Principal's Newsletter
September 1, 2020
Principal's Message
Dear Adelante Selby Spanish Immersion families,
I know it's been a stressful start for many of you to the new school year as you are adapting to the new technology and schedule for Distance Learning. There have been a number of challenges students and families are having to overcome with learning new platforms like SeeSaw and Google Classroom, setting up a schedule/routine for the multiple daily Google Meets, and completing the asynchronous learning assignments. I have heard some very positive and appreciative comments from parents about their teachers hard work and the improvements from the Spring, but also frustration around the schedule with so many Google Meets during the day. The schedule is more concentrated because there is no live instruction by the teachers on Wednesdays and also we are trying to split the class Meets into smaller Cohorts so they are not meeting all at the same time to improve student engagement, teacher-student feedback, and support for students. However, we know that we most likely will need to make some adjustments to the current schedule with the long hours in front of the screen. I am happy to report that the the School District has just recently approved the use of ZOOM which will greatly improve the quality of Meetings. Not only will the images be clearer and larger with ZOOM, but the teachers will be able to control the microphones and chat messages that get very distracting and ruin the flow of instruction. We expect that ZOOM will be pushed out to the student devices within the next two weeks.
We are also looking at ways to support English only families with TK and Kindergarten students who do not understand what is going on during the Live Meets in Spanish. A reminder that the struggle with language acquisition in an immersion setting for a new student always happens even with live in person instruction. English only students are still acquiring language during Distance Learning, but it is more difficult without the cues from the teacher and classroom peers. It's not so easy or even recommended to translate everything into English because students will shut down completely and not even try during Spanish time as they know they will hear everything in English. I know the Kindergarten teachers are working on simplifying directions so students know what is expected to be done asynchronously. At the Principal's Cafecito last Friday, an English only speaking Kindergarten parent happily reported that even though her child is struggling a lot, she had already learned all the colors in Spanish, was working on the "o" sound, and was learning the school rules with "Bono El Mono" last week. Please be patient as we make adjustments to schedules and our instructional delivery to make things better.
All of our teachers are trying their best to engage and teach students even as there are times when the technology is "glitchy" or not working at all. We know that it is stressful for everyone, but I want to ask for your support to please be patient with our teachers and also to be mindful of boundaries by not interrupting them during the Meets as it is distracting. We understand and appreciate the necessary and important partnership between teachers and parents. Teachers might not be able to answer your questions right away in the middle of teaching a class, but will try their best to help resolve specific questions during office hours or via email/Class Dojo. Parents can help partner with us to support students engagement during the Google Meetings by making sure:
- your child has a learning space without a lot of distractions in the background
- your child is prepared with their learning materials at the start of the Meet
- your child has the iPad or Chromebook charged and ready for the Meet
- your child keeps the video camera on during the Meet(unless there is a special circumstance)
- your child keeps the microphone muted(until prompted to unmute by the teacher)
- your child eats or goes to the bathroom during non Meeting times as much as possible
- your child is appropriately dressed for the Meet
A reminder that the district has set up an informational resource for parents and the community on the district web page called the Roadmap to Reopening of Schools.The district has also included a Parent's Guide to Distance Learning and in Spanish: Guía de Aprendizaje a Distancia para Padres to help support families.
We were able to give out over 500 Chromebooks and 200 iPads as well as the learning supplies for all students during the drive through MAZE day. We know there have been some specific issues with devices and the school district has told us that if you have a device that does not function, you should go to the district office to exchange it between 8:00-4:00pm. If the device functions, but is missing an app or extension, please use the tech support forms below:
- If parents need technical support for apps on iPads or extensions on Chromebooks, they can use the Tech Support Form to request assistance:
- English Tech Support Form - http://bit.ly/RCSDtechsupport
- Español Tech Support Form - http://bit.ly/RCSDtechsupportSP
The first step is phone support. If the issue cannot be resolved over the phone, they will make an appointment for families to come to the district office for an exchange.
it is important that all families please visit the Unidos WebPage and take a few minutes to fill out the Membership Toolkit. Unidos supports a number of important programs at our school as well as coordinating volunteer efforts. They also provide communication to our community on a regular basis and need families updated information in the toolkit to do so. The first Unidos/PTO meeting is Tuesday, September 1st , 6:00-8:00pm: Meeting ID: meet.google.com/ksk-mjei-edh
PIN: 915 207 615#
Student breakfast and lunch drive through pickup has been happening on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays from 11:30-12:30. Parents/Students will need a Student ID to pick up meals. Learn more here
Office Hours
Our school office is open to the public on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 8:00am-4:00pm. Please call to make an appointment if you need help. All staff and visitors to campus must:
- wear a mask
- use hand disinfectant when entering the office
- have your temperature taken in the office at the kiosk so we can screen you
- complete the visitor Wellness Screening From using the QR code in the office
- keep 6 feet of social distancing at all times
Yearbooks
Yearbooks for the 2019-20 school year are supposed to be delivered in the second week of September. We will be sending out information about picking up your yearbook if you ordered one las year.
Please note that the school playgrounds(including play structures and swings) and field are closed. The general public should not be on the school campus.
I have included a number of photos from the first two weeks of school below! Please send me an email of a photo of your child learning at home and i will try to include it in upcoming newsletters.
Please visit our school website , Adelante Selby Facebook Page and our PTO/Unidos webpage and social media accounts: unidospto.org, Facebook and Instagram for more information.
Regards,
Director Warren
Important September Dates
- September 1, Unidos/PTO Meeting 6:00pm
- September 7 Labor Day--No School
- September 10 Food Distribution, 4:00pm
- September 16 School Site Council Meeting, 3:00pm
- September 21, English Language Advisory Meeting, 3:00pm
- September 24 Food Distribution