Dear 6th Grade Parents:
I hope you and your family had a nice spring break and that you are safe and well. We have been at home more than ever during these unusual times which has required all of us, especially those of us with children, to become even more creative and intentional with use of time. At Congressional, we continue to be thoughtful about how we are using time with your children and as remote learning continues, wanted to take this opportunity to offer you some updates. The first few weeks of remote learning were very successful and our goal in fine-tuning the schedule was to build on those successes while creating additional opportunities for student/student and student/teacher interactions.
Before Spring Break, Congressional’s Faculty quickly shifted to a remote learning platform which we launched on March 18. We also created a special schedule for all the grades; however, the first schedule was created when we thought the school closing would last for a few weeks. Now that we are in this for a longer period of time and for the remainder of the school year, a few modifications were needed. We wanted to ensure that the schedule and use of time is most productive for student engagement and learning. The 6th Grade Faculty and I met before and during spring break to make those edits which are presented below. There are also many components of the schedule that will remain the same.
Modifications to the Schedule - All Middle School
· Advisory will meet from 8:10-8:20am –Middle School Advisory will meet on Mondays and Fridays now. Middle School students have done well finding time to socialize online and we wanted to offer additional, structured time with their Advisors who are excited to “get together”.
· The school day now “dismisses” at 3:30pm - An additional class period has been added to each day in order to enhance learning. Explanations are below
· We’ve added Office Hours - Office hours are times when students and teachers can make appointments to meet. These appointments must be made in advance using email or by talking with the teacher and scheduling a time. Specialists are also be available to meet during Office Hours. Note that teachers are not just waiting in a Google Hangout for students to join- appointments must be made.
- Chorale meets more – Chorale has increased from 1 time to 2 times on the rotation. There are a few reasons for this including Mrs. Spalletta is excited to see the students more and it’s a great time to come together for a fun, common purpose.
- Stand-alone Study Halls pushed to end of day – Study Halls have been placed toward the end of the day when possible to help students and teachers use their time most efficiently and effectively.
- Study Halls/Office Hours are earlier – When Office Hours/Study Halls are shared, these are likely to be found earlier in the school day. This was done to help students and teachers use their time most efficiently and effectively.
- PE classes are scheduled at the end of the day – Although this isn’t always the case, PE periods have been scheduled toward the end of the day when students need a break and could use some exercise.
- Color sectioning added to the schedule – The original schedule didn’t fully identify which sections were in certain classes. All colors (red, blue, etc.) were added for clarity.
Modifications to the Schedule – 6th Grade
- 6th Grade Social Studies and English Workshops added – Workshops already existed for the other core academic classes, but in our first schedule iteration, there wasn’t room for everything. With an expanded school day, English and Social Studies now have dedicated weekly Workshop periods. This period exists for students to check in with teachers as they work on specific academic work. Unlike Office Hours, teachers are present in a Google Hangout during Workshops coaching, offering help and advice with specific school work. Students do not need to check in and there is no “extra credit” for checking in. This is simply a period to offer help to students as they work on specific subjects. Sometimes teachers may ask for all students to sign in during a Workshop for an extra class or further explanations of concepts or lessons that all the students will benefit from.
What Will Remain the Same?
The Same - On the Schedule
· Reading Zone – We are encouraging all students to read more during remote learning, therefore, Reading Zone is often 40 minutes. As a note, students do not need to save their books for Reading Zone only, they can read later in the afternoon, early in the morning, whatever works for them. There is flexibility with Reading Zone and Study Halls- the important piece is not to skip them.
· Study Hall – Students are being provided Study Halls to help them structure time. Homework will be given with remote learning. Our formula of ten minutes multiplied by the grade level remains the same at this time. Students won’t necessarily complete all their homework during Study Hall. In the older grades students will likely have homework, which now means work after 3:30pm.
The Same - In General
· Middle School Weekly Slide Deck - Every Sunday morning, a slide deck about the week is shared with students and parents. The slide deck offers an overview of each day as well as special instructions for classes. The slide deck takes the place of the Friday Newsletter from the teachers during the school closing.
· GoogleMeet - We will continue to meet using the GoogleMeet platform and student Chromebooks; this is the primary mode of communication that teachers will use to continue the important learning that you expect from us at Congressional School.
· Attendance - Teachers will be taking attendance each “school day” during first period class, and then will move right into content.
· Dress Code - Although students are at home, students will be signing into GoogleMeet and can be seen by others through this platform. Congressional will use the Free Dress parameters during this special school closing- they don’t need to be in uniform. Students should not be in their pajamas or other clothing that they wouldn’t wear to school.
Attached to this email is the revised and updated 6th grade level which begins Tuesday, April 14. If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to reach out. Thank you for partnering with us during these extraordinary times.