Hosack Happenings
Week of May 25-29, 2020
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Remote Check-In
Thank you so much for your patience and assistance with the remote check-in process so far. Most students are checking in without any technical issues. However, if you run across any problems with checking in your student please email Mrs. Miller at sumiller@northallegheny.org and she can update the attendance to present. Also, you might receive an email from the district at the beginning of the week, every week, to let you know that your student missed the check-in on one or more specific days the week before. If you get one of these emails, please provide an excuse through the link provided and we will make the change in attendance.
Here is some advice from our Tech Services team that might help the check-in process work more smoothly:
- When students are done for the day, make sure they are logged out of Tiger ID and do a fresh login every time they want to check-in for attendance. (Sometimes they will be signed in overnight which can cause errors when signing in.)
- (Students with siblings) It may help to be sure to use their separate designated devices or to make 100% sure that student A is completely logged out before student B trying to check in--early on, we saw some cases of one sibling not registering as checked in because they clicked the check-in button when logged in as the other sibling.
- If possible, it is recommended to try and check-in around 8:30 a.m. each morning due to the high volume of Tiger ID sign-ins closer to 8:50 a.m. when the secondary students start checking in. If that’s not possible, a later check-in (closer to Noon) may also work better.
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Greetings from Dr. Mathieson
Dear Families,
As quoted by Greek Philosopher, Heraclitus, “The only constant in life is change”, and change continues to shape our school experiences as the year winds down! This week, a decision was made to change the last student date for attendance to Friday, June 5. This change will allow for each school to arrange the distribution of student materials and projects that were left in the school building, in addition to providing professional development for staff as we refine our remote learning platform and instructional practices. These activities will take place the week of June 8.
I will be sending specific directions, details and assigned times for families to report to Hosack for the collection of your child(ren)’s materials, which will include personal items from desks/closets, picture orders, yearbooks, and artwork. This process will also include an opportunity to return material to the school, such as library books, textbooks (Science), classroom library books, and instruments. Through the generosity of our Parent Faculty Association and the support of membership, every child in the building will be receiving a gift, which will be included in the distribution of materials. Please be sure to look for an email from me in the upcoming week regarding the plans for June 10th.
Due to the changes to our school calendar dates, our staff will be looking at adjusting virtual activities that were pre-planned. I ask for your patience and flexibility while we address the details that come with these changes and any questions that arise. One of the activities that we had planned was a virtual Field Day. I will confirm the date and details of this activity and will communicate with the Hosack Community as soon as possible.
Finally, I couldn’t overlook the calendar entry for this past Thursday, where we were to have breakfast to honor our parent volunteers. I am saddened that we could not provide a lovely event to show you our gratitude and appreciation for the time that our parents devote to supporting the school and providing special activities for our children. While there are not enough words to express the great fortune we have with our parental involvement and support at Hosack, an event in the Fall will be planned for our staff to honor parent volunteers and show our appreciation. For the parents of our 5th graders who do not have younger children attending Hosack, I will not be letting you move on to the middle school world without a special recognition, so please stay tuned…
As always, I am missing your children and wishing everyone good health and positive thoughts!
With Immeasurable Gratitude and Love,
Dr. Mathieson
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HES Connects - Principal's Corner
Google Classroom Updates
Reminder: Each Friday through June 5th, students in grades 3, 4, and 5 will have an opportunity to visit Dr. Mathieson during their appointed “virtual office hour”.
*New* - Students in Grades K-2 - On Wednesday, May 27, join Dr. Mathieson for a “Marvel-ous” Wednesday! Dress up as your favorite Marvel Universe character to listen to some comics, watch a short video, and play a couple of Marvel-themed games! It is so important for all of us “Hosack Heroes” to stick together :)
More information about the virtual principal office hours for grades 3 - 5 and the Marvel-ous Wednesday activities for K-2 can be accessed in the
Google Classroom, “HES Connects - Principal’s Corner”. Use classroom code y4q3yex. For students who have not already joined this class in Google, the link is provided with this announcement.
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Hosack Library Birthday Book
Celebrate your child’s birthday this month and give the gift of reading to Hosack Elementary students!
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Tiger Strong Live Long Mental and Emotional Well-Being Resources
Since we are unable to see students each day in the school buildings for our usual conversations, information sharing, and check-ins, we have created a “virtual” place where students and their families can visit to gain and utilize resources to support students’ mental and emotional well-being. Students' mental health and happiness are just as important to us as academics during this time of remote learning at home.
This site, “Tiger Strong Live Long”, is a resource guide meant to answer questions, provide information, and give you real-life tips and strategies from familiar voices at school.
Remember: Reach out to someone if you need help. We’re all in this together.
STAY #TigerStrong
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May 25 - Memorial Day - No School
May 26 - Pause (PAWS) Day
June 5 - Last Day of School for All Students
June 10 - Student material distribution (more details to come)
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Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information
Coronavirus (COVID-19) updates are archived on the North Allegheny website. This designated webpage will be updated as new information is provided.
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Remote Learning Guidelines
The District will continue with the remote learning plan for the duration of the closure of our buildings. Details on remote learning for elementary and secondary students can be found on the NA website.
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NASD School Year to End on June 5 for All Students
The North Allegheny Board of School Directors voted at their Regular Meeting on Wednesday, May 20, to
end the 2019-2020 school year and remote learning for all students on Friday, June 5. This early end date allows the District to use the week of June 8 to provide professional learning opportunities for staff members and coordinate the collection/return of student materials. Details about the collection/return of student materials will be sent in the coming weeks. This plan allows us to efficiently close out the current school year and effectively plan and prepare for the 2020-2021 school year.
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All District Outdoor Facilities to Open on May 22
When schools were officially closed in March to comply with the Governor's stay-at-home order, we also closed all school facilities, including outdoor fields, courts, playgrounds, etc. out of concern that the limited staff may not be able to maintain the facilities. Starting Friday, May 22 the District is reopening outside facilities following the guidelines below:
- All District outdoor facilities (fields, playgrounds, basketball courts, tennis courts, etc.) will be open for general use by the public. This does not include Newman Stadium.
- Contact sports and organized practices are prohibited.
- Facilities are not available for rent.
- Social distancing guidelines must be maintained.
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Pause Days
North Allegheny School District students will participate in “Pause Days” on the dates below. “Pause Days” are intended to give students opportunities to catch up on assigned work, and no new instruction or assignments will be assigned for the specific grade levels. Teachers will be participating in activities outside of their normal instructional duties, and may not be available via email on these days. Secondary teachers will not be holding “office hours” on these days.
Pause Days for Elementary Buildings: Tuesdays in May (5/19, and 5/26)
Pause Days for Middle and High School Buildings: Wednesdays in May (5/20, and 5/27)
On each “Pause Day”, students are still required to check-in for daily attendance by logging into TigerID and clicking on the Remote Learning Check-In App. Click here for directions:
https://nasd.school/StudentRemoteCheckIn.
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Volunteer Clearances
School volunteers need to update volunteer clearances every five years. This program began five years ago this coming fall, and many volunteers have clearances expiring in the coming months. Please
reference the North Allegheny School District website for further information about the types of clearances needed and how to update those clearances.
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Missed a Newsletter?
All building newsletters are archived weekly on the North Allegheny website. This designated webpage will be updated with links to the previous week’s newsletters at the beginning of each school week by 11:30 a.m. A link to the archive is accessible on the District’s homepage and on each building’s homepage.
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The North Allegheny School District often receives requests for the distribution of athletics and approved non-profit community organization digital flyers. All requests for community flyers to be included in this newsletter must be submitted via email only at
flyers@northallegheny.org. Flyers will only be posted and removed from the District website on Friday.
Visit our website for details on how to submit flyers.
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Main Office - 412-366-9664
Nurse's Office - 412-366-9664
Counseling Office - 412-366-9664
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