Fleming Flyer-Off Campus Edition
April 17th, 2020
A Note from Ms. Aldrich
I hope you all have a good week off next week for April Vacation! We miss you all!
PTO Meeting Scheduled for April 29th at 6:30 pm
The PTO will be looking for new officers to serve during the 2020-2021 school year. A link is provided below for those that want to virtually attend this PTO meeting. We will as well email the day of the meeting with the link so that you have easy access to join the meeting.The meeting will be held through Zoom. Invite is below:
Topic: Fleming PTO Meeting
Time: Apr 29, 2020 06:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 972 8969 0744
Principal Search
As you know, after nearly 20 years Principal Dan Ryan is retiring at the close of this school year in June. Hopefully he will have an opportunity to say thank you and good bye to students, staff and parents before his career as Fleming's School Principal ends.
The search for Fleming's next principal has been finalized. The board approved a contract for Fleming's next Principal. I know it is a difficult time for everyone during this pandemic and stay at home order. Nothing seems normal, including our hiring process. Had the process gone as planned, we would have provided opportunities for teachers, staff, students, parents, board members, and others to meet the candidates in late March. The Fleming interview committee did, however, interview 4 candidates and voted unanimously to recommend Matthew Roy as their principal candidate of choice.
We are very excited about Matt's hire. We are creatively finding ways for Matt to meet students and families. More information to come, but we wanted to share this great news with our Families at Fleming!
Placement Process
We greatly appreciate the quality teaching work done by Cara Crowther and Briana Young who will be completing their one year teaching assignment at Fleming in June. Mr. Kenny and Mrs. Lee will plan to team together as the fifth grade teachers on Team Synergy. Mrs. Lemnah will move downstairs and team with Mrs. Coviello next year as fifth grade Team Endeavor teachers. Mr. Guilmette and Mrs. Downing will be the two teachers on Team Mountaineer.
A Note from Mr. Ryan
The Following Letter went out by email to families on 4/16/2020
Dear Fleming School Families,
We are hoping this finds you and your loved ones safe and healthy. We are following up on what you can expect after April break, as we move forward with the next phase of distance learning. You may recall a previous communication from Jackie Tolman, EWSD Curriculum Director concerning our move from Phase 1 to Phase 2.
What does this mean for your child or children? Phase 2 Continuation of Learning (C.O.L.) plans will look much like Phase 1. We will still be making connections and seeking to effectively communicate with you and your child. Our teachers will continue to schedule office hours. Students and families are encouraged to check in with teachers for added support. Additionally, we will now be providing learning opportunities focused on new and essential learning so that your child can continue to grow academically throughout the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. You can expect a teacher instructed and recorded lesson or the use of other resources to deliver this new learning. Activities throughout the week will be connected to this new learning which is framed by grade level essential learning standards in the core curriculum areas of math and literacy.
Our goal is to provide a learning template each day that articulates what the most essential learning tasks are in reading and math, provide learning activities for all other subject areas, identify extension opportunities, and identify any additional specific learning supports and services needed and provided by learning specialists and interventionists.Families of Fleming students will receive lessons for the week that will be shared as an every Monday weekly communication.The purpose of a common template that houses all the individual information per student is to streamline communication and not overwhelm students or families with multiple emails. The weekly continuity of learning templates plan will be made available by 9:00 AM on Monday mornings. You will also find additional resource links with a multitude of resources and ideas for extensions, should you choose to engage your children in these. We are asking teachers to not send additional work out to families by request but instead we encourage families to further engage their students in exploring and discovering elective areas of learning interest and passion.The whole child weekly learning plan possibilities would also be enhanced when students experience these creative learning opportunities made available to them in music, art, PE, and library resources. Participation in morning meetings, lunch bunches and social/emotional small group activities will help our students stay connected and maintain a sense of belonging in their classrooms and school.
We also recognize that each family is dealing with this pandemic in their own way. The last thing we want to do is add further stress to an already stressful time. Your child should expect to be spending up to 90 minutes per day on school work in the area of literacy and math and wellness. This does not include the time they spend with their class for morning meetings. We understand the importance of personalization and that some students are engaged in specialized instruction such physical fitness activities or instrumental lessons as examples, that require individualization. These plans will be developed in collaboration with families as needed. We ask that you please let teachers know if things are not working for your family.
How will you provide feedback to us? Your child’s teacher will be asking you to share feedback each week by completing a very short survey on Thursdays.We want to hear from you regarding what’s working for you and your family, as we navigate this new territory, called distance learning. Teaching teams will identify overall themes in family feedback and consider these themes in their planning for the following week’s lessons. This feedback will take families no more than a few minutes to complete and will guide teachers in future planning. We hope you will provide this valued feedback to us, so we can do our very best to fine tune our continuation of learning lessons each week.
What is Student and Family Flex Day? On Fridays, students will use this time to complete any assignments that were expected to have been completed as assigned on Monday - Thursday. Parents/Guardians may need a break and to change the daily work and learn at home routine.Students and families may wish to plan a family field trip or to explore extension activities with a focus on exercise, personal care, or wellness. You may wish to schedule an appointment with teachers on Fridays as they will not have standing office hours. Teachers will meet virtually with each other, analyze family survey data, develop thoughtful lessons for the following week, and plan for accommodations and modifications of lessons for new learning. EST meetings will also be scheduled as needed on Fridays.The Fleming Staff may also participate in professional learning opportunities planned for Fridays.
What can you expect for student feedback? Your child’s teacher will focus on providing ongoing feedback via personal messages, video conferencing, exit questions, etc. At the end of the year, you will receive a narrative on how the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year was for your child. This narrative will be placed into their educational records.
What can you expect related to attendance? It is critical that students work to be engaged in their learning as much as possible. Our teachers, specialists, and support staff will provide instruction and offer opportunities for your child to check-in, ask questions, and access any additional help when needed. Students will be considered present if some level of engagement in school weekly learning expectations is evident. If students do not check in with their classes, we will reach out to families and do our best to offer support that meets your family’s circumstances and re-engages the student in learning.
What can you do to support your child’s learning?
Help your child with setting up a routine for doing their schoolwork. Keeping them on a schedule, as much as you can, which will help with your child’s sense of safety and normalcy in the midst of an unusual situation.
Remind your child that when they meet with their class, they are “in school,” and should act accordingly. For example, pay attention, ask questions, use appropriate language, follow technology use standards,etc..
While your child attends a class, this is an opportunity for you to take a break. We recognize that you may feel that you are being asked to be your child’s teacher and this isn’t easy. It is not necessary or expected for an adult to attend class with your child.
We invite you to support your child in any extension activities you choose to engage in.
While students are engaging in new learning they are experienced users of technology and the assignments that they are given are following instruction provided by their teachers. Please encourage them and help them but know that they are capable of doing the learning work. (Growth Mindset).
What can you do if you need help? We are here to support you!
Reach out to your child’s teachers.
Reach out to our school nurse, Hannah Therrien htherrien@ewsd.org
Reach out to special educators and interventionists.
Reach out to our school counselor, Coori Sellers csellers@ewsd.org
Reach out to principal, Daniel Ryan dryan@ewsd.org
Sincerely,
Daniel Ryan
Full Time Nurse
Nurse Cindy Mongeon will be retiring at the close of the school year. Thank you Cindy for your hard work and dedication to both Fleming and Summit.
PBIS News
Hey Fleming Falcons!
How are you doing? We’ve all had some big changes these last couple of weeks. While we miss seeing your faces and hearing your voices, we know you are doing your best to do what you need to do to stay healthy and safe.
Remember our fundamentals:
Be Safe: thank you for doing things like washing your hands and staying put.
Be Kind: thank you for helping your family to keep smiling during this time.
Be Respectful: thank you for working hard to think about others and appreciate what they do (you all know folks who are helping to keep things going in our community).
Be Responsible: thank you for doing your best to help your loved ones.
Rock on Falcons! We feel your energy and your smiles - we look forward to seeing you in the future!
Fleming School Facility Access
The school building has been off limits to all but those identified as essential workers (maintenance/custodians) and technology specialists. A plan is being developed which could broaden access to the building. At this time, students and staff do not have opportunities to enter the building or retrieve items of personal or professional value. We will keep you informed if and when building access changes have been made.
Tropical Island Day
PBIS Celebration Tropical Island Day
Jared and Anthony, two of our recess staff supervisors, Dress up for Tropical Island Day
Equity
The distance learning lessons and activities assigned to students makes it necessary for each student to have technology resources and internet access. Please contact principal Ryan if your student does not have a computer or have a way to access learning online via the internet.We are also concerned for families and students with food insecurity challenges. Hunger is a basic need that must be met before the engagement of learning. How might we help?
Hello from Ms. Speranza
Here is a link for some Distance Learning Resources for Students and Parents on Library Site- https://www.ewsd.org/Page/7741 This link will be shared with families along with a district library newsletter throughout phase 2.
Change of Residence Notice
Please let the school office know by emailing jialdrich@ewsd.org, if there is a change in residency for you or your student. This information will be helpful to teachers who are preparing lessons for all the students enrolled in their classrooms on March 18th. Placement process for next year will begin soon. It will be especially helpful to know of any student who will not be attending Fleming or transitioning to middle school at ADL in August. Thank you!
Activities and info for homes
Activities to do at Home
Free Educational Sites
Social Distancing Guide
School Playground Closed
Buildings and Grounds Covid-19 Safety considerations have caused us to make our school playground equipment off limits. The playground is taped off and closed for use until access is reestablished following pandemic safety protocols.
Fleming's Contact Info
Email: jialdrich@ewsd.org
Website: EWSD.org/Fle
Location: 21 Prospect Street, Essex Junction, VT, USA
Phone: (802)878-1381