The Falcon Flash
Foskett Ranch Elementary
July 28, 2020
Meet Ms. Pasquini!
While I don't have those answers for you at this time, I would still like to say hello and tell you a bit about myself.
I have been in education for 19 years, all spent in the Rio Linda/Twin Rivers district. During that time I spent 8 years in the classroom and taught 3rd, 4/5 combo, 5th, and 7th and 8th grade AVID. I was also an instructional coach, Vice Principal, and just finished my 4th year as Principal.
On a more personal note, I live in the Fiddyment Farm area of Roseville with my two daughters, boyfriend, and his son. We also have a German Shepard and Shepard mix puppy. Both of my daughters play multiple sports so I don't have a whole lot of spare time, but when I do you can find me listening to or watching true crime documentaries or on my mountain bike (a hobby I took up during quarantine).
We are about to embark on a very interesting adventure together. There will be some trial and error as well as uncertainty. Please know that at the end of the day we all want the same thing; for our Foskett Ranch Falcons to succeed academically, socially, and emotionally. If you have any concerns or questions please feel free to contact me at gpasquini@wpusd.org. We've got this!!!!
20-21 Learning Options
While we are still hoping to open for in-person learning at the start of the year, we are prepared to support students through 100% distance learning if necessary. If we’re in full distance learning, students will meet with their teacher on Google Meet at least once a day for whole group instruction and/or small group work. We know a number of our Foskett Ranch families have multiple children at our site and will be meeting soon to see how we can alleviate some of the stress on your bandwidth.
When in-person learning resumes, we need to know which program your child will participate in: In-Person Learning or InterCONNECT. To help us prepare, we’re asking families to let us know which option they would prefer.
Here at Foskett Ranch, the in-person option will run five days a week from 8:15-12:30 with a focus on ELA and math instruction. Students will work with their teacher in the classroom and will be given resources and instructions for additional learning opportunities at home. All staff and students will be expected to follow protocols for safe interaction and socialization. A “grab and go” lunch will be available for all students at the end of the day.
If you choose to continue distance learning and utilize the InterCONNECT program, your student will receive live instruction after 12:30 p.m. from their classroom teacher. There will be instructional videos, individual practice, and other resources available for additional learning opportunities.
Please note that students will be expected to remain in their selected program through the end of October, at which time families will have the option to change programs.
Choosing the InterCONNECT program for your student is on an opt-in basis only. If you would like your student to be enrolled in InterCONNECT please fill out the form in the link below by Friday, July 31. If you don’t complete the form, your student will be enrolled in the In-Person 5-day modified program.
For additional information visit http://www.wpusd.org/COVID-19-Resources/Road-Map-to-Reopening/Education-Program-Options/index.html
InterCONNECT opt-in form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfVeQ6zp0GESdKd-6N5l6cTkh7BQOK7iD1B5XdiWPYHOeEM3w/viewform
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is interCONNECT?
InterCONNECT refers to the program parents sign up for in order to access 100% distance/online learning, even after our school is able to physically reopen. It is not a new curriculum or a special type of book, it's just what we'll call students who are learning online. Students enrolled through interCONNECT will be taught by WPUSD teachers and can move between in person and interCONNECT instruction models at intervals during the year based on your family's needs and what is happening in the community. We have to classify students who are learning online something different so we can track progress and attendance per the state's mandate...hence the name interCONNECT.
2. What does a day in interCONNECT look like v. in-person instruction?
It depends. If 100% of our school is distance learning, students will be engaging with their teachers between 2-4 times daily between the hours of 8-2:40 pm (ish). The exact times of those meetings will be staggered, and we are working to find ways to have different grade levels meet at different times to make it a little easier for everyone! Students will be required to connect with their teacher daily, and complete the instructional activities in order to receive credit for attendance.
Whether we are involved in 100% online or an in person/interCONNECT model, we will be taking attendance and monitoring progress towards work completion. A reminder that attendance is required for students ages 6 and above (like in a typical school year). This is different from the spring instructional model we used.
If we are able to reopen school physically, students who are participating in in-person instruction will attend school from 8:15-12:30 ish daily. Students on interCONNECT will participate in lessons online at their own pace each day (generally speaking), and will check in with their teacher online each afternoon in small groups or 1:1 sessions. While the work may be completed at your child's own pace, your child will be required to complete work daily and meet with his/her teacher daily in order to receive attendance credit. Students will have a certain number of minutes of instructional activities to complete each day (examples might include online tasks like watching a video clip, completing and submitting work online, watching your teacher teach live, participating in Google Meet meetings and offline tasks like work completed in their math or language arts book, reading, practicing skills like writing, etc...).
You can see some of the other similarities and differences between in-person and interCONNECT instruction in this link (scroll to the chart on the top of pg. 3)
3. What will school hours be next year?
If we are 100% distance learning, school will run from 8:15-2:40 ish, but your child won't be online that whole time (see the instructional minutes listed below). Your child will have to be online a few specific times a day to engage with his/her teacher. Once we can reopen school, we expect that in person instruction will happen from 8-12:30ish, and interCONNECT teacher meetings will happen between 12:30-3ish. The ish is because we are still working on those details.
Many families have expressed concern about instruction and screen time. Per the state's guidelines,
- Students in TK and K can expect to spend about 180 minutes/day engaging in class work (with a combination on online and offline activities),
- Students in grades 1-3 can expect to spend about 230 minutes/day engaging in class work (with a combination on online and offline activities),
- Students in grades 4-5 (and actually through 12th grade) can expect to spend about 240 minutes/day engaging in class work (with a combination on online and offline activities)
Our teachers are very concerned and aware of the impact of screen time on children (especially our younger Falcons), and will build their instructional programs to provide balance and options for families. We do, however, expect that all students (whether in person or in interCONNECT) will spend time on digital platforms daily - so please count on that.
4. What about technology?
Our district has secured thousands of new chromebooks and has thousands currently on hand. It is our hope that we will be 1:1 by mid-September - every child will have a chromebook to use at home and/or in the classroom. Chromebooks will be checked out like a textbook and will be the child's/family's responsibility to keep in good repair. This is a silver lining of this situation - I for one am THRILLED that we will be able to offer this digital tool to all families! Our district is also putting together a 'spec list' in case you want to purchase your own device to have at home so your child can leave their school issued device at home. Stay tuned.
We learned a lot about online access in the spring. If your family does not have adequate internet capacity, stay tuned for options to increase your online bandwidth. We will also be working to spread out online meetings in order to make them easier for students to engage in.
5. Will my child's teacher be from Foskett Ranch?
In short, YES, your child's teacher will be from Foskett Ranch if they are receiving instruction in person or through interCONNECT. If your child moves between in person and online instruction (for example in October if you change instructional strategies, or if he/she is home sick for a period of time), his/her teacher will not change. We think this will be a positive feature of our model - we expect teacher continuity throughout the year.
6. Will my child come home and have to continue more school work online after the 12:30pm release if we chose in person instruction?
I don't think this would likely be the case. Perhaps your child would finish work that was incomplete at school, or do silent reading at home, but at this point, I'm not expecting lots of homework. We are going to focus on using the 4ish hours of instructional time to the max...focusing on essential standards. We won't have lots of interruptions during the day (for better or worse), so it's our hope that we can get it all done during the school day. If you are finding that your child has a lot of homework after the 12:30 release, I encourage you to talk with your child's teacher. There might be exceptions to this guideline, so please be patient as we finalize our plans.
7. Will there be overlap between in person and interCONNECT instruction?
It is our hope that as our team becomes more comfortable and confident with this new model of instruction, you might find that your teacher records lessons in the classroom and pushes them out online for interCONNECT students to view - either in a recorded format or maybe even live. Your teacher may find innovative ways for interCONNECT students to engage with in person students during the morning hours, even. But be patient as we figure out how to do that well and we build our capacity in that space.
8. How does recess work? PE?
This is something my team is working out. At this point, I expect we'll offer a snack recess (maybe two for our younger students) outside of the classroom, and we will likely offer some structured play if we can. But I think it'll look more like organized PE games than it will free play. This will allow us to get the kids outside and moving, but will hopefully minimize close proximity on the playground. This is an area where we will tread carefully to ensure we are making smart choices that support student and staff safety.
9. How many students will be in the classroom?
It depends on the grade level and how many students participate in interCONNECT. Currently at Foskett, our TK and K classes are relatively full (22 students in each class), our grade 1-3 classes are relatively small (mid to high 20s students in each class) and our 4th and 5th grade classes are very full (31-34 students in each class). We expect to balance our interCONNECT students between classes in order to reduce the class size for every teacher as much as possible.
It is our plan to publish your child's teacher on Friday, 8/14 at 4 pm. We'll likely do this digitally.
10. Where do I get more information?
- View the District's Roadmap to Reopening here...there is LOTS of good information in here related to protocols and safety measures!
- View the 7/24 email from Mr. Leaman (outlining in person v. interCONNECT instruction) here
- View older and future emails from Mr. Leaman here
- Complete the opt in form if interCONNECT is the best option for you - do this by 7/31 using this link; if you prefer in person instruction, you don't have to do anything
- Follow us on social media
Here's What We Are Still Working On....
While I was hopefully able to answer some of your questions, there are still a lot of unknowns. Please understand that we are working hard on getting these, and many other, questions answered as soon as possible. Keep an eye out for Superintendent Leaman's updates and please feel free to contact us using any of the methods below.
- What material hand-out is going to look like (books, chromebooks, etc.)- Family and student training for Distance Learning
- Back To School Night (most likely virtual)
- Class Lists
PHEW!!!!!!
Questions?? Find us here!
Email: gpasquini@wpusd.org
Website: fres.wpusd.org
Location: 1561 Joiner Parkway, Lincoln, CA, USA
Phone: (916)434-5255