 WFES students engage with their classmates and teachers during the second week of distance learning.
Dear Wakefield Forest Families,
I know that there has been an inordinate amount of communication from the district, me and your teachers. For this I truly apologize. I know that the messages from the district and our school have not always aligned; this is a part of the challenge of being in a school district of our size. Most schools were not ready to proceed with direct instruction today. However, because we were ready, we proceeded. Rest assured that we are following all FCPS procedures and policies to ensure student safety. This process will take more time for our middle and high school colleagues, but direct instruction should be available for all students across FCPS soon.
My heart was full today seeing so many of our students in direct learning sessions and also seeing staff do what they love. I was able to see some fun, creative and interactive lessons happening at every grade level. Our staff is working so hard to make the time they have with students valuable for both relationships and instruction. We will continue with direct instruction as scheduled. If you have questions or concerns about instructions, the classroom teacher is the best first person to ask.
Thank you so much for your continued trust in us. We feel it and we appreciate your partnership throughout this journey.
Sharyn Prindle
Principal
Access to Non-essential Items
Wakefield Forest is closed based on the Governor’s Order and Health Department restrictions, with the exception of activities designated as essential. At this time FCPS has not yet developed a plan for returning non-essential items to families. When more information is available, we will let you know. If there is an urgent need, please email me directly at sbprindle@fcps.edu.
Attendance
During the direct instruction sessions, WFES staff will be taking attendance and entering it into our online system. This is to allow us to know which students we need to follow up with. We do understand that not all families can attend the direct instruction sessions. There is no need to email the WFES attendance line or your teacher if your child will not participate in the live session.
DreamBox Support
During distance learning, we have set up DreamBox for students through the end of June as an additional resource. You should have or will receive information from your classroom teacher about accessing this resource. Should you have an issue, these links are a good first step.
https://www.dreambox.com/educator-webinars
https://www.dreambox.com/parent-webinars
Need tech support? support@dreambox.com
Kindergarten Registration
Schools remain closed to families; however, if you have a student to register for next year, please scan a copy of all required documents to our School Registrar, Ms. Holmes, at KSHolmes@fcps.edu. Original documents will need to be shown prior to the start of the school year, but we can begin processing this information from scanned documents. Early registration for next year is important as it supports the number of teachers for which we are staffed. Information on required registration documents can be found here: https://www.fcps.edu/registration . Please direct any questions about registration to Ms. Holmes.
"Intention for Next School Year" Forms
For membership and staffing purposes, we would like to hear from families who are not returning to Wakefield Forest in August for the 20-20 school year. If you are returning, please do not worry about turning in the form. If your children (K-5) will not be attending WFES in the fall, please email Ms. Holmes directly at KSholme@fcps.edu and let her know.
Distance Learning Materials
Parents can opt-out of receiving paper packets by clicking here. All packets will be available on FCPS 24-7 Learning at least one week in advance of the next week's instruction.
Math and Language Arts Distance Learning Lessons broadcast on Apple 21 can now be accessed by teachers and students on demand. To view, go to Fairfax County Public Schools Distance Learning on YouTube and subscribe. Playlists are arranged by grade level (for math) and content (for language arts).
Content can also be accessed on the FCPS Apple 21 cable television channel and is streaming at https://www.fcps.edu/news-features-and-events/cable-tv/cable-tv-guide.
Mental Health Support
If you are seeking supports for working with your child during this time, there are some at this link towards the end of the webpage: https://www.fcps.edu/academics/distance-learning/instruction/learning-at-home
We understand that this is a stressful time for students and families. If your child needs a check in from a member of our mental health team, please complete this survey and one of our staff will reach out.
Technology Support
What can I do if I cannot hear the teacher?
- Make sure your computer volume is on. You can check this by clicking the “F1” button at the top of your keyboard.
- Make sure your speaker volume in BBCU is turned all the way up. You can do this by:
- clicking on the purple tab with the “X” in it located at the bottom right of your screen.
- then click on “My Settings” (the picture of the gear)
- drag your speaker volume (it’s purple) to 100%
What if the audio and/or picture quality is poor or goes in and out?
- Move closer to your wireless source in your house. Sometimes the farther you are from this source, the weaker the signal and that can translate to a poor audio and/or visual experience.
My audio, video and/or chat is not working.
- Teachers will be turning the audio, video and/or chat features on and off during the session in order to manage the class.
My default browser is not Chrome.
- Launch Chrome
- Paste the following into the URL window chrome://settings/defaultBrowser
- Click Make Default
- If prompted to choose an app, click Google Chrome and close the window
-
Here is a video on how to make Chrome your default browser
If none of these tips are helping to fix your issue, you may want to consider restarting your computer. We ask that you do not note your issue in the chat section or ask the teacher to problem solve while they are teaching. If the above tips do not work, please email your classroom teacher after the session.
Here is information about accessing technical support during distance learning: Information on technical support is available online.
Yearbooks
Yearbooks can be ordered online through May 1, 2020. Once completed, the yearbooks will be delivered to the school and we will determine a plan for distribution.
Go to www.scherlingschoolpics.com
Click Order Pictures and Yearbooks
Enter code: FM111429
Andrew Gause’s Martial Arts has taken its Taekwondo instruction and is providing a distance learning course FREE to Fairfax County community members.
This 1-month course was designed to help children learn Taekwondo, a very popular Korean Martial Art, in the comfort of their own home.
You can register for this Free course at:
http://www.rvtkd.com/virtualclasses.html
You can also contact us at andrewgausesmartialarts@gmail.com if you have any additional questions.
|
