Owatonna Online K-6th Newsletter

Hello Owatonna Online Families!

I hope the month of December is going well for you! We know students are looking ahead to Winter Break and working hard to stay caught up with all of the extra excitement the month brings. Our Winter Break dates will all be "blackout" dates in Pearson, meaning there will not be assignments set for those dates. That being said, your learner is welcome to login and complete work during break if they're needing the time to catch up. Teachers will be available again on January 2nd to provide grading and feedback.

As we look ahead to the next few months, we're excited to be offering opportunities for students to get books in hand! These cold winter months in Minnesota are a great time to snuggle in and enjoy a good read. We recognize that our students focus on reading from their screens a lot through their work in Pearson and want to encourage them to explore printed books for fun as well.

We'd love to hear from your family about your current book availability and needs. Please take a quick minute to complete this survey so we can provide additional options for your learner(s) as needed.

You will also notice an extra opportunity to enjoy reading together as a family coming home in the next month. Be on the lookout for something special from your child's teacher!

Below you will find important upcoming dates, this month's character trait, and winter weather plans (should the "real winter" ever make it's way to Minnesota this year! :)

As always, we're here to partner with you! Please connect with me anytime. I can be reached by email at amikkalson@isd761.org or by phone at 507-444-8676.

Ann Mikkalson

Owatonna Online K-6th Grade Director

amikkalson@isd761.org

507-444-8676

Each month our classes focus on a specific character trait. Students learn about the trait and practice different ways they can show it throughout the month. So far this year we have focused on kindness and respect. Our character trait for the month of December is Gratitude.

Our students will learn more about Responsibility during their Morning Meetings. After Winter Break we will have an all school assembly to celebrate our learning. It is a great time to connect learning across different grade levels and look forward to our next character trait!

Take a chance to check out the Gratitude Family Newsletter when you can!

The snow is already flying...and it's only the beginning of November! If you're someone who loves fluffy flakes you're probably elated. If you're not, it's sad to see it so early! With the early arrival of winter, we want to be sure families know what our online protocol is for Snow Days called by Owatonna Public Schools (also found in our K-6th Grade Owatonna Online Handbook.)

• 2 Hour Late Starts- When a 2 hour late start is called for Owatonna Public Schools, Owatonna Online students will be welcome to start their work in Pearson at their usual time. Teachers will be available for Meets starting two hours into the day. Some Meets may be shifted or cancelled so be sure to check in Google Classroom for updates.
• Snow Days- When an official snow day is called for OPS, Owatonna Online students will not be required to report to Meets or work in Pearson. These days will be blacked out in our online platform. Students are always welcome to use this as an optional catch-up day as needed.
• E-Learning Days- In the event we have to cancel school due to inclement weather, OPS may call an "E-Learning Day" instead of canceling school. On E-Learning Days, Owatonna Online students will be required to work in Pearson, but live Meets will not be held. Teachers will available via email that day.

For a student's attendance to be counted as full attendance each day, the following need to occur:

• Student attends all live Google Meets daily on their selected Path.
• Student's courses are green for pacing in Pearson Connexus.
• If students' courses are yellow or red for pacing, at least 4 hours have been spent working on courses for the day.

If the items listed above do not occur for a given day, the student will be marked as an unexcused absence.

Excused Absences

To be considered an excused absence, the student’s parent or legal guardian must contact the school and indicate the reason for the student’s absence from school within 24 hours of the absence. The following are examples of absences that will be considered excused and count toward a student’s 10 excused absences per year:

• Illness
• Serious illness in the student’s immediate family
• Funeral
• Family Emergency
• Pre-arranged excused absences for student participation in non-school competition and performance activities.
• Family vacations with a pre-arranged absence form completed prior.
• Professional appointments that cannot be scheduled outside of the school day

If your learner will be absent, please contact our attendance line at 507-444-8012 or email: mcaballero2@isd761.org before 3:00pm. Owatonna Online reserves the right to request documentation for any absence and requires medical documentation for all absences longer than three days.

For a complete list of our attendance information and policies,

please see the Owatonna Online Handbook for K-6th Grades.

• No School December 25-January 1: Winter Break
• No School January 15: Staff Development Day
• No School January 22: 2nd Quarter Teacher Work Day
• No School February 19: President's Day
• March 21: End of 3rd Quarter
• No School March 22: Teacher Work Day
• No School March 25-29: Spring Break

Keep both of the links below in a safe spot to reference!

Owatonna Online Landing Page: https://owatonnaonline.lms.pearsonconnexus.com/

Link to Family Training Recording

Be sure to checkout our K-6th Grade Owatonna Online Handbook! It's full of key information about our program. Check it out here!

Help Desk Ticket

507-444-8630

Hours: 7:30 am - 3:30 pm

Our 2023-2024 Academic Year Calendar can be found at https://www.isd761.org/calendars/academic-year-calendars. This calendar includes dates in regards to the end of each quarter, breaks from school, and our start and end date for the year.

Email: amikkalson@isd761.org
Website: https://owatonnaonline.isd761.org/
Location: Owatonna Public Schools
Phone: (507) 444-8008