3/20/2020
Dear High School Families,
We want to thank everyone for their patience and support as we move forward with plans for distance learning at Hawthorne Valley. This is a new exploration for all of us, and we can anticipate that changes and improvements to our initial plans will be made. The faculty understands that flexibility and creativity will be called for, and we are committed to working with you so that we all get the most benefit we can out of this experience.
Communication will be as important as ever during this time. To that end,
we ask that email be the first line of contact with teachers
, unless individual teachers request a different means of contact. Faculty will, for the most part, be working from home, and individual schedules may not align with “office hours” as we manage our distance learning classes, in addition to caring for our own families and loved ones in many cases. For time-sensitive messages, you may also text me or Ms. Lee at our phone numbers, but understand we may not be able to respond immediately.
We will use various approaches for distance learning, including Edmodo learning management system,
Zoom
meetings, and others.
When possible, we will use Edmodo as a central point of contact
, however we will need to see how effective this is in practice. Everyone should already be signed up with Edmodo, and if you want to use the Zoom app you can download it for free. For some classes that need the exchange of paper resources, such as History through Architecture and Projective Geometry, we plan to have a pick up and drop off station in the Practical Arts building hallway.
If travel and isolation guidelines become more restrictive, we will review this policy.
Morning announcements will continue to go out by email, via Constant Contact and Edmodo. This will be scheduled at 8:00 each morning, and will go to parents and students, so please look for it. We will use this as a way to include updates and an overview for each grade. All emailed communications will be archived at the high school Interim Learning Plans and Resources page of the school website's Parent Portal.
https://school.hawthornevalley.org/portals/parent-portal/interim-learning-plans-and-resources/
During this distance learning phase of the school year, our expectations and requirements of students will be modified.
Attendance will be required in real time for some classes
, like Zoom meetings and conference calls.
Assignments will be required to be completed by their due dates
. Our expectations will also extend to what might be called digital citizenship and etiquette. For example, during Zoom meetings with video you should wear appropriate clothing. When participating in a Zoom meeting or conference call with many participants, it is important that members who are not speaking mute their microphones. Raising your hand to be called on is, if anything, more important in this format than in the classroom.
We will plan to check in with each student individually at least once a week
to find out how things are working out. Students should definitely let us know if they are having trouble with assignments, or experiencing technical difficulties. Ms. Young is also available via email, Zoom, Skype, or phone to help students who are experiencing anxiety or negative feelings about school, life, or the state of the world. Please let Nurse Kara know about any illnesses you are experiencing.
On Monday morning at 9:00 am
we will experiment with a
virtual high school morning meeting via Zoom.
Once I have scheduled this, I will send invitations to each student and teacher. You can join over the computer or smart phone by clicking on the link in the invitation. This initial meeting should last no more than half an hour.
Thanks to all the teachers who are working hard to adjust to this new way of teaching, and to all of you parents and students for joining us on this adventure. None of us would have wished for this, but let's all make the most of it since we're here!
Warmly,
Simon Frishkoff
Below are teachers' email addresses, for reference:
