Dear Students and Families,
I write to you today to provide a brief update on the distance learning going on at the high school and to share our thinking about some of the critical philosophical steps we are taking to make sure that all students are adequately supported.
Though we are away from school, know that the health and wellness of all of our community, students, families and staff remains at the forefront. These days highlight the importance of maintaining safe and hygienic practices and, also, finding ways to keep our social connections intact. As always, we would like to highlight the great work our support team is doing to provide help to students and families in need. If you or your child is experiencing any level of need in the coming days, please do not hesitate to reach out to your school counselor, school psychologists or Gina Menendez, our district social worker.
Learning remotely can be challenging, and there can be a number of obstacles that can come between a student and desired learning outcomes. Please continue to communicate with teachers regarding your circumstances so that we can continue to work together and support you and your child. To help to bridge those gaps, teachers are asked to be mindful about the volume of work provided and are asked to focus those assignments on critical understandings. The use of technology is critical in the delivery of those learnings and we remain enthusiastic about the opportunity to take advantage of tools like Google Classroom, Google Hangout Meets and other resources to help achieve our learning goals.
With regard to grades, teachers are marking assignments on a completion basis. Feedback is delivered through the teacher gradebook in HAC. As shared in earlier communication, the matter of grades is something that we continue to actively discuss as a district. With that in mind, it remains critical that all assignments continue to be done with fidelity. We ask for your partnership in making certain that your child is submitting products that are reflective of their knowledge and skill. With the technology comes the ability to collaborate and communicate, and sometimes the temptation to make poor academic choices also arises. Teachers are able to learn more about our students and their growth when the work they submit is entirely their own. Students can seek clarity if they are unsure whether an assignment should be done independently or whether they can or should be collaborating with peers.
Please note that the last day of Quarter 3 has been moved to April 10th. Teachers will continue to provide feedback to students and mark assignments for completion for the remainder of the third quarter at this point.
Thank you for your ongoing partnership, support, patience and flexibility during this time. As always, please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions and please know that we will continue to share updates.
Best,
Juliet
