Friday News September 4, 2020
Hillcrest Elementary School
Friday News
September 4, 2020
Dear Hillcrest Families,
Welcome back to school! Our Hillcrest staff began their school year on August 25th and we have all been working together to get ourselves prepared to provide you and your children with the best possible learning experience for the coming year. As you know, we will begin our school year remotely and that brings a wide variety of challenges and new opportunities. We are all eager to connect with you and your children and launch a school year filled with positive energy and an ongoing appreciation for our amazing community. No matter what, we will remain dedicated to building strong connections to support student learning. One vehicle for that connection is through technology and many of you have already responded to the Family Need Survey that was distributed last week. If you have not responded, please review the following information about technology. Here are a several pieces of information that you’ll need to know:
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In order to access our online resources, your child will need a device that has a camera and a microphone. If you do not have a device at home that meets those requirements and you have not already completed the Family Needs Survey, please call us at school to let us know you need a Chromebook.
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Chromebook distribution will be on Thursday, September 10th. More details on times will be forthcoming. Please allow additional time to complete paperwork. You will need to bring your own pen, wear a mask, and plan on staying in your vehicle.
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For our preschool and kindergarten students, we are in the process of scheduling your virtual Orientation Meetings for the week of September 14th. Many of you have already spoken to Mrs. Prokowich to set up your meeting time. If you haven’t yet returned her call, please call her at 413-863-9526.
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In next week’s newsletter, I will provide you with additional information about At-Home Learning Materials that will be made available for each student.
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Included in this edition of Friday News is a note from the Superintendent, so please keep reading!
Wishing you a wonderful weekend --
Sarah Burstein
Principal, Hillcrest Elementary
An Important Message from Superintendent Beck
Student School-Day Schedules
Through the first several days of training, teachers have worked together to learn how to use our new and more robust instructional technology tools. Teachers have also been given time to adapt our curriculum to remote and hybrid learning, as we will be delivering a full curriculum throughout the school year. During that time, teachers and principals have had the opportunity to experience the challenges of the remote environment from a learner’s perspective.
As a result of these experiences, I have asked that teachers and principals collaborate in the first few days next week to identify any potential improvements that might be made to daily student schedules. The draft school day schedules might be updated as a result of these deliberations. If changes are made, they will be made for the purposes of improving student learning experiences, increasing engagement, moderating screen time and providing more effective support for vulnerable learners.
Throughout the first few weeks of school and likely throughout this odd school year, we will make adaptations to our schedules. It is imperative that we work to make constant improvements and that everyone needs to keep in mind that our draft plans will evolve from time to time.