3/25/20 Mid-Week Update

“There’s a crack in everything.  That’s how the light gets in.” – Leonard Cohen.

Hi Team,

I will keep this fairly brief because there will be more and more coming in the next week.

You will receive a letter from TLC tomorrow sharing some of the pertinent information about the learning kits being provided to families on April 1st.  Please do not share any of the content beyond our staff prior to April 1st. More specific information on our expectations will also be shared on Monday when we meet via WebEx.  

1. We will be providing these learning kits to families on the 1st.  We’ll talk more about how and when on Monday. The learning kits being provided are a way to buy us some more time to further develop this continuation of learning.
2. I am debating the advantages/disadvantages of a drive-up vs. walk-in (using the gym) method of distributing the learning kits to families.  My intent is to require the fewest number of people (myself and one or two others) as possible to make this happen and avoid any bottlenecking of large numbers of people showing up at the same time.  I do not plan to utilize teachers for this process.
3. I am now the official designee of social distancing on our site (add that title to the list of things I never saw myself doing).  Please follow the following guidelines at all times and discipline yourselves so that I do not have to;
   1. Stay 6 feet apart.
   2. Wash hands often.
   3. Wipe down the surfaces you use.
   4. Know you can report anyone to me who is not observing these guidelines.
4. Certified staff can continue to work remotely (only come to campus when it’s necessary to prepare materials and do so alone).  Classified staff only report if you cannot complete work remotely (this will be a case by case basis).
5. All hiring, interviewing, staffing plans for next year are seriously slowed or paused for now.
6. Our magnet lottery is still on schedule and we hope to be able to stick close to our original timeline (just in case you have anyone asking you).  If that changes, I will let you know asap.
7. If you are having difficulty with WebEx please try the links below to learn how to utilize this tool.
8. If you have some time to research “Screencasting”, I highly recommend you conduct a quick search and read up on useful tips.  Learning to use this method effectively and efficiently will be a huge step to provide content for students during this time AND when things return to normal I think you will find it extremely useful in the classroom as well.  Do not worry about the million different apps that can be used, just read about what makes a quality screencast. We already have several apps for you to use.

Please email me any questions that come up. I will only be checking email for brief periods of time these next few days. Text or call if you need to talk more immediately (760-500-4847)

I plan to go into the office on Friday in hopes that construction is done.  If you need something from school then I can help you then.

I’ve included the links regarding WebEx from Scott and Christie below;

•When you want to start or schedule a meeting:

https://bendk12.webex.com/

•Our getting started video and troubleshooting site:

Webex

• WebEx quick start guide:

https://www.webex.com/webexremoteessentials.html#webex-meetings

•Virtual Learning/Teaching Live + Recorded Classes:

https://help.webex.com/landing/onlineclasses/upcomingClass/Working-Remotely#Getting-Started-with-Virtual-Education

•Transition to Virtual Learning/Teaching Resources:

https://www.webex.com/webexremoteedu.html