Harwood Staff blog update, September 22, 2020

Team Harwood;

In talking to families and students since school started we have continuously heard 

GRATITUDE for the priority you have put on ensuring mask breaks and time outside.  This space is essential for our mental health and in helping us norm to this new reality.

As we continue to provide this space please remember:

• to designate mask breaks accordingly and have students remain 6 feet apart during such a time.

• to have students keep their masks on when outside for class or a body break that is NOT a mask break.

In partnership and with gratitude,

Laurie, Meg and Duane

A few quick FAQ’s

Am I responsible for taking attendance for asynchronous students in my block classes?  

• No - only TA’s are taking attendance using the “question of the day.”  

How do we manage taking attendance on the same day for both students onsite and asynchronous learning students?

• You can go back into your attendance more than once.  So you can take onsite attendance in the a.m. and then asynchronous attendance in the afternoon. 

If a student emails saying that they won't/can't get onto a Zoom call due to technology issues, how do we mark the student when taking attendance?

• Excused absence and refer to tech support.

If a student signs into a zoom call but has camera and audio off the whole time and does not participate in the chat and does not join break out rooms are they still present? 

• Students need to be actively engaged in their online classes - please set these norms proactively.  Please see the norms for Harwood Online Norms linked below crafted by a team of faculty members.  

Are we dismissing students one at a time before the bell for the end of the block or after the bell for each class?

• Students should only be dismissed after the bell has rung one at a time.  The end of the day dismissal is detailed in the bell schedule.  From our viewpoint outside during dismissal - things are going well.  

What is the current status of the check-ins with families who didn't have a TA conference? When should we be hearing a follow-up about that?

• An email and google form was sent to all families on the no-conference list. There were no responses or replies. School Counselors followed up with many students who were on the no-conference list. If you have questions or concerns about a particular student for whom you did not have a conference, please contact their school counselor. For any new concerns, please utilize our SST referral system.

Connected 

Topics	Information/Links	Tasks/Point people
NEW!  Please read..  New Screening process for students - to be rolled out in TA on 9/23	Before assembly during TA tomorrow please review the following new procedures with students.  We plan to begin with this new procedure on Thursday. For students driving themselves or being dropped off - you should complete your daily screening form here. Please NOTE - we advise you to do this prior to leaving your house each morning since our wifi signal outside the Harwood building is not very strong. Upon arriving at school you will: continue to have your temperature taken by the screener  be asked to show the screener the email you received confirming your submission of your screener form for the day. (hint:  take a screenshot of your email notice to help speed up the process) *This communication will be sent to families as well.	Laurie, Meg and Duane
Assembly plan for Wednesday 9/23	Wednesday 9/23 Assembly video to view in TA. The Assembly crew is eager for contributions to showcase and celebrate as we move forward.  Please see these 5 easy ways to stay engaged with the assemblies (link coming soon - stand by) his year.	Stefanie
Calling out and need a sub	Please call Shannon no later than 6:30 if you are going to be absent due to illness	Shannon
9/23 Staff meeting	For the 2020-2021 school year staff meetings will be held on Wednesday’s from 3-4.  Here is this week’s meeting agenda.   Objectives: Ensure clarity around our Student Support Team referral process Identify Universal/Tier 1 approaches we use in our classrooms to support all of our students	Meg, Laurie and Duane
Leadership team interest	Please reach out to Meg, Duane and Laurie if you are interested in being part of the Leadership team for the 2020-2021 school year.  We’re looking forward to solidifying the team by the end of the week and starting our meetings next week.	Laurie, Meg and Duane
Online guidelines and Norms	A team of staff worked collaboratively to craft Harwood Online Norms to support us all in setting and holding clear expectations for Online meetings for our entire community.	Genevieve and Kathy Cadwell
Friendly reminder	Please ensure you have sent out google classroom invites to families to provide access to their child/rens learning materials.	Meg, Laurie and Duane

Topics 

Information/Links

Tasks/Point people 

NEW!  Please read.. 

New Screening process for students - to be rolled out in TA on 9/23

Before assembly during TA tomorrow please review the following new procedures with students.  We plan to begin with this new procedure on Thursday.

For students driving themselves or being dropped off - you should complete your daily screening form here. Please NOTE - we advise you to do this prior to leaving your house each morning since our wifi signal outside the Harwood building is not very strong.

Upon arriving at school you will:

• continue to have your temperature taken by the screener 

• be asked to show the screener the email you received confirming your submission of your screener form for the day. (hint:  take a screenshot of your email notice to help speed up the process)

*This communication will be sent to families as well. 

Laurie, Meg and Duane 

Assembly plan for Wednesday 9/23

Wednesday 9/23 Assembly video to view in TA.

The Assembly crew is eager for contributions to showcase and celebrate as we move forward.  Please see these 5 easy ways to stay engaged with the assemblies (link coming soon - stand by) his year.

Stefanie 

Calling out and need a sub

Please call Shannon no later than 6:30 if you are going to be absent due to illness

Shannon

9/23 Staff meeting 

For the 2020-2021 school year staff meetings will be held on Wednesday’s from 3-4.  Here is this week’s meeting agenda.  

Objectives:

• Ensure clarity around our Student Support Team referral process

• Identify Universal/Tier 1 approaches we use in our classrooms to support all of our students  

Meg, Laurie and Duane 

Leadership team interest

Please reach out to Meg, Duane and Laurie if you are interested in being part of the Leadership team for the 2020-2021 school year.  We’re looking forward to solidifying the team by the end of the week and starting our meetings next week.

Laurie, Meg and Duane 

Online guidelines and Norms

A team of staff worked collaboratively to craft Harwood Online Norms to support us all in setting and holding clear expectations for Online meetings for our entire community.

Genevieve and Kathy Cadwell 

Friendly reminder 

Please ensure you have sent out google classroom invites to families to provide access to their child/rens learning materials.  

Meg, Laurie and Duane 

Curious  

Topics	Information/Links	Tasks/Point people
Course enrollment accuracy	Please ensure the accuracy of your rosters for safety & attendance reasons.  Complete this form if there are any inaccuracies.	Sally & guidance
Independent Study	If you are interested in overseeing a students in an independent study class please reach out to Ellen	Ellen
If you have more more questions please add to our Q&A	We’re working hard to answer your questions - keep adding as more come up to Harwood MS/HS Q&A.	Laurie, Meg and Duane

Topics 

Information/Links

Tasks/Point people 

Course enrollment accuracy 

Please ensure the accuracy of your rosters for safety & attendance reasons.  Complete this form if there are any inaccuracies.  

Sally & guidance 

Independent Study

If you are interested in overseeing a students in an independent study class please reach out to Ellen

Ellen

If you have more more questions please add to our Q&A 

We’re working hard to answer your questions - keep adding as more come up to Harwood MS/HS Q&A. 

Laurie, Meg and Duane

Caring 

Topics	Information/Links	Tasks/Point people
Safety Drill readiness	When:  9/29 8:30 Fire Drill  Where:  Locations What:  Expectations
ONLY use initials	Please remember - when referring to students - in an email to ONLY use their initials and NOT their full names.
Scheduling suggestions	With our shift to the 2-1-2 model consider thinking about the schedule as starting Thursday.  What you teach Thursday/Friday is taught again on Monday/Tuesday.  Wednesday is a day to ensure students get any additional support needed prior to starting the next week on Thursday.
TA plans for the coming week	Cell phone use in school. Please use these resources  during the week of 9/28-10/2 in TA.	Ellen
Update from Melody - Tech follow up	All students flagged for internet concerns in TA conferences have a contact person (Melody, Eric, John) and we are working with families. If any new concerns have arisen or you become aware of a concern, the first step is to direct students, caregivers and families to HU’s Navigating Technology Issues page. They will find multiple resources and a very simple chart to direct them to the appropropriate support person. If staff have questions about Internet Support, please contact Melody; Questions about Chromebook or other Tech issues, please contact Taggert.	Melody
Update from Melody - Shift from TA Checklist to SST Referrals	Thank you all for your TA checklist work. We have worked through the list. We have either problem solved, or remain in contact with anyone who was originally flagged.  At this time, if you have new concerns about a student, please refer them to SST as that system is operational, flying above the clouds, at close to optimal speed.	Melody
Recess/activity norms/expectations:	Masks worn at all times except for lunch Only outside play  Equipment can be shared if nonporous  Equipment needs to be disinfected after use by group Hand washing or sanitizing needs to occur before and after use Physical distancing needs to be observed NO more than 15 minutes of contiguous contact = close contact (less than 6 feet)	Duane, Meg and Laurie
Priorities to ensure contract tracing can be done IF/WHEN it is required	Daily attendance  Daily seating chart for each group of your students Bathroom sign out - student name, date, time leaving and returning to class	Duane
Dismiss at bell	Please wait until the bell rings to dismiss students.  This will continue to support us in ensuring students remain safe and move with urgency from class to class.	Nancy
Anti-Racist work	Here is this week’s suggestion for continuing your anti-racist work - a podcast from the New York Times Nice White Parents.	Paul Kramer