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Dear North Smithfield Families and Staff,
Now that we know Distance Learning will continue for the month of April, we can expand our plans somewhat. I am including some general information below. New Statewide April School Calendar:
A few notes from the Commissioner and Governor
A Note on Distance Learning and Privacy In response to the COVID-19 health crisis, all Rhode Island Schools have been directed by the Rhode Island Department of Education to provide remote learning. In order to facilitate some of our remote learning classes, our District is utilizing various remote technology platforms. For the most part we are utilizing technology tools within the Google ecosystem. These have all been vetted for FERPA requirements regarding privacy concerns. However, the District may also utilize other platforms providing streaming video and schoolwork online through other systems, such as Screencastify, Video Chat tools, Zoom, etc. All these products will have the ability to capture video and sound within range of the camera and microphone within your home or any place your child uses the technology. Such information may also be seen or heard by other students sharing the distance learning platform. Also, portions of classes may be recorded and maintained as an educational record, such as music class performances. For this reason, we are asking that you be mindful of your child’s use of these technologies and protect your family’s privacy while classes are in session. Many of these technologies have provision to mute video and/or sound. Utilizing and logging on to these services will act as consent to your child’s use of the same. Each of our principals will follow up with school-specific information. Stay safe and stay connected and engaged. Michael St. Jean, Superintendent
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Dear North Smithfield Families and Staff,
We are wrapping up our first week of Distance Learning with a second week coming up. We have been told the Governor will announce if there is to be a continuation of Distance Learning after next week. With the support of our teachers, partners, and the community, North Smithfield Public Schools (NSPS) is prepared to deliver whatever is required of us to best support our students and families of our community. Expanding Meals With the assistance of our partners at Chartwells, NSPS this week expanded our free lunch and breakfast “drive and go” service to include any NSPS student whose family may need extra assistance, not just those who previously qualified for free or reduced lunch. We are further expanding this service to include with Friday’s drive and go pickup additional lunches and breakfasts to cover the weekend. We also realize that some families may have difficulty with transportation between the 11:30 - 12:30 pickup time so we have authorized Chartwells to distribute lunches to NS students regardless if they are in the car or not and/or if someone is picking up and delivering on behalf of another family. To help us determine how many meals to prepare, we ask that you fill out this confidential form at https://forms.gle/USmP7rgG7hJkGNnSA. Please register only if you intend on picking up a meal or can have someone get it for you, so nothing will go to waste. Technology Our technology team continues to shine and keep NSPS on the forefront of Distance Learning. In addition to highlighting their work troubleshooting technology issues and supporting teachers, students, and parents, this week they also:
This is a truncated list of all they did this week, so a big shoutout to our Technology Team on behalf of all NSPS employees, students, and families. Maintaining a Community One of the challenges with Distance Learning and working remotely is maintaining a sense of community. Our classrooms and hallways are now dark and empty of movement from teachers and students passing, building, and creating and our schools are silent of conversation, laughter, and song. Yes the school buildings are closed and we are physically separated from one another, but social distancing does not mean we cannot still be social and maintain our community connections. To that end we all have enjoyed Mrs. Daigneault’s daily morning announcements and Mrs. Salvatore’s stories and all the other posts and comments on Facebook. We have also laughed at some of the creative and joyful posts on NSMS’ Instagram site during their virtual Spirit Week this week. Just as our students have their Google Classrooms, there is a Google Classroom for teachers. In the teacher’s Classroom, there are videos they have posted sharing with their colleagues and friends their experiences from the day of Distance Learning. These videos range from extremely funny to insightful and informative. Not only are our teachers working to support their students and families, but they are also working to support each other. Whether through the use of social media, email, video conferencing, or direct calls and conversations from our social workers, psychologists, school guidance counselors, teachers, special educators, interventionists, and instructional assistants, we are holding onto our sense of community with our students and families. We have also received so many much appreciated positive, encouraging and supportive emails from families. It is these connections between school and home and each other that epitomizes North Smithfield and North Smithfield Public Schools as a community dedicated to excellence. Soon we should have an idea of how long Distance Learning is anticipated to continue. No matter the length of time, we have been discussing and planning for any possibility and minimizing any impact on student learning, recognition, graduation, and opportunities. Michael St. Jean, Superintendent Dear North Smithfield Families and Staff,
As we go into the final day of “April Vacation” and start Distance Learning on Monday, I want to extend to the community several assurances: Meals North Smithfield is expanding its "grab and go" school lunch offering beyond students who are eligible for free or reduced lunch. We will now include any North Smithfield student whose family can use extra assistance. To help us determine how many lunches to make, please fill in the linked form at https://forms.gle/Bra3dB5MvjDnKQXY7. All information will be kept confidential. The form also includes pickup times and alternate locations. Academic Our Distance Learning Page is at http://nsps.us/dl and it contains learning resources, information, and technical support. We will continue to add to the resources and information on this page. Distance Learning will be a new experience for many of us, at least to this extent. However, North Smithfield teachers and students are in a good position to make this transition. After the initial adjustment and practice period, I fully anticipate some creative and amazingly cool teaching and learning to happen. We do understand that flexibility is required and we are not expecting students to be placed in front of a computer for 7 hours straight plus homework. We understand that parents may also be working from home, older students may be caring for younger brothers and sisters, and many of our students may not even be in their own homes during the day as grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends and neighbors are called on for childcare. We get this, especially as many of our teachers will also be working from home and assisting their own children with Distance Learning while they work with your children. This is a unique situation for everyone and collectively we will make it work. Social/Emotional While I am not as concerned about delivering instruction via Distance Learning (because our teachers and students will be brilliant), I am concerned about supporting our student’s social/emotional well being. To that end, we have asked our School Counselors, Social Workers, and Psychologists to monitor our students, to be in constant contact with our teachers, to reach out and support, and be available to any student who needs assistance. During distance learning, we are going to try and maintain our community connections. Some students may feel socially or emotionally isolated while they are maintaining physical distance. Fortunately we have good people who are available to talk, to email, or to conference with our students. On our Distance Learning Page at http://www.nsps.us/dl we have posted a social/emotional support letter from our specialists with additional contacts and resources for families. Special Needs While our special educators will be working collaboratively with our grade level and content area teachers, our case managers and instructional assistants will be reaching out to students and families to offer support and academic assistance. Please be advised that service delivery will look very different during Distance Learning, but our ultimate goal is the same; to have our students continue to meet with success. We will have to be very creative, but I am confident that we will work out the means to continue support and services. Finally, I’d like to ask for everyone’s patience, understanding, and cooperation in the coming weeks, but I also firmly believe that we are going to have some great educational experiences. Michael St. Jean, Superintendent Dear North Smithfield Families and Staff,
At noon today the Governor announced that all Rhode Island Public Schools will transition to Distance Learning for the next two weeks with a potential return date of Monday, April 6th at the earliest. North Smithfield Schools has prepared for this and is ready to continue instruction and support our students and families during this time.
All NSPS staff are fully committed to continuing instruction and to do the work that is needed to support our students and families during these challenging conditions. The past few weeks have seen among our teachers, staff, and administrators a release of creative energies and ideas as to how we can best serve our students in this evolving situation. We do, however, ask for your patience and cooperation as we walk this path together. We will keep communications open and we assure you that we will be here for our students. Please, everyone remain healthy. Michael St. Jean, Superintendent Dear North Smithfield Families and Staff,
Before we enter the uncharted waters next week and beyond, I want to share a timeline and extend my thanks and appreciation to everyone Timeline North Smithfield has been ready for this for a long time. Four years ago North Smithfield Schools began to refine our infrastructure, increase investments in educational technology, expand and streamline our resources, services, and applications, and focus our professional development to support Any Time, Any Place, Any Path, Any Pace Learning Two years ago North Smithfield Schools submitted an application along with comprehensive virtual instruction plans to the Rhode Island Department of Education in support of new legislation to offset snow days. We rescinded that application when it became apparent the Department of Education was not ready to approve any plans. However it did not change the fact that North Smithfield was ready. On Tuesday, in anticipation of a possible school closing, we re-opened our plan from two years ago and revised to accommodate emergency school closures for an extended amount of time. North Smithfield was ready. On Wednesday, our principals met with our department heads, team leaders, grade-level leaders and teachers to notify them to start ramping up for virtual learning possibilities. On Thursday, the Commissioner of Education sent an email to superintendents to submit virtual and distant learning plans by the following Friday. We did not wait a week. An hour later, North Smithfield submitted a comprehensive 30 page plan.. At 12:30pm on Friday during an emergency conference call with the Rhode Island Department of Health, we learned the Governor was going to announce schools are to close starting Monday. The purpose of the closure was to limit exposure to the Coronavirus and allow districts time to work on virtual instruction plans if school closures needed to be extended. By 1:00pm on Friday, as the rest of the State was learning of the imminent school closure, North Smithfield teachers had already prepared learning packets, issued students additional textbooks and workbooks, and distributed additional chromebooks to send home with our students at the end of the day. These physical materials will supplement the extensive online systems and services that our teachers and students have been using routinely over many years. North Smithfield was, is, and will be ready if needed. Thank you’s and recognitions I want to expand on my early thank you’s to our custodial staff for their diligent cleaning and disinfecting, and to our nurses for their knowledge, practice, and support of our students and families. Additional thanks goes out to Clare Arnold and Tracey Nangle and the dozens of teachers who developed our original Virtual Learning Application and plans. Thank you to our Technology Department who, even though many of our Chromebooks are now over 5 years old and in desperate need of replacing, have kept our equipment, networking, communications, and technical infrastructure finely tuned and at the ready. I thank our School Committee who have done so much to improve student learning opportunities, expand access, and made 1:1 computing a reality by continuously advocating for our students and helping to hold onto funds to push our programs and plans forward. I thank our principals and teachers for the work they did to prepare our schools for closure even before we knew we would close. I want to give special thanks and recognition to our senior employees, especially those teachers, instructional assistants, administrative assistants, and custodians whose long careers and age places them in a higher risk category yet they still came to work everyday to teach, support our students, run our offices, and clean and disinfect our classrooms. Your dedication to North Smithfield and our students is exemplary. And finally I thank our students and parents and the community of North Smithfield. Even as anxiety around COVID-19 increased every day, there remained a sense cooperation and community even as it became increasingly difficult to hold onto the calm. We will see where the coming weeks take us, but I am confident that North Smithfield will be okay due to our combined talents, capacity, and mutual support. Michael St. Jean, Superintendent Dear North Smithfield Families and Staff,
The Governor has announced that April Vacation Week, originally scheduled for April 13-17th, is being moved to next week, March 16-20th. The following week, March 23rd - 27th MAY become a distant learning week. North Smithfield Public Schools has submitted extensive plans to the Rhode Island Department of Education for continuation of instruction at home in the event of a school or district closing. As part of these plans, today students will be bringing home a mix of instructional packets, workbooks, and textbooks depending on their grade level. These materials are for use only IF the Governor, or the DOH, calls for a week of distance learning. For our older students, again, only IF March 23-27th becomes a distant learning week, assignments will be posted to Google Classroom. Although not ideal, North Smithfield Schools have made strategic investments in instructional technology and resources, infrastructure, curriculum, and professional development to seamlessly connect school to home. Distant Learning and Virtual Instruction is not a new concept to our faculty, our families, or our students, it is routine practice. North Smithfield Public Schools can ensure that learning can happen anytime, anywhere, and anyplace. We understand there will be many questions and concerns. North Smithfield Schools, along with the Rhode Island Departments of Education and Health will continue to post additional information as it becomes available. Michael St. Jean Superintendent Dear North Smithfield Families and Staff,
With the rapidly unfolding news and concerns about the spread of the Coronavirus, I wanted to follow up on my messages from the previous weeks with some additional information:
Below are reminders and requests from our Nurses (who have been absolutely wonderful with their attention, knowledge, and communications with our staff, students, and families):
We remind everyone to take the same measures that healthcare providers recommend to prevent the spread of flu and other similar viruses:
Rhode Island Department of Health COVID-19
CDC Talking to Children about COVID-19: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/talking-with-children.html We will continue to share information and practices with the North Smithfield school community as we work together to ensure that our students, families, and staff remain healthy and safe. Michael St. Jean, Superintendent Dear North Smithfield Families and Staff,
With the rapidly unfolding news and concerns about the spread of the Coronavirus, I wanted to follow up on my message from last week with some additional information and assurances that we are receiving regular updates from the RI Departments of Health and Education, as well as the CDC, and we continue to follow their guidance and recommendations. We pride ourselves on all the renovations and improvements you see throughout our schools. This pride includes cleanliness. Our custodians have expanded their already thorough cleaning procedures to include more extensive disinfecting practices such as:
It is important that we all remain informed and that we work together to prevent the spread of diseases. We remind everyone to take the same measures that healthcare providers recommend to prevent the spread of flu and other similar viruses:
Attached is a letter from the Rhode Island Departments of Health and Education with additional information. We will continue to share information and practices with the North Smithfield school community as we work together to ensure that our students, families, and staff remain healthy and safe. Michael St. Jean, Superintendent |
AuthorMichael St. Jean, Archives
September 2020
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