STHS April 24th Update

Website: http://stweb.gresham.k12.or.us
Location: 1440 SE Fleming Ave, Gresham, OR, United States
Phone: 503-261-4600
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpringwaterTrail/
Twitter: @STHS_Titans

Hello Springwater Students and Families,

We have wrapped up our second week of distance learning! I am proud of the students, families, and teachers who continue to work together to make the best out of a less than perfect scenario.

This newsletter contains a great Google Classroom tutorial. Google Classroom is the district platform for distance learning. The video explores the layout from both the student and parent perspective. Google Classroom is the best place to keep up to date on your student's academic progress.

Seniors: We will be having our first virtual senior meeting next Thursday, April 30th at 1:15pm. Check your school email for the Google Classroom invite.

Seniors (and your families) will also be receiving letters next week with information on any remaining classes you need to complete for your diploma. There will also be some additional graduation information for you and your family. Regardless of whether you have completed your courses, I strongly suggest seniors remain active in their classes and participate to the extent possible. There is educational value beyond credit. Additionally, Springwater is first and foremost a community -- and we want you to remain a part of it for as long as possible!

Since our last newsletter, there has been additional guidance from the State of Oregon regarding grading for grades 9-11. I have included the most common questions and answers below in our updated FAQ. I will also be periodically sending out voicemail messages because I know some families find it difficult to check/receive these digital updates.

Titans in grades 9-11: The most important thing you can do right now is participate as much as possible in your classes. This includes engaging in lessons and turning in as much of the assigned coursework.

Take care,

Ryan Blaszak

Springwater Main Office: 503.261.4600

Question: What if I still need a chromebook?

Answer: If you were unable to check one out over the past couple of weeks, please contact STHS at 503.261.4600 and we can schedule a time for you to check one out.

Question: What if I do not have Internet access?

Answer: Currently there are many FREE Xfinity guest access hot spots. You can find a list here: https://hotspots.wifi.xfinity.com/

Other Free hotspots: Please check with your cell phone carrier. All the major cellular vendors: Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile have offered free Hotspots. Most Internet providers are waiving late fees and suspending data usage limits due to COVID-19. Check out your specific company for more information

• www.cnet.com/news/carriers-are-suspending-internet-data-caps-during-coronavirus/

If you need Internet access please contact local providers, many are offering 60-day free access. Here is a list of providers in our area:

· Comcast basic internet is free for low-income customers for 60 days and $9.99/month after that: www.internetessentials.com/Apply

· Comcast: corporate.comcast.com/covid-19

· CenturyLink: news.centurylink.com/covid-19

The district is also looking into a plan to provide some additional wifi hot spots (internet accessible areas) around the city. If this happens, we will share this information as soon as it becomes available to us. In the meantime, please reach out to us and/or your student’s teachers and we will create an alternate plan for your student to receive lessons and assignments.

Question: When did distance learning start for students?

Answer: All students throughout the state of Oregon transitioned to distance learning on Monday, April 13th.

Question: What does this mean for students?

Answer: Beginning on April 13th, the lessons and activities your teacher posted online will be a part of your student’s current classes this semester. It is important for your student to complete assignments and participate in class.

Question: How do students earn credit?

Answer: All students in grades 9-12 will be receiving a "P" for "Pass" or an "I" for "Incomplete" for courses this semester. This is across the state of Oregon and was determined by Governor Kate Brown and the Oregon Department of Education. To earn a "P", students should participate as much as possible in all of their classes (by completing and turning in coursework, participating in class discussions when possible, posting answers to questions, engaging online with their teachers and class peers, etc.).

For seniors: We have reached out by phone to all of you and your families will be receiving a letter next week illustrating the courses/credits you are still required to complete for graduation (if any). As I mentioned above, my hope is you will continue to participate in your courses, regardless of whether you still need the credit for graduation. Springwater is first and foremost a community -- and we want you to remain a part of it for as long as possible!

Question: When do students need to attend class?

Answer: One of the wonderful things about distance learning is the flexibility! Your student’s assignments and lessons will be posted online and be available for students to access any time of the day or night. Teachers will also provide several days for the student to complete and turn in assignments.

Question: How do I know how my student is doing in their classes?

Answer: Teachers will be posting all lessons, activities, assignments, and feedback in their Google classes. Please DO NOT check Synergy StudentVue or ParentVue. Assignments will NOT be entered in Synergy. Parents can request weekly summaries from their students' Google classes. These summaries include missing assignments and upcoming assignment due dates. It is also very beneficial to sit down with your students and have them show you their google classes and the assignments they have completed and still need to complete. Within Google Classroom you will be able to see all the details of the assignment, the date is was assigned, and the date is was due. You will also be able to see when the assignment has been graded and the feedback from the teacher. To learn more about Google Classroom, watch the Google Classroom Overview YouTube video in this newsletter.

Question: How do I contact my student’s teacher?

Answer: Teachers are best reached via email. But you can also call the main office at 503.261.4600 and we can forward your message to them. Additionally, teachers have office hours M-F from 2pm - 4pm. Please keep in mind, teachers may be working with other students or families when you reach out to them and you may need to wait a few minutes or prefer to schedule a meeting.

Question: What if my student is unable to attend class during a live lesson?

Answer: There will be times (approximately once a week per class) when teachers may have a “live” class -- a chance for students to join a virtual class meeting, activity, lesson, or discussion. When these live activities occur, they will follow the schedule below.

Important: The schedule below is not a student schedule for when students must be logged into their classes. The purpose of this schedule is to minimize conflicts between teachers’ live lessons and to provide an overview of when teachers will schedule their live lessons (usually no more than once or twice a week).

If your student is unable to attend a live lesson -- that is ok! Many of these lessons will be recorded for your student to review at a later time.

Still have questions? Please call Springwater at 503.261.4600. Thank you!

· The best place to check how your student is doing is Google Classroom. You can even download the Google Classroom app for your phone. This is even more important now that the state has moved to Distance Learning!

· I would recommend sitting down with your student and have them open up their Google Classroom account for you. The login is their school email and their student ID number is the password.

· Once you have signed into their account, select the class you want. Next, click the “Classwork” tab, and then click on the "View your work" icon.

· There you can see a list of all assignments, due dates, task scores and the current overall percentage for the class. You can also see if they turned it in on time or not.

· One thing that helps students is be sure they "turn in" assignments by clicking the "Turn in" button in Google Classroom.

· Students should also be sure to turn assignments in, before the due date and time.