Hello Upham Community,
I want you to know that I miss your children and you are in my prayers during this very challenging time. We are all trying to adjust and keep pace with this quickly changing situation. As things change, we are working hard to adapt and support our students and parents. In fact, we had a remote faculty meeting today which allowed all of the teachers to reconnect as a whole group, it was wonderful! We want to keep your children engaged and connected as best we can, therefore, we will launch the Remote Learning site tomorrow morning.
During this past week, there have been many behind-the-scenes meetings, collaborations, planning, and execution of what we are pleased to share as suggested remote learning opportunities for our students. As stated in the Superintendent’s earlier email, “It’s important to note that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has given clear direction to districts that remote learning is not intended to replicate the work we normally do with students when school is in session, including the introduction of new curricula and graded assessments. Rather, the focus should be on providing enrichment opportunities that allow students to remain engaged in learning and to deepen their exposure to previously taught material. The attached overview provides a detailed explanation of what remote learning will look like at each level in WPS and how parents and students can access these web-based resources. The WPS Remote Learning website will be live beginning tomorrow, March 20th, at 8 AM and can be accessed through our WPS website.”
As the remote learning is officially launched please spend time exploring its offerings prior to getting started. A suggested learning day is 1.5 to 2 hours for K-2 and two hours for 3-5. Students will also be greeted each day with a message from teachers reminding each to be positive, always do his/her best, and to continue to engage in creative ways of learning. This unusual time we are experiencing allows for creativity, imagination, and choice on the part of all our students. These cannot be overlooked and are always encouraged. In other words, please continue to create your own science experiment outdoors, explore nature, build using blocks/Legos, create, cook, imagine, observe, listen, watch, communicate, and enjoy!
Please keep the lines of communication open as that is how we support each other during challenging times. If you have any questions about the site or anything else, please do not hesitate to email me and I will get back to you immediately. In the meantime, I miss seeing you all.
Please be safe and stay healthy.
Dare to Dream,
Mr. Dees