Newsletter 3-20-20

Principal's Message

from Jeff Calden

Hello,

In what has been the most different and difficult few weeks of my 26 years in education, I must say how proud I am to be part of such an amazing school and community. The way our staff, our students, and our families have rallied together in the face of a world-wide health crisis to successfully create and implement a new system for our students to learn has been impressive to say the least.  Of course there are glitches.  Yes, there is more work to be done.  And we have not yet gotten 100% of our students set up how they need to be.  But, the number of students who participated in distance learning on Wednesday and Thursday was actually higher than that of those who show up to school on a normal Wednesday or Thursday.  I got to "sit in" on some classes digitally and what our teachers are doing is pretty darn cool and the students are not just taking part, but taking the lead on some things.  Most importantly, through all this, teachers are teaching and students are learning.

As the Governor has moved our state from Shelter in Place to Stay at Home, it is going to be increasingly difficult for staff to get things like books and chromebooks to students.  For math workbooks, textbooks, or novels, today is going to be your best chance to make that happen.  If you need a textbook or a chromebook, you can go to the library today from 8:20 am to 2:30 pm.  If you need a math workbook, they will be available in front of the counseling office, by the PAC from 10 am to 1 pm.  Thanks to Joan and Wendy for all their help with this.  After today, if you need a chromebook because your device has broken or died, email Mr. Calden at [email protected]. He will do the best he can to get one for you. Our tech support is moving forward on solutions for our families without internet.  We will contact you as soon as we have news.  

Shout out to all of our teachers, who jumped into this brave new world of online teaching without hesitation.  They have been amazing with their adaptability, their ideas, their energy, and their passion for keeping their classrooms alive and providing some sense of normalcy for our students.

Please remember that while teachers are teaching, your counselors, your administrators, your office staff, and your tech support team are here for you. We just aren't where we normally are.  Email us.  We will answer.  Call the school's main phone line (335-4425) and leave a message. We will respond. And we will do our best to help. I have been doing my best to help out by putting other things on hold for now to answer student and parent emails, support teachers however I can, drive to school and get books or computers for students who need them while wearing my gloves, meeting outside, and practicing quality social distancing in doing so. Today, I will deliver some copies of work for students without internet to Valley Churches, who have graciously offered to be a dropoff and pickup spot.  Every person on the HS staff is also helping behind the scenes to keep these new online classrooms running as smoothly as they can for our students and teachers.

I was asked to let you know that a lot of things are being printed out on the library and classroom printers right now.  Check your settings if you are wondering why your home printer isn't working. 

There will be a Daily School Bulletin sent out each morning at 7:45 am to your school email by Mrs. Hackett.  We want to be able to get you any pertinent information on a daily basis.  When you read it you can pretend it's in Max's voice.  Allright, Allright, Allright!

Contacts

Jeff Calden: Principal [email protected]

Danielle Winters: Assistant Principal: [email protected]

Katie Amos: Administrative Assistant: [email protected]

Ellen Taylor: Attendance: [email protected]

Jeff Kitts: Technology Support: [email protected]

Rachel Oglive: Technology Support: [email protected]

Leslie Burns: Counselor: [email protected]

Jen Kelly: Counselor: [email protected]

Deborah Mitchell: Social/Emotional Counselor: [email protected]

Charlotte Achen: College/Career Counselor: [email protected]

SSC Health Department: https://www.santacruzhealth.org/Coronavirus

SCC Office of Education:  www.sccoe.link/coronavirus

Social Distancing

With the Governor moving the entire state from Shelter in Place to Stay at Home, it is apparent that we are not going to be able to be with some of our favorite people or go to some of our favorite places for a while. I have gathered some information about Social Distancing to share with you. You may be young, and healthy, and showing no symptoms, but if you or someone you visit with are carrying the virus and you aren’t practicing social distancing, you are putting lives at risk, including your own and those of your family and friends.

In Santa Cruz County, we are in the first stages of this health crisis.  And we while we don't know a lot about this virus yet, we do know a few things about how to keep it from spreading.  We know that Social Distancing works.  We can see that in the differences in the death rates in countries who didn't practice Social Distancing early on and those who did.  There are people in Italy dying because they did not practice social distancing or take it seriously soon enough. 

While I am not normally an advocate of more screen time, spending time with friends is probably best done online or on the phone at this point. Or if it is in person, it should be done outside, with people at least six feet apart, and with no more than a few other people at once.  Not being with those you want to be with.  No concerts, no movies, no sports.  No restaurants, no museums, no libraries. This is what Stay at Home means.  And it saves lives.

We will get through this eventually, but how long it lasts and how many people die depend on how many of us are as safe as we can be.  By how many of us are washing our hands, using hand sanitizer, not shaking hands, staying away from large gatherings, trying our best not to touch our faces, using wipes and cleaners more than we ever have.  And by practicing Social Distancing.  A short term inconvenience to make the world a safer place right now and in the future.

Below is a link to a really good summary of how to stay safe from the senior director of infection prevention at Johns Hopkins Medicine.

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/coronavirus-social-distancing-and-self-quarantine

The Just in Case Directions for SLVHS Distance Learning 

While we are now on our third day, I want to make sure everyone has the What Do I Do? directions again.

You log into your Schoology account - using your School email.  Won't work with any other email. 

You have to use Google Chrome as your browser, not Safari or Firefox or anything else.  

You need to login once class has started - before may not work.  

If all that is happening and still not working, you need to sync your Google Profiles.

Video attached to this email to show you how to sync your Google profiles.  

This checklist has worked for several students this morning.

If you are in you should see a small chat circle in the bottom left hand corner of your screen.  

If it still doesn't work, just go on Schoology, get the assignments, do them, and email your teachers that you can't get on, but you are doing the work.

Then email our tech support at:  [email protected]

Remember - if you are a student, you DO NOT have a GoGuardian account.  GoGuardian is for teachers. 

By signing in properly to Schoology during the class, you will automatically be dropped into the right teacher and the right class in GoGuardian.

Online Distance Learning Schedule for Next Week:  March 23 - 27