Northwood School Laker
March 20, 2020
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Principal's Message
Dear Families,
Remember a couple of years ago when we were all stressed out about having to start and end school late due to the bus driver shortage? That seems like an awfully small problem now, doesn't it?! COVID-19 has created the most wide-scale social, educational, and financial disruption that any of us have ever faced. As unsettling as it is for your family and the Northwood community, it is equally unsettling for our staff members in the context of their own lives both within and beyond their jobs here at Northwood School. Despite this tumultuous situation, our staff members have pulled a proverbial rabbit out of a hat and launched distance learning for 400 students with just three days of preparation. I am truly astounded by what they have been able to accomplish in such a short time.
There have been countless instances this week of our staff members going above and beyond. Some have cancelled personal or sick days in order to come to work to prepare. Some spent hours every day disinfecting items in classrooms. Others adjusted their work schedule to be able to arrive early or stay late so families could pick up materials at a convenient time. Everyone has offered help, suggestions, and moral support. Many of our educators have learned to use online platforms that they had barely even heard of a week ago while also planning for the next couple of weeks of instruction and grading work that’s been completed to prepare for issuing report cards. Our SAU and building administrators, food service staff, custodians, and the bus company have all been working around the clock to cut through red tape, tackle logistics, anticipate needs, and develop plans to get kids and families what they need to be successful in a distance learning model. Our technology director has put devices into the hands of just about every student who needs one and is responding to dozens of emails and phone calls every day to help families get online and connected with their teachers' online lessons.
There have been already and will continue to be many challenges to overcome, questions to answer, and problems to solve as we navigate this new normal over the next couple of weeks. Our staff members are working incredibly hard. Many of them are working from home to teach your children while also supporting their own children's distance learning. Many are impacted by changes in their spouse’s work schedules. Many are experiencing high levels of stress, anxiety, and sadness. Through this all, their commitment and dedication are unwavering. Our staff members care deeply about the academic and social success of your children and are determined to work through all of the challenges we will face in the coming weeks to preserve the continuity of instruction as well as the sense of community that makes our school so special.
Thank you for your positive messages, patience, understanding, and offers of support to our staff members in the last few days. As we greeted families who came to pick up materials on Wednesday, we received many appreciative and supportive comments. Many of our faculty and support staff have received positive emails and social media posts from parents as well. It has been a great morale booster for our staff to hear those kind words. Thank you for the opportunity to lead a truly amazing staff and serve such a strong and supportive community. I have never been more proud to be the principal of Northwood School.
Take care,
Jocelyn
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From the Counseling Department
Hello Northwood Families,
This has been an uneasy week for everyone - hang in there. At school we have talked a lot about supporting our students, maintaining routines, taking breaks, etc. Now, I want to speak to the caregivers of the amazing Northwood students. Don’t forget to take care of yourselves. This stressful time will affect every one of us at some point in time. Working from home, supporting children with distance learning, scouting for groceries - add it all up and it feels like you are carrying a brick wall on your back. As the flight attendants tell us on a plane, put your own oxygen mask on first. It is ok to take a minute for yourself. Make a list of things that you like to do or that make you laugh. Take time everyday to do one of these things . Taking care of yourself will help your children/grandchildren too. Set a timer and give yourself some free time, go ahead, I’m giving you permission :). I’m here to help, please feel free to email me at any time.
Lynda MacDonald
K-4 School Counselor
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Internet Safety
With the change to distance learning your students may find they have more time and freedom to use and explore the Internet and use social media. Internet safety is a big concern for us so we wanted to pass along these guidelines and tips. It may be helpful to review these with your student, just to reinforce some basic online safety practices. See below for a “Top Ten” list.
- Don’t give anyone your password, name, address, the name of your school, or any information about your family.
- Don’t talk to strangers on the Internet.
- Don’t agree to meet anyone in person that you’ve met online.
- Don’t fill in a profile that asks for your name and address.
- Don’t visit a chat room without an adult’s / parent’s permission.
- Don’t stay online if you see something you think your parents won’t like or approve of.
- Don’t post pictures of yourself without your parents’ permission.
- Do not download or install anything on your own computer without your parents’ permission. Do not download or install anything on your school-owned computer without your teacher's direction or Mr. Robert's permission.
- If you have any questions about something you read, ask your parent or guardian.
- If you are talking to someone online and they make you uncomfortable, remember you don’t have to talk back to them. And tell a parent or trusted adult.
Here's some information on key aspects of remote learning as we move towards being able to deliver real-time classroom instruction:
We will be using the Google platform (for example Google Classroom) for much of our delivery of content. This includes YouTube. YouTube has been turned on for all student accounts and should be monitored. There will likely be videos to watch that are assigned or provided by your student’s teacher to complement curricular content and/or your student’s teacher may provide lesson content through their own YouTube channel.
Your student (particularly in the upper elementary and middle school grades) may also at times participate in live classes or learning sessions where students will be interacting with the teacher and other students in a virtual meeting environment.
Keep in mind that when students are at school, the teachers have direct supervision of computer use, which makes any kind of misuse or off-task behavior easy to detect. In some cases this supervision may be impossible at home. We encourage you to set clear expectations with your child(ren) and monitor technology use when possible. If there is some activity you think we may be able to research or turn off for your student, please let us know.
Thank you for your partnership with us during this transition to distance learning. If you have questions related to Internet use, please do not hesitate to email your questions to
[email protected].
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From the Curriculum Director
A Thought for Parents and Guardians:
"The more things change, the more they remain the same."
Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr
Distance learning, remote learning, distance education. However you say it, these are new and/or more deliberate ways for your child to learn and for his/her teacher(s) to deliver instruction. Communication and interactions are digital and virtual. Learning environments are digital and virtual. Resources for learning are digital and virtual. Yet, it is the pre-established routine of school-day learning and networking with peers and teachers that your child will want to remain the same. There is comfort and support in predictable routines.
While at home, your child’s education can be supported by the school-day routines that you help to maintain. Have your child wake up in the morning at the regular time. Have your child eat snacks and meals at regular times of day. Have your child engage in learning and completing lessons in regular blocks of time during the day. And, have your child take mid-day breaks to go outside to play and exercise. Why? Because the more your child’s school routines remain the same, the more ready he/she will be to acclimate to the things that have changed - like distance learning.
If the advice above sounds good, but doesn’t seem possible because you (1) have to work during the day, (2) have more than one child with different school-day routines, or (3) have some other reason that makes adherence to your child’s typical routine difficult, then develop a new routine. The key point is that your child’s school-day education has been built on a routine. The more you keep with a routine, the better able your child will be to continue learning in a changed environment.
Resources for parents:
Kathleen R. Scholand
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Student Attendance
We are still tracking student attendance. Please notify us at
[email protected]
if your child is sick and not able to "attend" (i.e., participate in) their distance learning lessons. You can call and leave a voicemail as well, but email is preferred. Thanks!
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The Show Must Go On!
Drama Club students, don't forget to practice your lines and songs because we will still perform our show. Dates to be determined later.
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Resources For
Distance Learning
Ms. Carloni, our reading specialist, created a website to support literacy development in a distance learning model.
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Click the button below to see a list of resources from Reaching Higher New Hamsphire for families and educators about virtual learning.
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Family Friendly K-6 Learning Resources to Use at Home
Monday, March 23
10:00-11:00a
This webinar is designed for teachers and their students' parents who are facilitating their child's elementary school learning. We will introduce you to our top 5 free resources for teaching children at home, as well as provide expert advice on how to make parents' reading time with their child most valuable.
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