Dear Bates Families,
Welcome to the 2020-2021 school year. This week I welcomed the Bates staff back to school. The staff engaged in thoughtful work all week to set up classrooms, review health and safety protocols, plan curriculum, and engage in professional development on a number of topics including equity and anti-racism, social emotional learning and technology. We are excited for the start of school! In this email I share important information for families to prepare for the start of school.
The Start of School
School begins with remote learning for all students from September 16 – September 30. The school day starts at 8:30 and ends at 3:05 p.m. A sample daily full remote schedule for K-2 and Grades 3-5 can be found on pages 91-92 of the WPS Reopening Plan.
October 1-2: In-person Hybrid Instruction Begins
Starting October 1 and 2, students who have opted for the hybrid model will attend school in cohorts. Students will be assigned to cohorts as follows: Students in cohort A attend school in person on Monday and Thursday, students in cohort B attend school in person on Tuesday and Friday and students in Cohort C attend school in person Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Each Wednesday is a half-day full remote learning day for all students, with a few exceptions. As in the full-remote model, students’ home days will consist of a combination of synchronous (live) and asynchronous (offline) activities and instruction. A daily sample hybrid schedule can be found on pages 82-84 of the WPS Reopening Plan.
Teacher Assignments in the PowerSchool Parent Portal
The PowerSchool Parent Portal will open at noon on Tuesday, September 8 and remain open through September 18. It is important that you update emergency information in the portal for each of your children and read the annual permissions. After completing these forms, you will receive your child’s teacher and cohort assignment. Information on the Parent Portal is available on the Bates website.
Staffing at Bates
In the last few weeks I have learned that a few Bates teachers are either taking a leave of absence or will teach in the WPS Remote Learning School. As a result, a very small number of teacher assignments in the portal will read “TBD.” We are in the final stages of determining our staffing assignments and will provide an update as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Scheduling 1:1 Meetings with Your Child’s Teacher
Next week you will receive a welcome email from your child’s teacher with instructions to sign up for a 1:1 meeting via Zoom on September 14 or 15. We look forward to these meetings as an opportunity to begin building relationships between students, families and teachers.
Material Pick Up for the Remote Learning Start
We are making ready a packet of materials to support students’ first few weeks of school in remote learning. These include math workbooks, math manipulatives, books and iPads for students in grades 3-5. Kindergarten, first and second grade students will receive their iPads when they come to school on October 1 and 2. Families with multiple children are invited to pick up materials at the time designated for their youngest child. Students assigned to the Remote Learning School will pick up materials at this time also.
Materials will be ready for pick up on Monday, September 14 at the following times:
|
Kindergarten |
8:30 – 9:00 |
|
Grade 1 |
9:00 – 9:30 |
|
Grade 2 |
9:30 – 10:00 |
|
Grade 3 |
10:00 – 10:30 |
|
Grade 4 |
10:30 – 11:00 |
|
Grade 5 |
11:00 – 11:30 |
Back to School Packet
Please visit the Bates website for important information in the “Back to School Packet,” including grade level supply lists and the 2020-2021 school year calendar. At this time, we are seeking three parent volunteers to serve on the Bates School Council. For more information please read the letter found in the packet.
Before School Care
The Bates Before School Program will be offered each day that students are in school from 7:15 – 8:15 a.m. Information on enrolling in the program will be available soon.
Parent Coffees
On Thursday, September 10 at 7:00 p.m. I will hold a parent meeting to provide updates and answer questions from Bates families. A Zoom link will be sent via email on Thursday morning for those who wish to join. I will continue to hold these meetings monthly or as needed.
I hope you enjoy the long weekend. I look forward to seeing you soon.
Warm regards,
Toni Jolley
Important Dates:
September 8 PowerSchool Parent Portal Opens, 12:00 p.m.
September 10 Parent Coffee via Zoom, 7:00 p.m.
September 14-15 Teacher / Student 1:1 Meetings (to be scheduled with teacher)
September 14 Student Material Pick Up (see schedule above)
September 16 First Day of School, Remote Learning
October 1-2 First Day of Hybrid Model Instruction