Dear Park Maitland Families,
We hope that you have enjoyed a relaxing Spring Break.
In light of the most recent coronavirus (COVID-19) developments and the mandate for the closure of all K-12 schools in the state of Florida, our school will remain closed,
as directed, through April 15th.
Per the preparations we referenced in previous communications, we will transition to distance learning next week and continue as long as the situation dictates. Please carefully review our (newly revised) “Transition Plans” below.
We recognize that these times are very stressful. Rest assured that our leadership team and faculty are working incredibly hard to not only ensure health and safety, but also to provide a continuing high quality education for our students. We understand that this will take some adjustment, but we will work closely with you as educational partners for your children. We ask for your patience and understanding during these trying times. Let us all work together on behalf of our children.
We are extremely grateful for the support, resiliency, and compassion of our parents, teachers, and staff as we all work together to make sure we are doing what is right to maintain a healthy and safe school community. As always, we will keep you updated on new developments as they relate to our school community while our campus remains closed.
Distance Learning Continuity Plan:
As outlined in last week’s communication, we have developed plans to provide distance learning support for all grades, as we continue with our current curriculum and shift teaching techniques to a distance learning scenario. We will phase in our Distance Learning Continuity Plan to ensure your family is supported.
On Monday, March 23 and Tuesday, March 24, the school will be closed for all students.
Teachers will use this time to continue preparations for remote learning.
On Tuesday afternoon, you are invited to campus to pick up materials from your child’s homeroom teacher for grades K-4 - Grade 2. (A limited number of teachers in the lower grades will be on campus for this task.) We have arranged for materials to be picked up in carpool “drive-through” fashion to allow for social distancing of teachers and parents. We will make arrangements for those families who are unable to pick up supplies in this fashion. Please reach out to your child’s respective homeroom teacher on Monday to devise an alternate pick up plan, if needed.
In Grade 3
, students will have access to all required resources necessary to complete assignments through the use of workbooks and online/hard copy textbooks at home and other digital resources sent directly by the teachers.
In Grades 4-6
, students will have access to all of the required resources necessary to complete assignments through the use of online tools/textbooks, their iPad, and/or hard copy textbooks at home.
Grade 4
students will have the option to pick up their iPad for use at home, although taking it home for distance learning is not required if your family has another device you wish to use.
In addition, you will also have the option to pick up your child's Envision hard copy textbook if you prefer him/her to have this rather than just the online Envision access. Grade 4 families will be emailed a signup form either today or tomorrow that will allow you to select pick up of either or both of these items at the designated pick up time for 4th grade.
To make this process as efficient as possible, please follow our usual dismissal pick up routine (in front of the gym) to pick up supplies. For families with multiple siblings in the following grades - please pick up the materials during your older student’s pick up time.
12:00-12:30 - K-4
12:30-1:00 - K-5
1:00-1:30 - 1st Grade
1:30-2:00 - 2nd Grade
2:00-2:30 - 4th Grade - iPad and/or Envision textbook pickup (if needed)
On Wednesday morning, March 25, we will begin sharing with you learning activities and provide direction on how you can best support your child’s distance learning. These activities will include a combination of independent assignments, adaptive learning platforms already being used by students, and live-streamed sessions using common video conferencing tools like Seesaw, Google Classroom, and Zoom to maintain the continuity of learning. It is expected that students in grades K-4 - grade 2 will need higher levels of support than students in grades 3-6.
The primary tools for communication between teachers and families will remain the same and are outlined in the chart below as they pertain to each grade level. Our teachers will also have access to a video conferencing tool called
Zoom
. Zoom will be used for opportunities for our teachers to connect with students for live instruction, discussions, and recordings that can also be watched at a later time. Zoom can be used on any device in a web browser or downloaded as an app on a phone or tablet. Our teachers will also be using this tool with one another for weekly grade level meetings for planning and collaboration.
