Principal Allen's Weekly Newsletter
April 6, 2020
Dear Spicewood Elementary Parents
This newsletter has important information. If you can't get through all of it this morning, that's okay. I do encourage you to read through it over the next couple of days. There are two things I would like mention:
- Spicewood Elementary Pep Rally- We hope will share the Pep Rally, presented by Spicewood Staff, with our students. Our hope was to encourage them and wish them luck as they begin at-home learning! Teachers will be sharing it with their students, and it can also be found on PTA's website! :)
- Enrollment Form for 2020-2021. Please be sure to get this completed by April 16th. More information is included below.
I hope everyone has a productive week! Be safe!
Mrs. Allen
Announcements
Each spring we ask parents to inform us of their enrollment plans for the following school year. In the past parents have been given a hard copy of the enrollment form- this year we will have to collect this information electronically. Please make completing the Spicewood Elementary Enrollment Form for Grades K-4 a priority -it will only take a couple of minutes. Completing this form will help the district determine the number of teachers assigned to Spicewood next year and will also ensure that your child(ren) will be assigned to a class list for the 2020-2021 school year. We must have a form submitted for every student. All forms are due by April 16th.
Complete the Spicewood Elementary Enrollment Form for Grades K-4 here
At-Home Learning
At-Home Learning begins today! This morning at 8AM, classroom teachers will publish lessons. K-1 will publish lessons in Seesaw. 2nd -5th grade teachers will publish lessons and activities in Google Classroom. (If you are unfamiliar with how Google Classroom works, this Parent Tutorial will be helpful.)
Teacher Communication
Per RRISD's Instructional Continuity Plan and Board Policy, live video streaming with students is not approved for electronic communication. Please do not request this of teachers as you will be asking them to violate expectations clearly set forth by the District.
Teachers will however, be available to answer questions parents may have via google hangout, phone call or email. Each teacher will be sharing the hours they are available for conferences. It is our desire to maintain open lines of communication and meet the needs of our students as best we can. Please do not hesitate to reach out to classroom teachers with anq questions you may have about an activity and/or task assigned.
Grading Procedures During School Closures
To ensure fairness and equity for all of our students and given the unprecedented nature of the events and their effect on the current school year, Round Rock ISD will not be issuing numerical grades for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year.
For students in grades 3-12, assignments will be reviewed for proficiency. For grading periods, students will receive a mark of either “Pass” or “Incomplete.”
For students in grades K-2, teachers will use collected student work samples and responses to teacher feedback to report student progress using the existing report card rubric.
Notifications from Home Access Center (HAC)
Some parents have been concerned about the notifications they are receiving from the HAC regarding students missing assignments and/or grades. I know it can be frustrating to consistently receive these notifications. At this time, classroom teachers are not able to go into HAC and make adjustments. Please be patient with us as we begin to utilize the new grading policy created by Round Rock ISD. In the meantime, you are able to Log into HAC and adjust the settings so that you are not receiving notifications.
Celebrations
Helpful Attachments
Spicewood Elementary Vision Statement:
Spicewood aspires to be a caring community of innovative, globally minded citizens who take action.
Spicewood aspira a ser una comunidad solidaria de ciudadanos innovadores y de mentalidad global que actúen.