WHPS Remote Learning High School
October 9, 2020
Family Updates for October 9
Good Afternoon Remote High School Families,
I hope this week finds you all safe and healthy. This week we will reach the midway point for our first academic quarter. Teachers are busy making sure their gradebooks are updated so that families have a good sense of how learning is progressing in each class. I would ask that families spend time this coming week to review their child’s progress in each of their classes. Consider asking questions to your child such as those below as a means to engage them in reflection on their own learning progress.
What activities have you found most engaging this year?
What activities have you found most challenging so far?
What are two things that you are proud of (or doing well in) this year?
What are 1-2 things you can do to improve your success in your remote classes?
What things are impacting your ability to do better?
As a reminder, this Wednesday, October 14th we have two major events happening -
First, in the morning students in Grade 10 and 11 will be taking their PSATs in person at their sending school. Information was sent out to these students from their sending schools. More information about this can be found below.
Second, we have our RLE Curriculum Night that same evening. Please be sure to review the information below about how to access this event.
As we move into this coming week, I did want to remind you all that there is no school on Monday in observance of Indigenous Peoples Day. Please enjoy the long weekend and we look forward to seeing you back on Tuesday.
Below are some reminders and updates for your family. Please take time to review this information and forward any questions you might have.
Your partner in education,
Timothy Kessler, Ed.D.
Scheduling Resources
Just another reminder - There is NO SCHOOL on Monday.
To continue to help families navigate the changing weekly schedule I am including a template that allows you to add in your teacher meeting link codes in order to more easily determine which classes you have and at what day and time. Please feel free to make a copy of this and fill it out with information related to your specific schedule.
A/B/C/D Remote Scheduling Document with Google Meeting Links
High School Curriculum Night - Wednesday, October 14th 6:30 - 8:05
We are excited to announce that we have set the dates for our High School Curriculum Night. Due to safety concerns, we will be holding this event virtually. Curriculum Night is a great opportunity for you to meet many of your students’ teachers and to learn more about what they are learning in their classes.
Over the next few days teachers will be sending you emails with an introductory video related to their classes as well as a link to a Google Meeting. Our hope is that the videos provide you an opportunity to learn about the teacher and the course expectations. The meetings are designed to allow families the opportunity to follow-up with teachers about general questions they might have. Please note that given the brief nature of these meets, these are not intended to be a time for parents to conference about their specific child. Parent/Teacher conferences will be held in November. If there is a need to discuss something before then, I would encourage you to email or call those specific teachers to set something up sooner.
To help ensure that you are able to access these presentations, you will need to be signed in through a gmail account. If you do not have your own gmail account, we would ask that you sign-in with your child’s school WHPS Google Account before accessing the links below - this will guarantee that you can access these meeting links.
Evening Schedule
6:30-6:55 - Welcome and Introductions with Administration (Click for Meeting Link)
7:00-7:06 - A Day Block 1 Teacher Meeting
7:08-7:14 - A Day Block 2 Teacher Meeting
7:16-7:22 - A Day Block 3 Teacher Meeting
7:24-7:30 - A Day Block 4 Teacher Meeting
7:35-7:41 - B Day Block 1 Teacher Meeting
7:43-7:49 - B Day Block 2 Teacher Meeting
7:51-7:57 - B Day Block 3 Teacher Meeting
7:59-8:05 - B Day Block 4 Teacher Meeting
Parent Resources
To help you keep track of the class meetings, please consider using this document.
PSAT - In-Person on October 14, 2020
Students in grades 10 and 11 will be participating in the PSATs on October 14, 2020 from approximately 7:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. Please note that on Wednesday, October 14, 2020, only sophomores and juniors will be in their home school buildings. Students in the RLE will be testing in a separate location and in small groups of approximately 10 students in a classroom.
Sophomores
All grade 10 students will be in person at their home school on October 14th, 2020 to take the PSAT if they choose to participate. There is no cost for this test for sophomores and registration is not required. Students will receive specific instructions as to where to report and what to bring prior to testing day. Taking the PSAT in the sophomore year is helpful for students so they can determine their strengths and areas for growth to focus their preparation for the SAT in the junior year. We encourage sophomore students who may need accommodations (e.g., extended time) to take the PSAT under standard administration conditions. As a practice experience, this will enable them to determine the exact type of accommodations needed when testing as a junior, as scores on the junior year PSAT are used to qualify students for National Merit Scholarship consideration.
Juniors
All grade 11 students will be in person at their home school on October 14th, 2020 to take the PSAT if they choose to participate. West Hartford Public Schools encourages all juniors to take the PSAT/NMSQT in the fall of their junior year. All juniors will take the SAT in the spring of 2021 as it is the required state assessment for literacy and mathematics. The junior year PSAT also serves as an excellent source of feedback to students on their individual skills. The PSAT/NMSQT in the junior year is the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship program which honors the top one-half of one percent of the nation’s top students. Finalists are announced in the fall of the senior year.
Junior Cost: $20.00*
*If you are approved for free/reduced priced lunch, please check the appropriate box when you register online to receive a reduction in cost.
Registration:
Online PSAT registration will begin on Wednesday, September 30, 2020 and will end on Monday, October 12, 2020 at 11:59 PM. Registration for PSAT is done through the parent portal of Power School following these steps:
1. Log in to your PowerSchool account here: https://powerschool.whps.org/public/home.html
2. On the left navigation menu, select MySchoolBucks
3. You will be directed to MySchoolBucks to complete the registration process. You will select your school and the PSAT/NMSQT.
Students in Grades 9 and 12 will not have formal classes on October 14th, 2020.
All students in grades 9 and 12 will NOT have formal class meetings this day as a number of staff will be proctoring these in person assessments. Teachers will provide students with assignments to complete asynchronously on this date.
Principal’s Coffee - Thursday, October 22nd
Please consider attending an opportunity to attend an open discussion with us. These meetings are unstructured and serve as a time to allow parents the opportunity to ask questions. To help accommodate as many families as possible, we will offer a morning session and evening session. While we would hope that you would be able to attend one of these times, please note that these discussions often lead to shares in the weekly newsletter.
Thursday, October 22nd from 9:00am - 10:00am
Online Learning Tips - Tutorials for Families
Are you looking for some tips on how to help your child access their remote learning opportunities? If so, please consider viewing this presentation from our Library Media Specialists. It includes information about how to pin Chromebook tabs, create bookmarks, and turn on/off emails from Google Classroom.
FREE Grab and Go Meals
Our grab and go meal program is available to all families and breakfast and lunch continue to be free for all WHPS students. Click here for more information about the WHPS Free Breakfast and Lunch
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
Important Dates
September
10/12 - No School - Indigenous Peoples Day
10/14 - RLE High School Curriculum Night
11/3 - No School - Election Day
http://whps.org/remotelearning
Mrs.Angela Tokarz , Remote Middle School Secretary
Location: 50 South Main St, Room 412
Phone: 860-561-6609