Month: March 2021

Greetings Fine People!
I hope you had an amazing week off and that you’re feeling rejuvenated and ready for this last part of the year. I am excited that we are heading in to Spring back home at Amity and that we will ALL be back together starting next week!

Lots to share this week for obvious reasons…
1) As you likely all know by now, 4th and 5th graders will be all-in starting next Monday! This is something I was quite doubtful would happen this year and I could not be more thrilled!

Along with this news comes a few other changes:
*Social distancing for students is now 3 feet. However, distancing between students and adults, and between adults, is still expected to be 6 feet.
*Because students are now allowed to sit 3 feet apart we may be able to bring round tables back for K-2. I’ll likely know more today and we can talk about what this might look like.
*We will likely need more desks for Grades 4 and 5, I’ll work with Matt and Ray on this. We may be able to take desks from K-2.
*There will be NO school this Thursday and Friday, April 1 and 2. The district is giving schools time to make needed adjustments to classrooms, and to lunch plans since students are still supposed to be 6 feet apart while eating. Yup. I’m working on our plan and happy to hear your ideas.
*There is now school on April 14 and 15 (previously these were non-contact days for conferencing–still NO school on Friday, April 16).
*Since we don’t have students on Thursday and Friday of this week I am trying to arrange for us to use this time to finish moving things from Brinson. I should have an answer by the end of the day. This seems like a good use of our time.
*Conversations (virtual) have been shortened to 8 hours (instead of 16) and you are being asked to make time for these in the next two weeks. You can use SIW time this week and next, and some hours on Thursday and Friday of this week. Since the district has cut the time in half, this round of Conversations are supposed to be more focussed on meeting with the families of students who may be most in need. However, if at all possible please make the time to meet with every family. For those with more than 16 kiddos, we can make use of Brad to cover some class time so you can meet with families.

2) With the truncated week, and Grades 4 and 5 returning full time next week, we will not start PE or buddies this week. I’ll send an update later in the week.

3) We were going to attempt a Community Time on Thursday and Friday of this week–we’ll shoot for next week.

4) Using scooters in the gym? A few requests:
*Please put cones in front of the doors below the stage to keep students from crashing into the doors
*Please put the scooters back on the stage as neatly as you can in the far corner

5) A few reminders:
*K-2 teachers, afternoon recess ends at 1:20. Please stick to this time so Grades 3-5 can easily make their way out at 1:25
*Before bringing students inside please have them check for playground equipment left out (balls, jump ropes, hula hoops) and for jackets/gloves/snacks/garbage


Upcoming
April 1 & 2: NO School
April 5: Grades 4 & 5 are back all in!
April 14 & 15: These are now school days (no longer Conversation days)
April 16: NO school

Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy

Welcome Back Y’all!
I had no idea how great it would feel to be back in this building–it feels amazing! One giant step forward towards reconnecting with our roots!

A few notes as we begin anew:
1) All school sing-a-long at 8:15am Monday morning: The Amity Song Returns courtesy of Nathan. We’ll broadcast over the intercom at 8:15am if it’s working, otherwise we’ll have Nathan roaming the hallway playing his loudest.

2) Once the gym is operational we’ll use a google doc to sign up for usage time–stay tuned.

3) I’ve dropped off copies of the new zone rotations in your classrooms. Lindsey has offered to flex her recess times on Monday so we can keep our schedule the same while we don’t have access to the gym (we’ll have it Tuesday). For Monday, Grade 1 and 2 rotation is as follows:
AM Recess: Grade 1 in Zone 1, Garde 2 in Zone 2
Lunch Recess: Grade 1 in Zone 2, Garde 2 in Zone 2
PM Recess: Grade 1 in Zone 1, Garde 2 in Zone 2

4) We’ll be adding back 30 minutes of PE per class per week. Mindy will take each class beginning after Spring Break. I’ll get a schedule together this week. Thanks for going without for so long, I truly appreciate it!

5) Walking field trips. I’m being told we are still not allowed to do any field trips of any kind–so, we’ll need to hold off for a little while. However, since our field is still not usable, I’m giving you permission to use Troy Field whenever you want.

6) Staff meeting on Wednesday at 2pm. Let’s use this time to troubleshoot issues that come up with our return and to strategize how to build back our community. Please come with ideas!

7) Let’s make time for a drink together on Thursday after school, 3:30pm. If it’s nice weather we’ll meet somewhere outside, if not we’ll find a spot we can meet indoors. Please come if you can!

I think that’s it, but my mind is a bit mushy at the moment. I’m going to miss seeing you every time you use the bathroom, so please be sure to stop by and visit me in the office…

It’s so, so good to be back at Amity with all of you! Here’s to starting anew!
Andy

Happy Last Monday at North Star!
Believe it or not, we are moving back to at the end of the week, almost exactly 1 year after we had to move to CDL. It’s almost unfathomable! You have been rock stars in dealing with all the challenges and change, and our sweet reward is awaiting us!

I had a little get away with my wife this weekend to a yurt on the back side of Suttle Lake (yes, there are 3 yurts there!). We had a cozy stay, and had a super fun experience skiing up to Camp Tamarack! Here are a few pics…

A few notes to get you going:
1) NO staff meeting this week–please use Wednesday afternoon to pack!

2) Patti reached out to K-3 teachers offering the services of Beth to help you pack for a few hours this week–I hope you are taking us up on the offer. Remember, all packing needs to be done before you leave on Friday. Also, we will be taking the iPad stands with us!

3) EBISS Meetings (30mins) this week on Tuesday. Brad will cover Kinder, Grade 2, and Grade 3. Grade 1 classes will be at music.
*Kinder: 10:00am
*Grade 1: 12 (Amanda), 12:30 (Sara) 
*Grade 2: 10:30am
*Grade 3: 1pm

4) We have lots of book buying money available–$1600 in library funds, and another $1800 in Scholastic money. Please think about books you have wanted to order, or take some time to look for some new books. We want you to spend this money!

5) Sunday will be our big move-in day! Volunteers will be arriving starting at 8am. FOA will be providing pizza and salads from Pizza Mondo for lunch.

6) Specially invited Grade 4 and 5 students will be attending school on Wednesdays beginning March 17. I’ve worked with Matt and Ray to identify which students (up to 10) will most benefit from this support and we have invited these students to join. A great opportunity to support some of our kiddos!

7) I’ll be sharing the following graphic with parents this week explaining our drop off and pick up procedures–just thought you’d like to see it. HUGE thanks to Casey Davis, Taran’s mom, for helping me with this!

8) I’ll be on and off campus a lot this week so I can be back and forth to Amity. There’s a lot to attend to there before the move-in! Don’t hesitate to call or text if you need me and I’m not in the building.

Upcoming
March 10: Packing time in afternoon
March 17: Team meetings during SIW, 2pm
March 12: Last Day at North Star!
March 14: Amity move-in day
March 15: First day at Amity!
March 22-26: Spring Break, No School
April 14-16: Conversations

Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy