Edgar H. Parkman Newsletter
October 26, 2020
Hello Parkman Families!
Can you believe that the first trimester is already over? Grades have closed, assessments are complete and the school community has settled into what has become our new normal (for now). We want to thank you for partnering with us to help students feel happy and safe!
-Irene Roman, Principal
-Julia Barnett, Assistant Principal
Need iPad or Teams Help?
- On your iPad, tap on Teams from the bottom of your screen.
- In the upper-left hand side, you'll see two people with a plus sign next to the word Teams.
- Tap to select, then tap on Join a team with a code.
- Enter 7amtdee, then tap join.
Additional iPad technology related questions can be emailed to edtechhelp@enfieldschools.org
Do you want to receive School Messenger emails, calls, and/ or texts?
- Visit the Enfield Public School webpage (http://www.enfieldschools.org/).
- Click on "SchoolMessenger Add / Change or Opt out of Calls!"
- Complete the form (please expect some processing time)
- You can also email mwatson@enfieldshcools.org for assistance with this.
Coming Events
Important Dates
10/29- Picture Day Cohort B
11/2- Picture Day Cohort A
11/2- Picture Day For Full Distance Learners 3:30pm-5:30pm (First come, first served)
11/2- Report cards distributed to cohort A students and fully remote student report cards will be mailed
11/3- Professional Development - NO SCHOOL
11/4- Conferences begin
11/4- ROAR Assembly (on Teams Live, details below) 12:00pm-12:30pm
11/5- Report cards distributed to cohort B students
11/6-11/19- PTO Virtual Book Fair
11/10- Early Release - Conferences (dismissal at 1:25pm)
11/11- Veteran's Day - NO SCHOOL
11/12 Early Release - Conferences (dismissal at 1:25pm)
11/25- Early Release (dismissal at 1:25pm)
11/26 & 11/27- Thanksgiving Break - NO SCHOOL
ROAR Assembly
Conferences
Our specialists would love to meet with you as well. Please feel welcome to contact your child's specialist teachers to discuss progress/participation.
*** Information on how to get into a Teams meeting to meet with the teacher can be found below under "School Procedures" ***
Picture Days
Parkman Picture Day dates are quickly approaching!
Orders will be taken ONLINE PRIOR TO PICTURE DAY at https://lifetouch.com/order-pictures/
Parkman Picture Day ID: EVTGQS8Q2
10/29- Picture Day Cohort B in school learners
11/2- Picture Day Cohort A in school learners
11/2- Picture Day for full distance learners 3:30pm-5:30pm (First come, first served)
Please park in the main parking lot and walk to room 5 by our main entrance. The door will be open and labeled.
When you have a moment, please check out Lifetouch’s Safe School Picture Day video to experience what our picture day will look like.
And Lifetouch’s return safety landing page - Schools.lifetouch.com picture-day-protocol
PTO
Book Fair
Hello Parkman Families!
We are excited to share with the news about our upcoming Book Fair!! This year our Book Fair will be completely virtual. It will be running from November 6th - November 19th.
During this time families will be able to purchase books on-line. Book ONLY items totaling $25 or more will ship to your home for free. Any NON-BOOK item will incur a shipping charge.
I have attached a link for more information! If you have any questions please contact me, Brigitte DeMaine at EHParkmanPTO@gmail.com. Thank you! Happy reading!!!
~Your Parkman PTO
Health & Safety
From our Nurse
Please see the flyer below for a free 30 minute EPA webinar titled Let’s Learn About Lead in Connecticut on Thursday, October 29th 12:30- 1pm.
-Mrs. Netherwood
Technology
Live Stream Expectations
- Students’ iPads should be fully charged at the start of the school day
- Students can join their virtual class meetings by accessing their TEAMs Calendar. If your student is finding it challenging to remember when to log on, we recommend setting recurring alarms on the iPad for the start of class times.
- Students should plan to join their class meetings at least 5 minutes early to ensure they are on time for the session and don’t miss instruction.
- Students should not be eating during their live lessons – this should be done off-camera.
- Live stream sessions are for students. A student might need assistance with logging in or finding assignments, but parents/guardians should not actively participate in live stream classes unless invited by their child’s teacher.
- Siblings and other students not on the teacher’s class list should not join a live stream session.
- Pets, toys, and other distractions should not be shown on camera unless the teacher has given permission.
- Students should be in a quiet, comfortable, organized space at home during the live stream lessons.
- Students should keep their camera on and mic muted except when participating. Teachers gauge student understanding through body language and facial expression. They also can see who is actively engaged in the lesson.
- Background noise should be kept to a minimum because during your child’s participation time the rest of the class can hear the background noise as well.
- Student supplies should be ready and near them during live streaming.
- It is best for students to complete assigned work immediately after the livestream lesson is over.
- Teachers might not be able to answer questions for students in the middle of the lesson, but they will get to them at another time.
- For everyone's privacy and safety, no one is to record or take pictures of students or staff.
iPads
Please keep the following in mind when using your district provided iPad...
- Charge your iPad every night so it is ready to be used the following day.
- Do not add a passcode to your iPad. If you have added one already, you can remove it by going to Settings > Face ID & Passcode.
- Do not draw, paint, or add stickers to your iPad case.
- Use wallpaper (background images for the home & lock screen) that are on your iPad. You can change your wallpaper by going to Settings > Wallpaper.
Curriculum & Instruction
Report Cards
You will be receiving the first report card of the year soon. We wanted to take a moment to discuss some changes that were necessary due to this unconventional school year. The report card is a standards-based report card with indicators that reflect current performance toward an end of year goal. In a typical school year,
· 1 would indicate a lack of progress toward the end-of-year grade level goal
· 2 would indicate progress toward the end-of-year grade level goal
· 3 would indicate mastery toward the end-of-year grade level goal
· 4 would indicate advanced progress toward the end-of-year grade level goal.
On this report card, your child may be receiving more 1’s than they have in the past. Please know that for this year it is not necessarily reflective of academic ability, but instead based upon our capacity to support the grades with data. Any score above a 1 will be supported with assessments and data collected since the start of the year. A 1 will indicate that the student is progressing in the standard, but the standard is moving at a slower pace than in years past due to our modified schedule and format, and therefore the teacher does not have enough data to determine current student ability. The 1 could also represent a lack of material to score due to a limited number of assignments being returned. If there are numerous missing assignments, an "I" will be noted for that standard.
As the year progresses, future report cards will be more reflective of your student’s strengths and needs.
To support your child at home, please have them spend 60 minutes per week on i-Ready My Path. These lessons offer personalized mathematics instruction for your child based on the results of the recent Diagnostic Test. Many students also have access to Lexia, a literacy resource which is highly beneficial when used consistently.
iReady My Path
Student and Family iReady Access and Support from Home
iReady online lessons provide students with lessons based on their individual skill level and needs, so your child can learn at a pace that is just right for them. These lessons are fun and interactive to keep your child engaged as they learn.
Since your child has already taken the iReady Diagnostic at school, an individual learning path has been created for them based on these results. As shown above, your child simply clicks on the right side (2) My Path.
“Learning Games” are available to all students and help your child build math skills in fun ways. Your child will need to choose math at the top of the screen, and then select the Learning Games button in the bottom navigation bar.
How Can I Support My Child?
- Make a plan for when they will complete their i-Ready lesson and for how long they will work in i-Ready each day. We recommend 60 minutes per week of the iReady My Path and 20 minutes per week of Learning Games.
- Encourage your child to take the lessons seriously and to try their best. Remind them to read the entire passage, use the tools available, and work out math problems on paper if they need to.
- Track their progress. Have them chart their time each day and set a weekly goal (60 minutes per week).
- Celebrate your child’s progress, such as passing a lesson or reaching a goal. Decide on a fun activity as a reward!
School Procedures
How to Attend PPT, 504, Conference, SAT, & Other Parent Meetings
Invites will be going to your child’s @enfieldschools.org email address. Families will have the ability to login to their child’s Microsoft365 account from a laptop/desktop/tablet/or phone and get to Teams. Even if that child is in a class the family can still attend a separate meeting on another device. Below is a guide for families to help to get to Teams on their specified device using their child’s account.
If a family member needs to use an outside non @enfieldschools.org email address, please refer to the document below to register your outside email address.
Families will also need to share that email address with the classroom teacher and Mrs. Watson, our school secretary. *** This process will be necessary if more than one person needs to attend the meeting. *** Call our main office if you have questions about this.
Early Dismissal Information
1:35pm Walkers and daycare vans, Parent Pick Up (at classroom exterior doors)
About 1:40pm Bus dismissal begins
Attendance
Remote learner attendance is important and will be recorded each day.
Remote students are expected to attend all live lessons and complete their assignments by the end of each day.
- The State holds us accountable for tracking attendance for both in school and at home learners.
- Parents should contact the office to let the school know if the child will not be attending in person or remote school for any reason. If your child is unable to attend classes (whether in-person or live streaming), please email Ms. Waston in the main office at mwatson@enfieldschools.org and CC’ your child’s teacher as soon as possible. (This would be the equivalent to sending in a note if your child is going to be out for in person learning.)
Classroom Substitutes
Opting Back In To the Hybrid School Week
Families planning to make the change for November 9th should contact Parkman's main office by Friday, November 6th. This will allow us to start the planning process to welcome your child back. Included in the preparations we need to make are arrival/dismissal arrangements, bus routes if applicable, and classroom seating.
If you are maintaining your participation in Cohort D, there is no need to contact the office. Only families making a change need to be in touch by the end of the day on Friday.
Community Health Center (CHC)
CHC is accepting students in need of behavioral health services. CHC is working hard to connect with families, and look to their partners to help them meet the needs of students in this changing and unknown environment.
Click here for more information on CHC and how to connect through telehealth.
Miss Roman, Principal and Miss Barnett Asst. Principal
Edgar H. Parkman Vision
Our vision is to uphold a learning environment that provides our school community with a safe and welcoming atmosphere where engagement, collaboration, and accountability are held in high regard by staff, students, and families.
Please feel welcome to reach out with any questions or concerns.
Email: iroman@enfieldschools.org
Website: https://edgar.sharpschool.com/
Location: 165 Weymouth Road, Enfield, CT, USA