Principal's Weekly Update
Volume 2 Issue 28: February 21, 2021
Message from Mrs. Aulmer
I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who wrote in and or spoke at last week's board meeting. I would also like to say "Thank you" to our board of directors for their time and consideration of the feedback from our stakeholders. Decisions like these are not always the easiest to make. The mighty LION Staff will work hard to be successful with our implementation of returning to the building and bringing our students back in-person while still providing quality remote instruction to our scholars who will be remaining at home for the remainder of the year.
Thanks to all families who responded to the remote/in-person survey that was sent out by the central office. We also appreciate the feedback from all families that we reached out to last week about the plans for in-person instruction. At last week's dual board meeting our board of directors approved for our teachers to return to the building on March 1st and for the students who opted into in-person instruction to return on March 15th. Administration will be meeting with all teachers this coming week to get a plan together on the return to in-person instruction for those that opted in. We will begin to share out information to affected families soon. Please be patient with us as we try to make this transition smooth for everyone.
Our virtual parent academy on supporting your child's mental health was last week. If you could not attend, please see the google slides below for the information that was shared.
Our school calendar for next year has been approved. Please see a picture and a file to the document below. Please be mindful of the date that school starts. We must have all students present the first day of school. Thank you for your assistance.
Have you had a great experience at QCSS? Is there anything we are doing that you feel is great? If so, could you please take a few minutes to write a review on our Google profile? https://g.page/QueenCitySTEMSchool/review?gm
Thank you for your continued partnership with QCSS as we work to make this a successful year for all of our scholars! I hope everyone continues to stay safe and healthy.
Do you need help paying your heating bill?
Emergency Rent Assistance Program
If you're experiencing a financial hardship with paying your rent due to COVID-19 (Coronavirus Pandemic) the Emergency Rent Assistance Program for the City of Charlotte (ERAP-CLT) may be able to assist you. ERAP-CLT is a partnership between the City of Charlotte and The Housing Partnership.
ERAP-CLT may be available to individuals and families who are experiencing a delay in making their rental payments due to COVID-19. Please note that due to limited funding, applications will be approved, and assistance will be provided on a first come, first served basis.
For eligibility requirements and to complete the online application, please visit www.rampclt.com If you have any questions, please email erapclt@cmhp.org or call 980-406-7509.
Accreditation
Please see the Readiness Report for Accreditation below. We will keep everyone updated as we progress through this process.
In December of 2020, a survey was sent out to families asking for them to respond to some questions about the Climate and Culture at QCSS. We had 100 families at the elementary school respond to the survey. The staff looked over the responses and created the presentation below. Please take a few minutes to look over what our families responses were. The team at QCSS will continue to revisit this data to improve our processes at QCSS.
Lion in the Spotlight
This week we are highlighting Ms. Henderson (kindergarten teacher assistant), Ms. Satterfield (2nd grade teacher), and Mr. Polischak (5th grade ELA teacher).
School Counseling Schoology Groups
Our Guidance Counselor, Ms. Bagley, has created Schoology groups for our students to help students receive resources during virtual learning. The groups include Social and Emotional Learning activities, character education lessons, and much more!
If your scholar is interested in joining the groups, please have them use the access codes below to join.
The group access codes:
K-2 School Counseling Group: 3K54-K6KH-X746P
3-5 School Counseling Group: NQGT-WNHG-NVVX7
Shout Out a Staff Member
If you have a teacher or staff member that you would like to "Shout Out" or "Brag" on, please go to the the link below and give them a shout out. The little words do go a long way! Thanks.
College Leadership Program (CLP)
We will have a speaker to talk to students on Feb. 22, 2021. If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Pope at kpope@queencitystem.org
What's Happening at QCSS?
Monday, March 1st: Character Ed Read Aloud
Wednesday, March 3rd: Dine with the Deans at 12 pm (noon). 5th Grade teachers will be presenting.
Wednesday, March 10th: All assignments for the 3rd quarter must be turn in by 12 pm (noon) this day.
Friday, March 12th: Last day of the 3rd quarter
Monday, March 15th: Students who opted into In-Person instruction return to the building.
Wednesday, March 17th: Report Cards go home
Friday, March 19th: Asynchronous Learning Day (no live ZOOM sessions, assignments posted by 9 am, work must be completed in order to be marked present for the day).
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Friday, April 2nd- Friday, April 9th: NO SCHOOL: SPRING BREAK
Remote Instruction Schedules
Please follow the schedule below for your scholar's grade level. Students' daily schedules will be from 9 am until 2 pm. There will be a time for students to complete assignments for their specials areas teachers, a lunch break, and time for homework/physical activity/ and or one-on-one time with their teacher(s).
FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions)
1) What are the phone numbers for the campuses?
Elementary Campus: 980-299-6633
Secondary Campus: 980-321-7744
2) Who do I contact if I need my Powerschool login information and/or to update my contact information?
Ms. Williams – jwilliams@queencitystem.org
3) Who do I contact if I need my student google login information?
Mr. Bushman, IT Coordinator- sbushman@queencitystem.org
4) I need a chromebook, who do I contact?
Mr. Bushman, IT Coordinator- sbushman@queencitystem.org
5) My chromebook isn’t working/battery is low, what do I do?
Mr. Bushman, IT Coordinator- sbushman@queencitystem.org
6) I’d like to talk with a school counselor. Who can I reach out to?
Ms. Bagley: kbagley@queencitystem.org
7) Are there any resources for parents to help with remote learning?
https://sites.google.com/dpi.nc.gov/remote-learning-resources/home/parent-resources?authuser=0
8) My scholar has an IEP who can I speak with?
Ms. Robinson: hrobinson@queencitystem.org
9) My scholar has a 504, who can I speak with?
Ms. Bagley: kbagley@queencitystem.org
10) Can we use a tablet for virtual instruction?
As long as you are able to access ZOOM, Schoology, and any other platform the teacher will be using.
11) Will speech therapy or occupational therapy be remote as well?
Yes, the service provider for speech and OT will be reaching out to families soon. If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Robinson.
12) Will tutoring be offered?
Yes, please reach out to your scholar(s) teacher(s) to discuss options
13) How does my scholar access Schoology?
You must use the following website: queencitystem.schoology.com
-If you received a chromebook from the school, your scholar will be logged in when they enter the website above.
-If you are using a personal device, then you will need to make sure you are logged in with your QCSS Google information.
-Codes are not needed to access classes in Schoology. All class schedules are pulled from PowerSchool.
Video to show you how to login.
14) When I log in to Powerschool I see my student's grades from last year, how do I see this year's grades?
If you are using the app you may need to log out completely and sign back in to refresh the data.
15) My scholar attends the secondary campus who is the principal?
Mr. Alkan is the principal for the secondary school. You can reach him at malkan@queencitystem.org
16) My elementary scholar has four (4) special area classes assigned to them. How do I know what class to tell them to attend daily?
This is up to you and your child. The scholar must complete one (1) assignment per class each week. We suggest that you make a schedule together and stick to that schedule. An example is: Monday- music, Tuesday- Art, Wednesday- PE, Thursday- STEM Class.
Remember that your first point of contact should be your scholar's teacher(s). If you have questions about navigating platforms, assignments, or grades, please reach out to the teacher via email. Also, please utilize the school's website for distance learning information. queencitystem.org
Board Meetings
-Thursday, March 4, 2021 6:30 PM 8:30 PM
-Thursday, April 1, 2021 6:30 PM 8:30 PM
-Thursday, May 6, 2021 6:30 PM 8:30 PM
-Thursday, June 3, 2021 6:30 PM 8:30 PM
Box Tops for Education
THE NEXT GENERATION OF BOX TOPS IS HERE.
Box Tops is changing to fit today's families. The new and improved Box Tops mobile app uses state-of-the-art technology to scan your store receipt, find participating products and instantly add Box Tops to your school's earnings online.
Please download the Box Tops for Education App from your App store, sign up, connect with QCSS and begin earning money for the school.
About Us
Email: info@queencitystem.org
Website: www.queencitystem.org
Location: 8701 Mallard Creek Road, Charlotte, NC, USA
Phone: (980)299-6633
Facebook: facebook.com/queencitystemschool
Twitter: @twitter_QueenCitySTEM