Dear EMS Families,
Thank you all for your work to support your children during this emergency remote learning reality. My heart is full as I think of what you are balancing, and I send my best to each of you in camaraderie.
Monday, April 13th will mark our next transition to the “Continuity of Learning" phase. The four Guiding Principles, identified in the VT Agency of Education’s Continuation of Learning Plan Tool framed the development of our plan.
Health and Safety. Doing everything that we can to support the health, safety, and well-being of our students and their families is our top priority. This includes, but is not limited to, providing nutritious foods, promoting opportunities for physical wellness, and providing social-emotional and mental health support for all of our students
Equity. This crisis affects everyone, but will disproportionately impact the most vulnerable students. Equity should be at the forefront of all planning and implementation.
Relationships. Making connections and maintaining relationships are at the foundation of all implementation plans. Set a schedule that includes faculty and staff connecting with students as frequently as possible
Remote Learning. Remote learning does not exclusively mean online learning. Districts should consider the variable abilities of families to access and utilize the internet and the impacts of increased screen time expectations. Students should not be required to access devices for the traditional length of the school day. Leverage other opportunities for students to learn, such as exploring their outdoor environment (to an extent that is within public health parameters), engaging in self-driven projects and problem-solving, and (virtually) reaching out to their communities.
With this transition, you can expect the following to continue:
Weekly emails from your child/ren’s team with curriculum for the week
Curriculum expectations posted on the EMS website
Consistent Google Hangout times from your child/ren’s team teachers
With this transition, the following will BEGIN:
Attendance will be taken; thus, students are expected to engage in their learning. *See here for specific direction from the AOE.
Feedback will focus on growth and student work throughout Quarter 4.
Students will be expected to complete assignments for their exploratory classes in addition to their core classes.
The Exploratory Team will send a weekly email with assignments (in addition to your child/rens team email - each team’s email will also include a link to the Exploratory website where assignments will also be detailed)
The EMS website also includes a link to the Exploratory website where all assignments are detailed by class.
For enrichment opportunities, your child can also use the Exploratory website to find other activities not on their schedule
The highlight of my day is receiving messages from students, faculty passing on connections they have had or getting creative, dedicated messages from teachers with their ideas for engaging students remotely. Continue to share these moments.
All the best,
Meg
Friendly Reminders
In addition to emails from your child/ren’s team and the curriculum being posted on the EMS website, students can find their assignments in their Unified Classroom accounts.
Confused about which exploratory class your child is taking this quarter? Please log into Powerschool to see the classes in which they are currently registered.
If you need assistance setting up a family or guardian Powerschool account, please email jstein@bsdvt.org.
Community Announcements
- The Secretary of Education, Dan French, has advised schools to follow their school calendar. Thus, teams will not be posting work for the week of April 20-24.
- That said, a collection of fun and engaging activities will be posted on the website and on team pages to help creative juices flow during break.
- However, food will continue to be provided.
Quarter 3 grades will be finalized and sent home after April 17th. Due to school closure:
All work turned in after March 9th will be considered extra credit
All assignments due before March 9th will be graded as normal
Some students might receive incompletes for Q3 and have additional opportunities to make up work
No decisions have been made yet regarding plans for:
Locker clean out
Transition support from mIddle school to high school
End of Year celebration
Quick Climate Survey
This request comes from a student who is trying to collect as much information as possible from community adults for a climate project. If you have a moment, please help her out by answering the short survey (3 minutes tops). Thanks!
Hi Edmunds community!
I hope you are all safe and well. If you have the time, please take this climate survey.
Thank you for your assistance! Alexa G.