March 19, 2020
Dear ASU Prep Families,
Thank you all for your support! It is important that you know ASU Prep faculty, staff, and leadership recognize the support from ASU families. We are
so grateful
for your partnership and commitment to our shared vision of providing continuous learning opportunities for all ASU Prep students. You have delivered in big ways! As a parent of four adult boys, a wife, and a long-time educator, I recognize the value of parent and student engagement in the learning process. You are simply amazing.
The ASU Prep teachers, staff, and administration have demonstrated leadership and passion for students in a way I will never forget. All have prioritized what is best for children over their own needs. I am so fortunate to be a part of the ASU Prep family!
In the past week our Phoenix, South Phoenix, Tempe and Polytechnic campuses have launched their Online Learning Continuity Plan. We are hearing strong, positive feedback on how families are managing the continued learning of their students, and we cannot praise our teachers and staff enough for all of the hard work they’ve put into preparing for this learning environment. Change is not easy but you have stood with us side-by-side throughout this process, and embraced all of the planning we’ve shared with you. Thank you, Sun Devil families!
We couldn’t do this without your support.
Casa Grande
As a reminder, our Casa Grande students will resume school
online only
on Monday, March 23. No in-person classes will take place until we re-evaluate the developments with COVID-19. Please look for communication from Principal Mejia.
Academic Overview
We had about 130 parents and students join the first two days of the online technology open houses to address their students’ technology challenges. The tech open houses will continue to be hosted daily until the needs dissipate.
Attendance Overview
Teachers took attendance throughout the day as they met with students live via Zoom:
- Attendance for this the second day was at 89.02%. While this is good considering the swift transition, we are looking for high 90s. (Note: Casa Grande is on Spring Break and will join the learning process next week.)
- The highest attendance percentage for the past two days was Kindergarten. Tuesday’s attendance was 95.5% of all students attending. These rates are on par with the average of third quarter attendance.
- Attendance for high school seniors was at 74.89% Tuesday but showed an increase on Wednesday at 86.14% - an increase of 11%. Counselors are contacting and monitoring seniors to increase attendance and keep them on-track for graduation. Look for senior and parent communication regarding the importance of finishing strong toward graduation.
- For the March 17 attendance survey, more than 2,000 parents completed this verification. We appreciate this added measure to support our documentation of attendance, as required by the Arizona Department of Education.
Communication
In the absence of major developments, we’ll send an update to our families each Thursday, but please keep a close eye on your email because we will send additional updates as we learn more from the Arizona Department of Health Services, the Arizona Department of Education, the Governor’s Office, and Arizona State University. Please provide us your
feedback here
.
Highlights:
- More than 80 emails and 100 phone calls from families were answered by network staff and countless others by school staff.
- A resource page was created for families with “how-to” guides, videos, and PowerPoints to support their children.
Thank you for all of the teacher shout-outs and patient conversations you are having with us online. Our families have reported that although their children miss being at school, they love seeing their classmates online. If you have a public social media page and would like to tag as you document your students’ online learning adventure, we will share your posts on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (see links to our social media icons at the bottom of this letter). Here is
one sweet story
we posted Wednesday on our Facebook page with parent permission.
Meals
We will continue to offer breakfast and lunch distribution for all ASU Prep students, and their families ages 1-18. A bagged breakfast and lunch will be available for pick-up “grab and go” style. Both breakfast and lunch can be picked up at the same time. Please complete our online
Breakfast and Lunch Survey
to let us know if you would like to participate in the meal distribution program. This will help us gauge meal interest and reduce food waste.
ASU Prep Phoenix
- Monday - Friday at 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
ASU Prep South Phoenix High School
- Monday - Friday at 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
ASU Prep South Phoenix Primary/Intermediate
- Monday - Friday at 10 a.m. - 11 a.m.
ASU Prep Tempe
ASU Prep Poly & ASU Prep Casa Grande
Thank You, Again
We care about you and are so pleased to provide a learning continuity plan for all students. What is also important to us is your families’ health and welfare. We will get through these difficult times together. We look forward to our collective efforts producing positive results for the students, the schools, the cities, our state, our country and our world. Please adhere to requirements set by the Center for Disease and Control. Make every day a great day!
Sincerely,
