Staff Newsletter

We can't thank you enough for all of the efforts you have made over the past few weeks. It has been amazing to see your efforts to support students in so many ways. Thank you for all that you do to support our students. Please check out the information below for this week's newsletter:

- Staff Shout Outs

- Phase 2 Info

- Canvas Tools

- PBL Ideas

- Shifting Paradigms in the Age of Remote Learning

- Remote Learning into Blended Learning and Back Again

- Frontline PD

- TN Teacher Survey

- Zoom Info

- Counselors Corner

Thank you for all that you do every day to help our school,

Phil Cox, Principal

Chris Layton, Vice Principal

Jenifer Laurendine, Dean of Students

The video above is about you and the difference you make every day for our students. As we have learned new terms, "social distancing", "remote learning" and we have been physically away from our students for a long time, you have given it your all to help our students. Your students miss you, they miss school, they miss having opportunities to learn, your students appreciate you and we appreciate you! Teaching is never an exact science and in this time, we are all becoming learners. You have accepted this challenge with great grace and professionalism and have worked to model continuous learning for our students. Thank you for your efforts!

Words cannot express how amazing the students and teachers at Jefferson Middle School have been during Phase 1 of Remote Learning. Throughout Phase 1, we have had several amazing Shout Outs from our community, parents, colleagues, central office and especially our students. These shout outs have come amid your constant dedication to your craft to be innovators. In a world filled with uncertainty, education has picked up the pieces and worked to reboot to help support student learning and growth. Each week Ms. Laurendine has sent out stats and information to highlight these wins for our school. The reality is, in a time of uncertainty, no attendance marks and no grades, you all exhibited amazing feats to engage students into the learning process.

These wins below are only a sample of the amazing victories we have seen over the past three weeks. It has been the efforts of our students and staff to stay engaged into the learning process and to continue to learn and grow. As we move to Phase 2, we encourage to keep the momentum going, continue to fuel the creative and innovative spirit, and work to keep the learning process going.

A few awesome things to share:

• In the past week, we continue to have awesome engagement in Canvas with 4,769 participations (discussions, file uploads, submissions of assignment, etc.) and 180,110 page views in Canvas!
• An email received by administration from the parent of a 6th grade and 8th grade student: “I'm very thankful for Mr. Goldberg and Mr. Cantrell. They have both had zoom meetings with their 6th graders and he has loved them. He is working in the living room and I'm in the dining room so I hear some of it. He so misses the structure and interactions of the classroom and these zoom meetings really help. They are so good with the kids questions. I have been amazed by our teachers. My daughter, was just telling me how she is doing videos with Ms. Sample for Spanish and how well that is going and how Ms. Davis is doing science and checking on them. She is loving it. I'm amazed by our teachers. She loved seeing her band mates on Zoom.”
• A note Ms. Little received from one of her students: “Hi Mrs. Little! I watched the Lyrid Meteor Shower this morning, My mom and I woke up at 4 and we watched it. The news said that most of the meteors would be in the North Eastern part of the horizon. However, while we were waiting my mom pulled up a video and said that meteor showers were named after the constellation that they seemed to come from. I realized that Lyrid was probably name after Lyra, the harp, and that we were facing the wrong way. After we adjusted ourselves, we saw 20 meteors in 90 minutes Most them were faint, but they were still amazing.”
• A note Ms. Painter received from one of her 8th grade students: “I won’t be able to see you again this year or say goodbye. So I’m writing you his to thank you for being an amazing teacher through all 4 years of middle school. You’re definitely one of the coolest and kindest teachers I’ve ever had. You’ve been there for me since the first TACL class of 5th grade and you’ve always listened to me and everyone else. You taught such a fun class and I’m definitely going to miss it. You’re not just a great teacher but a great person. I guess this is kind of my way of saying goodbye. I hope I’ll see you again at some point.
• An excerpt from a note received from a 6th grade teacher from a parent: “Thanks for giving him opportunities in this brave new educational world, we have always been so impressed with JMS in every way.”
• Teachers continuing to challenge themselves and learn new things by hosting their first Zoom session with their students and having over 10 students engage! It was a huge success!
• Teachers reaching out to students to ensure they have Internet access so no one falls through the cracks!
• Our staff has updated Canvas pages daily and provided so much information for our student and parents, in addition to the fabulous lessons being posted each day! We love watching you interact with your students via videos, discussions, etc.!
• The heartfelt discussion in all of our meetings about the mental/social/emotional well-being of our students! Thank you for caring about your students and providing the additional support they need as this crisis continues.
• Mrs. Taylor continuing her new job as Newscaster for Good News Friday!

We also want to thank the following staff members for their hard work this past week:

• A huge S/O to our TA’s for working so hard to continue providing support and consistency for our students: Samantha Kerley, Emily LeForce, Matt Reed, Angie Burgess, Tammy Shannon and Medi Ozcan!
• Mrs. Castle and Mr. Fowler for working hard to provide an Online Orientation Experience for all students for the 2020-2021 school year!
• Hardy Holthausen and Gina-Rose Epperson for working to support our staff and student devices during this time!
• Mr. Randolph who has come in throughout the week to check the building and change the sign!

A few notes in regards to Phase 2 and preparing for Phase 2:

• Students grades are complete as of the end of the third nine weeks. Phase 2 will only allow for students to improve their final grade, if they choose to participate in learning opportunities during Phase 2. No student grades can be lowered.

• We have reviewed teacher gradebooks and sent communication to individual teachers that have needed to make any adjustments to finalize grades as needed to reflect calculations for terms 1-3. If you have been contacted about gradebook, you will need to make those changes otherwise staff gradebooks are good. If you have not been contacted, your grades are ready for Phase 2.

• Teachers will set up assignments for Phase 2 and students will be able to receive 3 points for completion of the assignments at the discretion of the classroom teacher. Students may accumulate up to a total of 9 points (3 points per week over a 3 week period) during Phase 2 toward their overall final grade.

• We will have communication with students and their families this upcoming week in regards to phase 2 and direct them to check the grade books in Skyward. Also we are going to encourage strongly that our students and families stay engaged in the learning process during phase 2 in an effort not only to improve their grade but also to continue the learning process. Here is the link from the Parent Newsletter

• Phase 2 will be completed on Friday May 15th for students.

• Phase 1 (our current Remote Learning plan) will continue through Friday April 24th. Please continue to post daily assignments for students and understand that work during the week of April 20th is still in Phase 1 and cannot count as a grade.

• Phase 2 will begin Monday April 27th and will continue for three weeks ending on Friday May 15th.

• We will also discuss Phase 2 in our grade level meetings and special area meetings for this week. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Mr. Layton and he will work to address your questions.

- All students will have opportunities to improve final grades with required assignments.

- Final grades for 5th-8th grade students will be calculated by averaging term 1, term 2, and term 3 grades together (final date March 13). No grades can be lowered.

-All students may submit new assignments to improve final grade. Students may earn 3 additional points (added to the final grade) each week, during the weeks listed below:

Week #1 April 27-1

Week #2 May 4-8

Week #3 May 11-15

May 18 - 29 Laptops & Housekeeping

Questions:

What about a 4th nine weeks rotational class?

There is not a 4th nine weeks, so there will be no grades for rotational classes for the 4th nine weeks. We would recommend and encourage Special Areas teachers to post a weekly engaging assignment, challenge etc. for students to continue to help them promote their skills and learning.

When will this information be shared with our students and families?

School administrators will be sharing more information with our families about student requirements for the next phase of online learning on April 20.

What is a students doesn’t do any of the work?

All students are being given an opportunity to improve their grade. No grades can be lowered for students. These opportunities are only for students to improve the average of the 1st – 3rd nine weeks average. If a student does not choose to do work, they will finish with their 1st – 3rd nine weeks average.

How do they earn the 3 points per week?

Teachers will work to design lessons/assignments etc. for students to achieve the 3 points listed above. This decision is left up to the teacher to design and determine. Teachers will work to communicate in Canvas Announcements the assignments, due dates, and expectations of quality to be completed during the three weeks outlined above. Assignment type, due dates, etc., are up to teacher discretion.

Please keep in mind that many of our students and families are going through this challenging time and may have challenges as they work to complete work. Please be cognizant and provide flexibility for students and families as they are working to complete assignments. Our goal is to work to continue to engage students and provide them with opportunities to learn and grow.

How will we add those additional points to the final grade?

We are currently receiving communications on how best to get Skyward to average the three terms and for you to add those final points in. You will receive information on that at a later date.

When will grades be due?

Student grades will be due on same originally scheduled date for teacher grade books

What if a student does not have internet access?

We are working currently to gather information from grade level teams in reference to any students who may have lack of access to remote learning tools, so that we can appropriately arrange opportunities for those students (i.e. printed packets etc.). We will work to provide all students with any materials needed to complete assignments. Please contact Ms. Laurendine if you have a student that does not have access at jllaurendine@ortn.edu

Why is it being cut off May 15th?

In an effort to work out collection of devices and also retrieval of student personal items, we are working to have the final two weeks of school to create plans for those events. Due to current health guidelines and social distancing aspects the district felt a two week timeline would allow for the safest and most effective way to collect.

If you have any questions, please let our admin team how we can provide any clarification and how we can be of service to help support you. We appreciate all of your efforts and all that you do to support our students and families.

We appreciate your efforts and flexibility during this uncertain time for our students, staff and families. You all have exhibited such grace and professionalism to support our students. We appreciate all of your efforts! We will work to address questions and provide support.

In this new era of education, we have found more and more that it is vital to have a great Learning Management System like Canvas. It has been a great tool to help support students and staff as we have switched to Remote Learning. Many of you have commented on tips, tricks, and ideas you have learned in this process as you have started to utilize Canvas more and more. As we continue to work in this Remote Learning environment it is going to ever more important to continue to learn, share and grow knowledge and resources to help support one another. The links below are designed to continue to help you learn, share and grow understanding how to utilize Canvas.

Rethinking Teaching with Canvas Tools

"Differentiating Assignments (k-12) in Canvas: Helping All Learners Be Successful"

https://community.canvaslms.com/groups/accessibility/blog/2016/06/08/share-udl-course-design-tips-tricks-and-techniques

When you check out many websites for educational companies, you will begin to see they have packaged a lot of information for "Covid-19" or for "Remote Learning" etc. Canvas has provided some resources as a way to help teachers and schools. Check out the following link:

https://www.instructure.com/canvas/tools-for-online-learning-when-the-classroom-closes . I have listed some of the other links attached on this page with a brief description for how they can provide assistance:

Blog updates from educators utilizing Canvas

Ideas on utilizing Mastery Connect

Video Tutorials on several tools in Canvas

Using discussions in Canvas

Great resource for utilizing Videos in Canvas

Please reach out to Mr. Fowler or Mr. Layton if you have any needs, concerns or questions. They will work to support you any way possible.

Education is changing and in the midst of a global pandemic, teachers have responded. As always, teachers have found ways to supplement, innovate, and create new ideas to support learning. It doesn't look the same as what we are used to seeing education, but the learning process continues. We miss our students and they miss being with us every day, but the learning has continued. Why? Because through this crisis, you have innovated, you have gone through the engineering process (idea, fail, retry, repeat) and you have designed ways to connect. Our students have learned and persevered to join in, participate and learn. School will reopen and students will return and learning will continue, but this time will help shift some paradigms in education.

You have been innovative throughout Phase 1 and Phase 2 is a great time to continue to learn, grow and keep innovating. As we have shared, the idea of extended closures in education is not something we have experienced, but moving forward is something we should prepare to combat in order to provide learning opportunities for our students. As we move into Phase 2, think about how you can plan, collaborate, create, design, and innovate lessons for your students. The following topics and discussions have become more prevalent in discussions over the past few weeks and working to hone these ideas, resources, and skills in the coming weeks will provide you with more opportunity to prepare for the future of education.

Engagement is Critical

In the age of remote learning, we have seen more and more how critical it is to engage learners. As we move from Phase 1 to Phase 2, students will be able to earn credit for their work, but it will still be vital to engage learners into the lesson. You have done an amazing job using Canvas and several digital tools to promote engagement from videos produced to teach, Canvas discussions, hosting live games like GimKit and QuizIzz, to interactive projects like a video "write on" to reflect on the year. As we continue in Phase 2, continue with your innovative ideas, explore the tools within Canvas, and continue to create moments of wonder and engagement for our students. We have seen incredible numbers from our data in terms of student participation and that is thanks to the efforts you all, as teachers, have made to make the learning fun, connecting to real life, and engaging.

Be Innovative! Take Risks (First Attempt In Learning)

Just as students and parents are getting the feel for remote learning, you are as well as a teacher. This is different in so many ways from how we were taught, but keep in mind in so many ways you were ready for this challenge. As we have worked to create a blended learning platform over the years, you have developed ideas, strategies, tools and resources that work well in a digital platform like Canvas. Over the next weeks and months, continue that growth and prepare to continue to use tools that you have crafted during this time. We do not know if another school closure could impact future time in education, but with the time you have in the coming weeks, you can work to hone your skills to promote digital learning. The same is true for our students we encourage them to take risks, create original ideas, show innovative skills, and provide creative feedback through First Attempts In Learning.

Connect with Students in Synchronous and Asynchronous Ways

Two words that have been more and more common during this time in education are synchronous and asynchronous learning. Through Phase 1 you have worked in Canvas to develop asynchronous learning opportunities for your students in Announcements. For many of you, there has been a great connection as to how you can use tools like Canvas when we return to school after the closure. In this time, you have worked to develop these new ideas, new skills, and new resources to help hone your craft. In the remaining weeks, keep working to develop asynchronous resources to help support students and student learning. Take the next three weeks to continue with your students to learn and grow using new ideas, resources, and tools. When we return think about how you can connect these tools and ideas back into a blended learning model with students. Also think about how you can prepare in case there is ever a future long term closure. Below there is a video link about "How to make Effective Videos for Learning" that may provide some help with future asynchronous resources.

Synchronous learning has been very beneficial for many of our teachers and students. Being able to connect with students through tools like Zoom have been greatly beneficial. Whether you are connecting to review, playing a game like QuizIzz or Gimkit, or finding ways to engage students in discussion, by providing synchronous learning you can help provide tools for students success. If you haven't tried a Zoom session during Phase 1, it may be an area to explore for Phase 2. You may not get all students to participate, but it has shown great results for those students who do work to connect.

Future of Technology will involve Technology, but it isn't solely about Technology -

We have seen in the age of Remote Learning the significance of technology has helped us transform, communicate, collaborate and connect in our synchronous learning models. However, the lessons being presented don't always have to involve solely technology tools. It's not always about being on a program, completing a digital task etc. Some great lessons have been completed where teachers provide students with challenges to create, design, innovate and show mastery using items we don't associate as technology (paper, scissors, plastic cups, spoons, and household items). Sure in the end, the students may produce a video or something to the like to show what they did, but the learning didn't necessarily involve a device after instructions had been given.

A great example of this can be found in the mission of Apollo 13 where there was an issue with a filter that was going to endanger the crew. The CO2 levels were rising for the astronauts and NASA had communication about the problem thanks to having technology, so they knew the problem existed thanks to data and technology, but they had to be resourceful to provide a solution. They had to be innovative, they had to design, collaborate, and provide solutions with limited resources. The video clip above shows how this type of divergent thinking took place in the movie Apollo 13. The application of this idea is that we can work to promote our students to be innovative as we work through this time period ourselves. When you look to create, design and innovate your lessons you are helping to facilitate and model a new way of thinking to help convey learning opportunities.

Start with a Driving Question - Think about Skills that go with that question

For example, in our current crisis there have been many considerations, contingencies, plans etc. that have been launched, evaluated, and utilized predictive data measurements. How might our students work to research, analyze, and propose solutions. What math skills are in use by analysts? How do scientist look at data to make predictions for leaders to identify trends and curves?

How might a campaign for social/emotional health benefit your community during a time of stay at home? (reference to chalk walks, neighborhood teddy bear hunts, and 8 pm howl) Could students develop ideas to support the community and show understanding of ELA skills?

A PBL doesn't have to be One Huge Assignment or Project. It can be chunked into small parts

A misconception often about building a PBL is that it has to be a large summative assignment that measures multiple outcomes, standards and skills all in one final resolution. While the final product may be a summative piece built to show all of the skills attained etc. you can build to that with small assignments, quizzes etc. to check for understanding. In the end, you want students to utilize their skills and foster creative ideas to response to your driving question or project idea.

A PBL does not have to be weeks long

A PBL is a long as you desire for it to be and can encompass as little as one standard and upwards to multiple standards. There is a lot of flexibility in teaching through a PBL model and the flexibility is up to the teacher to determine how to proceed. The goal is to keep students focused on the project/problem and an extended PBL can pay just as much dividend as a shorter version. It's about engagement and providing opportunities for feedback, reflection and student revision.

PBLs can increase student engagement and understanding

By providing students with a driving question, connected to a real world issue/problem you can really work to develop a PBL that keeps students engaged. As you develop the PBL, think about offering students with facilitation, but letting them explore ideas, opportunities and resolutions. This type of student ownership, while you supply the content and skills, can help pay off with PBL. The students may understand the content, they may have shown mastery of the skill through some quiz or test you have provided, and they may still present an idea that is not as supported as others. For example, think of remote learning. There are several schools in the midst of this pandemic that have many varied approaches to learning. In the end, there will more than likely be studies and theories proposed as to what was "the most effective". It will be a fascinating case study for education, sociology, economics, science etc. But there is not a uniform "right answer" to many approaches being made by districts aside from helping students and teachers.

Resources are listed below to help with PBL:

PBL Works (formerly the Buck Institute) database of pre-made PBLs shared by teachers

Edutopia's resources focused on PBL

Getting Started with PBL

A PBL Quick Start Guide for Teachers

Project Based Learning: Start Here

Getting started with a PBL

10 years ago the thought of using a blended learning approach, providing students with a laptop and all of the tools we have at our disposal was hard to conceive. A lot has changed in education in a short amount of time. As we work in this age of Remote Learning, we know there will be more changes and challenges for education. Take a moment to reflect on where you were in education just ten years ago and all of the efforts you have made to change how you teach. As we see changes, not only in technology, but also our venue to provide learning opportunities it is important to reflect on best practices. While you work in the coming weeks, take note of what worked, where you saw value, lessons you would keep and strengthen and those you found did not resonate or connect at all.

Thought # 1 - Create opportunities to Connect

Although posting a video is only one way connection it provides you with a great chance to connect with students. For example, an intro video simply asking students how they are and telling them we hope to see them again soon etc. That can have a very positive impact for students during this time of uncertainty. A simple daily "good morning and welcome to science! Today you will notice in Announcements we are going to do an activity on gravity. Please read the directions carefully and give it your best effort. Once you complete the activity go to Canvas discussion board and share your thoughts. You will find some guiding questions there to help you show the steps you used and how you thought like a scientist throughout the activity. I look forward to seeing all the amazing feedback and discoveries you made"

Thought # 2 - Videos don't always have to be you

If you think about it from this perspective, you may already show clips of videos in your class weekly or a few times a week. You do that because many learners are visual and it really helps them to see as well as hear. So you can provide links to videos that you think will help provide some direct instruction that you think may engage students into the topic. Using tools like EdPuzzle you can actually embed questions into the video as "check points" for students to see if they comprehend.

Thought # 3 - Condense your direct instruction

Often what could be a 7 minute lecture or direct instruction in class can quickly become 15-20 because of interruptions, dealing with classroom management, "can I go to the restroom?", "I don't have a pencil" etc.

Think of this as an opportunity to deliver content via video to students as a support for the assignment/lesson you have prepared for them in Canvas Announcements. Another great reason for doing this is it allows students to absorb information in their own time and their own way. For example, they can rewind, re-watch, pause etc. If they don't get it in class, they may not raise their hand to let you know. If they don't understand a video of you explaining it, they can simply watch it again or just a segment again.

This is the premise concept of Flipped Instruction. You dictate how long direct instruction will last because you film yourself or PowerPoint slides etc. with narration of the instruction. Students watch the video as "the homework" and then come to class to show the skill via an assignment.

Think about how this idea could translate into your instruction when we return. How can you maximize class time upon our return by utilizing tools like video with students outside of class?

Thought # 4 - Video allows for Creativity

So many of you are so talented in so many ways. Utilizing video allows you to express creativity and design ideas to provide content. For example, film yourself doing a simple science lab and then as a lesson challenge students to do the same. They can set up their device, film themselves doing the lab and provide feedback as to the scientific process. Utilizing video opens up more opportunities and ways to stimulate learning for students. Through video you can use visuals to help tell your story whether it's a series of PowerPoint slides or even utilizing techniques like Paper Slide Videos.

Thought # 5 - If you build it, they will come! Or they will go elsewhere

Have you every watched YouTube to learn how to do something? More than likely you have or you know someone who has. If we provide instruction for something in class or in Canvas and students and parents don't understand it there are more than likely one of two outcomes to happen next.

- Outcome 1, this isn't required, I don't get it. I'm going to move on

- Outcome 2, I don't get it from what I read. I'm going to Google it! This will help provide links to Khan Academy, YouTube videos etc.

Work to use our LMS, Canvas to be a "one stop shop" for resources for students to have access to tools to learn and grow. The platform gives you a great resource and set of tools to drive students to Canvas to stay engaged to their learning. Think about how you can continue to use Canvas both during Remote Learning and when we return as a tool for Blended Learning.

The district will continue to provide “Grab & Go” meals to any student each day through the Stay at Home Order. The sites will continue at Robertsville Middle School, Oak Ridge High School, Glenwood Elementary School and the Preschool each day from 11am – 1pm. The sites at Teller Village Apartments, Mackenzie Apartments, Manhattan Apartments and the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge will by daily from 12pm – 12:30pm. There will be extra food distributed with meals provided on April 27th.

We have had a wonderful response to our food service distribution efforts.

To make the new dates easier to find, there is a new form for dates beginning April 27th. www.tinyurl.com/ORSFood2

We are sure most everyone has completed or is near completing their 30 PD hours, but maybe at this point has not entered them into Frontline. We are sending this information out as a reminder.

If you have not updated your Frontline account with any information outside of the Wednesday strands or the PD sessions where badges were scanned, please work to do that in the coming weeks. We are working to update each day in Frontline. Also, if you are concerned that you may not reach the needed hours, please reach out to Mr. Layton so we can work to review PD hours that you may not have entered.

The strand hours for Wednesdays should be entered by the strand facilitator, but if you would like to add them to be sure, please do so. Also if you worked on STEM Night, please make sure to add 4 hours for PD for that event.

We are here to help everyone, but we just wanted to provide an update as to the need to place items in Frontline. As always, if you have questions or concerns etc., please feel free to contact Mr. Layton so that we can assist.

Thank you for your careful consideration of student and staff safety as we transition to on-line learning experiences. We have updated our video conferencing guidelines based on recent information shared by staff, Zoom, and FERPA guidance. Prior to launching Zoom access as an online option, we engaged ORS legal counsel for guidance related to FERPA and HIPAA with video conferencing. Additionally, we secured an ORS specific hosting site and agreements with Zoom to increase security features. We will continue to work with ORS staff and Zoom to improve security features as we learn more during this time. To further increase safety, all staff members should adhere to the guidelines for Zoom and other video conferencing usage.

1. No FERPA or HIPAA sensitive information can be shared or discussed. This means that Zoom may not be used to support activities that may potentially share personal student information. Ex. Individual counseling sessions or an IEP.
2. Staff members must use the ORS version of Zoom access through Clever for instructional opportunities.
3. Staff members must use the waiting room feature to prohibit entry to the Zoom session by students or others that are not members of the class.
4. Instructional opportunities using Zoom should only be provided during reasonable hours for student participation.
5. Follow AccessOR Acceptable Use Policy for use of video conferencing in a one to one instructional situation. Staff members should include an administrator on conference invitations.
6. Instructional opportunities using Zoom may be recorded and posted in Canvas for review by students who could not attend. No private student information should be shared during Zoom meetings. Students should be instructed to use their username or First Name plus Last Name Initial (Jane D) during video conference sessions.
7. Student to student chat room opportunities should be turned off during a Zoom session.
8. Student invitations to participate in a Zoom instructional opportunity should be sent in a timely manner.
9. A building administrator must be invited to monitor a student Zoom instructional session.
10. Pictures of Zoom meetings with students’ faces or names should not be shared on social media.
11. Limit Zoom sessions in an effort to maximize asynchronous options for students who may be working or unable to join at specified times.
12. All Zoom recordings must be saved to the default Zoom location under “My Documents” directory on your local machine.

Norms to establish safe and productive Zoom meetings:

1. This meeting will be recorded/not be recorded and available/not available on my Canvas page.

2. Chat room capabilities are not enabled. Please use the “Raise your hand” function to ask a question.

3. Students are not required to use the video function. Please be aware that others can see your surroundings when the video function is used. Pick a location that will minimize interruptions. If you are in a room with others, please let them know that you will be using video/audio for a class.

4. The teacher may mute the room or student if background noise interferes with the conference. Please check the mute status and minimize background noise before you speak.

FERPA and Virtual Learning Webinar https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/training/ferpa-and-virtual-learning-during-covid-19-webinar-recording

Tennessee Educator Survey Update

The deadline for the Tennessee Educator Survey has been extended until Friday, May 1 to give all educators a chance to respond. The new survey questions related to COVID-19 have been added to the survey and posted to the Tennessee Educator Survey website as of Monday, April 6.

Educators who have not received a link to the original survey or the new items may access the troubleshooting portal to have the link resent to their preferred email address. Questions about survey administration may be directed to TERA at tned.research.alliance@vanderbilt.edu.

The 2020 Tennessee Educator Survey is an opportunity for educators to provide actionable feedback about what’s working and where they need more support. TDOE has also added several questions to the beginning of the Tennessee Educator Survey regarding educator experiences with COVID-19 related changes in schooling. The new survey questions have been added to the survey for educators and were posted to the Tennessee Educator Survey website. They have also pushed back the deadline to May 1, 2020. The survey is entirely confidential, and individual responses are never shared in an identifiable manner.

As in previous years, the department will share aggregated district-level results with district leaders by the end of May in time for use in school leader evaluations. They will make results public later this summer. In order to receive data, a school or district must achieve at least 45 percent participation by May 1, the day the survey closes. JMS is currently at a 32% participation rate so we encourage you to participate via the personalized link sent to you via email from the TDOE. You can visit https://www.tn.gov/education/data/educator-survey.html?mc_cid=677ba20efa&mc_eid=77abd6a836 if you have more questions about the survey. Thank you in advance for completing the survey so we can use the results to best support you and our students!

Technology Department Remote Support for Extended Closure

Faculty/Staff/Students

· Create a ticket using https://support.ortn.edu or if you don’t have a working device (or cannot login), call 865-425-9039 and follow prompts

· Technician will schedule a support time for call back

· Technician will fix the device starting with voice commands

· If needed, technician will start a Zoom session to gain remote access

· If all remote support fails, technician will schedule student for drop-off of laptop and pickup of spare.

Drop-Off (All at Oak Ridge High School – TD Portable 3):

· Must have a work order so that we can prep a spare machine

· TD Tech will open a Work Order and collect

· Username (and password)

· Contact phone number

· Brief description of issue

· Drop off will be at TD portable 3.

· Drop-off times will be from 9:30a-10:30am on Mondays and Thursdays, and 3:30-4:40, TBD

· Students can pick-up a loaner device at this time (see pick-up section below).

· No drop-offs outside of this time. *Unless a special circumstance requires an alternate drop off time scheduled with technology employee

· Drive-thru lane setup for users to pull up and drop off device as quick as possible.

· Maintain Social Distance of 6ft.

· If you are sick, inform us immediately.

· We will verify appointment info (only those scheduled).

· User will keep their laptop case, adapter, line cord, stylus, or other accessories that are not needed for the repair.

· Users will remain at curb. They will NOT come to the doors or ramp at portables.

· User may leave.

Pick-up:

· After dropping off laptop, user pulls forward to pick-up table.

· Tech at Drop-off table will alert pick-up table.

· User to verify login, apps, and OneDrive setup.

· User may leave.

Cleaning and Repair (TD Staff):

· Wipe down laptop

· Bag laptop

· Write date on bag

· Attach contact info to bag

· Place laptop on cart for delivery to quarantine area

· Device will remain in quarantine for 5 days

· After day 5 those devices will be brought to the Image room.

· Cleaning and repair performed

Good Evening from JMS Counselors!! We hope that all is well and that you are ready to begin Phase 2 with remote learning. The world is changing and how we teach and learn may look very different in a world of Covid-19 compared to what we might be used to. We know that this has been difficult for many of you to transition into this new way of learning, not following a schedule and not interacting with your peers, but by keeping a growth mindset will help with the next 3 weeks to be successful and bring your grades up. Educirlces.org provides strategies that can help with a growth mindset with distance learning.

We Must Have Our “Minds On”

Learning can take place anywhere, not just in the classroom. Teachers can teach students as long as we can communicate with each other through some level of technology. The world is changing and with how we teach and learn and we are unsure how long this will last, so we must switch out mindset to developing an individual routine that works best for you. Many teachers are using blended learning where they introduce concepts and ideas to students at home and they use online resources to learn the skills. Our students at JMS have an advantage over other school districts because they have been introduced so many online teaching strategies before COVID-19.

Encouraging a Growth Mindset with strategies

There are two different mindsets: a growth mindset or a fixed mindset. A fixed mindset is when you believe that success is based on what you were born with. You are who you are. That’s just the way it is. A growth mindset is the idea that success is based on hard work, learning from your mistakes, training and practicing, and not giving up. As we use digital tools for learning, every student will definitely experience obstacles and challenges such as: your login may not work; WiFi may be too slow; your computer might lose power before you save your work etc. When you experience some of these you may start saying things like: this is too hard; I’m just not good at computer; Why do I have to do this?

Try different strategies linked to each obstacles listed below that will help you build a growth mindset.

OBSTACLE #1: I GOT DISTRACTED

One big obstacle with distance-learning and online learning is getting distracted. Online learning at home can be tough, just like doing homework at home can be tough.

Strategy #1. Set a time to do it.

Schedule time to do your distance-learning or it just won’t get done. You’ll forget it, or you’ll do something more fun – like play video games. Try to do your distance-learning at the same time so it becomes a routine.

Strategy #2 Make it a habit.

We are what we do repeatedly, so the more we do distance-learning, the easier it will get. If we do something over and over again like handing in assignments online, or using videoconferencing tools, the easier it will get. Things are definitely harder the first time we do things. You might not be able to login, the microphone doesn’t work or you can’t hear the other person. But eventually, you’ll start to get the hang of it and it gets easier.

Strategy #3. Avoid friends

Friends are fantastic and they can help you out when you don’t understand something. But friends can also distract you when you’re trying to work. They can slow you down from being productive and getting things done. When you are doing distance-learning at home, it’s important to turn off the texting, the social media, the notifications, the instant messaging, the entertainment apps.

OBSTACLE #2: I tried. It didn’t work. I give up!

Another big obstacle you might face, whether you’re learning at school or your distance-learning can be: you tried, but it didn’t work so you give up

Strategy #4 Chunk it out.

This is the idea where you take a hard, overwhelming task and you make it easier by breaking it into smaller steps. Then you focus on doing one thing at a time. Ask yourself, what do you need to do first? Can you start with an easy task or a fun task to try to build momentum? Sometimes things are hard to start, but once you start, it’s easier to keep going.

Strategy #5: Restart or Try Again

The first time you try something, it may not work the way you wanted it to. So, learn from what didn’t work and try again. Keep trying until you figure it out. You can restart as often as you want and we’re not literally talking about rebooting your computer. (although sometimes, that might help.) If you’re doing an assignment and things aren’t working out. Why don’t you backtrack a little and try that section again?

Strategy #6. Add the Power of “Yet”

When you get stuck, add the word “yet” to the end of your sentence. Instead of saying, “I can’t do this”, try saying, “I can’t do this, yet.” It gets your brain wondering how could you do it instead of just focusing on how you can’t.

Part 3. Bigger Picture

If we look at the bigger picture, we need to know that. Reflecting on digital literacy skills and strategies is just part of the many things we need to be able to do to use information communication technology effectively. And, of course digital literacy skills are important to have in order to survive and thrive in today’s 21st-century world.

Covid-19 is showing us exactly how interconnected our world is.

We live in a global economy. Who knows what kinds of exciting opportunities and challenges are waiting for us in the future! Learning how to use online tools and distance learning may be a new experience for some of us. There are always challenges when we do something new. Distance Learning is a wonderful opportunity for us to develop character. Meaning to have the resilience and tenacity to keep going when things get tough. Character is the ability to bounce back when we get knocked down. Trying to keep a growth mindset means reminding ourselves that if we use specific strategies, these strategies can help us to overcome obstacles. Using a growth mindset is more than just a digital literacy strategy. It’s a thinking strategy which means it’s a life strategy. It’s something we can use across the 21st-century competencies.

• We can use a growth mindset and hard work to build character during tough moments like right now as the world has to grapple with Covid-19.

• We can use a growth mindset and find strategies to help the communities we belong to. For example, during the Covid-19 pandemic, one strategy we can do to help our community is social distancing.

• We can use a growth mindset and not give up as we find new ways to collaborate and discover how to work as a team

• We can use a growth mindset and look for =ways to communicate even though we’re not in the same room.

• We can use a growth mindset to recognize that if we do certain things we can find ways to connect ideas and create new understandings

• and finally, we can use a growth mindset and use specific strategies to think critically instead of just responding emotionally when we hear new ideas or get more information about Covid-19.

We hope that you have a wonderful week and reach out to us if we can help in anyway!

JMS School Counselors

JMS Online Counseling Form: https://www.ortn.edu/jefferson/academics/counseling-center/(Links to an external site.)

Please fill out all areas in detail so we can best assist with your request.

5th and 6th Grade-

Mr. Magee ajmagee@ortn.edu

Office hours:

9:00am-1:00pm

Google Voice Number:

865-410-8558

7th and 8th Grade-

Mrs. Castle mccastle@ortn.edu

Office hours:

1:00pm-4:00pm

Google Voice Number:

865-309-5997