Happy Friday, Academy 360 families and a warm, special welcome to all the new families joining the A360 family community! We can’t wait to meet you and your students! Thank you for your continued patience as we adapt to the ever-changing environment. I will try and keep this update brief as this much to cover and still so much yet known.
As many of you may have heard today, Denver Public Schools (DPS), at the advice of the Metro Denver Partnership for Health, is recommending schools prepare for students to return full-time in August. I have attached the school opening guidelines we will use to safely open Academy 360 – Metro Denver Partnership for Health School Guidance We hope to proceed with the calendar as shown on our website –http://academy-360.org/about-the-school/academic-calendar/ ; we are still waiting on confirmation on our start/end times (it could change within 15 minutes), bus routes and whether our half day Fridays will remain the same. A few specific dates to note:
In addition to adhering to all the health and safety guidelines, here are few additional things we’d like to share with you:
STAY TUNED! We are putting together our school supply list (posted to our website next week) and registration schedule (hopefully last week of July); we will also have an open house in early August, which will include family meetings for both new A360 families and all of our ECE families.
WE ARE HIRING! We seek a few family members that can work for several hours throughout the mid-day, covering lunch periods (inside classrooms), recess periods and supporting instruction (when needed). The hours needed vary between 4-6 hours/day. We seek individuals that enjoy working with students, contribute positively to staff and student culture, know how to be a warm demander of children, and are willing to learn restorative approaches and how to engage with students in those conversations. Interested? Please send along an email to email hidden; JavaScript is required as to what interests you about the position and why you would be a good fit.
As the summer progresses, the school will have both plans – 100% in-person and hybrid environments – prepared. We suggest as families, you too have contingency plans ready in case things with COVID-19 take an unexpected turn and worsen. I would be happy to answer any and all questions you may have, so please email them to me directly and I will do my best to answer.
With academics, health and safety at the forefront – WE CANNOT WAIT TO BE WITH OUR STUDENTS! See you all soon, The A360 Team
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Feliz viernes, familias de Academy 360 y una cálida bienvenida especialmente a todas las nuevas familias que se unen a la comunidad familiar A360! ¡Estamos ansiosos por conocerte a ti y a tus estudiantes! Gracias por su paciencia continua mientras nos adaptamos al entorno cambiante. Voy a tratar de mantener esta actualización breve, ya que hay mucho que cubrir y todavía tanto se conoce todavía..
Como muchos de ustedes habrán escuchado hoy, las Escuelas Públicas de Denver (DPS), siguiendo el consejo de Metro Denver Partnership for Health, recomiendan que las escuelas se preparen para que los estudiantes regresen a tiempo completo en agosto. He adjuntado las pautas de apertura de la escuela que usaremos para abrir Academy 360 de manera segura y también he incluido el correo electrónico a continuación que debería haber recibido directamente de DPS. Esperamos continuar con el calendario como se muestra en nuestro sitio web -http: //academy-360.org/about-the-school/academic-calendar/; todavía estamos esperando la confirmación de nuestros horarios de inicio / finalización (podría cambiar en 15 minutos), rutas de autobuses y si nuestros viernes de medio día seguirán siendo los mismos. Algunas fechas específicas para tener en cuenta:
Además de cumplir con todas las pautas de salud y seguridad, aquí hay algunas cosas adicionales que nos gustaría compartir con usted:
¡MANTÉNGANSE AL TANTO! Estamos formando nuestra lista de útiles escolares (publicada en nuestro sitio web la próxima semana) y el horario de inscripción (con suerte la última semana de julio); También tendremos una jornada de puertas abiertas a principios de agosto, que incluirá reuniones familiares tanto para las nuevas familias A360 como para todas nuestras familias ECE.
¡ESTAMOS CONTRATANDO! Buscamos algunos miembros de la familia que puedan trabajar durante varias horas durante el medio día, cubriendo los períodos de almuerzo (dentro de las clases), los períodos de recreo y la instrucción de apoyo (cuando sea necesario). Las horas necesarias varían entre 4-6 horas / día. Buscamos personas que disfruten trabajar con los estudiantes, contribuyan positivamente a la cultura del personal, sepan cómo ser una cálida demanda de los niños y estén dispuestos a aprender enfoques restaurativos y cómo interactuar con los estudiantes en esas conversaciones. ¿Interesado? Envíe un correo electrónico a email hidden; JavaScript is required para saber qué le interesa sobre el puesto y por qué sería una buena opción.
A medida que avanza el verano, la escuela tendrá ambos planes, 100% en entornos personales e híbridos, preparados. Sugerimos como familias que usted también tenga planes de contingencia listos en caso de que las cosas con COVID-19 den un giro inesperado y empeoren. Estaré encantado de responder todas y cada una de las preguntas que pueda tener, así que envíeme un correo electrónico directamente y haré todo lo posible para responder.
Académicos, la salud y la seguridad a la vanguardia: ¡NO PODEMOS ESPERAR PARA ESTAR CON NUESTROS ESTUDIANTES! Hasta pronto, el equipo A360
Hello A360 Families! We are in the final two weeks of this spring’s online learning. No video updates for the week; please complete this survey if you have not done so related to next fall’s hybrid learning – https://forms.gle/3xWnvF87QZ1NNuzGA
Broadcasting on RMPBS channels statewide in English with Spanish closed-captioning, the program provides fun early literacy lessons with Master Teachers from around Colorado to help children and their parents stay engaged in learning to read.
Parents and caregivers can access these resources at RMPBS.org/coloradoclassroom or by calling RMPBS toll free, at 800-274-6666.
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May 11, 2020
Monday, May 4th: Stuffies! During office hours, students bring their favorite stuffed animal.
Tuesday, May 5th: Wear your favorite color
Wednesday, May 6th: Wacky Wednesday, dress up wacky!
Thursday, May 7th: Book Character Day! Students dress as their favorite book character.
Friday, May 8th: Show & Tell
Lamentamos que esta comunicación no esté en español; ¡por favor contacte a la Sra. Rosie, 303.210.5719, para recibir apoyo!
UPDATE: Struggle of Love Food Bank is 11a-2p, not 11a-4p. Our apologies!
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Happy Wednesday, Academy 360 Families –
Information distribution, resource sharing, and online instructional planning is moving at a rapid pace. Here are more things you need to know as the extended break ends on Friday, April 3rd and as remote learning begins on Tuesday, April 7th.
K-5 Instruction – April 7th
Our teachers have begun working on remote instructional learning, which begins on Tuesday, April 7th. While we certainly understand the strain this puts on our families and have gotten feedback that this attempt at homeschooling has been beyond challenging, we hope that come 4/7, our K-5 students will be regularly and consistently engaging in their lessons and academic work at least four hours daily. The instruction will be delivered through the Google Classroom platform and will consist of a combination of independent work, instructional video tools, blended learning websites (Common Lit, Khan Academy, Splash Math) and more for each content area (Literacy, Math, Writing, etc.).
Teachers will host daily office hours – they are more than willing to support you and your students through this new process. We recommend thinking about a daily, consistent schedule that works best for adults and students. We will have more information as we near 4/7, but wanted families to have ample time to think about the instructional time goals and create a daily schedule that works for everyone in the household. Kindergarten Families, please look for an email from Mrs. Kristen to your email address; we will be inviting you as parents/guardians to join Google Classroom as to break down the technology barrier for our younger learners less familiar with the platform.
Internet Access
Great news! Xfinity has opened up all its hot spots for free! Linked here is more information – https://wifi.xfinity.com/. Below is a screenshot of all hotspots in Montbello and Green Valley Ranch. Should you live outside those neighborhoods, you can search for your zipcode on their website. Should you still be having difficulty with access, please email me directly.
Computer Access
Thank you to everyone that completed the DPS technology survey – only a few of you need a computer from us. Ms. Rosie will be reaching out to make appointments for pickup this Thursday (3/26). There is a very specific way in which we are to give you the device; please stay in your car and wait directly in front of the school building at your appointment time.
ECE Families
We thank you for your continued advocacy and requests of resources as we hope to keep our youngest learners engaged. The English/Spanish bilingual attachment is a helpful resource as it outlines and recommends a daily schedule, blended learning sites, at home activities and more. As it relates to technology, DPS nor Academy 360 has enough computer devices at this time to hand out to all preschoolers. Several of the websites recommended on the attached can be accessed via cell phones and all families should plan to use that device at this time. We apologize for the inconvenience and will keep families posted should that change. The ECE team is getting on a call Friday to identify additional ways in which families can engage students beyond what the attachment suggests. We thank you for your continued patience!
Additional Updates
Should you have questions or concerns about anything mentioned above, please feel free to reach out to me directly – email hidden; JavaScript is required or communicate directly to your teacher. The (720) 336-0320 number is still available for texting needs. Additionally, DPS is always updating resources here – https://www.dpsk12.org/coronavirus/faq-covid-19/#family
We know these are unique and challenging times and uncertainty can be extremely stressful. WE ARE HERE FOR YOU and ready to help! No ask is too big – just let us know what you need.
Be well, stay well and talk soon, Becky
Hello Academy 360 Families –
I hope this update finds you staying safe and healthy during these unique
times in our society. By now, I am sure you are aware of the Governor’s
Executive Order to close all public and private schools through Friday,
April 17th with a return anticipated for Monday, April 20th. Since this
announcement, both DPS and A360 teams have been joining together to figure
out what this means for instruction for your students while at home. While
we do not have all the answers today, I would like to send you
updates/tasks being worked on:
*Instruction*
I had the first of many conversations with teachers today to identify ways
in which we can deliver direct instruction to your students; the goal is to
have this method identified and ready to be used by *Tuesday, April 7th*.
In the meantime, K-5 students should keep working on paper assignments,
tasks posted in Google Classroom, IStation minutes, etc. Currently, we are
considering our lead teachers recording themselves teaching lessons on
YouTube, then either posting it to Google Classroom or emailing it directly
to families for them to access on their schedule. The goal would be that
students access these videos daily for instruction. We hope to supplement
these lessons with paper materials to support the learning. *Should we go
this route, we will give access to YouTube and limit the times in which
students can log onto their Chromebooks (for example, 8am to 6pm).
SafeSearch will still be on and families will need to monitor their
student’s computer use. *
You may receive an email from the district inquiring about computer use,
access, etc. – if you have not yet received a device from us, go ahead and
complete the survey as the information will get to us.
*Students with IEPs*
Should your students receive special education services, the goal is to
have those videos emailed directly to both parent/guardian and the student
(for privacy protection). Should you have questions about this
specifically, please be sure to email Mr. Wright at email hidden; JavaScript is required
*Computer and Materials Access*
We are grateful that we were ahead of most schools in this regard as we
were able to get into your hands both your student’s computer and paper
materials earlier this week. If you were unable to get these materials, we
will schedule another day or two in which you can come safely into the
school to access these materials – probably later next week. ECE families,
I am working with DPS to see if we can get preschoolers computers. Until
then, we hope to identify ways to engage students through online platforms
you can access on your phones, like YouTube, etc.
Things are moving quickly and we will try and get you communication as
quickly as possible. Please continue to check email, Facebook and text
messages. Should you need anything immediately, please email me (or Rosie)
directly.
Love to our entire A360 community!
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Hello Academy 360 Families – please remember to practice drop-off and pickup safety with your car and students. When dropping off your student, please either use the drive lane OR park your car and walk in your student. Please do not let students run from anywhere in the parking lot – it is a terrible accident waiting to happen. We appreciate your attention to safety!
