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Dear Families,
We hope everyone is staying safe and healthy! Things have certainly changed rapidly since our last Panther Paw Print, and things will most likely continue to change over the next few weeks. Please know that there are many things happening behind the scenes to ensure that we can stay connected with our students and families. We know some teachers are already reaching out to students. Remember, these interactions are really to keep relationships going. Teachers cannot assign mandatory work or grade anything. We are taking our direction from FCPS and need to be consistent across the board to ensure equity for all students.
The most important thing right now is for everyone to take care of themselves and practice social (physical) distancing. We miss seeing our students, staff, and families daily. Although, we have gotten creative with some virtual meetings with our staff. We have included Dr. Brabrand’s message below that was sent yesterday.
Stay tuned for additional information next week.
We hope to see you soon! Remember, we are all in this together.
Ms. Andujar and Ms. Walker
Dr. Brabrand's Message from 3/19/20:
Dear Families and Staff,
I hope you and your students are doing well and staying healthy. This is an extraordinary time for our community, state and nation. While we have no way to predict how the days ahead will unfold, we strongly encourage you to follow the guidance we are receiving each day from the health professionals to contain the spread of the virus. We all want to be responsible global citizens – FCPS employees and families alike – and do our part to stop the spread.
We understand the anxiety and challenges that COVID-19 is placing on families. We also know our families are concerned about instruction and learning for our students. Please know our teachers care and want to support their students.
Behind the scenes, we’ve been working hard to plan for the days and weeks ahead as we prepare for the possibility of distance learning. I will be providing you additional details early next week about our distance learning plan and other instructional updates.
If FCPS schools cannot reopen as scheduled on April 14, our plan is to begin distance learning either online, or by learning packets at that time. Over the next two weeks, we will begin distance learning training for teachers and give teachers the opportunity to plan and prepare for distance instruction and reconnect with their students.
We will also be working with individual schools to distribute laptops and MiFi devices by appointment beginning next week to students who do not have access at home. We will also provide for an essential/critical items pickup at individual schools. More details will follow.
We know there are questions about third quarter grading. We are working with our principals to develop a plan for grading and will communicate that information to you as soon as we can.
Virginia schools are closed by order of the Governor's office. The guidance provided by the Virginia Department of Education is that since school divisions cannot ensure equity in access, student instructional assignments should not be required or graded during the closure.
Please continue to take advantage of the continuity of learning resources:
- When anyone logs on to FCPS 24-7 they will see a Continuity of Learning module that has links to resources for elementary students as well as resources for middle and high school students.
- Continuity of learning resources are also available at this link along with information about accessing our instructional videos.
We are continuing our food distribution for our families which is a critical function we can provide at this time. Today, we began bus delivery of meals in some areas. Please continue to check our website daily for food distribution locations.
Listening to your concerns is important to me and so I invite you to join me tomorrow, March 20, for a Facebook Live Chat beginning at 3 p.m. to answer questions regarding FCPS operations during the COVID emergency. https://www.facebook.com/fcpsva
Stay connected to the latest C-19 information through the FCPS website and the Fairfax County website. Please stay safe and look for my next message early next week.
Sincerely,
Scott Brabrand, Superintendent Fairfax County Public Schools
All upcoming school activities are canceled until further notice.
Ways to Stay Informed
Visit the Poplar Tree Website and FCPS website for updates.
Follow Poplar Tree on Twitter @PoplarTreeES.
Access and sign up for News You Choose.
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