Newsletter 8-7-20

Principal’s Message

from Jeff Calden

Welcome back to what has to be the strangest beginning of a school year in my lifetime.

We have been working hard for quite some time to put together a school opening to help prepare students, parents, families, and staff for what is ahead.

Using what we learned about distance learning last spring, as well as feedback from many different sources, we have decided to run several days of online orientations, technology training, and teacher/parent/student meetings.  We want to first give everyone involved information that will help the adjustment to beginning a school year online. We will then use our first two days of class meetings for pre-assessment to gauge where our students are at regarding content knowledge and skills.  We hope that this will give us information we need about our students and who may need some extra support as we start and continue through distance learning.  

There is no need to rush directly into classes as though this were a normal year.  It's not.  But once we do start classes, we have created time for students to get help and for teachers and staff to support them during the school day.  We have also built in down time for students and teachers on Monday and Friday.  The Monday Special schedule will continue, but this year students will have 3 activities to do each Monday.  They will work on them at their own pace and have as much time as they need to complete them.  This year, students can also earn elective credit for completing their Monday Special Activities.  The first Monday Special will be August 31st.

With two of my own children in high school this year, I am just as anxious about all of this as everybody else.  But I feel we have a good blueprint for what we want to do and how we want to do it.  But I will tell you right now, that change will be a theme this year.  When you do something for the first time, you make a plan, you execute that plan, you gauge how it is working, and if needed you make changes. 

Student Class Schedules

Schoology should be up and running for the new year on Monday.  This is how you will get your class schedule.

Go to the SLV Schoology Page at: http://slvusd.schoology.com

Sign in using your School Gmail account.  Once you do, you should be able to see your classes.

If there is an error - such as two English classes, no Science class, not enough classes, major mistakes - contact your counselor for help.

Freshmen and Juniors: Leslie Burns at [email protected]   

Sophomores and Seniors: Jennifer Kelly at [email protected]

Please do not contact your counselors at this time to change a class, a period, or a course different than what you selected in the spring.

We are only dealing with errors at this point.

Weekly Schedule for Distance Learning and the Calendar for the First Month of School

I have attached two documents to this newsletter.  The first is our Weekly Schedule for Distance Learning.  It will be used most every week once we start classes.  If there is a non-school day and the schedule has to be adjusted that week, all information on that will be in the previous week's newsletter.  

The second document is a very detailed calendar for the first four weeks of school, beginning next Thursday, August 13th, which was to be the first day of school.  Instead we will do Grade Level Zoom Orientations for parents and students throughout that day.  Similar to the Freshman Orientation we do each year, but for all grade levels and focused on the changes and differences of Distance Learning, as well as time for questions.  Friday, August 14th we will do several sessions of Zoom training on how to use Schoology for both students and parents.  Schoology is the most important technology for accessing school this year at SLVHS.  It is where everything for your classes begins.  The more our students and families understand how to log in, how to see what they need to see, and how to do what they need to do, the lower the stress level for everyone involved.  It is worth the time.  We will record all of these orientations, trainings, etc. and put them on the school website for those of you who cannot attend live online that day.  

The next three days, Monday, August 17, Tuesday, August 18, and Wednesday, August 19th will be three days of teacher/student/family informational meetings in the form of three Back to School Night formats run during the day.  Teachers will open Zoom sessions each period and families can follow their students' schedules throughout the day to meet the teachers, get information from them, and ask them questions.  Three times will give people three times as many opportunities to attend. We will also record and post these online.  Thursday and Friday, August 20th and 21st will be the first two days students attend their online class schedules. 

This will be the time when teachers work with students on pre-assessment.

I suggest printing up the calendar and having it somewhere where everyone can see it as we go through this first month.

Textbook, Chromebook, Novels, and Calculator Distribution (and Return)

We will begin getting supplies out to students on Friday, August 14th.  This will be the first of six consecutive weekdays where we distribute supplies.

We also need families to return anything books or calculators that did not get returned last year.   If you kept your Chromebook - good.  That's your Chromebook for this year.  If it doesn't work, bring it back and return it so we can give you another.  

All sessions will have both pick-up and drop-off available.  They will be from 9:00 am to Noon and 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm each day.

August 14th is for Seniors Only.  August 17th is for Juniors Only.  August 18th is for Sophomores only.  August 19th is for Freshmen only.

August 20th and 21st are for everyone who doesn't yet have their supplies.  This info is also on the calendar.  

Attendance

The state of California is requiring all schools to take attendance each day.

Teachers will be taking attendance in Powerschool every period, every day.  

We will also have our 1st period classes meet for a short time on Monday morning to take attendance and go over important announcements and/or information.

Accessing class each period, each day is the first way for students to be successful.  

Grades

Grades are real this year.  There are no hold-harmless grades from live school to fall back upon.  Students will need to attend class regularly and keep up with the work in order to pass. As this is the start of a new year, work done during whatever time we are in Distance Learning will count toward your final grade, which counts toward the credits you earn, which counts toward reaching the 220 credits needed to graduate. In short, this year everything counts when it comes to assignments and grades.  If we are able to start live events in December such as Fall Sports and drama productions, Semester One final grades will be used for eligibility.

To Sum Up...

I know that's a lot of information.

The attached calendar and Weekly Schedule will be good visual aides to go with all of this description.

I have more information to give you about Monday Special Activities, Afternoon Student Small Group Support, Math Intervention, and several other things.

And I will get that information to you as we move through August and into September.  But I think this is enough for one newsletter.

Thank you all for what you do for your own family and for being a positive part of our school community and the San Lorenzo Valley community.

We are facing something daunting together and together is the only way we will get through this and come out the other side stronger.

Schedule for the First Week of School: Aug 13 - 14