EM Welcome Back to School Letter 2020-21

Welcome Back Letter 2020-21

Posted on 08/26/2020

Dear Emerald Heights Families,

I want to start by acknowledging that I know this school year is starting out with a lot of uncertainty and maybe some anxiety for our students and parents. We will be starting our year fully remote for at least the first nine weeks and although it is not the school year we were expecting, our hope is to ensure that your student will have a rich and engaging learning experience.

We are just days away from your first teacher connection! By the end of the week, your child’s teacher will be contacting you to begin the process of getting you all the specific information you need to start the school year.

In the first five days of school, each family will participate in a scheduled virtual meeting with the teacher where you can:

Meet each other ‘face to face” (virtually), since we cannot meet in person yet.
Share some things about your child and family that are important to you.
Help you understand how online learning will work for at least the first 9 weeks of school.
Ask questions or clarify plans around accommodations or flexibility to meet unique needs.
Learn how CKSD can assist your family during remote learning.

Additionally, on Tuesday, the 8th of September, we will have student materials available for pick up at the school. Each student will receive consumable workbooks aligned to the curriculum as well as a student supplies kit. Be on the lookout for more details about this in the next few days.

If you need a Chromebook, those will not be handed out at our materials pick up. Instead, please use the link to the CK website to submit a request. Please see the link here.

A note to our kindergarten families… Kindergarten students traditionally begin school in a “slow start” to allow time for family connection, early learning collaboration, and assessments to learn about the skills and strengths of children in their classroom. This is true for this year as well! The calendar below outlines what to expect in the first weeks of school.

As always, we are here to help and we thank you for partnering with us during this time. We are excited for the start of the school year and are looking forward to getting our students back to learning!

Sincerely,

Stephanie Brush

Principal

*Please see below for an outline calendar of the first three weeks of school.

EM First Weeks of School Calendar Overview

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
		September 2nd	September 3rd	September 4th
	August 27: - Teachers contact parents via phone to introduce themselves - Welcome email from classroom teacher - Conference Sign Up	Virtual Family Connection Meetings Kindergarten: Scheduled WaKids meetings	Virtual Family Connection Meetings Kindergarten: Scheduled WaKids meetings	Virtual Family Connection Meetings Kindergarten: Scheduled WaKids meetings Grades 1-5: First drop of electronic weekly schedule and review activities for next week by 4pm
September 7th	September 8th	September 9th	September 10th	September 11th
Labor Day There will be no new learning this week, only review. The intent of this week is to allow time for continuing parent/family connections, getting students connected and familiar to Google Classroom, and making connections with their peers and teacher.	Virtual Family Connection Meetings Kindergarten: Scheduled WaKids meetings Grades 1-5: Learning Plan Week 1 (relationships, review activities, no new content) Back to School Materials Pick Up	Virtual Family Connection Meetings Kindergarten: Scheduled WaKids meetings Grades 1-5: Learning Plan Week 1 (relationships, review activities, no new content)	Virtual Family Connection Meetings Kindergarten: Scheduled WaKids meetings Grades 1-5: Learning Plan Week 1 (relationships, review activities, no new content)	Virtual Family Connection Meetings Kindergarten: Scheduled WaKids meetings Grades 1-5: Learning Plan Week 1 (relationships, review activities, no new content) K-5 Drop of Online Learning by 4:00pm *Kindergarten - First drop
September 14th	September 15th	September 16th	September 17th	September 18th
First Official Day of Remote Learning Begins! This will be NEW learning. - Check into Google Classroom and Google Meets - Engage with teacher’s online lessons, assignments, and meetings - Complete and turn in assignments in Google Classroom	Remote Learning - Check into Google Classroom and Google Meets - Engage with teacher’s online lessons, assignments, and meetings - Complete and turn in assignments in Google Classroom	Remote Learning - Check into Google Classroom and Google Meets - Engage with teacher’s online lessons, assignments, and meetings - Complete and turn in assignments in Google Classroom	Remote Learning - Check into Google Classroom and Google Meets - Engage with teacher’s online lessons, assignments, and meetings - Complete and turn in assignments in Google Classroom	Remote Learning - Check into Google Classroom and Google Meets - Engage with teacher’s online lessons, assignments, and meetings - Complete and turn in assignments in Google Classroom K-5 Drop of Online Learning by 4:00pm