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Dear GFES Families,
We are all looking forward to virtually seeing our students for their first day of Distance Learning on Tuesday, April 14th. I am writing today to share specifics of the FCPS Distance Learning Plan (DLP) as it relates to Great Falls Elementary.
Distance Learning Overview:
As you know, our teachers reported back to work this week. It has been wonderful for the staff to reconnect and begin collaborating and planning for distance learning. This is a complete shift in the way we work as educators, and the way your children work as learners. We know that the launch of distance learning will not be tidy. I keep reminding our staff that we will embark on this new learning journey together while being prepared for the fact that we do not know all the answers.
Likewise, it is also critically important that parents remain flexible in your thinking and expectations. Just as many of you are learning how to work from home while your children are at home, the same is true for our teachers. We have staff and their family members experiencing illness, stress, and a general state of uncertainty. I will continue to ask for your patience and grace as we proceed through to the end of this school year.
At the same time, our teachers have expressed pure excitement and anticipation to “see” your children again. They are so eager to reconnect, and April 14 will most certainly be a happy one!
Distance Learning Schedules:
Click here to see a large scale overview of our Distance Learning schedule. You can find specific grade level overviews as tabs at the bottom of the page, OR, you can look on our GFES website by clicking here. As you can see, each teacher specifically chose times to instruct and/or support in order to best meet the needs of their students and their own ability to teach from home. Our special education teachers, specialists, and counselors will also be involved in updating their Blackboard distance learning tabs and supporting in large and small group virtual classrooms.
Our Instruction will be both asynchronous (without a teacher) and synchronous (with a teacher in an online platform). In addition to the learning packets and the video lessons available on cable Channel 21 and through Channel 21 web streaming, Blackboard 24-7 will be the tool used for parents and students to access assignments from their teachers. Our goal is to make these resources very easy for you and your children to locate; therefore, we have one GFES Blackboard site with grade-level tabs embedded, so you only need to go to one site to find everything you need! Your student should already be enrolled in this course. If they are not, please email your classroom teacher.
If teachers are using Google classroom, there will be a link for students from their Blackboard site tabs to Google classroom for assignments.
FCPS DLP outlines a schedule that dictates that no virtual teaching will occur on Fridays at the elementary level. For the Monday through Thursday schedule, some grade levels will be teaching all four days of the week as a group to the entire grade level, and some will break up into homeroom or math/language arts groups. Details of each grade level’s plan will be shared directly from your child’s teacher.
Parent/Student Distance Learning FAQs:
Use this form to provide questions, feedback, ideas, and highlights. We will post Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) as we work together to ensure our students’ continued success. Please reference this for school-wide topics. Classroom specific questions should be directed to your child’s classroom teacher.
Virtual Principal Coffee, April 10th; 9:30 - 10:30 a.m:
Dr. Litz and I will hold a Virtual Principal’s Coffee on Friday, April 10th from 9:30-10:30 a.m. using our Blackboard Collaborate platform. This gives parents the opportunity to use the platform and stay in communication with me. Click here for the Blackboard Collaborate link to join the session. Please input any questions, ideas, suggestions, and highlights you’d like us to address and/or share before the session by clicking here.
Virtual Distance Learning with Teachers, April 13th:
Our teachers have scheduled time in their workday on April 13th to log on and support your understanding of how instruction will likely look in their classrooms. Think of this as an OPTIONAL “Virtual Back to School” gathering; here is the schedule of logon times by teacher.
Learning Packets:
Hopefully, you have received the first learning packet in the mail. Mine hasn’t come yet for my children, so we are printing off of Blackboard as of right now. Please know the county understands that they misjudged how long packets would take to get to families, and they plan to adjust moving forward.
These packets were developed by FCPS Instructional Services, and they will continue to provide new mailings each week through the end of the school year, introducing new content starting on April 14. Our teachers may refer to these packets during their instruction, as they will help us pace out units for the rest of the year. In addition, the packets can be used to supplement the Student Independent time we have listed on our schedule.
Although the packets will not be turned in or graded, it is important that your children complete them, if they are able. The packets are available electronically in FCPS 24/7 Learning, so if you would like to print the packets at home, you may use this opt-out link to stop receiving the printed instructional packets in the mail. Learning activities for Advanced Mathematics for grades 3-6 will be included in the second packet for those students currently in those courses.
We hope you have a safe and restful Spring Break. We all are looking forward to connecting again virtually on April 14th if not before!
Sara and Chris
GFES Families,
Thank you for all the generous donations we have received so far towards our Sister School Grocery Store Gift Card drive! This is the last week to donate to the campaign. The drive ends on Friday, April 10. Please help support families in need from Glen Forest Elementary during the COVID-19 health crisis.
Your generous donations not only help provide food to families struggling during this challenging time, but they also emphasize the strength and caring spirit of this community! Your kind support is very powerful during this time when many people feel powerless.
DONATE TODAY via AtoZConnect
(Go To: Store/Products/Donations/Glen Forest Support $25, $50, $75, $100 or Other) No donation is too small - every contribution helps!
THANK YOU for your generous support. Every donation makes a difference!
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