Parent Letter #6 from our principal
Parent Letter #6
September 18, 2020
Dear P.S./M.S. 71 Families,
This week your children were invited to participate in a 3-day remote orientation. As I visited different classrooms across the grades, it was great to see your children’s faces on the Google Meet sessions and I enjoyed hearing them engage in conversations with their teachers and classmates. During the orientation days the students had an opportunity to meet their teachers and classmates. Our teachers reviewed health and safety protocols and procedures, engaged students with Google Classroom and digital tools, and outlined grade specific curriculum expectations.
As our teachers and students navigate between in-person learning, the blended learning model, and 100% remote teaching and learning, we ask for your patience and understanding as we work through the challenges and make the necessary adjustments along the way.
During the 3 days of remote orientation several students across the grades experienced technical difficulties with user names and student accounts which made it difficult to access their Google Classrooms and prevented them from interacting with their teachers. Our tech team has been reaching out to families to troubleshoot the issues. Please do not worry. We are committed to finding solutions and resolving the technical difficulties as quickly as possible.
Yesterday the Mayor and Chancellor announced that in-person learning has been delayed and will begin for K-8 schools on Tuesday, September 29th. Only students in the C-Cohort will come in person on the first day. All students must come to school wearing a mask and practice social distancing at all times. Our morning arrival team will greet students, perform health screenings, and random temperature checks. Please do not send your child to school if he or she is not feeling well and has symptoms.
During the week of the 21st all students will participate in 100% remote learning. The teachers will share their instructional schedule for the week with all families so students and parents know when to expect live teaching, small group instruction, and when students will work asynchronously or independently. Any recording and taking photos of Google Meet and or video conferencing sessions with teachers and students is not permitted and is a violation of our school’s privacy policies.
The school hours for K-4 students are 8:30 am to 2:00 pm and grades 5-8
are 8:45 am to 2:15 pm. Please note there is no early drop off for students. Breakfast is Grab and Go upon arrival. Please be sure that your child arrives on time and that he or she is picked up promptly at dismissal. In-person Kindergarten students will arrive at 9:00 am for the first week of school.
Our staff is eager to kick-off the new school year and we can’t wait to meet and greet your students when in-person learning commences.
I thank you for your patience, flexibility, and partnership. We are all in this together and with your support I am confident that we will make this the best year possible.
Regards,
Mrs. Margaret Mirando Principal
Natalina DeLillis
