I hope this newsletter finds your families healthy, happy and eager to get outdoors as the weather gradually improves and warms up this spring. We really miss the human contact with your children as well as their parents! West is usually filled with enthusiasm and laughter. T his distance learning adventure is challenging so we were thrilled to be able to access google meets, allowing our teachers to interact more with their students and giving kids the opportunity to visit their classmates.

Survey Results on Time Spent on School Work

Thank you to those who completed the district survey on distance learning. Overall, our feedback was positive. We did receive parent feedback regarding the amount of time that their children are spending on school work. The majority of our parents felt that the amount of time was just right, while the percentage of parents who felt the time spent was too much or too little was about the same. As we have supported teachers in best practices in distance learning, we have referenced The National Board of Teaching Standards who recommends 2-3 hours/day for middle school learners in a distance learning environment. We know that each student is different and one child may take 20 minutes to do what another child spends 50 minutes completing each day. To more effectively personalize the workload for students, we are adding WIN time on Friday mornings in May, during which students can get extra support if they are struggling or opportunities for extension and enrichment to keep growing.

 

Change in Calendar and Schedule  

Last week, you received a letter from the Superintendent sharing some information about grading and calendar changes. In this Star Tracker, there are sections below with that information again. Please make sure you reference that info and let us know if you have questions. One of those changes is May 8, 15, 22, 29 will be WIN opportunities from 9:00am - 11:00am. Teacher planning time starts at 11:00. WIN time will look slightly different for students during Distance Learning. These are the goals we have set out for WIN time: 

Teachers are creating WIN offerings for students that they can access at any time throughout the week. This LINK will bring students to a slide presentation that will be added to during teachers planning days on May 1st and 4th. Each slide will consist of a different activity that your child can participate in during that WIN time if they are not receiving support from a classroom teacher or during other times throughout the week if they have finished their work and are looking for an enrichment activity.

Grading during Distance Learning

Now that we know we will complete our school year learning from a distance, the district put a lot of thought and effort into creating a grading option that best meets the needs of our students. Our focus is on teaching essential learning only and supporting each child through this process. Please see the link below to access our district grading policy during distance learning and please contact us if you have any questions.  District posting about grading

Again, thank you for your support during distance learning and please continue to contact us if you have questions, compliments or concerns.  We appreciate your feedback!