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Franklin Families and Students,
I hope that all is well and that you have had a good week. I had a wonderful end to my week as I spent the afternoon interacting with our students in a Blackboard Collaborate Ultra session. It was awesome! They asked great questions and I really enjoyed the opportunity to connect with them. I am excited to continue these student chats in the weeks to come.
On Monday at 1:00, I will have a similar opportunity to connect with our families in an All About Distance Learning session. More details are available below and I hope to see you there!
Throughout this week the Franklin MS staff was engaged in training and preparing to re-launch synchronous, or live class sessions, while also maintaining asynchronous learning access for all students. We will continue to follow the Franklin MS Distance Learning Schedule (found below) and our staff will be ready with synchronous sessions for Office Hours on Tuesday, April 28 and the Odd Period day on Wednesday, April 29. Some teachers have been trying new options for synchronous sessions with students this week. I will continue to encourage all teachers to continue to employ the practices that work best for them and their students.
On Wednesdays and Fridays, synchronous sessions will be available for the four core subjects, World Languages, and our Academic Support classes. Your child should be on the lookout for student-specific links to Blackboard Collaborate Ultra (BbCU) that will tighten the security of synchronous learning. These links will be sent directly to each child’s @fcpsschools.net email address. More information is available below.
We would like to publicly acknowledge our teachers and staff members for their flexibility, commitment and dedication to creating the best possible distance learning experiences for your children. At the start of next week, I will share information with you about our Teacher Appreciation Week that will take place from May 4-8. It will look a little different this year and we will need your help to celebrate our amazing Franklin staff.
Best wishes for a relaxing and enjoyable weekend. Thank you for everything you are doing to support your student.
Sincerely,
Dustin Wright
Principal
dpwright@fcps.edu
Parent Session On Monday at 1:00
We will be hosting an All About Distance Learning Parent Session on April 27 at 1:00 PM through Blackboard Collaborate Ultra. On the morning of the event, I will share a link for families to use to engage with me as well as other FMS staff members. I plan to highlight a few of the many excellent examples of distance learning successes our teachers and students have experienced over the last several weeks. We look forward to connecting with you! If you are unable to attend, we will share a recording of the session with the community.
What Should Students Do Between Today and April 28?
- Look for daily updates from your teachers via Google Classroom, email, Blackboard 24-7.
- Check your fcpsschools.net Google emails frequently over the next few days for messages with secure Blackboard Collaborate Ultra class links that you will use for the synchronous sessions next week. You will receive a separate email from Blackboard Collaborate for each one of your classes.
- Do NOT share links with others.
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Review this set of directions about how to find the Blackboard Collaborate links for each of your classes.
- “Star” the emails you receive, bookmark the links, or use this fillable virtual schedule to keep track of your links for each class. Copy and paste them into this form and keep it in a safe spot because you will be using it often.
- Complete the assignments and activities that your teacher has provided for you this week.
- Be ready to learn each day!
- Reach out to your teachers, school counselor, or an administrator with questions.
What Can Families Do?
- Encourage your child to stay engaged, complete assigned work, and access all resources posted by teachers
- Remind your student to check their fcpsschools.net Google emails frequently over the next few days for messages containing secure Blackboard Collaborate Ultra class links that they will use for the synchronous sessions next week. They will receive a separate email from Blackboard Collaborate for each one of their classes and it is important that they do NOT share links with others.
- Support your child in reaching out to Franklin MS staff with questions and ideas.
Schedule for Next Week
Monday: Students complete independent or collaborative work and learning packets.
Tuesday: Students attend office hours with teachers, complete independent or collaborative work, and learning packets.
Wednesday: Bell Schedule by Period
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1st Period
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9:15-10:00
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3rd Period
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10:30-11:15
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Lunch Break
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5th Period
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12:15-1:00
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7th Period
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1:30-2:15
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Thursday: Students attend office hours with teachers, complete independent or collaborative work, and learning packets.
Friday: Bell Schedule by Period
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2nd Period
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9:15-10:00
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4th Period
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10:30-11:15
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Lunch Break
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6th Period
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12:15-1:00
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