Dear Academy 360 Families –
Early Stages & Planning for In-Person Learning: Academy 360 is committed to creating plans for in-person learning prior to October 16th, while maintaining safety for our students and staff members. For your planning purposes, this will most likely look like a hybrid approach. We are considering bringing ECE/K students and other high-priority students back first and hope to create schedules in which prioritized student groups are small, and in-person instruction occurs two or three days a week (with virtual learning occurring on the “off” days). We are also considering a staggered approach over the course of the first eight weeks of school (i.e. ECE/K + high priority groups the first two weeks, then the addition of 1st/2nd grades the next two weeks, and so on). We strive to be as equitable as possible while being both conservative and consistent with our approach to hopefully identify that return to in-person education can be both safe AND successful, if done intentionally and with all the appropriate health and safety guard rails.
School Day Hours: All elementary schools in DPS are moving to a 6.5 hour school day. For your planning purposes, in-person days will most likely be 8-2:30p or 8:30-3:00p; we are still waiting for confirmation from DPS on this.
Outdoor Classroom Environments: We are going to capitalize on our small learning community and the flexibility of our non-DPS owned facility. We were recently awarded $15,000 to create outdoor educational spaces; we know the outdoors create safer environments for everyone during COVID-19, and on days when the weather allows, we will teach from those spaces.
We understand the decision for in-person versus virtual learning is extremely personal to each family. If your family has decided that 100% virtual is what is best for you at this time, that does not change, and will be fully supported by A360.
We hope to hear more from DPS regarding their small group priorities and scheduling and hope to have tentative scheduling plans out to you no later than Friday, August 7th.
We continue to welcome your thoughts and feedback as we together navigate this exceptionally unique time in the history of our lives.
Thank you for being a part of this family of learners. Together, we are A360.
Hello Academy 360 Families –
As many of you know, Denver Public Schools (DPS) is shifting to fully virtual/online learning for the first two weeks of the school year; Academy 360 will do the same. Below are working details as we plan for this change.
Delayed Start Date
The school year will start on Monday, August 24th. We will conduct virtual/online learning through Friday, September 3rd. It is the hope we will move to either hybrid learning or in-person come Tuesday, September 8th. NOTE: that decision has not yet been made and continued plans should be made for these different instructional scenarios.
Virtual/Online Instruction
The teaching team is working on a virtual/online schedule that will be a combination of direct/live teaching, blended learning (IStation, Spelling City, etc.) and opportunities to be physically active/take breaks. The live instruction will be recorded and posted in Google Classroom should you be unable to have your student log onto the computer at specific times of the day.
100% Virtual/Online Instruction
For those families that have elected to be fully online for the semester, we are working on programming for that platform. I will communicate directly with those families during the week of July 27th.
Mask Wearing & Hand Washing
We ask that you begin to practice with your student both mask wearing and hand washing now as they are both critical to the reduction to the spread of this virus. Even if you start with mask wearing 30 minutes a day, then 60, then 90, this will help with compliance once they return physically to school. Here is a great resource on handwashing and the use of hand sanitizer – https://www.cdc.gov/
ECE
The school is working on grant opportunities to get technology into the hands of our preschoolers. Similarly to last year, our preschool teachers will begin posting lessons onto our website for students and their families to access starting Monday, August 24th. (PLEASE NOTE: this is different from DPS as their ECE program doesn’t begin until Tuesday, September 8th).
Week of August 17th
This week will be utilized for K-5 to make individual family calls to outline what families can expect during the two weeks of virtual instruction, get them what they need (computer, schedule, tech sheet, books, etc.). ECE families will be invited to meet with their teachers, either by phone, video or socially distanced outside, to learn more about each preschooler before the school year starts.
Registration
Starting next Monday, July 27th, families will have an opportunity to begin registration online: updating information in Parent Portal, lunch applications, and more. Families can access the info here: http://academy-360.org/about-
Meet Our Staff!
We have a great number of our staff members returning from last year. Additionally, we welcome back both Ms. Stelling (previous 4th/5th grade teacher) and Mrs. Ginny (previous 1st/2nd and Special Education teacher) to Academy 360 and have a couple new faces joining our team! http://academy-360.org/who-we-
Zoom Family Town Hall
We will be hosting a Zoom video town hall next Tuesday, July 28th from 5-6pm for families wanting to join to have their questions answered, share feedback and more. Please join us at any time during the hour. Spanish translation provided. Below are details:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/8583609460?
Meeting ID: 858 360 9460
Passcode: included in July 22nd email
As always, we welcome communication from families either by call, email, or text and are updating our website regularly. Our goal is to communicate to you all weekly between now and the start of school.
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!
