Cori’s Note
On Wednesday we had a small group of student managers in our building helping us to prepare for the return to school and it was the best day yet! This building is too quiet without the amazing energy our students bring and I am excited to see more of them in the coming weeks. Just a couple of fun photos from their work.. This week’s Community Update is slightly longer than normal to include the information that was also sent out on Tuesday regarding schedules for Quarter 2 and return planning information. We’ve included a few clarifications that we hope are helpful, including upcoming dates for students and families to learn more and get some ‘training’ for the return process. Our managers helped to get a video prepared for ‘a day in the life’ of a DMHS student, and we’d hoped to have it ready to be included in today’s message. It’s almost finished and as soon as it’s edited we will link it here in the Update, on the website and via social media. Finally! We are holding our first community engagement event of the year, a Sidewalk Chalk Art Festival, on Tuesday October 20th from 3pm-6pm. You and your students will receive a personalized invitation to include the time slot for your child’s cohort/contact group to join the fun! We hope all families will join in beautifying our campus for a big WELCOME BACK! Warmly, Cori |
A Note from Carol
We are almost done with our first quarter of the school year! Next Thursday, October 15 is the deadline for Quarter 1 work to be turned in. Please continue to work with your student and check their schoology for any missing assignments.
We also encourage you to take advantage of teachers office hours if you or your students have any questions/concerns about specific classes. We ask for your continued support in making sure your students are logging onto every class each and every day. Good attendance is such an important factor in your student’s academic success! |
Information, Links and Updates
PLANNING for the RETURN TO SCHOOL!
Please note, for families who have selected 100% Virtual Programming your child’s schedule will remain primarily the same as it is now. The information below is regarding ‘In-Person’ schedules and logistics. The projected return date remains as October 21st and we encourage families to continue to monitor communications as we get closer.
WE KNOW FAMILIES WILL HAVE QUESTIONS. WE ARE OFFERING SEVERAL OPPORTUNITIES TO GO OVER SCHEDULING AND OUR RETURN PLAN NEXT WEEK. PLEASE LOOK FOR INVITES AND SEE THE CALENDAR BELOW FOR DATES
FARM SCHOOL COHORT INFORMATION
Farm school families received an email on Tuesday indicating which Hybrid Cohort their student is assigned to. If you did not receive this information please contact us right away to receive your child’s assignment.
HIGH SCHOOL CONTACT GROUP INFORMATION
FARM SCHOOL HYBRID (in-person) BELL SCHEDULE for Quarter 2
You will find that the overall bell schedule remains largely unchanged from what the bell schedule has been in our remote setting, with the exception that your student will attend in person two days a week. We hope to create seamless transitions for our students so that in the event we must move between remote and in-person the impact is mitigated. Our primary goal, with a focus on the health and safety of our students, families and staff, is to offer in-person instruction in the core academic areas as often as possible.
Please note the following:
HIGH SCHOOL HYBRID (in-person) BELL SCHEDULE for Quarter 2
The overall bell schedule for high school remains largely unchanged from the bell schedule for the remote setting. In September we shared the possibility that high school students may attend a 2 day a week schedule (like our Farm School Students). Based on the number of students selecting an in-person return and our school staffing we have designed a model that allows students to be onsite four days a week, receiving some instruction virtually and some instruction in-person, all of which is supported by a staff member. Please note the following:
Your child will be scheduled for Quarter 2 in Infinite Campus the week of 10/12. At that time you will be able to view the individual teacher assignments and electives for your student. Individual schedules will not change your child’s cohort assignment or their daily bell schedule.
The projected High School bell schedule for Quarter 2 looks like this (dark green denotes in-person instruction, light green indicates onsite virtual instruction supported by a DMHS staff member) :
The projected Farm School bell schedules for Quarter 2 look like this (green denotes in person days, blue denotes remote days):
Monday/Tuesday Cohorts Thursday/Friday Cohorts
DROP-OFF and PICK-UP
Once your student’s cohort (FS) or contact (SH) group has been finalized you will receive information regarding which location to drop-off and pick your child.
The earliest time that students may be dropped off at school is 8:45. There will be no available supervision on the playground, or in the classrooms prior to this time. Students are expected to enter at their assigned door where their daily health screener will be checked and/or completed. Students who exhibit symptoms or fail the health screener will be redirected to enter through our main office where they will undergo additional health screening prior to entering their classroom. If a child fails the health screener, parents will be contacted and the student will wait in one of our designated health rooms for the parent to pick their child up.
Students who arrive late to school (past 9:00) will enter through the main office where they will undergo the health screen check-in. Please help us to ensure your children arrive on time as much as possible.
Students who must leave early (not health related) will exit through their assigned entry/exit door. Parents will contact our main office to sign their child out and the teacher will then complete an early release slip. Students will not be able to wait in the main office to be picked up. As much as possible we ask you not to schedule appointments to conflict with your child’s in-person instruction.
Students who become ill through the course of the day will wait in our health room to be picked up. Parents who are contacted to pick their child up early from school will be notified which door to pick their child up at. Parents will not be allowed in the building unless there is an urgent health matter. We ask you to remain in your vehicle and your child will meet you there.
RETURN TO SCHOOL TRAINING and FAMILY PRESENTATIONS
We know that this communication regarding schedule is just the first step in ensuring our families have the information they need to plan for a hybrid (in-person) return. It is our goal to answer your questions, and to provide clear information via live presentations and additional printed materials the week of 10/12. The preparation and training process include the following dates (please mark them on your calendar):