Dear Parents and Guardians,
I hope this email finds you well. As we begin the final weeks of school, we are making plans to provide closure for our year together and prepare for the coming year. Given our current circumstances and the many unknowns, all of us are challenged to be creative and innovative as never before. I am so grateful to work in partnership with the innovative Bates teachers and to witness the magical work of our children and caregivers. Your efforts bring me great joy and hope in this time of many uncertainties. Thank you for all you do. I apologize in advance for a lengthy email, but I have several updates to share. I conclude my updates with some special joy for you – a slideshow of the 2020 Bates Mini-Marathon created by Nicole Fyvie.
Parent Teacher Check-ins
Maintaining connections between school staff and students remains paramount to our remote learning efforts. Thus, beginning next week, each family will be offered the opportunity to check-in individually with their child(ren)’s classroom teacher. Check-ins will last approximately 15 minutes and may happen via videoconference and/or telephone calls. The teacher-family check-ins are opportunities to talk about students’ social, emotional, and/or academic wellness. Check-ins also serve as an end-of-year communication allowing teachers and parents to wrap up the school year and attend to any critical next steps in service of students. Teachers will send an email with the sign up for these check-ins in next week.
Community Meeting
We are excited to schedule a live Community Meeting on Wednesday, May 20 at 11:30 a.m. A Zoom link will be shared with all classes via Google Classroom and Seesaw on Wednesday morning. I hope you can join us!
Placement Concerns
As we prepare for next year, teachers engage in a thoughtful process of placing students into classes for next year. Our team of teachers who take part in the placement process know your child well. They thoughtfully consider each child’s learning style, individual needs and school friendships to create the best grouping possible for Bates students.
If you feel you have a significant concern about an emotional, social or academic issue that you think we are not yet aware of, please complete this form. Because our placement process goal is to form well-balanced classrooms, we cannot consider requests for specific teachers or teaching/personality styles or requests to be with friends. In order for this information to be included in placement decisions, this form must be submitted via Google Drive by Friday, May 22, 2020.
HRS Resources for Parenting in a Pandemic
Human Relations Services (HRS) has shared this article about video chat fatigue that I have attached below. Some of us are experiencing these symptoms and should anticipate that children may be also. In addition, as a reminder, HRS is offering weekly parent forums for parents of children K-5. This flyer is also attached below.
The Bates Mini-Marathon Video
Although unfortunately we couldn’t celebrate this special tradition together, our students rocked the 2020 Mini-Marathon. Thank you to all who participated and to Mrs. Fyvie for organizing this event! Click this link to see the video. Enjoy!
I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Warm regards,
Toni Jolley
Important Dates
Wednesday, May 20 Community Meeting via Zoom, 11:30 a.m.
Friday, May 22 Serious Concerns form due
Monday, May 25 Memorial Day – No Remote Learning