Colt Crusader
A newsletter for the families of CFES - Week of 4/6
Weekly Edition
2828 Pleasant Acres Drive
Virginia Beach, VA 23453
757-648-2240
http://www.christopherfarmses.vbschools.com
Follow us on Twitter @cfescolts
Principal: Robyn Backer , @Robyn Backer
Asst. Principal: Patti Porter, @sunsetzzz15
Message From Ms. Backer, Our Principal
Thank you for taking on an important role in your child's life through educating them from home during the crisis we are experiencing just not here in the US but throughout the entire world. We are working diligently to provide you with the necessities you may need to continue your child's education from home. Here is a bit of advice to all parents as you are working with your child.
Allow them to make mistakes, even if they are doing things in a different way than the way you learned it. It is important that they are completing their assignments as independently as possible. Don't worry about them regressing in school. Every single kid is in this boat, and they all will be ok. Whenever we are back in the classroom, we will meet them where they are. Teachers are experts at this! Try not to overwhelm yourself or your child with following schedules and mandating hours of learning time if they resist or become disengaged. They are trying to comprehend what is happening like will they ever see their friends, teachers, principals, and just their school again. In the end, your child's mental health is most important. Make this time meaningful to connect with your child and have fun learning. They will remember this moment forever so make it the best for them.
As a reminder, we will transition this week into a new weekly schedule. Virginia Beach City Public Schools has determined that Mondays will now be Professional Development days for the staff. Teachers will not be teaching on Mondays. You will have plans and instructional supports from Tuesday through Friday each week. On Mondays, we will be conducting training for our staff on the applications that promote more "live" virtual teaching and interactions with students. We will be teaching teachers how to use Google Meet as a platform to have live meetings, as well as recorded meetings, with your students. These professional development days will help transition our staff into quarter 4, where they will be teaching new learning! We will have MORE information to come on this format, so please stay tuned!
Stay tuned to the Colt TV announcements to see how we will be celebrating Autism Awareness, Month of the Military Child and our Citizens of the Month.
Stay safe and healthy!
-Ms. Backer
Yearbook Update - Only one more week to order yours!
Due to school closures, there are changes to ordering the 2019-2020 Yearbook. All yearbooks must be ordered online by April 13th, 2020. We will not be able to accept any orders after that date. Also, we will not be able to accept cash or check purchases. After April 13th, there will not be an opportunity to purchase a yearbook as there will not be any extra copies printed. To order your child's yearbook online go to https://ybpay.lifetouch.com/Order/SelectJob?jobNumber=7733220&utm_source=exacttarget&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=PUB20YBFEB_NB-R1&utm_content=main and enter the yearbook ID code 7733220 before the April 13th deadline. If you have any further questions please contact Tennys Kane at Tennys.Kane@vbschools.com Once the yearbooks are in, we will communicate via Alertnow and Newsletters on the pick up procedure. We are hoping to arrange pick up for yearbooks in early June.
Update on Lifetouch Pictures
Resources that will be used next week
As we continue navigating this path of virtual learning, we at Christopher Farms are making every effort to streamline this process as much as possible. In an effort to make this easier, we will be moving, as a school, to using Google Meet for meeting with our students for morning meetings and lessons. This change may present some speed bumps at the start, but we will iron those out quickly. Rest assured that we are taking all necessary measures to ensure the security of our virtual meetings. This video will explain how students will access meetings from their Chromebooks.
MOVING BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR?
If your family is moving before the end of the year and has VBCPS materials (Chromebook, math workbook, or library books, etc.), please email Ma. Backer at Rsbacker@vbschools.com
to arrange for a time to drop off the materials at school.
Military Families
We are doing our best to try to meet our children's social/emotional needs through Schoology with our school counselors, Mrs. Yoshida and Mrs. Beda. Not being with the children regularly in the building certainly presents some challenges when meeting these needs. We wanted to make sure you were aware, military-connected families can access free, confidential counseling either by phone, video, or online chat through Military One Source. Interested families can contact them by phone at 1-800-342-9647. They can also access Families Overcoming Under Stress (FOCUS) which provides resiliency training for families. The program helps families manage feelings, improve communication, problem solve, and set goals over a number of sessions. If a family is interested in scheduling a video teleconference appointment, more information can be found here: https://focusproject.org/telefocus.
One additional resource for military students is Military Kids Connect which is an online community for kids, ages 6-17. This site provides videos, tips, and forums on how to cope with the challenges of military life. There are sections on Feelings, Military Life, Health and Wellness, and Caring for Youth. They also have a message board for kids to connect with to share their experiences and offer suggestions. It is safe and secure and all the content is moderated. You can access the site here: https://militarykidsconnect.health.mil.
Access to CFES
We understand that parents might need access to the building. You might need access to pick up essential items such as (supplies you have run out of at home, glasses, medicine, registration) Beginning March 31st, CFES will be open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to parents. Parents who need to access the building as noted above must have an appointment to ensure the appropriate staff are present and their access is confined to 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. only. You can make an appointment by emailing Ms. Backer at robyn.backer@vbschools.com Please make sure you provide at least 24 hours notice!
Please note, your teachers will be working on packing up all of your students' non-essential supplies that were left in the classrooms and will be available to be picked up by appointment starting April 21. More information will be forthcoming on how to sign up.
Calendar Changes
As you have heard, we have made some changes to the school calendar. Quarter 3 has been extended through April 24th. Quarter 4 will begin April 27th. The primary reason for this extension of the third quarter is to make sure that we approach instruction and grading in the 4th quarter as thoughtfully and purposefully as possible.
We will be shifting on Monday, April 6th to a new schedule where teachers will be participating in professional development each Monday. Students will have access to their teachers from Tuesday through Friday only. This will continue from April 6th through the end of the school year.
Spring Break will continued as scheduled.
Resources for our CFES families
WAYS TO STAY IN TOUCH WITH CFES HAPPENINGS:
- Check our website weekly: https://christopherfarmses.vbschools.com
- Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cfescolts
- Download the VBSCHOOLS app in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store
- Make sure the school has your updated phone number and email address in order to receive Alert Now communications
- Follow your child's progress on Parent Portal: https://www.vbschools.com/parents/parent_portal
Proud Principal
Email: robyn.backer@vbschools.com
Website: https://christopherfarmses.vbschools.com/
Location: Christopher Farms Elementary School 2828 Pleasant Acres Drive Virginia Beach, Virginia 234
Phone: (757) 648-2240
Twitter: @RobynBacker