Welcome to Virtual Learning
Let the adventure begin
Welcome
We are excited to welcome you to the 2020 - 2021 school year. We are eager to support our students and families who have selected the virtual learning option for the first quarter of the 2020 school year. This newsletter will help you get started with virtual learning and begin learning some of the tools and communication platforms that will be.
Getting Ready For Virtual Learning
You will find that back to school looks and feels a little different when you are learning virtually from home, but taking time to set up a learning space can help to build excitement and focus for virtual students.
Check out the article below for some beneficial tips.
Creating a Dedicated Learning Space at Home
Click here to read
Ms. Newcomb
Ms. Newcomb will be teaching kindergarten.
Ms. Scarcella
Ms. Scarcella will be teaching a section of prekindergarten and a section of kindergarten.
Ms. Shugart
Ms. Shugart will be teaching kindergarten.
Meet Your Prekindergarten and Kindergarten Teachers
- What will the school hours be? Virtual teachers will work from 7:45 to 3:45. Students will attend synchronously and asynchronously at various times throughout the school day. The specific hours for students will be from 8:00 - 3:14 but you will have some flexibility during the day.
- What school supplies do we need? Please purchase the school supplies requested by your child's home campus. You will keep them at home and use them while learning virtually. Should you decide to return to in-person learning, you will take the supplies with you.
- What if I can't attend live? If your student has to miss a live session occasionally, a recording will be posted, and your student may participate by watching the recording and completing the assigned work.
- How long will virtual learning take? The average student should take between 180 and 240 minutes a day to complete all of the virtual learning work.
- When does the virtual school start? The first day of virtual school is August 26th. You and your student will complete the meet the teacher and various tasks over the phase-in week (August 26, 27, and 28), which will help you both become comfortable using the virtual tools that you will need to use throughout virtual learning.
Meet Your Virtual First Grade Teachers
Ms. Denson
Ms. Denson will be teaching first grade.
Ms. Mount
Ms. Mount will be teaching first grade.
Ms. Henning
Ms. Henning will be teaching first grade.
What about a schedule?
If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is how quickly schedules can be forgotten when we are home 24/7. When learning virtually, it is crucial to set a schedule that works for your child and your family. Children thrive on routine, and a little time spent setting up a schedule, together with your child now, will pay off in the long run. The article below will help you and your child think through your virtual schedule.
Setting Up a Schedule
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Meet Your Virtual Second Grade Teachers
Ms. Bocan
Ms. Bocan will be teaching second grade.
Ms. Kutz
Ms. Kutz will be teaching second grade.
Ms. Conley
Ms. Conley will be teaching second grade.
Meet Your Virtual Third Grade Teachers
Ms. Lyles
Ms. Lyles will be teaching third grade.
Ms. Pon
Ms. Pon will be teaching third grade.
Ms. Young
Ms. Young will be teaching third grade.
Planning for Success
Virtual learning is new to many families, and new things sometimes feel a little overwhelming at first. One way to alleviate some of that uncertainty is to create a plan for success. The following article will help you work together as a virtual learning family to plan for success this quarter.
Planning for Success
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Meet Your Virtual 4th Grade Teachers
Ms. Romolo
Ms. Romolo will be teaching fourth grade.
Ms. Patton
Ms. Patton will teach fourth grade.
Ms.Yount
Ms. Yount will be teaching fourth grade.
August 26th - Meet the Teacher
Meet the Teacher will be today. The schedule is below.
Virtual Meet the Teacher and Parent Orientation Schedules
*will be recorded and loaded to LMS
Kindergarten- 9:00 Meet the Teacher/ Parent Orientation
1st grade- 10:00 Meet the Teacher/ Parent Orientation
2nd grade - 11:00 Meet the Teacher/ Parent Orientation
3rd grade- 12:00 Meet the Teacher/ Parent Orientation
4th grade - 1:00 Meet the Teacher/ Parent Orientation
5th grade 2:00 Meet the Teacher/ Parent Orientation
August 27th and 28th Onboarding
You and your child will continue to learn about virtual learning over these two days through a blend of synchronous and asynchronous lessons. The teacher will take attendance for these two days by monitoring your progress through the onboarding assignments. These assignments will are designed to help build your comfort and confidence with the virtual tools. They will also allow your student to get to know their virtual classmates and begin to make connections. Your teacher will cover this schedule during Meet the Teacher.
August 31st and Beyond
Monday, August 31st, will be our first full day of learning together virtually. By the thirty-first, you, and your child, will have gained confidence and understanding of the virtual tools which will be used to facilitate learning this year and ready to begin the work of the school year ahead. You will kick off your 2020-2021 school year with a Zoom Morning Meeting on the 31st. Morning Meeting will be a time to get to know classmates, make connections, and hear about the learning planned for that day. You will be able to count on daily Zoom Morning Meetings across the year to help you stay abreast of the day ahead.
Meet Your Fifth Grade Virtual Teachers
Ms. Dixon
Ms. Dixon will be teaching fifth grade.
Ms Evans
Ms. Evans will be teaching fifth grade.
Ms. Correll
Ms. Correll will be teaching fifth grade.
Together We're Making History!
We are all so excited and committed to making the 2020-2021 school year one for the history books. We believe that this year will deepen our connections to our FISD families and learners. We believe that relationships are at the heart of education. Though we may not be in the same physical space as our virtual learners, we will never sacrifice the deep connections that we desire between teachers and learners. We will continue to be focused on student success in both our face to face and virtual models. And because together we are might, we are confident that we, collectively as Mustangs, will continue to write a history we of which we are proud.