Thursday, April 9, 2020

April 9, 2020

Good evening-

Happy Passover and Easter to all of those that celebrate. Like me, I am sure many of you will be doing virtual family celebrations. It is a challenging time for us all but I continue to remember what I can be grateful for. I hope my child will some day remember the time we spent together rather than the struggle of remote learning.

I learned today that my email was not sent last week. My apologies. If you did not see the news from last week please also check out the April 3rd news. There are some great service opportunities detailed there.

I have continued to enjoy our class meetings with students. It is both heartwarming and heartbreaking to hear their questions, comments, funny stories, and the amazing things they are doing to keep busy and connected. I miss the students so much.

A few reminders as you work to find the balance. While we are lucky that high school students have a high degree of independence but recognize many of you might need to encourage them to engage. Please support us by having discussions with your student about why it's important to engage in all of their classes. They are earning credit towards a high school diploma. As we move towards a Credit/No Credit process for assessing students it is still important for them to engage so that they can move on to the next course and their diploma!

AHS Daily Schedule: It would be great if students joined the live sessions teachers are holding but we recognize many have other commitments and are helping the family in many cases. The expectation is about 3 hours of work a day, including Friday. Every student is different and in class meetings we hear some students are racing through assignments while others are working for hours. Students, and parents if needed, are encouraged to reach out to teachers and counselors if you feel the work load is a challenge. We are all here to support you. Teachers are still learning how to do this and how to balance the right amount of material and assessment. The are presenting new content twice a week and setting timelines for when assignments should be completed. This will hopefully help students to structure their time and keep progressing with the curriculum. We want our students to succeed academically and move forward, but not to the detriment of mental health. 

Mental Health: Our student's mental health remains our most significant concern. Please encourage your student to slow down if they need to. Many students are still involved in other activities such as clubs, jobs, etc. They may need help with balancing these activities. Reach out to teachers and counselors for support and resources.

I hope the next three days give everyone a chance to decompress. 

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