Our first family newsletter of the 20-21 school year with info about Chromebooks, Back to School Night, class placement and our virtual learning schedule! |
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A Message from Principal Engelkins |
Welcome to the 20-21 school year! We know this year will be like none other, and are excited to partner with you to make it the best possible for our students.
We plan to use this newsletter, along with a family website that's in progress, to keep you updated on all of the latest information regarding Virtual Learning 2.0 at Schenk this fall.
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We recognize that this time poses many challenges for families. Please know we are committed to doing our best to help all students be successful with Virtual Learning 2.0. Through regular communication with each of you, we will work to make the virtual learning format fit the needs of your family and accelerate learning for your student.
Thanks for your partnership during these unprecedented times. Together we will have a strong start to the 2020-2021 school year!
Sincerely,
Ms. Amy Engelkins
Principal
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Meet our Schenk Staff Virtually! |
We will be sending emails this week and next sharing your student's homeroom teacher. Your student's teacher will then be reaching out to set up a time for you to have an individual Meet & Greet via Zoom or over the phone in the next few weeks. This will be an opportunity for you and your student to meet your teacher, and for your family to share a bit about your student as well as ask any questions you may have.
September 2nd and 3rd we will host Virtual Back to School Nights on Zoom. These will be held on Zoom by grade level. Schenk staff will share a bit about themselves, your student's schedule and SeeSaw, which will be the online platform we'll use for Virtual Learning 2.0. We hope to see you there!
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Upcoming Events
Weeks of August 24 & August 31 Class Placement decisions will be sent via email.
Aug 27-Sept. 2- Chromebook exchange for new and returning Schenk students at LaFollette from 8am-3pm.
Sept. 2, 6-8pm Zoom Back to School Night for Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grades, more info to come
Sept. 3, 6-8pm Zoom Back to School Night for 3rd-5th Grades, more info to come
Sept 8, 8:30- 3:30- First Day of School with live virtual instruction
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MMSD Chromebook Exchange & Pick-Up |
Students in grades 1-5 who have a MMSD-issued Chromebook will need to return it to LaFollette High School to exchange it for a new laptop to use this year. The schedule is divided by grade level, please check it out here.
Kindergarten families,
If your student will need a MMSD Chromebook for virtual learning, please plan to go to La Follette High School between 8am-3pm on August 31st to pick up a laptop. More info can be found here.
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Virtual Learning Schedule
Based on feedback from the spring, we will have LIVE or synchronous virtual learning for students daily, with the exception of Wednesdays.
All students will start the day on Zoom at 8:30 with a Morning Meeting and end by 3:30, with recess, breaks, and lunch all built in.
Live learning in literacy and math will happen each day, with opportunities for Specials classes (Physical Education, Music, and Art) and Science and Social Studies throughout the week as well.
With more live instruction, students will get to see and engage with their teachers and peers frequently.
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Wednesday's Schedule
There will be no live instruction for students on Wednesdays. Instead, students will engage with recorded videos, or tasks posted in SeeSaw, our online learning platform.
This will provide for flexibility with the schedule on Wednesdays as students can complete tasks at their own pace or in a time frame that works for your family.
Please note that school starts on Tuesday, Sept 8th and this will include LIVE instruction. The second day of school, Sept 9th is a Wednesday and will be asynchronous, or rather recorded lessons to do at your student's own pace.
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Social Emotional Learning & Wellness during Virtual Learning
We have heard from many families that connection with peers and opportunities for social emotional learning were challenges during virtual learning in the spring. This fall we aim to embed social emotional learning through our content areas and provide specific time focused on social emotional skill development weekly. Additionally, we are planning for opportunities for students to connect with their peers more informally, as they would if we were physically at school. Our students’ wellness and social emotional development is important to us as we support their academic growth.
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Community Resources
We know beginning the year completely virtually may pose childcare challenges for some families. The City of Madison has created this website to provide support with childcare, housing, food, jobs and internet access.
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