professional learning offered to support high-quality instruction for all students.
Working to strengthen a system for students who do not have easy internet access to learning materials.
Working to strengthen a system of support for students who have limited access to materials for courses like art and engineering to be able to engage in the work in an equitable manner.
While it is unclear what the future holds for us with regard to the structures that will be in place next fall, please know we are working hard to provide support for all of our students so they can engage in meaningful learning experiences.
Sincerely,
Megan Wood, Principal
8th Grade Celebration:
Locker Cleanout:
We are hosting a locker cleanout from June 10 - 16. Please use this link to sign up for a time to come and clean out your lockers. We will be following the protocol below:
Students will use the Sign Up Genius to select a 20-minute slot to come into the building.
Due to the limited number of people allowed in the building at a time, parents will need to remain in their cars, and ONLY students will be allowed to enter the building to collect their belongings.
We will provide students with small trash bags to put the items from their lockers in.
Students will enter through the cafeteria and return any items they may have, go to their gym locker, hallway locker, and exit through the 8th-grade doors.
We will have a small number of staff available to support students in this process.
If you are unable to pick up items from your locker, please make arrangements with Ms. Wood for an alternative pick up time. Items not picked up by June 30 will be donated.
YEARBOOKS!!!
Returning Materials:
Student Laptops:
Please note that students are not required to turn in their laptops but we will be collecting laptops for students who would like to turn them in for the summer. Please see below regarding additional information regarding laptops:
Click here for a Basic Troubleshooting Guide to assist with any technical issues that may arise over the summer. (Spanish Version)
The Department of Technology has created a Technology and Digital Citizenship Field Guide for ACPS Families to support students and families with safe and responsible use of technology. (Spanish Version)
Student internet browsing on ACPS devices will continue to be filtered per federal requirements.
ACPS Service Desk will continue to be available for any technical assistance you may need. To reach the Service Desk, call 434-975-9444, Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm or email at ACPSServiceDesk@k12albemarle.org
If you have a laptop that needs servicing now, please bring it to the school on the day of locker cleanout. We will be happy to issue a loaner laptop for the summer.
From the PTO:
PTO Officer Positions: We have several officer positions available this coming year. Many of our parents’ students are moving on to high school and have left vacancies. If you are interested in serving on our PTO, we’d love to have you. We have the following openings:
President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
Parent Council Representative
Please reach out directly to mwood@k12albemarle.org if you are willing to consider serving our community in this capacity. Our PTO has done many wonderful things for our faculty and staff and we’d love to share this opportunity to give back with you.