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3/11/2020
Greetings HDS Families,
We want to update you on our preparations, thus far, for our Distance Learning program. The technology team has been working closely to train the faculty and ensure that they have all the resources they need. We are using a snow day to close school on
Monday, March 23
(the Monday after spring break) to further train the teachers and fully prepare them should we need to utilize Distance Learning. We will be closing that day regardless of the situation at that time.
As we prepare for the possibility of Distance Learning, I encourage parents to do the same. Things to consider include establishing a quiet spot for your child to participate in video-conference instruction, having necessary supplies (pencils, crayons, white paper, looseleaf, ink cartridges, etc.) to complete school projects, and planning for childcare in the event that your workplace remains open when school is closed. If Distance Learning is implemented, students in grades 6 & 7 will be able to use their school-required devices; arrangements can be made for other students to borrow school-owned devices. This will be on a first come, first served basis. Should you need to borrow a device, arrangements may be made through Tracy Schoene, Director of Technology. Students will also begin bringing home textbooks and materials, starting today, through the end of the week. Please remember to send these items back to school with your child when the time comes.
Should we need to implement Distance Learning, the following expectations will be in place:
- All students will check in with their homeroom teachers/advisors via Google Meet every morning at 8:00 a.m. for daily updates and attendance. Google Meet can be accessed through any internet connected device (smartphone, laptop, desktop, iPad, tablet, etc.)
- Should your child be sick and unable to connect at 8:00 a.m., please email the Homeroom Teacher/Advisor.
- Information regarding how to connect to Google Meet will be available on the Homeroom News (Little Dragons-5th grade) /Advisory (Grades 6-8) page of the portal the day before Distance Learning begins. Please familiarize yourself with where to find that page: My Children/Academics/Courses/Homeroom News or Advisory.
- Your child's teachers will post lesson expectations and assignments on their class pages.
- Lessons will come in a variety of formats from pre-recorded or live teacher videos to links and documents. Some assignments will need to be emailed to the teachers or shared through Google Drive. Please familiarize yourself with your child's teachers' email addresses which can be found in the Faculty & Staff Directory on the portal under the course HDS Resources.
For now, all school activities are expected to continue as planned with the exception of the school closing on Monday, March 23. We will communicate directly if our plans or situation change. Please refer to the school's COVID-19 webpage for additional information and links about the virus. Thank you for partnering with us to keep our school community as healthy as possible. It is most definitely a team effort.
Susan Kearney
Head of School
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