Boone Meadow Community Update

Monday - March 23, 2020

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E-Day #6 Message

Good Morning, Boone Meadow Community -

Today is "Literacy Day" - We start our 4-day school week with your children focusing on literacy learning experiences throughout the day. These lessons were designed under the attentive talents of ZCS literacy coaches. Click below to hear this "Morning's Minute Message" by none other than the amazing Kim Gray. Also, don't forget to check your related arts rotation for the day. It is listed below.
Chalk the Walk - Over the weekend, I was able to enjoy so many encouraging messages and uplifting artwork as I strolled through our neighborhood. Thank you, families and students, for the thoughtful care and attention to speak into each other in creative ways. To see more examples of the outcomes, click here! https://padlet.com/thundley1/frsdig6uiuik
Spirit Week - For the week prior to Spring Break, I'm including a list of Spirit Week ideas. (More info below & completely optional, of course) We will have a Padlet up for the entire week for students, staff, and families to post pictures. https://padlet.com/thundley1/Bookmarks
Message from Dr. Robison - I've included a copy of important information sent from Dr. Robison on Friday afternoon. You can find that information below.
Friday's "We Miss You Guys!!" video - Response from the video was so incredibly positive and heartwarming, so I've decided to leave it in our update for a couple more days.It is located below.

Be well my friends.

Tom

Minute Morning Message - from Kim Gray

Kim Gray is the Boone Meadow Literacy Coach, and she is quite beloved by adults and students alike. Click below to hear her message regarding today's E-Day experiences

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Spirit Week - March 23rd-26th

Let's show a little spirit while we are doing school at home! Start figuring out, now, how you will represent! THIS will be fun!!!

Monday- Mis-Match &/or Mustache Day- Mix up the clothing, and maybe even wear a mustache. We can't wait to see what you create.

Tuesday- Team Wear Tuesday- Wear your favorite sports team jerseys/tops or ZCS/BME gear.

Wednesday- Everyone's favorite! PJ day! Stay in your PJs-don't get dressed (wait...did you do that all last week?)

Thursday- Vacation Wear Day- Hey, we're going on Spring Break! Do you have a favorite hat from vacation? Favorite t-shirt? Wear one, wear them both! Maybe you have a jacket or a towel- you make the call.

Post pictures and captions for any and all spirit days here: https://padlet.com/thundley1/Bookmarks

Letter to Families from Dr. Robison

March 20, 2020

Dear ZCS Families:

Good evening. The second segment of our shared eLearning journey is almost upon us. The first segment (closure and conversion to eLearning) has but four days next week, and then segment two (spring break extension and the new abnormal new normal) will begin. Segment three (beyond May 1) is not completely assured, but how about we have it at the ready as previewed below?

We have been ordered to eLearning until at least May 1 by Governor Holcomb. Few of us believe that we are coming back to school site service for our students this school year. And so, we're sharing the full calendar plan. The balance of the school year (pictured below) will only be altered if the Governor declares that school may reopen--and our Board of Trustees concurs with this assessment--after May 1. Communicating a full eLearning calendar plan throughout May ensures that families do not have to wonder what we will do if the Governor's order is not lifted. (And if it is, we'll happily resume services as we knew them before last Friday--which really seems like eons ago, doesn't it?)

Spring Break and The Week of April 6-10

Spring break will be extended for families through Tuesday, April 7. (Monday and Tuesday, April 6 and 7 are teacher work days.)
New eLearning content will be provided on eLearning school days for students on Wednesday and Thursday, April 8 and 9.
On Friday, April 10, students are off, and teachers have a Friday workday that will become the norm for subsequent weeks.

The New Abnormal New Normal!

All school weeks after April 10 will involve eLearning Monday through Thursday.
Fridays April 10, 17, and 24, and May 1, 8, 15, and 22 are non-student days (unless we get to return after May 1).
This calendar uses 10 waiver days of the 20 afforded us by the Governor's recent order.
May 26-28 are shown as potential make-up days because they were on the Board adopted calendar, but this seems highly unlikely.

Other Important Notices for this Update

Our facilities are closed to the public. So, there's that--and this other stuff, too!

We love you, but we're closed. There has been a skeleton crew at our Educational Services Center this week for package delivery and critical (socially distanced) meetings about our new school design, essential repairs to be done this summer, and so on, but we are not open to the public. Sorry.
Kindergarten Round-Up! Uh, nope. We are going to be registering our newest little Eagles online this year (starting next Monday) with the hope of doing an event to welcome all new families in the late summer.
AP Tests: This afternoon we learned that Advance Placement (AP) course tests will utilize NO face-to-face testing. AP testing will occur but will be administered via computers on two separate dates yet to be announced. Test length will be approximately 45 minutes and focus on material normally taught by early March. Further details will be shared when available.
Prom and other Senior Rites including Commencement: Having April officially knocked out puts us to the May time frame for contemplating many hugely important events for the Class of 2020 (and others). We continue to evaluate options as we await clear information about what May and June will bring.
We prefer live, "being there" school, too... The ZCS mission is best served in real time in shared spaces. Our people pulled that professional practice out into cyberspace and flipped it on its head with digital tools and dis-aggregated, distant groups of students this week. I'm not shy about admitting that it is not as personal and in real-time as high quality homeschooling could be, for those with the interest, talent, and time to make that work for their children. But I'm proud of an amazing week of our teachers and counselors developing new ways to link and think with more than 7,000 students. AND WE ALL KNOW that it could not have happened without parents spinning a bunch of plates so masterfully. Thank you, partners!
Turning Pages: A weekend installment of "Page Two" will be constructed for release at some point before Monday, and I will then mercifully 'ix-nay the daily-ay' of eLearning updates. I repeat that "Page Two" is completely optional, and I invite all persons annoyed by those behind-the-scenes, special guest writer, and occasionally quirky "Did you know-esque?" collections to delete upon receipt. No harm no foul. For the six or eight of you who do read it, please note that "Living in the Asterisk" is worth your time this weekend, to be sure. So, I'll see some of you online.

I hope this correspondence has found you healthy, happy, and excited about the found time this odd situation affords many* of us--even though we all want it to end as soon as possible. Thank you for staying smart, staying home, and staying in touch about the important work drawn to ever-closer collaboration by us because of CoVID-19--helping our school community's young people grow and prepare for leading the world they will very soon inherit.

See you online sometime soon!

All the best.

Scott Robison

Superintendent of the Temporarily Online Zionsville Community Schools

*Public safety pros, medical services pros, enlisted persons, and so many more local people on the front lines for all of us. I'm just noting their extraordinarily heavy and perilous lifts during this time. Please think out loud or in your quiet moments about them, too. Thanks.