Dear Draper Families,
I hope you and your family are well and in good health. The purpose of this letter is to outline a Distance Learning Plan for Draper students, set to begin on Monday March 23rd.
Draper Distance Learning Goals
We at Draper have two primary goals for distance learning:
- Provide engaging online lessons that focus on the essential skills and content in each subject area. These include new skills and content.
- Provide opportunities for students to hear their teacher’s voice, see their face, and connect.
We hope to achieve these goals while knowing that these are trying times for many. We understand the stress that many families are under, and so we have attempted to develop a distance learning schedule with flexible parameters. Here is our weekly schedule, set to begin Monday, March 23:
Monday
- ELA
- Math
- Free Reading
- Physical Activity/Exercise
Tuesday
- Social Studies
- Science
- World Language (grade 8 only)
- Free Reading
- Physical Activity/Exercise
Wednesday
- ELA
- Math
- Free Reading
- Physical Activity/Exercise
Thursday
- Social Studies
- Science
- World Language (grade 8 only)
- Free Reading
- Physical Activity/Exercise
Friday
- Specials
- Free Reading
- Physical Activity/Exercise
Distance Learning Lessons
Teachers will post lessons on their assigned days in their Google Classroom. Each lesson should take approximately 45 minutes for students to complete. In addition to the content lessons students should complete, we ask that students spend approximately 30 minutes free reading, and devote at least one hour of physical activity / exercise. This all should add up to a grand total of to approximately 3 hours of student school responsibilities (including exercise) each school day. Our counseling staff will also post mini-lessons on mental health and self care, and plan to check in with their students regularly. Staff will also make themselves available via Google Classroom, email, or through another online program, where the teacher will be able to respond to student questions and provide assistance in near-real time. Faculty will post this information for students in their Google Classroom.
Students should begin each school day by going to their Google Classroom homepage on the Chromebook. They should start by checking our school-wide Warrior Guild Classroom, where I plan to post a daily video message outlining the day. 95% of Draper students are a part of the Warrior Guild; those who need to join can use this code to join: 3c4wfgr. After watching the daily announcement students should then check their teacher Google Classrooms for that day. For example, a student on Monday should access and work in their ELA and Math Google Classrooms. Our students are highly competent in Google Classroom, however if any questions arise the student or you should email his or her teacher directly for help.
Grading
Teachers will likely ask for students to submit work through their Google Classroom. However, for the time being, no formal grades will be assigned through distance learning. For grade reporting purposes, we will consider Friday March 13th as the last day of Quarter 3. Students can submit any owed work prior to 3/13 to their teacher digitally. The deadline for owed work is Friday April 3rd. We plan to post Quarter 3 report cards on SchoolTool April 9th, as originally planned. A plan for Quarter 4 grading will be developed if distance learning is extended past April 3rd.
Even though students will not receive formal grades for the time being, it is essential that they engage with each lesson and do their best. These lessons focus on critical skills and content, and students who do not put forth their best effort risk creating gaps in knowledge and skill, and may find it difficult to catch up when we return to school.
Meals
We have created a “Grab and Go” breakfast and lunch option district-wide and through this have been able to meet one of our very basic needs for many of our families. The District will continue to provide meals to any in-district students in need of a “grab and go” manner via curbside delivery to cars. Parents should sign up for grab and go meals at the following link. The food pick up location for students from all schools is the High School Auditorium Lobby from 9:30am-11:30am every other day. Next week (week of March 23), grab and go will be on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Grab and go will then be available Tuesday and Thursday during the week of March 30, should we be closed past April 1st. We are also able to supplement families with resources from our building Anchor Room. We will also continue serving the families connected to the Backpack Program. If you are in need of resources or school supplies, please contact the main office for assistance.
Student Email
In order to facilitate direct communication between teachers and students, we have turned on student school email accounts. Students will only be able to send emails to others who have a mohonasen.org account. Students can access their email through the mail app on their chromebook. Students will not be able to permanently delete any emails, and must adhere to our Acceptable Use Policy. I will talk about email with students during my Monday, March 23 daily announcement.
This is a major shift for many, including our faculty. Please be patient as I am sure there will be hiccups as we begin distance learning. Do not hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher via email, or contact me with any questions or feedback. Please check the District Homepage regularly and follow us on Twitter: @MohonCSD and @DraperMiddle. I am incredibly proud of how well our school community has come together during this unprecedented time. We miss our students and are looking forward to seeing them again.
Mohon Proud,
Rick Arket
Draper Principal
518-356-8350
rarket@mohonasen.org
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