Parents and caregivers,
Thank you for taking the time to read my weekly newsletter and thank you to those that responded to my survey last week. If you haven’t had a chance to read last week’s newsletter or take the survey, you can find them on our website. I added new updates below, please note that information given last week hasn’t changed unless noted. To keep this weekly newsletter as short as possible I didn’t include last week’s information in this week’s update.
What will school look like in the fall?
The plan for school in the fall hasn’t changed from last week. Unfortunately, the Holladay City Journal published an early iteration of Granite School District’s fall plan, one that was created before the Utah State Office of Education gave their feedback, and this has led to some confusion. The Granite School District fall plan is for all students in grades 1-5 to begin school on Monday, August 24th, and Kinder begins on Thursday, August 27th. Our focus is to have all students back to a “normal” schedule here at school, this will include distance learning being available to students and families that are not yet ready to come back to school face to face in August. Right now, it is unlikely that our before-school Spanish and chess clubs will be scheduled in the fall for a variety of reasons (distancing, sharing game pieces, etc.), I have heard that Riverton Music is exploring online classes to help students stay active with their instrument, I will let you know when I hear more or plans change.
Safety
Health department for face coverings and social distancing will always be followed inside the building. Right now, I am actively working on a safety plan for our non-core curriculum times throughout the day. These times include lunch, transitions, library, art, P.E., recess, etc. I want school to continue to be an interactive, engaging, and fun experience for students and I know that often the activities listed previously are highlights that the students look forward to. These activities will still happen each week at Morningside, they may need to be modified to meet safety and distancing requirements, but they will still be part of the student’s weekly schedule.
Cleanliness
I am working on a plan with our custodial department, maintenance department, and district leadership for increased and rigorous cleaning throughout the day. Bathrooms and common touch areas will be cleaned many times throughout the day, and I recommend all students bringing a reusable/refillable bottle filled with water to school. Students will not share classroom materials, including pencils, coloring materials, scissors, white boards and white board markers, etc., each students will have their own materials to use and students will take those materials with them if they rotate to a new teacher halfway through the day (French DLI students). As always, we will provide all of the materials your child will need to be successful at school, if you are would like to supply your child with their own supplies, teachers will be able to send you classroom-specific lists in mid-August.
Distance Learning
Distance learning will be available for all students. All teachers will have a parallel track of distance learning available, more information about what this will look like will be coming in August, this way synchronous and asynchronous learning can take place to meet student needs. A teacher’s distance learning parallel track will be available for all classes. I have heard from the State Office of Ed’s DLI department that our first-grade French teacher, Mme. Botella, will be allowed to add supporting English instruction for those students completing their work at home. We know that most of our first-grade students don’t come to school with any French language skills and it is a big reach to provide them with instruction only in French and expect parents to fill in the gaps. Mme. Botella will still teach the French language to all students in her class, include those learning at home, but there will be additional instruction in English for those that are distance learning and not in her classroom to get immediate help. It is reasonable to expect that Mme. DeBacker will also be offering some English support to her students who have only had 1 year of French instruction, all other French teachers can offer help in English upon request.
Please reach out if you have any questions.
Thank you for your support,
Anne Reese