Dear Garfield Families,
I hope you are staying as well as you can right now. This has been an unimaginable disruption on everyone’s lives, including changed schedules and routines.
To address student needs during this difficult time, our community is being asked to shift to distance learning on Monday, April 13th. This is new and challenging for everyone. Teachers and staff have been working to learn and prepare instruction for their students. At the same time, we have been focused on making connections with families to prioritize social/emotional and basic needs of students. I am confident our compassionate, caring, and creative staff will meet the challenges of distance learning and support our students (and parents) the best we can.
As we work through these uncertain times, know that we approach this work collaboratively. Staff, too, are adapting to a new normal for themselves in working from home, setting boundaries, taking care of family members and coming to terms with not being back in school for the rest of the year. We ask that you respect boundaries of communication frequency and times, so staff can be in the space to support your children. We ask that you hold grace, patience, and understanding for your teachers and children as we adapt to this global crisis.
Below are highlights from the district communication sent yesterday:
Communication
- Teachers will use Seesaw or Google Classroom for instruction.
- Teachers may use Google Hangouts or Zoom to virtually connect with students.
- Teachers will send out weekly supplemental learning opportunities
*Please keep teachers’ work hours in mind as you communicate with teachers. Text messages and phone calls at designated office hours that your teacher may communicate unless planned at another time with the teacher.
Live Sessions with Classroom Teachers
There may be two to three live connection sessions weekly
- Purpose is connection, not instruction.
- These sessions are not mandatory. It is an opportunity to build a classroom community.
Instruction
All elementary schools will follow the same weekly schedule of teacher-led lessons that includes:
- Monday: Counseling Lesson and Math\
- Tuesday: Library and Social Studies/Science or Health
- Wednesday: Music and Reading
- Thursday: Art and Writing
- Friday: PE
Plus, additional supplemental learning opportunities
It is an honor to serve as the principal of Garfield. We can do this. It won’t be easy. Working together, we will best support the growth of our children in this unprecedented time.
Sincerely,
Principal Santy
